Hong Kong: 1 virus case in restricted area

The Government today announced that one positive COVID-19 case was found in the compulsory testing exercise for the restricted area concerning Block 2 of Aqua Marine in Cheung Sha Wan.

It made a restriction-testing declaration yesterday to cover the building where 729 people were tested.

Government staff also visited 316 households there and will follow up on those who did not answer the door.

This story has been published on: 2022-06-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
World Insights: Putin elaborates stance on political, economic issues at St. Petersburg forum

Xinhua) 10:40, June 19, 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the plenary session of the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 17, 2022. (Kremlin press release)

Putin said that Russia does not object to Ukraine joining the EU as it is not a military bloc.

ST. PETERSBURG, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin explained Russia's stance and policy on hotspot political and economic issues during the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday.

At the plenary session of the forum, Putin recalled that the surge in commodity and raw material prices occurred long before the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, underlining that the current situation has nothing to do with Russia but was caused by "many years of irresponsible macroeconomic policies" of the Group of Seven.

In Putin's view, some Western countries consider the Russian operation in Ukraine as "a lifeline that allows them to blame others for their own miscalculations."

Speaking about the future of the Russian economy, Putin said his country will never follow the path of self-isolation and autarky.

Putin announced cheap loans to boost industrial production, set the task of mastering all the critical technologies for manufacturing key products, and asked the government to make new fiscal rules to fortify the foundation of economic growth.

The Russian leader said some Western countries with "outdated geopolitical illusions" intentionally undermine the principles of the global economic system.

As a result, many trade, production and logistics ties that were previously disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic are now going through new tests, he told the audience.

Putin said there are revolutionary changes in geopolitics, the global economy, the technological sphere and the entire system of international relations, but some Western countries are trying to counteract this inexorable course of history.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the plenary session of the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Qiang)

As for the global food shortage, Putin believed that the most important task for the entire world now is to increase the supply of food to the global market, including to countries that are desperately in need.

Russia, while ensuring its own food security, is able to raise the export of food and fertilizers, he noted, pledging readiness to contribute to balancing the world food market.

Russia has not been hampering Ukraine's food exports, Putin underscored.

In his view, the "economic blitzkrieg" against Russia has failed and the Western sanctions have been proven to be a double-edged weapon as the European Union (EU) and European companies could suffer huge direct losses from the sanctions.

Putin said that Russia does not object to Ukraine joining the EU as it is not a military bloc.

Putin called it a "forced and necessary" decision for Russia to conduct the special military operation in Ukraine against the backdrop of "growing risks and threats to us."

"Sooner or later, the situation (regarding Ukraine) will normalize," he said, stressing Russia is not threatening anyone with nuclear arms.

Also attending the event, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said "We are convinced that building a peaceful, stable and economically strong Eurasia will be a powerful factor in sustainable development and inclusive growth on a global scale."

Tokayev called for measures to realize the full potential of cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union and pair the Eurasian integration process with China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said in a video message that he hopes the outcome of the forum will facilitate the search for effective solutions to existing problems and reduce the negative impact of the global economic crisis.

It is necessary to take into account the concerns and interests of all countries, ensuring the security and well-being of peoples, and promoting long-term mutual understanding on political issues, he added.

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
TRIPOLI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The third round of negotiations between Libyan parties, hosted in Egypt's Cairo under the UN auspices, have been continuing for days aiming to achieve constitutional consensus for a settlement to the general elections.

Analysts said the negotiations are crucial and the last chance to reach a consensus on a Libyan constitutional draft that may lead to successful elections. However, if the negotiations fail, it could threaten the ceasefire agreement signed in October 2020 and bring unprecedented relative stability to Libya.

In March, Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives or the parliament, and the Tripoli-based High Council of State formed a joint committee to reach a firm constitutional basis for sooner national elections. The two sides reached consensus on 37 articles of the constitution in the previous round of talks in Cario, the UN Support Mission in Libya said last month.

Faraj al-Dali, a Libyan political analyst, told Xinhua on Saturday that the negotiations between the Libyan parties in Cairo are a "real and rare opportunity to close the difficult constitutional path issue," as the lack of the constitutional rule or a constitution regulating the elections is the biggest obstacle facing the elections.

Al-Dali said "the negotiations are more crucial and important than the previous ones, as they seek to reach consensus on a Libyan constitutional draft or rule that can be accepted by all the conflicting parties, and may lead to a chance for successful elections after failing to hold them on the scheduled date later last year."

Libya failed to hold general elections in December 2021, due to disagreements on the election laws among the Libyan parties.

Iman Jalal, a Libyan law professor, believes that the international community including Egypt strongly supports consensus between the Libyans to end the constitutional dispute.

"Egypt is fully aware that any elections in Libya are doomed to fail and that the results will not be accepted by all the Libyan parties, as long as a constitutional rule regulating the elections is missing," Jalal told Xinhua.

Among the main factors that led to the failure of the elections are legal challenges against articles related to the powers and the term of the president, which are sensitive points to all the Libyan parties, Jalal explained.

Since earlier last week, negotiations between the Libyan parties have been continuing to discuss consensus on a constitutional track.

According to members of the Libyan dialogue committee, there is great agreement on most of the articles, while the dispute remains on some controversial points related to the mechanisms of election and powers of the head of state.

Stephanie Williams, a special adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Libya, on Thursday commended the members of the Libyan Joint Committee constitutional consultations for "continuing to work toward consensus and urge them to fulfill their duty to the Libyan people, who have demonstrated desire for an election by registering to vote by the millions."

Imad Jalloul, a Libyan political analyst, believes that the Cairo meetings should lead to final understandings to avoid the possibility of war and conflict in Libya.

"Cairo can play a major role in bringing the House of Representatives and the Higher Council of State together, as it has its own influential tools in the Libyan issue. The results of the third and final round could bridge the gap (between the Libyan parties)," Jalloul told Xinhua.

"Failure (to agree on a constitutional path) means a new international solution or plan that will replace elections as soon as possible and prevent armed conflict," Jalloul said.

Some members of the dialogue committees in Cairo told local media that those close to Williams told them that the international community has alternative plans to resolve the failure of the joint dialogue committee to find a solution to end the dispute over the constitutional path leading to the elections.

The UN has not yet officially announced the steps to be taken after the end of the Libyan dialogue in Cairo during the next two days. However, the UN stressed its support for its outcomes and described it as a rare and important opportunity for the Libyans to end their differences, end the transitional stages, and hold elections.

Libya has been suffering escalating violence and political instability ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. 
A woman on 15th Avenue told police that a pickup with a speaker in the bed of the truck has been driving by her house several times playing loud music. She said it was so loud it was vibrating her windows. Police drove through the area, but were unable to locate anything.

* * *

A man at Schnitzer Southeast at 100 Workman Road told police he is a supervisor there and just discovered the window had been broken out in his Jeep. He said he last saw it when he left it parked there around 5 a.m., and another employee told him she didnt notice any damage on it when she got there around 8 a.m. He said it's the passenger side rear window in the hard top. No estimates yet.

* * *

An employee at the Bright School, 1950 McDade Lane, told police that there were 12 illegal credit card transactions on the school's bank card with Pinnacle Bank totaling $73,510.74. She said these transactions were apparently done through Tik Tok online. She said the bank card was locked up at the time of the transactions. She said they have since shredded the card and the bank has locked the account. Police received an email from the woman which includes the transactions. A credit card fraud report was initiated and forwarded to an investigator.

* * *

Police were dispatched to locate a possible stolen vehicle, a Toyota Tacoma (GA tag) that was in the parking lot at 8001 Volkswagen Dr. A picture of the vehicle and tag were sent to the officer via email. The officer located the vehicle; however, the tag given by the recovery company was not the correct tag displayed on the vehicle, which was a GA tag, and not stolen.



* * *

An employee reported that a tool shed at the Chattanooga National Cemetery, 1200 Bailey Ave., was broken into and items were stolen.

* * *.

Police responded to 2600 Asbury Park on report of a stolen vehicle recovery. The vehicle, a Subaru Outback (TN tag), was stolen from Collegedale earlier that morning and was being tracked by a GPS to the Asbury Park location. Police located the vehicle locked and abandoned in the area and notified Collegedale Police Department. The owner of the vehicle responded to the scene and took possession of the vehicle. No NIC # was assigned due to the quick recovery. Originally it was reported that the vehicle was stolen by a black male wearing a yellow shirt and dark pants.

* * *

Police responded to a suspicious person call at the Lake Hill Church at 4519 Oakhill Road. The caller with the church said there was a suspicious homeless man hanging out around the church.

Upon arrival police located the suspicious man, who identified himself. Police checked and found the man was not wanted for any outstanding warrants. The man said he was homeless and that he would leave the area. He left without further incident.

* * *

A man on E. Brainerd Road told police that he and his girlfriend of 12 years broke up several months prior. He said she has been calling him from a restricted number and she showed up at his home yesterday morning unannounced. He told police that as for now, he just wanted to have it documented. Police called the ex-girlfriend, who said that she just wanted some closure and that it will not happen again. As for now, that is the end of it.

* * *

Police were called to a residence on Friar Road where a person directed an officer to the side of their house where a black purse was located. The purse had been ransacked and items were pulled out from it. The purse was soaked from rain. Inside, police found a paper copy license for a man, as well as various letters addressed to the same man. Police observed multiple misc. items and did not locate any form of currency inside the purse. Police replaced the items into the purse and transported it to Property Division for safekeeping. Police were unable to find any contact information for the man.

* * *

A woman on N. Chamberlain Avenue told police that two weeks ago she posted her resume on Indeed.com and applied for work with "Flenn Cappelli." She said she later received a call telling her she could earn $3,000 a month. She said the caller told her that they do not need any information on her other than what is on her resume. She said that the caller told her that she would be picking up checks from people as her job. She said they did not need her authorization to work or anything else. She said this seemed rather suspicious to her and she wanted to made a police report. She said she has not given them any information or sent them any money. Police recommended that she also report this to Indeed.com. The woman later called to say a check for $1,987.14 was sent to her in the mail that she was not expecting. She said the check was a part of the scam she previously reported and wished to make a police report to document that she did not cash it. The woman gave the check as evidence to police and wished for it to be destroyed.
Stars from Bachelor Nation, Americas Next Top Model, and Below Deck led Supermodels Unlimited Magazines 22nd-anniversary bash in South Beach, Florida.

Kasey Cohen from Below Deck Mediterranean, Yoanna House, Laura Cianciolo from ANTM, and Vogue transgender model Lauren Foster modeled fashions from PinkApple Dresses, JUS10H, and Fashion Nova. Plus Vizcaya Swimwear, and SHEIN.

Jordan Kimball from The Bachelorette hosted the sold-out event, held at the Clevelander Rooftop Terrace on June 18. James Kennedy from Vanderpump Rules was originally scheduled to perform but he shared on his Instagram story that flights were canceled so he did not DJ at the event.

Bachelor Nation and Below Deck turn up the heat at Supermodels Unlimited Magazine party

Cohens agent Gabriella Schwager from Stars Marketing Group shared exclusive, behind-the-scenes photos from the event with Showbiz Cheat Sheet.

Kasey Cohen and Jordan Kimball and Christina Kimball |Frazer Harrison/Getty Images/John Parra/Getty Images for Supermodels Unlimited Magazine

Schwager told Showbiz Cheat Sheet she was incredibly proud of Cohen, who has been steadily modeling since her season on Below Deck Med. Schwager attended the event and said the mood was electric. The crowd was engaged in the fashion and the party atmosphere was lively. She also noted that a portion of the Supermodels Unlimited Magazine celebration was dedicated to the people of Ukraine.

In addition to modeling swimwear, Cohen rocked a yellow pantsuit with plaid patterned patches of blue and white to honor Ukraine.

Jordan Kimball from The Bachelorette got the party started

Schwager shared photos leading up to the event and Cohens moments walking in the show. Kimball got the party started as the beats played in the background. He said the crowd was having a great time on the rooftop and the Miami humidity was tempered by a nice sea breeze blowing in off the ocean. Kimball directed the crowd to their seats and signaled that the Vizcaya Swimwear fashion show was about to begin.

Jordan Kimball and Christina Kimball | Photo courtesy of Gabriella Schwager, Stars Marketing Group

Kasey Cohen |Photo courtesy of Gabriella Schwager, Stars Marketing Group

Supermodels Unlimited Magazine held a search for the next cover model

Kennedy ultimately did not make it to Miami but dished about the anniversary event. The editors of Supermodels Unlimited Magazine will hold a live model search for their next cover model at the party! he told Patch Miami. What is probably most important to me, though, is that the event will conclude with a grand finale with all show models dressed in blue and yellow, as a special nod of support for the people of Ukraine that have been devasted by war.

Kasey Cohen |Photo courtesy of Gabriella Schwager, Stars Marketing Group

Kennedy added, The night is a benefit for Heart to Heart, an organization that is providing relief to the suffering in Ukraine. I encourage everyone to come to the champagne reception from 8 to 9 pm to spend time with the celebrity models and discuss the important work of Heart to Heart.

Supermodels Unlimited Magazine posted |Photo courtesy of Gabriella Schwager, Stars Marketing Group

Gabriella Schwager and Kasey Cohen |Photo courtesy of Gabriella Schwager, Stars Marketing Group

RELATED: The Bachelor Cast Gets Paid (a Lot) Less Than Below Deck Crew, Colin Macy-OToole Points out [Exclusive]
Todd Chrisley is one of the most famous faces in reality television. He entertains the world with his exasperating family on Chrisley Knows Best. But what does Chrisley do to afford his lavish lifestyle?

How did Todd Chrisley make his money?

CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST  Season:6  Pictured: Todd Chrisley  (Photo by: Dennis Leupold/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

Chrisley made his millions in the real estate business, heading up a company called Chrisley & Company. He then attempted to branch out into fashion, trying to open a department store that never came to fruition.

In a year, we sometimes spend $300,000 or more, just on clothing, Chrisley revealed in a promo for the reality show (via People). However, all that spending caught up with him. Chrisley filed for bankruptcy in 2012 with $49.4 million in debts.

Chrisley also filed corporate bankruptcy the following year for his company, Chrisley Asset Management. In 2014, the reality star claimed the bankruptcy case was truly in its final phases. But it was clear the family was still suffering financially.

The Chrisleys tax evasion and fraud charges

The Chrisleys gave up their sprawling Georgia mansion and moved to Nashville, although they claimed it was for security reasons. However, in 2019, the Chrisleys turned themselves in for tax evasion.

Even though he had declared himself a resident of Georgia on various documents, Chrisley had never filed income in the state and owed almost $800,000 in back taxes.

The Chrisleys were indicted by a Georgia grand jury that same year on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and tax evasion.

The reality TV family has blamed all crimes on Michael Braddock, Chrisleys former business partner. They claim he committed bank fraud on their behalf. The TV star even posted a lengthy statement about the situation on Instagram, describing his side of the story.

Im telling you all this now because we have nothing to hide and have done nothing to be ashamed of, Chrisley wrote. Not only do we know weve done nothing wrong, but weve got a ton of hard evidence and a bunch of corroborating witnesses that prove it.

Todd Chrisleys fraudulent documents

However, prosecutors allege that the Chrisleys and their accountant submitted fake documents, lied about their wealth when applying for loans, and even found documents proving the fraud.

For example, Chrisley submitted documents claiming he had $4 million in a Merrill Lynch account when he didnt even have an account there at the time. When he did open an account with Merrill Lynch, it never had more than $17,000 in it.

As a result of false representations like these, a number of banks issued the conspirators millions of dollars in loans, much of which Todd and [wife] Julie Chrisley used for their own personal benefit, the indictment read (via Insider).

The prosecution rested its case at the end of May, but the case is still ongoing. Fans of the show were shocked at first to hear about the familys financial misdeeds, but as the allegations piled up, many concluded that they didnt know Chrisley that well after all.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know about the Chrisley Knows Best Spinoff: Growing Up Chrisley
George Harrison explained that Ringo Starr got death threats when The Beatles were on tour in Canada. He said that the band left Montreal early, as they genuinely worried someone would act on the threats. Starr explained that the group was anti-Semitic and incorrectly assumed he was Jewish. He shared how he reacted to the situation.

George Harrison and Ringo Starr | Getty Images

The Beatles had several near misses on tour

In the years that The Beatles were still touring, Harrison said that he grew increasingly worried about their safety, as they had several scrapes and near misses.

Fifty years ago today, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and John Lennon were photographed striding over a zebra crossing on Abbey Road outside the EMI Recording Studios where they made the 1969 album of the same name https://t.co/lUjpa51HKH pic.twitter.com/MVpBcqE9Ne  Reuters (@Reuters) August 8, 2019

Firecrackers would go off during the show, and wed look around and think one of us had got it, he told Rolling Stone in 1987. The next place on the tour was Jacksonville, Florida, where there was this hurricane. So we were diverted to Key West, where the runway was apparently not really long enough to carry the plane. It was nerve-racking. Everywhere we went, it was something like that. Wed go to Japan, where the students were rioting, and thered be Beatlemania all mixed up with the politics. It just seemed to be like that all the time.

Harrison said it was a relief when the band stopped touring.

George Harrison said people threatened Ringo Starrs life

A particularly scary tour moment happened when people threatened Starrs life in Montreal.

We flew into this situation where the French and the English in Montreal were having a big fight, and Ringo was threatened, he said. It was like Were going to kill him.'

He explained that they took the threat seriously and left Montreal early.

We went to Key West from French Canada, where wed thought Ringo was going to get shot, he said in The Beatles Anthology. A Montreal newspaper reported that somebody was going to kill Ringo. Because they didnt like his nose or something? Because he was probably the most British of The Beatles? I dont know. Anyway, we decided, F*** this, lets get out of town, and we flew a day early, instead of staying the night in Montreal.

Starr explained that the threats were explicitly anti-Semitic. He wasnt Jewish, but they believed he was. The band hired extra police protection for their shows, as Starr genuinely worried for his life.

I had the cymbals up towards the audience to give me a bit of protection; usually I had them flat on, he said. I also had a plain-clothes policeman sitting there with me. But I started to get hysterical, because I thought, If someone in the audience has a pop at me, what is this guy going to do? Is he going to catch the bullet? I found this was getting funnier and funnier all the time, and the guy just sat there.

George Harrison and Ringo Starr were close friends and collaborators

Harrison and Starr were friends and collaborators, and Starr said he often relied on the other man for advice on music.

This happened. George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr. pic.twitter.com/adw45rQsVX  John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) December 18, 2013

I used to always go to George to help me end the song, he said, per the Daily Mail. I didnt have the talent to end a song. With Back Off Boogaloo, I went to George and he helped me finish it.

RELATED: George Harrison Said The Beatles Were Nearly Wiped Out by Desperate Fans
Much to the dismay of many Marvel fans, Chris Hemsworth is taken. Hes happily married to Elsa Pataky, a Spanish model, actor, and producer. The two actors have been married for over a decade and have three children, including twins.

Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky got married after dating for 3 months

Elsa Pataky with Chris Hemsworth in 2019 | Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Elsa Pataky was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1976 as Elsa Lafuente Medianu. She chose Elsa Pataky as her stage name to honor her maternal grandmother, Rosa Pataky. Elsas love of acting began at a young age. She later studied the craft at Universidad CEU San Pablo.

But Pataky left school to focus on acting when she landed a role in Al Salir de Clase. She went on to portray Elena Neves in the Fast & Furious film franchise. She also appeared in Snakes on a Plane, 12 Strong, Malone, and the TV series Tidelands, IMDb reports.

Pataky met her now-husband, Chris Hemsworth, through talent agent William Ward. The couple hit it off quickly. It didnt take long for the two to know they wanted to get married. In fact, they wed only three months after they began dating.

The two were vacationing with relatives in Indonesia, and it just felt right. Honestly, we had both our families on holiday at the same time, just randomly, and we said, This is a good opportunity with everyone together. So we just did it, Hemsworth explained.

Chris Hemsworths wife, Elsa Pataky, speaks 6 languages

Chris Hemsworth Celebrates Wife Elsa Pataky's 45th Birthday with Sweet, Sentimental Photos https://t.co/rvIsu5P39e  People (@people) July 18, 2021

Not only is Elsa Pataky a talented actor, but shes also fluent in six languages: English, Spanish, Romanian, Italian, Portuguese, and French. She speaks Spanish at home with her children.

Shes been married to Hemsworth for over 10 years, but the Thor: Love and Thunder actor hasnt learned Spanish fluently yet.

He promised me. He said, Ill be speaking Spanish in two months  Hes improving. Every year, he knows one or two words more, Pataky told Australian TV host Richard Wilkins in 2017, Daily Mail reports.

My Spanish is mediocre, Hemsworth told the Spanish magazine XL Semanal. If we lived in Spain, it would improve. But my children laugh at me every time I try to speak it. And that destroys my confidence. So I blame them, the actor joked.

Pataky said of speaking Spanish at home: Thats important  thats what my mom did to me, talked in Romanian. [When] I start to speak in English, Im like, I dont express myself great. I got used to making an effort to speak to them in Spanish.

The Thor actor makes a cameo in his wifes new movie, Interceptor

Elsa Patakys latest project, Interceptor, recently dropped on Netflix. IMDb describes the action flick thus: One Army captain must use her years of tactical training and military expertise when a simultaneous coordinated attack threatens the remote missile Interceptor station she is in command of.

Chris Hemsworth executive-produced the TV movie and even makes a cameo. Viewer interest catapulted the film to number one on the streaming platform.

One would think that such an impressive showing would indicate the movie is also a critical darling. However, thats not the case, according to Daily Mail. Many Twitter posts slam the movie.

One critic tweeted, If you havent watched it yet. Dont. Thats the review.

Another reviewer wrote, If you have 1 hour 40 minutes of your life that you dont ever want back, watch #Interceptor on Netflix, its pure turd.

It wasnt all bashing, though. One fan tweeted, @chrishemworth your beautiful & incredibly talented wife ELSA PATAKY is AMAZING! The movie #interceptor was phenomenal! A MUST SEE! Congratulations on an excellent move & 2 be lucky & smart enough 2 have married such an incredible woman!!

RELATED: Chris Hemsworths Interceptor Cameo Reminds Some of Avengers: Endgame
Stranger Things has been a runaway success for Netflix. But soon, the series will come to an end. The shows creators, the Duffer brothers, have confirmed season 5 will be the last installment of the hit series. Until then, millions of fans are watching the latest season. And true to the shows sci-fi/horror genre, season 4 kicks off with a terrifying episode. Because it could remind viewers of a recent tragedy, Netflix added an onscreen warning.

Season 4 is the shows penultimate installment

Stranger Things Season 4: Jamie Campbell Bower as Peter Ballard and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven | Netflix

Matt and Ross Duffer, aka the Duffer brothers, have confirmed that Stranger Things Season 5 will be the shows last. The most recent season consists of two volumes. The first came out at the end of May. The rest will be available to stream on July 1.

According to Vanity Fair, fans of Stranger Things still have something to look forward to despite the end of the series. The Duffer brothers arent done making hits. They have a few projects in the works, including an adaptation of Stephen Kings The Talisman. But dont expect it to have the same tones as Stranger Things. Thats because the Duffer brothers wont be the showrunners or even the writers. Theyre stepping back into a pure producer role for the project.

Were starting to branch out a little bit into producing stuff that were not necessarily showrunning just because there are properties or writers or directors that we really admire and want to work with  The Talisman being one example, they told Vanity Fair.

Netflix added a violence warning to Stranger Things Season 4

Stranger Things Season 4 premiered only three days after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children dead. The Duffer brothers and Netflix understood that the recent tragedy might trigger viewers. So they added a warning before episode 1. It reads as follows:

We filmed this season of Stranger Things a year ago. But given the recent tragic shooting at a school in Texas, viewers may find the opening scene of episode 1 distressing. We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable violence, and our hearts go out to every family mourning a loved one.

Netflix also posted the notes Warning: Contains graphic violence involving children and disturbing images.

The streaming giant added the warnings because season 4 opens with scenes of bloody, brutally murdered children.

Stranger Things Season 4 fan reactions

Although fans didnt like the long wait between Stranger Things Seasons 3 and 4, the latest installment has earned a positive reception. Viewers still love the sci-fi drama even though they had to wait longer because of pandemic delays.

Fan reactions on Twitter prove season 4 was worth the wait. One viewer tweeted, Stranger Things Season 4 is just all kinds of epic. What a fun, mind-blowing show, with gobsmackingly beautiful action set pieces. I am loving it. I havent had this much fun watching anything in recent times.

Stranger Things Season 4 is just all kinds of epic. What a fun, mind-blowing show, with gobsmackingly beautiful action set pieces. I am loving it. I haven't had this much fun watching anything in recent times. Thank you, Duffer Brothers.  Ershad Kaleebullah (@r3dash) June 15, 2022

Another Twitter user wrote, one thing about #StrangerThings is they know how to do tension because I swear I have 4 heart attacks every episode.

The volume 1 finale also left viewers gobsmacked: The ending of #strangerthingsseason4 why did i not see that coming.

Another Twitter user praised the series for posting the content warning: Good for the @Stranger_Things team for adding this warning. Many of us watched the scene when it was released early, and it is very distressing to see again fresh off the heels of Uvalde.

As of this writing, Stranger Things Season 4 has a 90% rating from critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Thats higher than Disney+s new Obi-Wan Kenobi, ranking around 80% from critics and 60% from audiences.

Well have to wait until volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 debuts to find out how critics and audiences feel about the entire season.

RELATED: Stranger Things Fans Slammed for Discovering Kate Bushs Running Up That Hill
The Challenge stars Nia Moore and Jordan Wiseley have developed a close bond following one of the most volatile pasts in The Real World history. Their relationship has gotten so tight that many fans wonder if Nia and Jordan are dating. She recently opened up about their romance.

The Challenge: All Stars 3 competitors Nehemiah Clark, Nia Moore, and Jordan Wiseley | Laura Barisonzi/Paramount+

Nia Moore and Jordan Wiseley have developed a close relationship

When viewers last saw Nia Moore on The Challenge, she got disqualified shortly before competing in the Battle of the Exes 2 (2015) finals for assaulting Jordan Wiseley.

The two had a volatile relationship from their reality TV debut on The Real World: Portland (2013). Therefore, they were surprised to see her make her return seven years later, on Jordans arm.

Is it hot in here or is it just Nia and Jordan? 



Stream #TheChallengeAllStars3 on @paramountplus!  pic.twitter.com/2Y9sHgz3km  The Challenge (@TheChallenge) May 28, 2022

RELATED: The Challenge: Nia Moore on Rumors She Was Banned: I Shouldve Been

The two admitted to having pent-up sexual tension between them and seemed to hook up during All Stars 3.

Additionally, they worked closely together in the house, and he encouraged her when Sylvia Elsrode surprisingly called her out for elimination. Adversely, she was devastated when he went home the following week.

Nia confirmed she and Jordan are not dating

In a June 2022 interview with AfterBuzz TV, she spoke about her strong relationship with Jordan.

The Georgia native explained the All Stars producers made her feel very comfortable with the experience, namely in how it differed from the flagship series, but admittedly didnt care to compete.

Is it hot in here or is it just Nia and Jordan? 



Stream #TheChallengeAllStars3 on @paramountplus!  pic.twitter.com/2Y9sHgz3km  The Challenge (@TheChallenge) May 28, 2022

However, she changed her mind after talking with Jordan, in which he revealed he would join the cast. Nia also acknowledged their close relationship but promised they are not dating.

She referred to him as one of the greatest loves of my life in terms of men in my life and reiterated how much she loves him. Although the two-time competitor noted they both want each other to find happiness, they dont believe its with each other. Were not compatible dating-wise, she added.

Many fans thought Nia and Jordan had a romance prior to The Challenge: All Stars 3

Jordan and Nia met in 2013 while on The Real World: Portland, where the rivals got into explosive arguments. In one notable exchange, he used the n-word and made monkey noises at his co-star.

Their rivalry continued into The Challenge, which eventually crossed the line, resulting in her disqualification. In 2020, after MTV publicly cut ties with Dee Nguyen for insensitive comments about the Black Lives Matter movement, many fans began calling for the network to do the same with Jordan.

Jordan always gives 110% to everything he does and this elimination against Fessy was no exception.  #TheChallenge35 pic.twitter.com/bOPYJcx2uN  The Challenge (@TheChallenge) May 23, 2020

Following the backlash, Nia defended him, as they had since become friends after she left the reality TV community. The pair went on Instagram Live together to explain they had since moved on from their past and developed a friendship. After he and fiancee Tori Deal called off their engagement in November 2020, Jordan revealed he began dating someone familiar to The Challenge audience in an interview with Danny Pellegrino.

Shortly later, Nia uploaded a picture of her kissing Jordans cheek, fueling rumors the two had begun dating. Many fans continued believing the pair are more than friends due to their close bond on All Stars 3 continued relationship after the show. For example, they appeared together at co-star Kam Williams and Leroy Garretts baby shower. However, Nia has confirmed she and Jordan arent dating and are only friends. The Challenge: All Stars 3 airs Wednesdays on Paramount+.

RELATED: The Challenge Fans Want Jordan Wiseley Fired Next for Past Racially Insensitive Comments
Megachurch pastor advises young adults to forgive absent, neglectful dads ahead of Father's Day

As Americans get ready to celebrate Father's Day on Sunday, a young adult ministry leader is encouraging Christians to forgive their absent fathers and others who have inflicted harm in their lives.

David Marvin, a pastor at Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, gave a sermon Tuesday titled "How to forgive" before the church's young adult group, The Porch, which ministers to thousands of young adults through live stream affiliations with 15 churches across 10 states.

"Christians are not called to just have the title of Christians, but the lifestyle of Christians. And Jesus over and over said: 'If you're going to follow me, you will forgive people.' And I know represented in this room there's a lot of pain," Marvin preached.

"When we brought up Father's Day a second ago, that's not a day of celebration. It's a day that reminds you of what you didn't have or the terrible father you did have.  God wants you to experience the healing that happens when you decide to forgive, which is why over and over He commands it."

He assured forgiveness can change the trajectory of someone's life.

Marvin, who's been on staff at Watermark for over a decade and has a biblical studies master's degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, said many people don't know what steps are needed to forgive. He believes there's a lot of misinformation on forgiveness, noting that "forgiveness is not forgetting."

"If anything, you have to remember in order to forgive someone. Forgiveness is not excusing what happened. It's not pretending like, 'man, it wasn't a big deal when they abused me.' That was a huge deal. But you're still called to forgive," Marvin preached.

"Forgiveness is not minimizing or belittling it. The sin that happened against you was such a big deal Jesus had to come on the cross and die. Forgiveness is not the restoration of a relationship. In other words, you can forgive someone, which doesn't make you best friends. But it is a command."

He stressed that "forgiveness is not fair" and laid out three steps to take.

Knowing what to forgive

The first step of forgiveness, Marvin said, is to "identify what to forgive."

"It is a really difficult thing to forgive or release the need for payback, to release that debt that was created if I don't know what was taken," he explained. "In other words, I can't forgive you for what you stole from my house if I don't know what you stole from my house."

Marvin said many never process what others did to hurt them, which can block the process of forgiveness to those who hurt them.

"Canceling that debt involves identifying what was taken. ... Every time somebody hurt you, sinned against you, neglected, abandoned, abused, sinned; there's the fact that it happened, then there's the impact it had,  and the fact of what was taken," Marvin said.

"What do I mean by that? That every time somebody has sinned against you or me, there's a debt that is created. And part of the way that we forgive is by looking it in the eye and saying, 'This is what was taken and I'm not holding that against you anymore.'"

Marvin offered himself as an example, speaking to the resentment he used to hold against his father for largely being absent from his life growing up.

"We'd see each other at holidays, and my siblings would drive across town two times a month due to custody orders, and we'd see him in this tiny little apartment," the pastor explained. "And I realized I was carrying some real hurt. And somebody gave me the teaching of forgiveness. It's really hard to forgive someone if you don't know what they took from you."

Years ago, Marvin began writing a journal to chronicle the different things his father "took" from him growing up.

"You took from me having a dad in the home. You took from me having a father show up at sporting events," Marvin recounted.

"You took from me the ability to see what God's design for marriage was meant to look like. You took from me every other Monday night where I had to drive across town and go to that apartment. You took from me having a father close in my life.'"

'Let go'

Forgiveness is a decision that needs to be made, Marvin said, referencing Ephesians 4:31. The verse reads: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

The second step on the path to forgiveness and "by far the hardest," Marvin said, is making the decision to "let go" of the debt and release it to God.

"Maybe it was the fact that you grew up in a broken home like I did, and it led to some brokenness in your life ... that's not your fault and you didn't ask for it," Marvin said.

"But if you're going to forgive and experience healing, you've got to make the decision: 'I'm going to identify what was taken because I can't release that debt if I don't know what it is.'"

Marvin stressed that "forgiving is an act of faith" and warned of the potential consequences of failing to forgive.

"To say to God, 'I am choosing to not forgive this person,' is to say 'the eternal torment of Hell is not enough for the pain they created.' Or if they're a believer, it's saying to God, 'the death of your one and only Son Jesus on the cross, that may be enough for you God, it's not enough for me. And they need to pay. And however I can make them pay through the way that I treat them, or the way that I avoid them, or the way that I refuse to forgive them, I'm going to do,'" Marvin said.

"God says: 'the forgiven forgive people.' We forgive because we've been forgiven. ... God's grace doesn't just flow to us and His forgiveness doesn't just flow to us. It's to flow out through us and how we interact with other people."

Forgive daily

The third step to forgiveness, Marvin said, is to "choose to forgive daily."

Marvin discussed the Lord's Prayer, which includes the portion that states, "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," which is also rendered as "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

"Forgiveness is a medication you will have to take for the rest of your life," Marvin said. "Is holding on to that bitterness going to help you? Jesus says, 'No.' It's going to hurt you and your future."
Photo taken on June 19, 2022 shows the logo of Afghanistan's central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghanistan's central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), said Sunday it would further inject 12 million U.S. dollars into the local market to boost the national currency afghani. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), said Sunday it would further inject 12 million U.S. dollars into the local market to boost the national currency afghani.

The DAB said in a statement that it was requesting all eligible banks and monetary service providers to participate in the auction scheduled for Monday.

"In auction bids, partial settlement of currencies is not allowed and the winners of the auction must deposit in the Da Afghanistan Bank their money at one time in cash," the statement said.

The U.S. dollar has depreciated against the afghani compared with a couple of weeks ago. The DAB conducted auctioning of 11 million dollars earlier this week. 

Afghan dealers wait for customers at a money exchange market in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 19, 2022. Afghanistan's central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), said Sunday it would further inject 12 million U.S. dollars into the local market to boost the national currency afghani. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Afghan dealers wait for customers at a money exchange market in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 19, 2022. Afghanistan's central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), said Sunday it would further inject 12 million U.S. dollars into the local market to boost the national currency afghani. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

People gather at a money exchange market in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 19, 2022. Afghanistan's central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), said Sunday it would further inject 12 million U.S. dollars into the local market to boost the national currency afghani. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Afghan dealers wait for customers at a money exchange market in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 19, 2022. Afghanistan's central bank, the Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), said Sunday it would further inject 12 million U.S. dollars into the local market to boost the national currency afghani. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
Surging violence against Nigeria's Christians demands White House action

On Pentecost Sunday in Owo, Nigeria, a horrifying massacre took place.

Streaks of blood on the floors and walls, sandals abandoned in a desperate rush to escape, a well-thumbed Bible lying among shards of glass, Reuters reported on June 6. Those were some of the disturbing sights inside St. Francis Catholic Church in the Nigerian town  after unknown assailants attacked the congregation with guns and explosives during Sunday mass, killing and injuring dozens of people.

Various estimates of the St. Francis Xavier church death toll ranged widely from 20 to 50. An email from a Nigerian friend pleaded with U.S. friends, Please pray for our bishop and his people  untreated victims are dying of their wounds.

The early casualty estimates all proved to be low. On June 8, An ABC news source with direct knowledge of the investigation said the bodies of 82 victims were in a local morgue. Another source briefed on the latest U.S. intelligence assessment said the estimate was over 80. Both sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they didn't have the authorization to speak to the press about the ongoing probe.

I saw a lot of dead bodies  both young and old, even children, said Steven Omotayo, who lives near the Owo church.

Explaining that the church has three entrances, and the main entrance was locked, Omotayo said this made it difficult for many to escape. Meanwhile, They were just shooting. If they see anyone trying to escape or stand up, they will just shoot the person, he told reporters. Everybody standing was bombarded with bullets. The assault was carefully planned, as some of the perpetrators had seated themselves among the congregants, infiltrating the church.

Unfortunately, the St. Francis church massacre is only the latest outrageous account of anti-Christian terrorism in Nigeria. There have been countless others.

Just weeks before the Owo carnage, in another horrifying incident, the violent murder of a young Nigerian Christian college student once again focused international attention on ongoing abuses. In Sokoto, Deborah Emmanuel was viciously beaten to death, and her body burned to ashes by nearly 200 of her Muslim classmates. They were offended by Deborahs recent WhatsApp post, in which she thanked Jesus for her successful final grades on a final exam, and implied that good grading was more difficult for Christian students. Her remarks (which have since been deleted) were interpreted as blasphemy against Islam  a crime deserving of death according to Islamic Sharia law.

Deborah's father later described the horrifying scene he witnessed, standing in a crowd and utterly powerless to intervene: As they were struggling with the security men, one of the mob hit her on the head with a huge iron rod, and she fell to the ground. That was how they began to stone her, hit her with rods and sticks, and she died. She was killed in the presence of all the security agents. After they killed her, the mob was jubilant ... students and people from the villages were all shouting Allah Akbar, Allahu Akbar.

Unsurprisingly, for many Nigerian Christians, fear of violence is pervasive. At home, people do not sleep with two eyes closed because of the fear of being attacked by gunmen, Christian clergyman Ugochukwu Ugwoke laments. Today is the third day since the attack on the innocent worshippers of St. Francis Catholic Church took place, yet no arrest has been made. It is surprising that an attack of such magnitude happenedand the terrorists just strolled out of the town without any trace. Ugwoke concluded, Nowhere is safe be it at home, in the market, in the streets, in the farms and even in the house of God.

Nigerias population is almost evenly divided between Christians and Muslims. In 2021, a Family Research Council analysis of Nigerias struggle against violent extremists stated that around 12,000 Christians had been killed for their faith since 2015. More recently, far worse statistics have been documented.

Open Doors International, monitoring global Christian persecution, recently reported  In Nigeria, a Christian is killed for their faith every two hours; thats nearly 13 Christians a day and 372 Christians a month  Research for the 2022 World Watch List reveals that in 2021, more Christians were murdered for their faith in Nigeria than in any other country. Last year, Nigeria accounted for nearly 80% of Christian deaths worldwide, with more than 4,650 believers killed.

Nigeria is a nation of great energy and tremendous potential. It is the largest and most populous and prosperous country in Africa, with vast natural resources and a thriving economy. Yet it continues to be ripped apart by unmitigated brutality. In response, in 2020 then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), providing the U.S. with significant options to address the surging religious violence.

However, to the dismay of most concerned observers, less than a year later, the Biden administration removed the CPC designation  without a word of explanation. The delisting has since amounted to a license for escalating violence, and an outrageous betrayal of Nigeria's increasingly brutalized Christians. In the months since its removal, violent accounts have continued to mount, including assaults by well-armed death squads, mass murder, rape, kidnapping, and mutilation, torched homes, villages, and churches, and devastated refugees. In the last decade, Boko Haram alone has displaced over 2 million people and left some 4.5 million people food insecure.

Writing for the Wall Street Journal on June 7, in light of the ever-increasing terrorism, President of Open Doors USA David Curry made a public appeal to President Joe Biden, asking him to take action in Nigeria regarding the CPC designation:

Given the carnage at St. Francis Xavier Church, the president should redesignate Nigeria immediately, Curry wrote  Mr. Biden has the opportunity to send a clear signal that the U.S. wont stand by as the innocent faithful are persecuted. He should make the redesignation and enforce sanctions without delay.

We can only pray  along with our Nigerian brothers and sisters  that David Currys appeal to the White House is clearly heard and quickly granted.

Originally published at the Family Research Council.
Georgia megachurch to pay $13.1 million to leave UMC, end litigation

A megachurch in Georgia has agreed to pay $13.1 million to leave the United Methodist Church with its property, ending litigation between it and the mainline Protestant denomination.

The Marietta-based Mt. Bethel Church, which boasts around 10,000 members, recently announced that it had settled with the UMC North Georgia Conference.

According to the settlement agreement, approved in Cobb County Superior Court on June 3, Mt. Bethel will pay $13.1 to keep its property and assets, while being officially allowed to leave the UMC.

We are thankful that we have reached a settlement with the Trustees of the North Georgia Conference that puts an end to litigation and enables us to move forward in faith as an independent church, stated Mt. Bethel.

We praise God for His provision and offer gratitude for all the parties involved in reaching this peaceful resolution. We extend abundant thanks to our members, faith community, and partners who have been praying for a God-honoring outcome.

For its part, the conference released a statement on Monday saying it was appreciative of the Cobb County Superior Court for giving final approval of the mediated settlement agreement.

We anticipate full resolution in the next 120 days, the conference added. As stated in the agreement, we are all part of one universal church and look forward to moving ahead in service to Jesus Christ.

In April 2021, Mt. Bethel's 50-member administrative council unanimously voted to begin a discernment process for leaving the UMC, citing the reassignment of their lead pastor and the general direction of the denomination as reasons.

Last July, the conference announced that it had seized control of Mt. Bethel's assets, citing "exigent circumstances" to justify its actions and saying it was done "out of love for the church and its mission."

For its part, Mt. Bethel denounced the seizure and took issue with North Georgia Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson and the conference claiming "exigent circumstances."

The church pointed to contrary examples, such as having a growing congregation, financial stability and adhering to UMC Book of Discipline rules regarding the appointment of clergy.

"Mt. Bethel has not violated the Discipline by hiring its' preaching pastor,' nor has it allowed uncredentialed use of the Pulpit," stated Mt. Bethel at the time.

Mt. Bethel filed an injunction request in county court last October to try and stop the conference from interfering with a congregation-wide vote over seeking dismissal from the UMC.

Mt. Bethel is not the only congregation leaving the North Georgia Conference, as the overall UMC is experiencing schism over their years-long debate on homosexuality and gay marriage.

Earlier this month, the conference announced that 70 congregations representing 9% of the regional bodys churches would be officially leaving the UMC by the end of the month.

Many, if not all, of these departing congregations plan to join the newly created Global Methodist Church, which was launched as a conservative alternative to the UMC.
Orthodox Presbyterian Church says allegations of 'racist speech' were misunderstandings, misguided humor

Multiple allegations of "racial disparagement" at an annual gathering of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) that nearly saw the meeting booted from its site on a Christian college campus may not have been racially charged after all, according to church officials.

Last Friday, the 88th General Assembly of the OPC announced that officials with Eastern University (EU) in Philadelphia, which hosted the assembly, informed committee members of four separate incidents of "egregiously offensive behavior by more than one person."

In response to the allegations, the OPC passed a statement of "regret and sorrow."

The statement said the allegations occurred last Thursday and included "egregiously offensive behavior" as "episodes of racist speech" were reported. If found true, the infractions would have violated EU's "zero-tolerance policy on racism" and resulted in the assembly's expulsion from campus.

"The 88th (2022) General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church hereby expresses to the faculty, staff, and students of Eastern University its grief, sorrow, and disgust regarding four recent incidents of racial disparagement reported by some present at our Assembly.

"There is no place in the church for such conduct," the statement added.

According to the statement, the denomination "seeks to magnify and honor Christ as the Creator of every human being, each one reflecting dignity and value in the image of God."

"Therefore, in accordance with God's Word and the two great laws of love, we repudiate and condemn all sins of racism, hatred and prejudice, as transgressions against our Holy God, who calls us to love and honor all people," the statement reads.

After issuing the statement, EU officials told OPC that the school considered the matter closed.

A spokesperson for the university declined to comment when contacted by The Christian Post.

On Thursday, however, the OPC released an update on its investigation and said "new information had come to light" regarding the allegations.

Three of the four reported incidents, according to the OPC, were the result of a "clumsy and misguided attempt at friendly humor by one commissioner" and a "confusing interaction that was misunderstood by those present."

"The first two incidents were confirmed to be a clumsy and misguided attempt at friendly humor by one commissioner, who has since acknowledged his poor choice of words and desires to pursue reconciliation with the offended parties," the update reads.

The fourth incident  described as the "most egregious" of the allegations  was determined to not involve an OPC General Assembly commissioner "since, according to EU, the one reported to have used such offensive language had not been seen on campus since the incident."

"We give thanks that, in God's good providence and timing, the matter as a whole had been resolved by the close of the Assembly," the statement concluded.

Hank L. Belfield, the stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, told The Christian Post that the denomination is in the process of mailing the update on the situation to "all the ministers and churches of the OPC to be sure they are aware of its contents,:

"We consider this matter settled with the Eastern University community and are humbled and grateful for their gracious response to our expression of sorrow and regret," Belfield wrote in an email.

During its 1974 assembly, the OPC formally condemned "every form of racial discrimination and racism" and called for "an end to white paternalism and black bitterness through mutual admonition and rebuke in love."

The document recommended that "Christians should be urged to acknowledge their common involvement in guilt with a world torn by sinful divisions and attitudes."

"They should be called upon to repent of their sin in this respect and to make restitution by following Christ in the way of love," the 1974 document reads. "In this way alone they can fulfill their divine charge to bring the gospel to unbelievers of all races, recognizing them as fellow sinners."

Founded in the 1930s by conservative members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA), the OPC denomination is based primarily in the northern U.S. It has about 300 churches with more than 30,000 members nationally.
So. Baptists adopt pro-life resolution anticipating Roe v. Wades reversal at annual meeting

Southern Baptists voted to approve an abortion resolution in anticipation of an upcoming Supreme Court ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Messengers gathered in Anaheim, California, for their Annual Meeting this week where they voted overwhelmingly in support of the denominations pro-life efforts, theological commitments and outreach in ministry.

Resolution 7, called On Anticipation of a Historic Moment In the Pro-Life Movement," urged that the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson reverse Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 case which reaffirmed Roe.

A draft majority opinion of the justices' ruling in that case, in which Roe was overturned, was leaked to the press on May 2.

On Wednesday afternoon, Southern Baptist seminary presidents spoke to messengers about what is happening at their institutions, while a motion was proposed from the floor to abolish the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the denominations policy arm. During this time, several messengers came to the microphone to inquire about where leaders in the denomination stood on abortion.



They specifically asked about whether or not Southern Baptist leaders would back proposals revamping laws to apply homicide statutes to the unborn, a policy goal that abortion abolitionists have advocated in some states. The most favorable response given to such a question came from Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.



We understand that homicide is the death or the killing of a human being. The unborn baby, I believe, from the moment of conception until natural death, is a human being deserving of that protection. The law has means of making discernments and distinctions in agency and that means moral responsibility and in context, Mohler said.



How we make that apply in the question of abortion where even in terms of, say, a miscarriage, things may be difficult sometimes, medically, to define  I believe the law is capable of making those distinctions in the same way we have different degrees of murder, we have different kinds of indictments possible of criminal charges. So in other words, I believe that there are many cases in which, demonstrably, there is not just an abortionist who should face criminal charges but a woman seeking an abortion.

That is something that we believe the law should pursue," he added. "We also understand that that is not something that is likely to come in all 50 states anytime soon.

A messenger from the floor who spoke in favor of the motion in favor of abolishing the ERLC argued that the agency is compromised and is not giving voice to the views of Southern Baptists, including on the issue of abortion.

Dr. Richard Land, president emeritus of the ERLC, who served at the helm of the entity from 1988 to 2013, urged messengers to vote to reject the measure. He noted the hard work Southern Baptists have done for decades in defense of the unborn.

Land said that he could not think of a worse time to defund the entity in light of current circumstances. The nature of the job of heading the ERLC means disagreements over many issues are bound to happen, he said, but scrapping the agency is misguided.

At the precise moment when after 50 years of effort, we are on the verge of having Roe v. Wade overturned, that will immediately lead to a battle in all 50 states in the state legislatures and Southern Baptists will be leading that charge. And the ERLC is perfectly primed to be a resource, to be a help, and to help share information among the 50 states, Land said.

To defund the ERLC because youre unhappy with some of what it may have done would be like taking a cannon to destroy a mosquito. The mosquito dies," but there are "great, great calamitous consequences overall, he asserted.

Messengers subsequently voted overwhelmingly to reject the motion to abolish the ERLC.

The language in this years resolution did not contain language like last years motion that might be called abolitionist in that it slightly spurned what has long been the mainstream approach of pro-life advocacy among Southern Baptists, known as incrementalism.



Though messengers at last years annual meeting passed it by a large majority, notable SBC ethicists voted against the resolution. They explained at length in The Public Discourse why they found the language troubling and strategically unworkable and maintained that many messengers did not adequately understand the resolution.



Some within the SBC have criticized the ERLCs signing of a letter from the National Right to Life Committee urging Louisiana state lawmakers not to support an abolitionist bill in that state, stressing the importance of not assigning criminal penalties to women who undergo abortions.

One messenger from Louisiana, a pastor who supported the contested bill, asked SBC leaders on the stage, Is it your position that the mother who willfully kills her own child by abortion is never guilty before God and she should never face any consequences under the law?



Addressing the issue from the stage, Brent Leatherwood, ERLC acting president, explained that the NRLC approached them and 75 other pro-life groups. They did so, he said, in the context of the likely demise of Roe and the need to delineate clearly for state legislators the principles of the pro-life movement given how states will soon have the chance to rework their laws.



Youre not going to get me to say that I want to throw mothers behind bars, Leatherwood said of the ERLCs posture toward abortion-related public policy, adding that this view is shared by the SBC at large and the broader pro-life movement.

The messengers voted to adopt Resolution 7.

The SBC annual meeting concluded Wednesday. Next years annual meeting is slated to happen in New Orleans, Louisiana.


'God doesn't need the SBC': Voddie Baucham warns 'judgment' falling upon the Church, secular culture

Two of Evangelical Christianity's most recognizable preachers are warning the nation's largest Protestant group to resist compromise amid a wave of internal disputes and controversies.

Pastors Voddie Baucham and John MacArthur were on hand for an event hosted by the Conservative Baptist Network in the runup to this week's annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Anaheim, California.

In addition to messages from Baucham and MacArthur, Sunday's event had around 2,000 attendees and featured a panel discussion with candidates endorsed by CBN who are running for SBC offices.

The CBN is described as a "partnership of Southern Baptists where all generations are encouraged, equipped, and empowered to bring positive, biblical solutions that strengthen the SBC in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission and influence culture." It was formed in 2020 amid growing concern that the denomination is drifting from biblical orthodoxy towards more "social justice" theology and "woke-ism."

Baucham, who lost a bid Tuesday to become the next president of the SBC Pastor's Conference to a relatively unknown North Carolina pastor, touched on several topics that have roiled the SBC ranks, including critical race theory (CRT) and new revelations about sexual abuse and coverup within the SBC.

He issued a stark reminder about the sovereignty of God in building His kingdom, adding that "we recognize that God doesn't need the Southern Baptist Convention."

"I love the SBC. I've been trained and educated and nurtured in the Southern Baptist Convention. I praise God for the Southern Baptist Convention," said Baucham, according to Church Leaders. "But hear me when I say [that] God does not need the Southern Baptist Convention. Now, we pray that God will continue to use the Southern Baptist Convention, amen?"

Baucham, 52, currently serves as dean of theology at African Christian University in Zambia. He was nominated for president by Founders Ministries, a conservative group within the SBC for which he also serves as a board member.

But while his election loss didn't occur until the following day, Baucham indicated that the conference was grappling with a decades-long history of abuse within the SBC due to God's "judgment" falling upon both the Church and the culture outside its walls.

"I recognize that God doesn't need America. ... What I'm worried about is that there is this judgment that is happening simultaneously," he said. "There's this judgment that we're seeing in our broader culture that is also being reflected in a kind of judgment that we're seeing within broader Evangelicalism and a judgment we're seeing within the Southern Baptist Convention."

Baucham also cautioned against emphasizing benevolence and social justice over the Gospel in a country where Christianity is increasingly demonized and despised as an "enemy in the culture."

"One of the things that happens when the Gospel becomes an enemy in the culture is that we want to appease the culture by doing the good without the name," he said. "The work that we do is known as work that is social in nature [and] that has absolutely nothing to do with the Gospel. It's work that anyone else can do, and you don't need the name of Jesus in order to do it. And we do this because we recognize the animosity that the culture has toward the Gospel."

"They've gone [from] arguing that we're wrong to arguing that we're evil," he added.

Baucham specifically cited social justice ideology, which he said "argues that there is not only this sort of oppressor-oppressed paradigm but that the oppression is ultimately rooted and grounded in Christianity."

Speaking later in the day Tuesday, MacArthur, who pastors the non-denominational Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, encouraged his fellow laborers in ministry to worry less about cultural trends and focus instead on the Word of God.

"All effective, uncompromising ministry starts with an understanding [that the Kingdom of God is not of this world]," MacArthur said. "The world provides nothing for you to advance the Kingdom of God  not politically, not in terms of power, not in terms of influence, not in terms of alliances, not in terms of connections. It offers you nothing."

He referenced the trend of ministries and pastors working to accommodate more culturally-friendly services and sermons, saying, "You can hook yourself to the world and you can think it's only the style, but they will drag you to the bottom."

MacArthur also quoted Matthew 11:20, when Jesus denounced those cities "in which most of His miracles were performed because they didn't repent."

"I've never had any interest in providing what the children of the devil want. I don't want to design a church service for the children of the devil," MacArthur said. "I don't expect to be popular with them. I expect to be hated."

Despite the ongoing controversy over sexual abuse and other "denominational" rifts, Southern Baptists remain the largest Protestant group in the U.S., accounting for more than 5% of the adult population and nearly one-fifth of all Evangelical Protestants, according to a Pew 2014 study.

Southern Baptists, which evolved from 17th-century Baptists who settled in the American colonies, formed their own group in 1845 over disagreements with their northern counterparts regarding slavery.
In New Yorks Finger Lakes, an overlooked old church

Most of the visitors to New Yorks Finger Lakes come for world-class lakes and spectacular wines.

Many undoubtedly overlook a historic church tucked away among farmhouses, vineyards and cottages on Bluff Point, which divides Keuka Lake  the third-largest of the 11 glacial lakes that make up the Finger Lakes region  into two branches and gives the lake its distinctive Y-shape.

Designed by architect Mortimer Freehof and built between 1930 and 1931, the Garrett Memorial Chapel was commissioned by Paul and Evelyn Garrett in memory of their fourth son, Charles, who died of tuberculosis at the age of 26.

Paul Garrett, an Episcopalian by confession who claimed to be descended from Jamestown colonists, ran Garrett and Co., a wine company that had its roots in North Carolina but operated vineyards in and around the Finger Lakes before, during and after Prohibition. Garrett and Co.s marquee brand carried the name of Virginia Dare, the first English birth in the New World.

Freehofs design is simple but striking, not least because of its setting above the east branch of Keuka Lake.

The granite walls add a rustic flare to what has been called Norman architecture even though the windows feature a pointed arch, the telltale sign of Gothic. Thus, its a rather late example of Gothic revival. Meanwhile, the interior is renowned for its 10 stained-glass windows depicting the life and ministry of Christ by Frederick Wilson, the one-time head of ecclesiastical art at Tiffany Studios.

Describing the chapel, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2001, Paul Garrett wrote shortly after its construction: Built of rugged Pennsylvania seam-faced granite, on the solid rock foundations of Bluff Point, it should stand to see another 2,000 years, or even until the era of Christianity has reached its five thousandth year.

With a couple exceptions  namely the cast stone decorative details and steel-encased concrete beams  the chapel could be mistaken for a medieval church that one might find on travels somewhere on the backroads of France or England.

The chapel hosts a seasonal worshiping community that is nondenominational mainline Protestant in matters of doctrine and practice but is otherwise under the care of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, a see based about 60 miles away in its namesake city.

Scheduled preachers during the Sunday services this summer are the Rev. Anne Waasdorp (July 3), the Rev. Joy Bergfalk (July 10), the Rev. Eric Detar (July 17), the Rev. Peter Peters (July 31), the Rev. Kit Tobin (Aug. 7), the Rev. Michael Hartney (Aug. 14), the Rev. James Gerling (Aug. 21), the Very Rev. Troy Preston (Aug. 28) and the Right Rev. Stephen Lane, the Episcopal provisional bishop of Rochester and formerly bishop of Maine (Sept. 4). All services begin at 9 a.m.

If you go

While the grounds of Garrett Memorial Chapel are open daily, the interior can only be accessed outside Sunday services on Tuesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For navigation devices, use the address 5251 Skyline Dr., Penn Yann, N.Y. 14527.

Stay at either the Best Western Plus in Hammondsport or the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel overlooking Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen.

Besides Rochester, the closest major cities are Syracuse (83 miles), Buffalo (122 miles) and Ithaca (60 miles).

Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post.
Islamic State claims responsibility for attacks on Christian villages in Mozambique

The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Mozambiques Christian villages that left eight people killed, including by beheading, and several houses burned.

The attacks took place in six Christian villages in Cabo Delgado, the northernmost province of Mozambique, between May 23 and May 31. The terror group later released photographs of six decapitated bodies and images of the burned villages, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reports.

Four of those who were murdered were Christians, according to ICC, which added that the Islamic State and its affiliate groups have killed or displaced thousands of Christians in Mozambique.

A new wave of violent attacks also hit Cabo Delgados Ancuabe district between June 2 and June 9, triggering the displacement of nearly 10,000 people, Save the Children said in a statement, adding that at least four people are believed to have been beheaded in those attacks.

More than 4,000 people have been killed and 800,000 forced from their homes since October 2017, when a civil war started in Cabo Delgado, according to the BBC, which noted that Cabo Delgado is rich with gas, rubies, graphite, gold and other natural resources, but the profits go to an elite in the ruling party, Frelimo, and few jobs have been created  a situation that was exploited by the Islamic State and jihadists.

The number of children displaced by the conflict in Cabo Delgado has now increased from 370,000 to over 400,000, according to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Save the Children added.

In March 2021, the U.S. labeled the insurgents as ISIS-Mozambique and global terrorists, and some believe that IS and Washington might be aiming for a proxy war in that country.

At least 24 countries have sent troops to support the fight against insurgents in Mozambique, whose army has been accused of being corrupt and having 7,000 ghost soldiers, who receive salaries without receiving any military training or setting foot in a military unit, the BBC reports.

In 2017, jihadist insurgents began in the Cabo-Delgado province, winning over some locals due to the fact that they gave back resources to villagers from the government, and killed no one, ICC explained. This did not last, however, as IS started setting fire to Christian villages, and killing those who lived there.

On Jan. 13, IS attacked the village of Citate, setting fire to 60 homes, and the following day, 20 more homes were set on fire in that village, leading to 200 more homes being burned in Limwalamwala village on Jan. 18, ICC said.
Juneteenth: 7 milestones in the struggle to abolish slavery

On Sunday, Americans across the United States will be celebrating Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the anniversary of when U.S. Major Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, declaring that the area's slaves were free.

Although first celebrated locally in the 19th century, Juneteenth is the newest of the 12 federal holidays, having only been given the official designation last year.

A key theme of the observance is remembering the abolition of slavery, a cause that unfolded over several generations in U.S. history, having its share of successes and failures.

Here are seven notable milestones in the effort to abolish slavery in the U.S. They include the banning of international slavery, the release of the novel Uncle Toms Cabin, and the passage of the 13th Amendment.

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Youth For Christ ministry points incarcerated youth, young dads to God as the ultimate 'good father'

While dads across the country are set to celebrate Fathers Day with their families, many of them will mark the holiday in a detention facility.

An estimated 684,500 state and federal prisoners were parents of at least one minor child in 2016, totaling nearly half of state prisoners (47%) and more than half of federal prisoners (58%), according to government data.

The vast majority of parents incarcerated in a U.S. prison or detention facility  92%  are fathers.

So this Fathers Day, Youth For Christ, a ministry focused on fostering Christ-sharing relationships with high-risk youth from juvenile offenders to teen parents, is looking to bring hope to those within prison walls.

The group's Juvenile Justice Ministry is geared toward young people in the United States justice system, meeting them in a variety of juvenile justice settings, including detention centers, probation, correctional facilities, group homes, residential treatment centers, and emergency shelters.

Alex Mathew, executive director of Youth For Christ, told The Christian Post that the ministrys focus for Fathers Day is to be a steady voice and presence in the lives of those they serve.

Were going to focus on Jesus, but were not going to focus and reflect on their earthly fathers, because so many of them have been disappointed or theyre even modeling the negative choices their fathers are making, Mathew said.

For many in the cycle of fatherlessness, Mathew says incarceration has become a rite of passage, almost like graduation for some.

We want to break that cycle, he added.

The ministry came about when Youth For Christ was holding an outreach in a detention center and someone asked the question, Who is Jesus to you?

One young man replied, A father figure, Matthew said.

We realized, Lets start reconstructing what a good father looks like, even though you might not have it in your life, he added.

The program seeks to put father in Christ figures around young people dealing with relational trauma, racial trauma, community violence, and lack of access to basic needs to show them what fathering looks like, said Mathew.

He said in Scripture we find all sorts of models of good and bad fathers, even good fathers-in-law such as with Moses and Jethro.

For Mathew, though, the real question is helping to define biblical fatherhood for those who never had an example of their own.

What if the purpose of us as men from God is not necessarily to be this billionaire or millionaire, but maybe its to be a good father, and all of these things will fall into place according to His will? he said.

And while building up young men and pointing them to the One who can transform them into good dads is never easy, Mathew said its not uncommon for those who go through the program to struggle once theyve moved on.

I always tell young people, You cant control your genetics, you cant control your environment, but you can control your choices, he said.

With young people who have been institutionalized, Mathew said theres often a lack of community to receive them and build them back up once theyre released: theres usually a honeymoon period when they want to go all in and then a couple of weeks later, they tend to go back to their old ways because their environment really sabotages them.

Our desire is to have a safe place where they can come, even if they slide backward, to encounter God, just by baby steps maybe.

Researchers have found children who grow up with an engaged dad are less likely to drop out of school or end up in jail compared to children with absent fathers or no other male role model in their lives.

Children who have close relationships with their fathers also tend to avoid high-risk behaviors, are less likely to have sex at a young age and are more likely to have high-paying jobs and healthy, stable relationships as adults.

And its not just behavioral: researchers in 2017 said they discovered a biological link that shows how the loss of a father significantly affects children at the level of their DNA.

Children raised without a dad have much shorter ends of their chromosomes, known as telomeres. These chromosomal protective caps are believed to affect health and longevity more positively for those with fathers in the home, according to studies.
Poor Peoples Campaign aims to shift political narrative with June 18 march

Progressive Christian leaders are planning what they hope will be the largest gathering ever of low-income Americans and their allies in Washington, D.C., this weekend to help advance anti-poverty and anti-racism efforts.

Known as the Mass Poor Peoples & Low-Wage Workers Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls, the gathering is scheduled for Saturday and was first announced earlier this year by The Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

The organization behind the rally takes its name from the Poor Peoples Campaign launched by the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in 1967. The organization is led by the Rev. William Barber II, an NAACP leader and pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

Barber has often voiced his support for left-leaning causes, such as abortion, and was a strong critic of former President Donald Trump. In 2017, he remarked that faith leaders praying over the then-president at the White House borders on heresy. Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Barber hosted openly gay Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg at his church and maintained that Jesus never spoke out against homosexuality.

The Poor Peoples Campaign seeks to confront the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism, according to the organizations website.

The Poor Peoples Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival has voiced its support for eliminating the Senate filibuster to get President Joe Bidens agenda passed. The filibuster requires most legislation to receive 60 votes to pass. The Senate currently consists of 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, meaning that most legislation requires the support of at least 10 Republicans before it can become law, an elusive goal in a highly polarized era.

The Rev. Liz Theoharis, the co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign, previously cited abolishing the filibuster as necessary to save the soul of our democracy and thwart the effort to filibuster the expansion and protection of voting rights, to filibuster living wages, and healthcare, and housing, and adequate guaranteed incomes, and debt cancellation, and water, and sanitation, and housing rights, and so much more.

The Rev. Alvin ONeal Jackson, national executive director of the June march, told The Christian Post in an interview that the event is part of an overall effort to shift the political narrative, build power and make real policies to fully address poverty and low wealth from the bottom up.

This March will be the largest gathering of poor people and their moral allies in the history of our country, Jackson asserted to CP.

It will be a generationally transformative and disruptive gathering of poor and low-wealth people, state leaders, faith communities, moral allies, union and partnering organizations.

Jackson views the event, which he noted as being an assembly-march, as something that will spring us toward the 2022 elections and beyond.

Before the assembly-march and after the assembly-march we will be doing MORE: mobilizing, organizing, registering, educating, engaging and empowering people for a movement that votes, he added.

The march hopes to influence candidates running in the upcoming midterm elections for Congress, in which all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate will be contested.

Several mainline and Evangelical church leaders have announced their intentions to participate in the rally.

The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness in Washington, has spoken at past Poor Peoples Campaign events.

In an interview with CP, Hawkins explained that he was inviting Presbyterians from around the country to be present and to participate locally in chapters working in their states.

The Poor Peoples Campaign is one of our coalition partners, and we have participated in many of their events, their prophetic council weekly calls, and shared announcements of their programs, Hawkins said.

The campaigns policy statements align with those of the PC(USA) on many issues, including healthcare, voting rights, living wage, criminal justice reform, and others.

Hawkins told CP that he sees the rally as a mobilization of low-wealth people around the world on issues of common concern and that it was of vital importance that people are able to cross racial and political differences to address the issues that affect all.

It is an opportunity to create a community that is composed of those most impacted by restrictive policies and harmful legislation and organized to act, he concluded.

The Rev. Nancy Petty, pastor at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, will also be taking part in the march, having been a longtime supporter of the Poor Peoples Campaign.

Petty told CP that she supported the march because her faith requires me to speak out against injustices and to be an advocate for the marginalized and the oppressed, noting that the June 18 march addresses issues of injustice.

From the perspective of my faith, I feel a responsibility to be involved in these kinds of movements that advocate for the poor, she said. Are we going to be a nation that keeps widening the gap between the poor and the rich?

Or are we going to live up to the ideals of our founding forbears that we are a nation that is a nation of opportunity, that cares, that we care for one another, that we believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all?

The Poor Peoples Campaign event will take place the day before Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the day in 1865 when Union troops announced to black slaves in Galveston, Texas, that they were free.

Also known as Freedom Day or Jubilee Day, Democrat President Joe Biden signed a law last year making Juneteenth an official federal holiday, the first new federal observance since Republican President Ronald Reagan created Martin Luther King Day in 1983.
by Misbah Saba Malik

ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will help address the looming food security challenge of Pakistan by introducing modern farming to enhance the country's yield through agricultural cooperation, a government official has said.

Pakistan has realized that food security is an important component of national security, and agribusiness is being promoted through more investments in the agriculture sector, which will be further enhanced under the CPEC framework, Syed Zafar Ali Shah, a top official of Pakistan's ministry of planning, development and special initiative, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"As a part of improving food security, this year we are investing more in the water sector and the agriculture sector to increase our yield ... all these sectors are strengths of China, which has shown great performance and productivity," he added.

Talking about the potential of his country's agriculture sector, the Pakistani official said that it is a big producer of milk, vegetables and fruits, but a huge chunk of it goes wasted due to the unavailability of processing units and the supply chain.

Chinese investors can tap the potential of the sector as they invested in other sectors, he said.

The secretary said that his country is committed to CPEC, and no matter which political party is in power, there is a joint consensus that the project is important for the economic development of Pakistan.

CPEC is a multifaceted program that catered to the needs of Pakistan, including the most urgent and pressing demand to meet the electricity needs of the country that was facing up to 18 hours of load shedding when CPEC was introduced, he said.

Shah noted that CPEC invoked a new life to the economic development of Pakistan by bringing large foreign direct investment (FDI) through different projects.

Talking about CPEC's role in the overall development of Pakistan, he said that it started off with infrastructure, followed by a new phase of industrialization which is going to be started in the special economic zones (SEZs) under the framework of CPEC.

"FDI in SEZs has played a great role in the countries which were short of capital ... China being one of the largest investors in the world is our close friend, so we are hopeful that the Chinese investment will contribute a lot to the economic development of Pakistan," Shah said. 
Megachurch Pastor AR Bernards dream to combat Brooklyn gentrification inches close to reality

The Rev. A. R. Bernard, pastor of New York Citys largest Evangelical church, the Christian Cultural Center, inched closer to creating an urban village of hundreds of affordable housing units as a formal review of the development has now started after years of planning.

In 2018, Bernard, partnered with Gotham Organization to build 2,100 affordable apartments on his 43,000-member churchs 10-acre parking lot next to Starrett City, the nations largest federally subsidized apartment complex. The development, named Innovative Urban Living, was initially set to be a mixed-use community, with 13 buildings ranging from two to 17 stories. It was expected to include retail space, a daycare, a school, parking, a trade school and a public park.

After years of back and forth between the developers of the project and community stakeholders, a Brooklyn Paper report said the project has been revised to have fewer residential buildings with fewer floors. The residential space will now cover 2,050 apartments in eight buildings with 12 to 15 stories each. The communitys daycare and public space is expected to be larger and the number of parking spaces in the project has been increased because the location of the development is about a mile away from the closest train station.

"Over the course of the last five years, we have had productive and informative meetings with community stakeholders to gather feedback and collaborate," Bernard told Brooklyn Paper in a statement. "Based on these meetings, we continue to refine the design, programming and housing plan. As a longtime community stakeholder, I am proud to be proposing a vision that provides our community with opportunities for a sustainable quality of life and economic mobility."

In an interview with The Christian Post in 2018, Bernard made it clear that the development was taking aim at gentrification, described by National Geographic as: A process where wealthy, college-educated individuals begin to move into poor or working-class communities, often originally occupied by communities of color.

In cities like New York, there is gentrification taking place. Gentrification could be racial, it could be economic. For us it is economic. Individuals who are working-class or in a certain income range are being squeezed out, he said. We wanted to respond by creating affordable housing. We didnt want to do what has typically been done over the last 70, 80 years in America, and that is warehousing people with one income, which perpetuates poverty and perpetuates inner-city condition.

Developers have designated half of the units in the planned community for the lowest-income potential tenants, those making between 30% to 60% of the area's median income, which is about $36,000 to $72,000 for a family of three. The remaining apartments will go to those making between 60% to 100% of AMI, which is about $72,000 to $120,000 for a family of three.

What we want to do is create a community and a model that is sustainable, Bernard told CP. It is creating community and we want to do it in such a way that is sustainable long-term and a model that we can replicate in other cities across the country.

While the AMI shown in the plan may seem affordable to some, the areas former Councilmember Inez Barron told The New York Times in 2018 that the median household income in East New York, where the development is located, has one of the largest proportions of homeless families. The AMI for the neighborhood is $34,512 and more than a third of families there fall below the 30% threshold and are considered extremely low-income.

I think that housing in East New York should be affordable to the people that live in East New York, Barron, who is a Democrat, said. We dont have a significant amount of people that live at 130 percent of area median income.
Renewable energy sources came through in a big way this week for Texas, when temperatures and electricity demand reached record levels.

On Sunday, Texans hit a new record for electricity demand, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, as triple-digit temperatures baked the state. But as Dallas-Fort-Worth tied a 111-year-old daily record for high temperature, wind and solar power provided about a third of the states electricity, a higher portion than usual.

Part of this incredible heat is that its changes in temperature that causes wind. So in both wind and solar, were seeing performance well above what ERCOT was projecting for those resources this time of the year, said Jeff Clark, president of the Advanced Power Alliance, a renewable energy trade organization.

Between June 7-13, the Texas grid generated approximately 2,679 GWh of wind energy and 598 GWh of solar energy, accounting for about 33% of the total energy generated during that period, according to a statement from ERCOT. Thats more than in 2021, when wind and solar generated about 28.4%of total electricity for the entire year.

And from January to May this year, about 37% of the total electricity came from wind and solar, according to the ERCOT website, up from 32% during the same period in 2021.

Renewable energy output has grown steadily in Texas over the past few decades, surpassing the rest of the country. Renewables contributed about 20% of total U.S. electricity last year, according to the Energy Information Administration.

We dont advocate that renewables are the only thing that we do, but we do advocate that they be a very important part of our mix, said Clark, with the power alliance. I think what weve seen in May and June is all of our resources working together.

The proportion of energy generated from wind power in Texas set a new record on April 10, when it contributed to about 69% of the total electricity on the ERCOT grid. Solar energy generation in the states main power grid set a new record on May 19, when it accounted for 14.62% of the electricity in the system.

Although energy generation from using natural gas is vital to the electric grid system, Clark said renewable energy sources helped offset some of the impact of rising natural gas prices.

The bills are going to hurt, but they would have hurt a lot more without these renewables on the system, he said.

While power generation from solar and wind has grown, Alison Silverstein, an electric system reliability consultant and researcher, said insufficient transmission and infrastructure makes it harder for consumers to receive energy from renewables.

A lack of transmission causes bottlenecks on the grid, affecting available energy produced by low cost wind and solar generation, boosting energy costs. And the impact is greater on renewables than on thermal power generators, she said.

Multiple factors lead to the insufficiencies, including growth in the state outpacing the rate that utilities can build transmission lines.

Silverstein said Texas could also research different ways to manage the existing transmission system. Regulators and grid managers are looking at adjusting rules that limit the amount of electricity transmission lines may carry in order to maintain the reliability of the grid, Silverstein said.

Although those limits are necessary, there could be flexibility to modify the rules at times of increased demand if it does not harm the overall system, Silverstein said.

With continued population growth, the problem is not going to be solved quickly.

While building more transmission infrastructure would improve power supply, Silverstein said more can be done to deal with demand.

Electricity demand has vastly stripped our ability and usually leisurely timeline to add new transmission, Silverstein said.

Smart thermostats, or incentivizing people to conserve and use their power more responsibly, are among the ways to change consumer behavior to improve the long term health of the grid.

The fact of the matter is, if customers used less electricity at the right times, overall we would need less high-cost generation, reduce the effects of transmission congestion and save money, Silverstein said.
The fourth local wave of COVID-19 might be here, according to the health directors of Los Dos Laredos.

The cities of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo have reported an increase in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, elevating alert levels in both cities to the medium. The recent uptick is being considered part of another wave which is having much less of an impact on people as vaccination rates have risen.

In Webb County, our community level is medium according to the CDC, Laredo Health Director Dr. Richard Chamberlain said. People may choose to wear masks at any time as an additional precaution to protect themselves and others. People with symptoms, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask and stay home.

According to the Texas Department of State Health, as of June 17, data shows there has been a total of 98,580 reported cases locally, which include both confirmed and probable cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 in Webb County.

Currently, the health director can confirm there are 11 total hospitalizations from both local hospitals. However, he does report there have been no new deaths since the month of April 2022.

In Nuevo Laredo, numbers have risen recently as well. According to the state of Tamaulipas health secretary website, there have been 12,197 confirmed cases in the city since the pandemic started with 65 currently active. However, fewer hospitalizations are also being reported.

Although the risk level has increased in the past month, Chamberlain said the reported case levels are similar to that of last month despite the onset of higher risk.

When comparing our current numbers with those of last month, we have an equivalent number of reported cases and community transmission, Chamberlain said. Over the past month, we have observed a fluctuation in the rise and fall of COVID-19 cases.

He states the increase seen in this new wave of cases is small compared to other previous upticks.

We have seen a small uptick in cases, but not to the extent we have seen in those of previous waves, Chamberlain said. While we currently exhibit fluctuating peaks, it is important to note we have seen a divergence between cases and hospitalization/deaths. The gradual increase in cases has not resulted in an increase in hospitalizations/deaths.

The health director across the Rio Grande reports the same is happening in their city as cases are going up.

Just like in Laredo, the same thing is happening and cases are rising, Nuevo Laredo Health Director Dr. Liliana Arjona said.

Arjona said the possibility of a new wave is now apparent as cases are rising, and that could be due to the fact more people are gathering during the summer months while others have been relaxing their precautions.

We are probably right now in the midst of a new wave of the virus, Arjona said. I really believe that this wave will be much shorter, and also we are noticing that the patients are not getting many symptoms, and that is something very good and something that shows that the vaccines do work.

Both health directors agree on the notion the climate and weather have nothing to do with the potency or transmissibility of the virus.

It is evident that the weather has nothing to do with the amount of COVID cases and nothing to do as well with the level of transmission of the virus, Arjona said.

Chamberlain agrees weather is not a contributing factor to the disease spreading or not. He believes the reason cases might increase during this time is more people might find themselves indoors in efforts to be careful of the heat or cold weather.

Weather does not impact the virus, at least not directly, he added. The reason cases surge during colder or warmer months is due to people moving indoors to avoid hot or cold weather, thus, as more people move indoors, you have an increased transmission of COVID-19 or any other respiratory illness.

Chamberlain said COVID-19 testing is still available for free at the City of Laredo Health Department located along Cedar Street from Monday to Friday, and at the Santa Rita location on Tuesdays.

Additionally, COVID-19 testing is available at multiple doctors offices, urgent cares and stand-alone ERs, however, a cost may be involved, the health director said.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A man was killed and four other people were injured when the car they were in was rear-ended by a pickup on the Bay Bridge early Sunday, authorities in San Francisco said.

The gray Infiniti was traveling westbound around 3 a.m. when it stopped in lanes possibly due to a mechanical failure," according to California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Andrews.
ALTON  Aldermen are scheduled to meet as a Committee of the Whole Tuesday, June 21 will discuss a design bill proposal by GeoStabilization International on the reconstruction of Riverview Drive.

If approved, the reconstruction would cost around $3,498,440. Tuesday's discussion is on Phase 1 of the project proposed by GeoStabilization International based in Commerce City, Colorado.

In May 2019, city officials began monitoring the retaining wall and sidewalk on Riverview Drive just west of Riverview Park in Alton after cracks were found following heavy rains. In August 2019, part of the bluff at Riverview Park eroded, prompting officials to close Riverview Drive to protect public safety.

In May 2021, after nearly two years of negotiations, FEMA and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency announced Alton will receive $3,759,186 to assist the project. Last month, Alton Public Works Director Mike Parsons said work on the project could start by August, three years to the month after the retaining wall at Riverview Drive collapsed.

Aldermen will also discuss a motion to change the city code regarding the Alton Amphitheater. If approved, the commission would require permission from the council to enter into contracts, leases, licensing agreements and other binding commitments.

Also on Tuesday, aldermen are scheduled to vote on:

 Amending the number of video gaming licenses to include The Conservatory, 554 E. Broadway, and Schwegel's Market, 901 Alby St.

 Allowing alcohol sales at the Labor Day Picnic and Softball Tournament at Gordon Moore Park on Aug. 27.

 Approving the sale of property on 1128 Highland Ave.

 Approximately $400,000 of improvements of Fosterburg Road from Cup Lane to Illinois 255 under the Illinois Highway Code.

The meeting will take place at Alton City Hall, 101 E. 3rd St., on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Apple workers in the Baltimore area voted to join a union Saturday, becoming the first of the tech giant's U.S. retail stores to do so.

The vote means workers at the Towson, Md., store plan to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers once a contract is ratified. Saturday evening's initial tally was 65-33, and the official count was pending.

This vote is part of an organizing wave sweeping the nation as workers increasingly band together to demand higher pay, better benefits and more negotiating leverage with their employers during the pandemic. In New York, the first Amazon warehouse voted to form a union in the spring. Dozens of Starbucks stores across the country have unionized, and labor movements have pushed into outdoor retailer REI and video game maker Raven Software.

Billy Jarboe, a Towson Apple employee and union organizer, said that Apple's campaign to undermine the organizing effort "definitely shook people," but that most union backers stayed strong.

"It just feels good to go into a new era of this kind of work, hopefully it creates a spark [and] the other stores can use this momentum," Jarboe said in a text after the vote concluded Saturday.

Apple spokesman Josh Lipton declined to comment after the vote.

Workers in at least two other Apple stores are trying to organize, including at a store in New York and one in Atlanta, which became the first location where workers filed documents with the National Labor Relations Board. But the Communications Workers of America withdrew its request for an election there last month, saying in a statement that Apple's "repeated violations of the National Labor Relations Act have made a free and fair election impossible."

At the time, the organizing group sent a message to workers at the store, saying it would reset and "continue this fight."

Rebecca Givan, an associate professor of labor studies at Rutgers University, called Saturday's outcome a big win for workers in the technology and retail sectors -- and in particular for Apple employees outside Towson.

"We'll certainly see Apple workers across the country reaching out to these workers to learn more about how to do it," she said. "And to understand how they won such a resounding victory."

Several companies, including Amazon and Apple, have been accused this year of "union busting" or employing tactics to discourage or intimidate workers from joining unions. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Apple Store employees in New York said this year that some workers were taken aside by managers and given a speech about the pitfalls of unionization there. In meetings, managers warned that unionization would mean the loss of benefits, such as the ability to do stints at Apple's corporate headquarters.

Apple, which has more than 270 retail locations in the country, referred to a previous comment it's made about the unionizing efforts.

"We are fortunate to have incredible retail team members and we deeply value everything they bring to Apple," Lipton said in a statement before the vote. "We are pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits for full-time and part-time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants and many other benefits."

Workers in Towson told The Washington Post last month that they hoped forming a union would give them a seat at the table on scheduling, pay, coronavirus safety measures and more. Some said that Apple had been too slow to increase pay, and that the company needed to give individual stores more control over their scheduling systems, rather than having a corporate office control most of it.

"I always had the intuition that I was giving away more value than I am being compensated for, and that's what covid helped me unpack: how much anxiety I had about that," Apple employee and union organizer Billy Jarboe told The Post at the time.
BUCKEYE, Ariz. (AP)  Authorities have released the names of two men who died in the crash of a small plane in Buckeye.

Federal Aviation Administration officials said the Cessna crashed around 7 a.m. Saturday in a desert area near the municipal airport in Buckeye, located about 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of downtown Phoenix.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Mayor Muriel Bowser cruised to reelection in the nation's capital four years ago without serious opposition, and as the city enjoyed prosperous times, the main criticism of her policies was that Washington was growing too quickly, driving up housing costs and pricing out Black residents in an uncontrolled gentrification wave.

One tumultuous term later, and with homicide and violent crime rates spiraling, Bowser finds herself in a reelection fight, fending off two challengers from the District of Columbia Council who accuse her of mishandling public safety issues and criticize her push to hire more police officers.

Against the backdrop of mass shootings around the country, the mayoral campaign reflects a wider dynamic playing out in longtime Democratic strongholds, with progressives facing off against party traditionalists over crime.

Call it sky blue vs. Tar Heel blue, said Michael Fauntroy, an associate professor of policy and government at George Mason University. People have an anxiousness around crime. Theres no question about that.

This ideological push-pull is taking place under the watchful eye of Republican politicians eager to claim that Democrats cannot control or protect their own cities. The winner of Tuesday's primary is the prohibitive favorite in the November general election.

Crime and public safety have dominated the campaign. Homicides have risen for four years straight, and the 2021 murder count of 227 was the highest since 2003. In January, a candidate for the D.C. Council, Nate Fleming, was carjacked at gunpoint.

Still, Bowser's challengers question whether adding more police is the answer.

I dont think the police are the end-all solution for reducing crime, Councilman Trayon White said during a June 1 debate. During the height of the crack epidemic, D.C. had 5,000-plus police officers, and it never decreased any crime.

Councilman Robert White also criticized Bowser's crime prevention proposals: I haven't heard the short-term (solution), and I havent heard a plan, either.

Bowser is campaigning on her experience and leadership as the city emerges from the pandemic and on her history as one of the faces of Washingtons ongoing quest for statehood. She blames the D.C. Council, including her challengers, of hamstringing her efforts to rein in crime.

Ive never been to a community where they said they didnt want the police. Never, Bowser, 49, said in a radio debate last month. We need the police that we need.

Chuck Thies, a longtime district political consultant, identifies a turning point as the wave of protest and upheaval in the summer of 2020 after George Floyds death in police custody. Some mass protests in Washington and elsewhere turned destructive, while calls to defund the police became more vocal in Democratic circles.

Thies, who is not affiliated with any of the mayoral candidates, said the public safety debate is going to continue to play out. For Democrats, it's quite awkward.

A Washington Post poll from February found that 30% of city residents said they did not feel safe from crime in their neighborhood, compared with 22% in 2019, and the highest percentage in two decades of polling. Asked to name in an open-ended question the biggest issue facing the district for the mayor to work on, 36% of residents mentioned crime, violence or guns, significantly ahead of housing, poverty or transportation.

Concerns about crime have weighed on other Democratic candidates in local races elsewhere.

In New York City, a former police captain, Eric Adams, was elected mayor last year on a law and order platform. In Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms abruptly announced in May 2021 that she would not seek a second term as mayor, after crime and police brutality issues left her caught between activists and a police department in semi-revolt.

In San Francisco, District Attorney Chesa Boudin was recalled earlier this month after just 18 months amid public outcry over rising crime rates.

Fauntroy said the unique nature of California's system, where freshly elected politicians can face immediate well-funded recalls, makes him reluctant to draw any conclusions nationally.

But Ron Lester, a prominent Democratic pollster who worked with the late Washington Mayor Marion Barry, said Boudin's loss showed the level of public anxiety over crime amid longtime Democratic constituents.

Voters did not have confidence that (Boudin) was adequately prosecuting crimes, he said.

Lester said Adams' win in New York "vividly demonstrates that people are not supportive, largely, of defund the police.

Bowser has walked a public tightrope on policing for years. Local activists including those with Black Lives Matter have long derided her as hopelessly biased toward the police. Former President Donald Trump and other conservatives have tried to make the case that she is not supportive enough of law enforcement.

In the early days of the summer 2020 protests, Bowser publicly sided with the demonstrators as Trump usurped local authority and called in a massive federal security response. She responded by renaming the protest epicenter as Black Lives Matter Plaza and commissioned a mural with Black Lives Matter painted on a stretch of 16th Street, one block from the White House, in giant yellow letters.

The local BLM affiliate immediately dismissed it as a performative distraction from true policy changes, and activists hijacked the space to make their own point.

The original mural bore a yellow outline of the district's flag  two horizontal lines topped by three stars. Within days, activists had erased the stars to create the appearance of an equal sign and added their own message, turning the mural into Black Lives Matter=Defund The Police.

Fauntroy, the George Mason professor, described Bowser as "not really activist-oriented. Shes a manager, and managers try to keep the trains moving.

Despite the public pressure, Bowser has largely stood by her police department, fighting public battles with the D.C. Council over the police budget. She quietly replaced an older white police chief with a younger Black successor and is pushing for money to build up Metropolitan Police Department staffing, currently at 3,500, to 4,000 officers over the next decade.

In April, the D.C. Councils judiciary committee cut $6 million from Bowsers $30 million budget proposal to hire more officers, targeting incentives Bowser claimed were vital to attract good candidates. The committee, which neither of her challengers serves on, did approve a $20,000 MPD signing bonus, something Bowser announced a few days before the primary.

Robert White, 40, has a history of successful insurgent campaigns, having unseated an entrenched incumbent for an at-large D.C. Council seat in 2016. He has proposed tackling crime through a massive public and private youth jobs program that Bowser derides as unsustainable.

Trayon White, 38, openly invokes the spirit of Barry, the former mayor and councilmember who remains a controversial but beloved figure among many Washingtonians. A onetime grassroots community activist, White was a protege of Barry's and now represents Ward 8, as Barry did. It's the citys poorest and most crime-ridden ward.

Trayon White, who was accused of antisemitism in 2018 after saying a prominent Jewish family was controlling the weather in Washington, has opposed Bowsers bids to hire more police officers and favors community violence intervention programs, something he says Bowser was slow to embrace.

___

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics

__

In a story published June 19, 2022, The Associated Press reported that the D.C. Councils judiciary committee had slashed Mayor Muriel Bowsers budget proposal to hire more officers. The story should have made clear that while the committee cut $6 million from Bowsers $30 million budget proposal to hire more officers, it did approve a $20,000 police department signing bonus.
MANISTEE COUNTY  For many northern Michigan households, indoor temperatures are dependent on how much fuel is on hand. Having enough propane or wood in stock can be essential for lower income families in winter.

Thats why FiveCAP, Inc. is offering deliverable fuel assistance in Manistee, Mason, Lake and Newaygo counties to ensure residents can weather the colder months.
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MOSCOW (AP)  Gennady Burbulis, a top aide to Russian President Boris Yeltsin who helped prepare and sign the 1991 pact that led to the formal breakup of the Soviet Union, has died. He was 76.

As secretary of state and first deputy chairman of the government from 1991-1992, Burbulis was instrumental in steering the new, post-Soviet Russian state.

With Yeltsin, he was a signatory for Russia to the agreement reached on Dec. 8, 1991, with the leaders of Ukraine and Belarus to disband the Soviet Union. The pact was signed in the Belovezha forest, in what is now Belarus.

Burbulis is the third key player to the agreement who has died in the past several weeks. Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk and former Belarusian President Stanislav Shushkevich both died in May.

The hopes of peaceful coexistence among the three former Soviet republics have been dashed since Russias military operation in Ukraine began in February. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address then that the Soviet collapse followed historic, strategic mistakes by Communist leaders.

Burbulis died in Baku, where he had flown for a conference.

He was not sick, he felt great, and he just took part in the IX Global Baku Forum, which discussed the issue of the `Threat to the Global World Order, his press secretary, Andrey Markov, told the Interfax news agency.

Burbulis was born on Aug. 4, 1945, in Pervouralsk. He aided Yeltsin during his rise to lead Soviet Russia in 1990 and then independent Russia in 1991, as its first president.

From 1993 to 1999, Burbulis was a member of parliament, and later was vice governor of the Novgorod region.

Another of the key persons in the European transformation has left us. Burbulis was influential as few others in breaking with the Soviet past and trying to build a new and democratic Russia," Swedish diplomat Carl Bildt tweeted Sunday.
TEHRAN, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Iranian and Kazakh officials on Sunday signed nine agreements in Tehran to strengthen comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, said the Iranian presidency.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his visiting Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the signing ceremony of the memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on transportation, scientific and cultural exchanges, energy, agriculture as well as trade and economy.

Speaking at a joint press conference live broadcasted on state TV, Raisi said the two sides have existing potential to increase further cooperation.

"In addition to bilateral relations, we are determined to expand our relations at the regional level," he said, adding Iran and Kazakhstan share views on some regional and global issues, for example, on the consensus for an inclusive government formation in Afghanistan.

"We also agree that the presence of foreigners in the region does not create security and will cause many problems," he added.

For his part, Tokayev said the two countries have seen progressing diplomatic relations and "good cooperation in the framework of regional structures."

Referring to his two-day official visit, he said the two leaders discussed a vast host of issues on Sunday and both sides are particularly interested in using the transit capacity along railway corridors which would connect east to west and north to south.

The president of Kazakhstan announced the issuance of a 14-day visa waiver for the Iranians who want to travel to his country.

Tokayev visited Tehran on Sunday at the official invitation of his Iranian counterpart, a day after the first freight train of a new railway corridor connecting Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Turkey arrived in Tehran, according to official IRNA news agency.

The two presidents met last year on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tajikistan, during which they agreed to increase bilateral cooperation, including rail cooperation. 
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It wasn't the call Oleg Buryak expected.

He was hoping to hear that his 16-year-old son, Vlad, had safely escaped the Ukrainian city of Melitopol, where Moscow's forces were quickly closing in. Instead, it was a Russian military man on the other end of the line.

They had taken his son, the soldier said, and he was being kept in an undisclosed location.

Almost overnight, Buryak, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, was thrust into a frantic, detective-like pursuit, scrambling for clues, trying to figure out where Russian soldiers were holding his son, and how to get him back.

Soon, Vlad found a guard who allowed him to make occasional calls. The teenage boy was growing desperate, his father said. At home, Vlad loved computer games. In his cell, he was surrounded by the constant, terrible sound of other prisoners being tortured.

"What are you doing to get me out of here?" Vlad asked his father.

For nearly four months, the world has watched in horror as Russian forces flattened Ukrainian cities, with images of slaughtered civilians in Bucha and Mariupol attracting international outrage and prompting Western powers to increase their military aid. But all the while a less visible phenomenon was taking place in homes, at checkpoints, during street protests: Russian soldiers were detaining and abducting hundreds - perhaps thousands - of civilians.

All over the country, people are missing. A schoolteacher who refused Russian soldiers' demands that she speak their language. A volunteer paramedic tending to the injured in the port city of Mariupol. The father of a journalist, taken to blackmail his daughter into providing access to her news outlet's website. A village leader who was escorted from a government building with a bag over his head. And untold others.

Authorities and human rights advocates say these cases are part of a larger pattern of Russian abductions and disappearances, a military tactic meant to terrorize communities and demoralize civilian resistance.

Many among the missing are victims of forced disappearance - detainment followed by silence, the captor refusing to even acknowledge they've taken someone captive. Others are locked in Russian-controlled jails, sometimes used to barter for Russia's captured soldiers, or extract information.

For many more, their whereabouts are unclear: Some are simply incommunicado, others are likely dead. And for each person missing, one expert said, there are "concentric rings of harm" that ripple through their communities.

The Ukrainian government has recorded at least 765 cases - which can involve more than one victim - of what they call forced disappearances, an umbrella term to describe different forms of illegal deprivation of liberty.

Experts and officials agree the real number is almost certainly much higher. How much higher? No one really knows, but Ukraine's national police have fielded more 9,000 missing person reports since Russia invaded.

"It is just tip of the iceberg," said Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, one of Ukraine's most well-known human rights organizations, which has documented 459 cases of civilians held in captivity since the beginning of the invasion.

- - -

It was the end of March when it became clear Russia was about to seize Melitopol. But despite Buryak's desperate pleas, Vlad refused to leave his grandfather, who was bedridden and battling stage-four cancer.

"I will stay with grandpa until the end," Vlad told his father.

Roughly one week later, his grandfather died. Still mourning the loss, Vlad was ready to leave.

Buryak found his son a seat in a car with two women and three children, all trying to escape the city. They left early and made it roughly 45 miles north to the city of Vasylivka, where they ran into the last Russian checkpoint. Soldiers went car to car, interrogating the passengers.

Vlad was in the back seat looking at his phone when one of the Russian guards took his device and soon after learned his father was a government official. The car's other passengers were released, but Vlad was detained.

Buryak immediately started calling all his friends and met with high-ranking authorities, pleading for help to arrange a prisoner exchange, which the Russian soldiers had said was the only way to secure Vlad's release. But conversations with Ukrainian authorities led nowhere, he said.

The Security Service of Ukraine assigned an investigator to his case, but Buryak said she has made little progress. The Security Service did not respond to an interview request. Vlad's case sheds a somber light on the hurdles Ukrainians face in finding their loved ones, when even a prominent government official with connections struggles to arrange his son's release.

"Except for my friends, nobody is helping me," Buryak said in a recent interview.

Some 300 miles north of where Vlad was taken, Viktoria Andrusha, a 25-year-old schoolteacher, managed to send her sister one last text: "They just passed down the street." Soon after, they - a group of Russian soldiers driving an armored vehicle - stormed into her parents' home in the village of Staryi Bykiv, about 60 miles east of Kyiv.

They tore through the house and found Andrusha's cellphone with the message to her sister, Iryna. Their parents later recounted to Iryna the terrifying moments that followed. The soldiers accused Andrusha of sharing intelligence with the Ukrainian military and blamed Russian casualties on her text. As they questioned her with guns drawn, they demanded that she speak Russian. She refused.

"You're nobody here, this won't happen your way," Andrusha told the soldiers, Iryna said. "We are on our land, you're not welcome here."

That day in late March would be the last time her family saw her.

- - -

Yuriy Belousov, Ukraine's lead prosecutor for human rights violations, said his team is overwhelmed.

Ukrainian authorities have opened more than 13,000 investigations into possible war crimes, an unprecedented effort during a bloody and ongoing conflict. They have registered nearly 800 instances of forced disappearances. In just one of the cases, Russian soldiers took 70 Ukrainians from their houses and kept them in a basement for weeks, Belousov said.

Officials and nongovernmental organizations say they are struggling to keep up with the flood of reported disappearances, and some experts say Ukraine's criminal justice system is unprepared to deal with the vast number of cases. They also have proved especially difficult to investigate, since many of the missing people have been secreted away to Russia or Russian-held territory, putting them out of authorities' reach, activists and officials say.

"But it doesn't mean that we can't do anything," Belousov said in a recent interview. "We are instructing and telling our staff at our regional offices to not wait for the Russians to leave."

Belousov's focus is to ensure Russian perpetrators are convicted in eventual war crimes trials. When they can, investigators rush to the crime scene and gather evidence: They talk to witnesses and relatives, they search for fingerprints and forgotten belongings of Russian soldiers.

They also scan social networks and Russian media, where they often find videos of captured Ukrainians that offer tidbits of information to puzzle cases together and they interview victims who have been released.

Before the war, Belousov led a small unit of 45 people, investigating wrongdoings committed by Ukrainian law enforcement. Now, almost every employee in prosecutors' offices across the country has been asked to investigate war crimes, he said.

The scale of atrocities has prompted international organizations, including the International Criminal Court and the International Commission on Missing Persons, to help document the reported cases.

The United Nations has recorded 210 cases of forced disappearances since the beginning of the war, its mission in Ukraine said in a statement to The Washington Post last month. Investigators have found that victims were usually taken at their home, workplace, or at checkpoints. Many men disappeared after being taken to "filtration camps."

In most of these cases, the U.N. mission said, victims "were held incommunicado in improvised places of detention" - schools, government buildings, warehouses, barns and police stations. After days or weeks of detention, many victims were transferred to Russia, or Russian-held areas like Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, regions controlled by Russian-affiliated armed groups before the February invasion.

Only in rare cases have relatives received information directly from Russian military officials, the U.N. mission said.

The United Nations also has documented 11 cases of forced disappearances committed by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.

Russian officials have in the past denied reports of kidnappings and forced dislocations, calling their alleged use of filtration camps a "lie" and blaming civilian harm on Ukrainians. The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the reported forced disappearances.

- - -

In recent history, scholars trace the tactic of forced disappearances to Nazi Germany, when Adolf Hitler's "Night and Fog" decree ordered the seizure of anyone in occupied territory who was "endangering German security." They were transferred to Germany and effectively vanished without a trace. Since then, disappearances have been "the authoritarian's gateway into violating people's fundamental rights with impunity," said Elisa Massimino, executive director of Georgetown Law's Human Rights Institute.

Tetiana Pechonchyk, director of ZMINA, a Kyiv-based human rights organization, said the majority of the disappearances she has logged have come from Russian-occupied or recently liberated regions, such as Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Kyiv. Once investigators gain access to occupied territory, the numbers are expected to soar.

Pechonchyk said Russian forces are targeting prominent community members, many of whom are actively involved in opposing the Russian invasion - journalists, activists, humanitarian volunteers and local officials.

"Why? To break local resilience," she said. "The Russians saw how strong Ukrainian civilians were in opposing the war and so they have chosen precise people to send a signal to dissuade and stop this resilience."

Olena Kuvaieva, a lawyer with the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, is compiling evidence of abductions for an eventual case in front of the European Court of Human Rights, where an emergency provision could compel Russia to release unlawful detainees or, at least, improve their living conditions. But there's no guarantee Moscow would comply.

"We're trying to create a situation where Russia is pressed from every corner - from the journalists, from the European Court of Human Rights, the United Nations, the international community," Kuvaieva said. "We hope this pressure will work."

But some human rights activists in Ukraine have said that the international outpouring has done little to deter Russian forces from committing such crimes. A case in The Hague's International Criminal Court is nice, they say, but a verdict in the distant future does not prevent Ukrainians' ongoing suffering.

"We have a completely ineffective international system," said Matviichuck, of the Center for Civil Liberties. Despite the robust architecture of international courts and mandates "what we have learned is that they can do nothing."

Massimino said the frustration is justified, but she argued the international justice system has improved in recent years, both at the intergovernmental and state levels, pointing to tribunals set up to prosecute war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and a growing infrastructure to support domestic prosecutions.

It will take both international and local efforts to deter and prevent war crimes, she said.

Ukraine took an important first step last month when it handed down a guilty verdict in its first war crime trial. Investigating and prosecuting a kidnapping or forced disappearance will be even more difficult, experts say.

"You can't see a picture of a forced disappearance," Massimino said. "It's the crime of absence, the crime of invisibility."

The practice has been used in Pinochet's Chile and Argentina's Dirty War. In Algeria, as many as 20,000 people disappeared during the civil war in the 1990s, and activists say the government is still denying the practice and suppressing information about victims. In Bosnia, investigators are still finding bodies of the roughly 30,000 people who went missing during the war there nearly three decades ago. And more recently, about 100,000 people have been reported disappeared in Syria and Mexico.

The human rights nonprofit Freedom House bluntly declared last year: "Impunity for perpetrators of enforced disappearances remains the norm."

- - -

After weeks of frantic efforts and sleepless nights, Buryak recently managed to orchestrate a plan he thinks will get Vlad home. He said the Russian counterparts have agreed to it, but declined to offer more details, fearing it could endanger his son and the negotiation process.

Vlad, who has been transferred to a different location, has slowly recovered his optimism and is "holding up strong."

Buryak is hopeful, but with uncertain days ahead, he said emotion is a luxury he can't afford.

"Vlad needs me like this: coldblooded, rational and wise," he said. "I have no right to get into my feelings right now. When we free him up then we will cry, we will be happy, we will do everything."

The months since also have been agonizing for Andrusha's family. They have heard nothing from her Russian captors, but have learned through the informal whisper network of captured and returned Ukrainians that she was being held in a detention center in the western Russian region of Kursk, where human rights monitors say many others are also being kept. But their most recent information is from early May. Since then, nothing.

Andrusha's family has contacted the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, they have called every number they can find and filled out every online form available. They have plastered Andrusha's photo across their social media feeds.

"What reaction can there be? Anger!" Iryna said. "The silence scares us. It's a dead end. Since we cannot go there on our own, we cannot get any information."

Still, the family has hope. A math instructor devoted to her work, Andrusha is beloved in the classroom.

"The whole school is looking for her - all of her students, their parents, honestly, the whole country," Iryna said. "Everybody keeps waiting until we can finally post that she's back home and she's OK."

- - -

Irynka Hromotska contributed to this report.
Democrats across the country have started pushing for bans on gun sales near schools and child-care centers in an incremental effort to move gun restrictions forward as national Republicans block more comprehensive mesasures.

North Carolina state Sen. Natalie S. Murdock, D, has drafted legislation to ban the sale of firearms within 1,400 feet, or about a quarter-mile, of the property lines of any school or child-care center. The proposal, which will be attached to an upcoming bill, does not cover existing stores or include college campuses, but it does include locations of organized clubs like the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

This month, in Asheville, N.C., school board member Peyton O'Conner introduced a resolution to ask the city council and the Buncombe County commission to enact zoning regulations that would prohibit establishing or operating a gun shop within five miles of any school or child-care facility.

Supporters say they have lawmakers ready to introduce similar policies, both at the state and local levels, in California, Colorado, South Carolina, New Hampshire and New York. Brian Tabatabai, a city council member in West Covina, Calif., who plans to introduce a zoning ordinance banning gun shops near schools, said he hoped local and state government could break the impasse in Washington on the issue of gun laws.

"Local government matters, and I know a lot of people are frustrated and a lot of people feel hopeless that they have no power because Washington seems so stagnant and stuck," Tabatabai said. "But I want people to know that city hall is open, that public comment is available and that those little ordinances, those little bitty laws, those are the things that affect your life, and that's where we can put our energy."

This push to ban gun shops near schools comes in the wake of the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers, and injured 17 others. The Uvalde shooter purchased the AR-15-style rifle he used at Robb Elementary School within days of his 18th birthday. The suspect in the mass shooting that killed 10 people at a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo just 10 days earlier also is 18.

While neither of the shootings would have been affected by the school-adjacent measures now being pushed, some Democrats see the effort as another way of lessening access by young people. The approach also is akin to Republican strategies against abortion rights, in which small moves succeeded in pushing the effort closer to the ultimate goal of ending abortion.

Gun rights organizations have, however, cast even incremental changes in current law as the first step toward more stringent restrictions. In Republican-run states, that could make even small changes at the local level difficult to implement. If Republicans manage to block the smaller measures, Democrats say they at least hope to make it politically painful.

"We need to act and do something other than continue to offer thoughts and prayers," said Deon Tedder, a Democrat serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives who is planning to introduce similar legislation this year, timed to the next meeting of the legislature. "We make sure liquor stores are not too close to churches and playgrounds and schools here in South Carolina, so why then can we not prohibit the sale and trading of firearms near our schools? This is something that should be bipartisan."

The Asheville school board is expected to vote on O'Conner's resolution at a meeting this month. One of its key proponents is Andrew Aydin, who once served as an adviser to Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., before moving to western North Carolina.

"There are gun shops close enough to the major high schools in both Asheville and Hendersonville that you can walk off campus on your lunch, go to a gun shop, buy a gun and be back before your lunch period is over," said Aydin, who now works as a comic book writer. "It doesn't matter if we're worried about a student, a teacher or a parent. . . . If we're not going to have background checks, if we're not going to have waiting periods, we should at least make it impossible for people to easily walk to buy a gun and walk back."

Martin Young, the spokesperson for the East San Gabriel Valley Republican Center in Southern California, said he could get behind Tabatabai's proposal.

"When people say they want to take away all the guns, I don't support that," said Young, who served in the Air Force and identifies as a center-right Republican. "But I don't want some numb-nut just walking around with a gun. I don't think this would be a foolproof solution, but I think we have to start doing something to prevent children from being gunned down like in Uvalde, Texas."

Michael Ceraso, a Democratic strategist based in Washington, said smaller-scale gun restrictions could open up a new front in the debate.

"We want to start new conversations at the local level and win debates there, which then turn into laws," said Ceraso, whose focus has been on local and state races. "That's a long-term strategy. We haven't been discussing long-term strategies on this issue because we're always reacting. We're always reacting to the next tragedy. We're always reacting to the next election."

Ceraso said an inspiration is the Republican effort to chip away at abortion rights.

"Republicans have been uber-successful just throwing all kinds of stuff at the wall, locally, statewide, nationally and in the courts," Ceraso said. "They just throw things against the wall, and a majority of it doesn't stick and then something does stick and that's how we got, for instance, all of these restrictions to reproductive health care."

Murdock, who represents Durham, N.C., said her measure to ban gun sales near schools was prompted by the two recent mass shootings as well as an unrelated shooting involving a 4-year-old.

Murdock and other advocates for banning gun sales near schools point to a 2020 study on the effects of gun shops located near schools in Orange County, Calif. The researchers found that proximity significantly increased the likelihood of students bringing firearms to campus.

Murdock has been contacting city council members and state legislators across the country. She hopes at least 100 lawmakers will commit to introducing similar bans by the end of the summer.

Murdock and others made clear that part of the Democrats' goal is to force Republicans into a difficult political position by shifting the focus to school safety.

"If Republicans object to this, they're literally arguing that they want there to be more guns closer to schools," Aydin said. "We think that's an impossible position for them."

Both the North Carolina Republican Party and Republican leaders in the state legislature declined to comment on the proposal, saying they were waiting for Murdock to formally introduce her legislation before commenting. The Washington Post provided both the party and legislative leadership with a copy of the legislation, but they still declined to discuss it. Neither the National Rifle Association nor the South Carolina Republican Party responded to multiple requests for comment.

For Mark-Anthony Middleton, the nonpartisan mayor pro tempore of Durham who is lobbying the city council to pass a resolution supporting Murdock's legislation, this effort isn't about curtailing gun rights, but about doing something to address the rise in childhood gun deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gun-related incidents are now the leading cause of death among children and teens.

"I'm a gun owner. I support the Second Amendment. This isn't about stripping people of their guns," Middleton said. "I hope that this will spark a national discussion, or at least add another element to the national discussion, about how we can protect our kids because I don't think protecting the Second Amendment and protecting the lives of our children are mutually exclusive."
Earlier this week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas explaining why he felt the sector  comprised of Webb and Zapata counties  was "disproportionately impacted by the negative consequences of an open border."

Due to this, Paxton demanded a border wall be constructed in the Laredo sector. CBP has nine Southwest Land Border sectors in the United States. Among them, Laredo has had the smallest increase in encounters compared to the previous fiscal year at 2.2%.

Afterwards, local reactions have been coming in concerning the construction of the border wall and why it is or isn't needed, as the issue has once again popped up in a town that has heard about the potential structure now on numerous occasions.

The letter stated there is a wave of crime on the border as human smuggling and drug smuggling numbers are up in the area and in Zapata County, although fiscal data indicates the City of Laredo is one of the safest communities in the United States.

In response, Laredo's Mayor Pete Saenz said the city continues to hold on to its position of not wanting a border wall in the area.

I am not surprised by Attorney General Paxtons statement of insisting on the construction of a physical wall as the over-arching remedy to border security, Saenz said. However, the citys long-standing position has been that of implementing a virtual wall approach to securing our portion of the border.

According to the mayor, the Biden administration through Ambassador Ken Salazars assistance has recently proposed the Binational River Park or green belt alternative for border security, which incorporates all of the elements of a virtual wall plus more.

That is, clearing vegetation, creating lines of sight and accessibility, installing lighting and detection technology, and more border patrol personnel; along with more quality of life -- holistic approach: improving water quality, restoring the ecology and environment, promoting economic development and tourism, the mayor added. Such proposed Binational (River) Park encompasses approximately 6.2 miles for a total of 1,000 acres on both sides of the border. This project will take over $300 million to complete on the U.S. side.

The mayor is not alone in saying the border wall is not needed for the area. Many locals argue a wall is unnecessary and proposed by individuals who do not know the situation.

What credibility does Ken Paxton bring to this issue? He doesnt live here or in Zapata, said Tricia Cortez, the executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center. He doesnt understand, or care to understand, our historic and deep connection to the river. Why is he pushing a Trump-era policy for our community when voters here soundly rejected the border wall, and strongly oppose the confiscation of 69 miles of public and private lands along the river? Seizing land and building a wall arent the answer to migration.

Cortez also says the fact crime in Laredo is among the lowest in the country helps showcase how the border area is safe.

What a short-sighted and negative way to regard us, Cortez said. Laredo ranks among the safest cities of our size in the U.S., based on FBI violent crime data. Id ask him to modernize our bridges and checkpoints instead, and invest in solutions that create border security and water security at the same time.

Meanwhile, National Border Patrol Council #2455 President Hector Garza remains firmly on the side of wanting to see a border wall in the area going forward, supporting Paxton's position.

It is clear and evident that under the Biden administration, illegal immigration and drug smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border is going to continue, Garza said. We know that physical structures like a wall would work, and Border Patrol agents and the National Border Patrol Council support the building of a wall in the Laredo sector in order to not just keep the border community safe but also the entire nation from illegal immigration and drug smuggling.

Garza said he hopes the Biden administration does consider the letter by the state attorney general and decides to continue on the building of the physical structure as it was originally planned. He says the wall would help lower the number of people crossing and also cause fewer stresses in the Border Patrol agent workforce.

Garza says about 60% of agents are being asked to process detainees instead of protecting the border directly. Garza also claims less manpower on the border leads to more Laredo youth being recruited by criminal elements from Mexico into their drug smuggling and human smuggling schemes.

Overall, human death and suffering will continue in the area if we dont build a border wall, Garza said.

Saenz said the Binational River Park and enhanced security in other areas will serve as the perfect virtual wall and establish safety along the lines of the river. However, he does concur he would like more action by the federal government to make sure this is implemented sooner than later.

Locally, we are anticipating federal funding to cover the bulk of the expenses of this project, which funds have not been currently identified, Saenz said. Personally speaking, and with due respect, the Biden administration is moving too slowly on this border endeavor, which is only giving rise to statements such as that of the attorney general. All we ask as a city is for the opportunity for this project to be allowed to proceed, so that once and for all the effectiveness of a virtual wall can be proven as a less costly alternative, with all the added quality of life amenities.
DEAR ABBY: When my sibling and I were 6 and 10, our parents sat us down and told us they were getting a divorce because Dad had an affair. Mom was, to say the least, incredibly hurt. Her hurt and resentment haven't subsided to this day. Dad has never apologized to her, but he has supported her financially ever since.

Mom has tried therapy, but the minute a therapist upsets her, she stops going. My parents both now live near my sister to help care for her twins. Mom is constantly upset with things Dad does or that he's not friendly enough with her. She says he is nicer to strangers than he is with her.

I don't want to seem insensitive, but they have now been divorced longer than they were married. It's exhausting, and it is starting to feel like we are enabling her. I hate that what happened has defined the last two decades of her life. Is there something I can say to communicate that it's way past time to be over this, but in a nicer way that may be helpful, and maybe won't leave her too much room to tell me I'm victim blaming?

 WHAT'S PAST HAS PASSED

DEAR WHAT'S PAST: I, too, am sorry about what happened to your parents' marriage. That your mother has been unable to move beyond the divorce and quits therapy the minute a therapist says something she doesn't want to hear is very sad  for her. What you need to understand is that some people cling to their "victimhood" for comfort. It buffers them from having to recognize their own contribution to their failure.

Because you have tried in the past without success to help your mother let go of her bitterness, I'm advising you to stop trying. For your own sake, when she starts complaining about your father, change the subject, end the conversation or tune out. Enabling her isn't helping either of you.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have a business and work together. He takes care of sales, and I keep the books. I have raised his children, scheduled all appointments and taken care of everyone's needs, including the pets. I also do all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, etc.

I tend to suffer from depression and need at least eight hours of sleep each night. Because of this, I work at the office only four to five hours a day. My husband cannot understand why I don't work eight to 10 hours a day. I get done what NEEDS to be done. Of the many other businesses we've known, the wives are expected to do this. How do I make him understand?

 WORKING ENOUGH IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR WORKING ENOUGH: From your description of your weekly activities, you are not only living up to normal expectations, but exceeding them. Explain to your husband that people are individuals. Human bodies don't all function alike. If he can't get that through his head, have your doctor explain it to him.

Has he considered what it would cost him to hire someone else to do all the jobs you are doing? Perhaps he should consider that before criticizing and flogging you to do more. Tell him you'll spend an extra hour or so at the office if he agrees to take up some of the slack at home.

P.S. I can understand why you "tend to suffer from depression." You are married to a slave driver.

DEAR ABBY: Two years ago, at a national conference, I bumped into a woman I had dated decades ago. We started dating again, even though she lives in Phoenix and I live in the Midwest. The geographical distance between us is challenging, but we made it work through phone calls and traveling to see each other at least once a month.

It was working so well that we began discussing my relocating to Arizona so we could move in together. I thought that was our future until earlier this week. My lady friend just told me she wants to reduce the number of phone calls we've been having each week to three or less. She explained she needs more time to herself to deal with "challenges" she has been facing, and everything is fine with our relationship.

I was shocked because we had been talking two or more times a day as well as exchanging text messages. We have both faced significant challenges during our relationship and we had used our talks to figure out how to deal with them.

I said I wanted to talk more than three times a week. She says this won't work. She wants less contact  MUCH less. She also canceled our next in-person get-together. I feel like our relationship is heading for the rocks. When I expressed this, my girlfriend continued to insist everything is "fine" and we could have the same relationship with less contact. I disagree. What do you think?

 COMPLETELY THROWN

DEAR THROWN: Because this lady didn't elaborate on what challenges she's facing, I think the abrupt change in her behavior may be her way of trying to let you down easy. I can't guess what may have caused her change of heart, but please accept my sympathy.

DEAR ABBY: A family member does beautiful scrapbooks year-round. Her work is remarkable, and everyone enjoys looking at the finished product. I have become the photographer. Here is my dilemma: I know not everyone likes to have his or her picture taken. How do I approach this? I think it would be awkward to poll everyone about whether it's OK before snapping their photos. A group shot at the end of, say, Christmas Day seems rather understated. Too often, I feel like the paparazzi. What are your thoughts?

 SHUTTERBUG IN COLORADO

DEAR SHUTTERBUG: My "thought" is that you are very considerate. In addition, I think that before snapping a picture it's polite to ask the subjects if they would LIKE to be included in the shot, or take a moment to put on some lipstick, a hat or pose with their "better side" to the camera. (It's also a surefire way for anyone in witness protection to move out of range of the camera.)

DEAR READERS: Happy Father's Day to fathers everywhere  birth fathers, stepfathers, adoptive and foster fathers, grandfathers and all of those caring men who mentor children and fill the role of absent dads.

P.S. Also, a big shout-out to dual-role moms. I applaud you all  today and every day.

 LOVE, ABBY
WFO SHREVEPORT Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, June 18, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Shreveport LA

556 PM CDT Sat Jun 18 2022

...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of Little River, western

Hempstead, northern Miller, Sevier, southeastern Howard and east

central Bowie Counties through 645 PM CDT...

At 556 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along

a line extending from near Nashville to Tollette to 6 miles south of

Saratoga to near Mandeville. Movement was west at 35 mph. Gust front

in advance of these thunderstorms could produce winds to near 50

mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects.

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 3404 9382 3401 9382 3401 9375 3399 9370

3381 9376 3365 9377 3348 9370 3348 9372

3345 9374 3337 9441 3369 9444 3384 9441

3413 9431

TIME...MOT...LOC 2256Z 093DEG 33KT 3397 9387 3382 9392 3368 9395 3350

9394

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

The National Weather Service in Norman has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Archer County in northern Texas...

Southwestern Wichita County in northern Texas...

Southeastern Wilbarger County in northern Texas...

Northeastern Baylor County in northern Texas...

* Until 645 PM CDT.

* At 557 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 4 miles east of

Dundee, moving north at 15 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Dundee, Mankins, Lake Kickapoo and Lake Diversion.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Country singer Dallas Smith returned to the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, Thursday night, for a night of high energy entertainment. The Canadian performer had a banner year in 2021 winning the Country Music Awards entertainer of the year, as well as the single of the year. The band is cu
SUVA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama on Sunday urged Fijians to take COVID-19 booster shots to help reduce the spread of the virus.

Those who still haven't got their two jabs "are the ones that are spreading the virus", Bainimarama told a local radio program.

The Fijian government is now working to have their people receive booster shots, and has asked health officials to help out, according to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC).

Bainimarama warned Fiji people that more viruses and sickness will be expected if they still don't take their booster dose. The Health Ministry is advising all eligible Fijians to take their boosters after three months of their first two doses.

He said the government has prepared 250,000 Pfizer vaccines to cater to those that have taken their first and second doses.

Fiji, a South Pacific island nation with a population of around 900,000, has recorded more than 65,000 COVID-19 cases with 865 deaths since March 2020 when the island nation reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case.

Currently, 95 percent of Fiji's eligible population above the age of 18 are double jabbed and the Ministry of Health is aiming to raise the rate to 95 percent. 
Nova Scotia announces new immigration targets for 2022 Nova Scotia welcomed over 9,000 newcomers in 2021 Edana Robitaille Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

Nova Scotia has confirmed its allocations for the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) and the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) for 2022. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has increased the provincial nomination number to 5,340 and added 1,173 more endorsement spaces to the AIP, which is 75% more than 2021. IRCC determines the number of allocations each year based on the Immigration Levels Plan.



Nova Scotia welcomed 9,025 new permanent residents in 2021, a record-breaking number that surpassed the previous high in 2019 by 19%. The province continues to invest heavily in immigration initiatives to encourage economic growth.

For example, the provincial Budget 2022-23 includes an additional $1 million for immigration and population growth marketing campaigns. The province is also investing $1.4 million more for settlement services in communities across Nova Scotia and $895,000 for more staff to support immigration programs.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Nova Scotia is a special place and we are excited that more and more people see a future for themselves and their families here, said Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. Population growth is vital to our economic success. We have been preparing for growth, working with employers, communities and settlement organizations to get ready for more people to call Nova Scotia home.

The province has also welcomed 500 Ukrainians through the Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET). CUAET participants are not counted in the total allocation of newcomers.

Atlantic Immigration Program

The Atlantic immigration program was introduced in 2017 as a pilot program to encourage skilled immigrants to settle in one of the four Atlantic provinces. It has proven highly successful and was made permanent in January 2022. The program encourages Atlantic Canadian employers to apply to the province for official designation, which means if they hire a foreign national they can skip the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

If an employee accepts a job offer from a designated employer, the employer must connect them with a designated settlement service provider. The provider will conduct a needs assessment for the candidate, and any family members arriving with them, to create a settlement plan.

Last year the AIP welcomed 1,564 new permanent residents to Nova Scotia, helping to boost the provinces population to over one million people for the first time in history.

Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)

The Nova Scotia Nominee Program operates independently of the AIP and offers prospective candidates nine separate immigration pathways.

Express Entry aligned streams

The Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities, Nova Scotia Experience: Express Entry and Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities for Physicians are only open to candidates who have Express Entry profiles with (IRCC).

Express Entry is an application management system that IRCC uses for economic immigration programs. Candidates who meet eligibility criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) are assigned scores based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). These scores are ranked against each other, and the highest scores are more likely to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent resident status.

Skilled Worker stream

The Skilled Worker stream requires a job offer from an employer in Nova Scotia and demonstrated work experience within their National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill code.

This stream can apply to NOCs 0, A, B, C, or D. Language requirements can vary depending on a candidates NOC.

Occupation: In-Demand stream

The Occupation: In-Demand Stream requires a job offer in any of the in-demand occupations on the current list, typically those with NOCs C and D.

International Graduates: In-Demand stream

International Graduates: In-Demand stream candidates must have completed at least a 30-week program for an in-demand occupation such as early childcare or as an orderly. Half of the program must be completed in Nova Scotia and a job offer within the province is required.

International Graduate: Entrepreneur stream

The International Graduate: Entrepreneur stream is for international graduates who have completed a two-year program in a Nova Scotian postsecondary school and have obtained a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Candidates also require at least one year of business ownership experience.

Entrepreneur stream

Entrepreneur stream candidates need at least three years of business ownership experience as well as a business plan and willingness to invest $150,000 to purchase or establish a business within Nova Scotia.

Immigration initiatives a success in Atlantic Canada

Nova Scotias population growth is largely attributed to the NSNP and well as the Atlantic Immigration Program. Through the AIP, over 10,000 newcomers arrived in Nova Scotia between 2017 2021. Over this period of time, about 91% of immigrants stayed in the province.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
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ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Six terrorists were killed in a clash with security forces in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Sunday, a military statement said.

The security forces launched an operation after receiving a tip-off regarding the presence of terrorists in a mountainous range of the province, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in the statement.

When the troops started a clearance operation in the area, terrorists tried to escape from their hideout and opened fire on security forces, the statement added.

In retaliatory fire, six terrorists belonging to the banned outfit Balochistan Liberation Front were killed, said the statement.

"The terrorists were involved in attacks on security forces posts besides recent planting of improvised explosive devices on security forces convoys," the ISPR said.

Arms and ammunition were seized from the hideout of the terrorists, who intended to use them for disrupting peace and security in the area, the statement said. 
MADRID, June 19 (Xinhua) -- A wildfire continues to burn out of control in northwest Spain, destroying more than 19,000 hectares of land, amid an intense heatwave, the regional government of Castile and Leon has tweeted.

The fire in the Sierra de la Culebra, a Spanish nature reserve, has caused the evacuation of 11 villages, it said Saturday.

Hundreds of firefighters and emergency personnel, as well as 40 fire engines, 20 helicopters and four aircraft, have been dispatched to fight the blaze, which was sparked by a lightning strike on Wednesday.

The fire still "had two fronts which are very active," Angel Manuel Sanchez, an official of Castile and Leon's fire brigade, told local TV network RTVE.

Spain has endured a week of an unusually early heatwave, as temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius were recorded in many cities and areas throughout the past few days. The heat is expected to begin to ease on Sunday. 
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ATHENS, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Citizens in Greece and Turkey share pessimism for economy and skepticism over the Ukraine crisis and the role the U.S. and NATO play in security in Europe, according to the results of a joint public opinion survey released on Sunday.

According to the survey, 80.4 percent of Turkish people and 57.4 percent of Greeks believe that things are not going well in their country in general, and 68.2 percent and 60.7 percent respectively expect the financial situation in Turkey and Greece to worsen over the next 12 months.

Moreover, 51 percent of Greeks and 47.9 percent of respondents in Turkey said that the United States should not play a role in European security, and in fact its presence in Europe increases tensions and insecurity.

The survey also showed 53.3 percent of citizens in Greece and 35.3 percent in Turkey believe that NATO's enlargement triggers justified Russian aggression in the Black Sea region.

The survey, which was conducted in May 2022 by polling firms MRB and KONDA, with the participation of 1,003 Greek and 1,786 Turkish citizens, was carried out for the Athens-based think tanks ELIAMEP and DiaNEOsis and the Istanbul Policy Center (IPC). 
NZ Govt reveals details of $60m rural connectivity funding boost

The New Zealand government is stumping up $60 million to boost network capacity and speeds in rural areas, while providing broadband services to some of the countrys most remote communities and funding connectivity at more marae.

The funding was announced during the 2020 general election and allocated in the 2022 budget.

New Zealand Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications David Clark, announced details of how the $60 million will be spent. The funding will go towards three initiatives.

The first is $43 million will be used to improve network capacity and speeds for rural users in locations with slow broadband, such as in the Far North, Gisborne, Manawatu-Whanganui region, Taranaki, Southland and the Waikato.

A further $15m will fund a new initiative called the Remote Users Scheme, which aims to provide broadband services to New Zealanders in some of the countrys most remote locations who currently have no coverage, or only have voice calling and text messaging services. This scheme is set to launch later in 2022.

The remaining $2 million will be spent on extending the existing Marae Digital Connectivity initiative for up to two years to connect more eligible marae across the country on top of the over 560 already connected through this initiative. These are mostly in rural areas where they serve as hubs for their communities.

Combined with the Rural Capacity Upgrades Clark announced in February, the new $60 million funding will bring the amount the New Zealand Government has allocated to upgrading the capacity of rural networks to over $90 million, said Clark.

Chorus slashes office space to embrace hybrid working

Ultra-fast broadband network operator Chorus has embraced the shift to hybrid working where staff work only some of their days in the office and the rest at home, reports the New Zealand Herald. Chorus is providing just 371 workstations for about 550 staff at its new central Auckland head office, as well as a mix of collaborative workspaces and hot-desking, according to the report.

Being a technology company, Chorus might have some advantages in taking this approach. It would employ a greater number of tech-savvy staff who are likely more inclined to wanting to work from anywhere  and for whom the challenges of remote working are likely to be less of a burden.

Indeed, Chorus has turned to technology to help it manage the new hot-desking arrangement using an app called GoBright, through which staff can book a workstation or find colleagues.

But even so, Chorus is still feeling its way with the new setup, the Herald writes. One issue, which many other organisations are also facing these days, is how to handle meetings with some staff in person and others online.

is interesting to note that Chorus former parent company, Telecom (now Spark), adopted a very similar arrangement when it moved to its new head office back in 2010. In fact, in its annual report at the time, the company wrote: In December 2010, 2,700 of our Auckland people relocated into a dynamic work environment at Telecom Place in Auckland and adopted a mixture of free, fixed, fluid and flexible working styles.

This was under a section titled New ways of working, which goes to show todays challenges with managing flexible working arrangements are not as novel as some made them out to be.

IT leadership moves

Stuart Bloomfield, chief digital officer (CDO) of Waitemata and Counties Manukau District Health Boards (DHBs) has been appointed interim chief data and digital at Health NZ  the new organisation being established to run the health system across New Zealand. He will replace Shayne Hunter, who announced he was stepping down last month.

According to Health Informatics New Zealand, in his new role, Bloomfield will provide the Health NZ executive leadership team and interim regional directors with a monthly progress report against all data and digital investments.

He had been at Waitemata DHB for over 12 years serving as CIO for more than five years before becoming CDO for both Waitemata and Counties Manukau DHB in 2018.

Kordia chair goes to Spark

Spark New Zealand has poached the chair of rival telco, Kordia, as it appointed two new members to its board. Sheridan Broadbent has resigned as chair of the Crown-owned Kordia this month to join the Spark board as an independent, non-executive director from 1 August 2022, along with Gordon MacLeod.

Broadbent was appointed chair at Kordia last April and served on its board since 2014. Kordia has since appointed deputy chair Sophie Haslem as acting chair. The company competes with Spark for a range of business ICT offerings, including connectivity, voice, cloud and cybersecurity services.

Broadbent is also an independent director for Manawa Energy and was previously a director of Transpower.

Gordon MacLeod meanwhile was most recently CEO at Ryman Healthcare Group where he held a range of senior executive roles over a 15-year period.

Spark said in a statement to the NZX that MacLeod will join its audit and risk management committee and Broadbent will be a member of the human resources and compensation committee.

The Spark board also announced that non-executive director Paul Berriman will retire at its next annual general meeting in November after 11 years in the role.
Congratulations, aaonline.net got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site:

Aaonline.net scored 72 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3.5/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 11 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the aaonline homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the aaonline homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if aaonline has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the aaonline homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the aaonline homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the aaonline homepage on Twitter + the total number of aaonline followers (if aaonline has a Twitter account).

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE AAOnline.net--Realtime Open AA Meetings on the Internet DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS aaonline, meetings, meeting, alcoholics, alcoholics anonymous, anonymous, every day



CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

The language of aaonline.net as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for aaonline.net by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

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Twitter account link

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Add CoolSocial badge. Show it by adding this HTML code on your site:

Cashconverters.ca scored 47 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2.5/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 23 Feb 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

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The total number of people who shared the cashconverters homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the cashconverters homepage on Twitter + the total number of cashconverters followers (if cashconverters has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the cashconverters homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the cashconverters homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the cashconverters homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if cashconverters has a Facebook fan page).

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PAGE TITLE Instant Cash, Cash Advances | CashConverters.ca DESCRIPTION Get instant cash and cash advances from CasshConverters.com. Easy way to buy or sell merchandise, gold, or get a loan. KEYWORDS instant cash, cash advances, Payday Loans, Direct Payday Loans, Instant Payday Loans, Day Payday Loans, Bad Credit Payday Loans, Advance Payday Loans, Payday Loan Advances, Cash Payday Loans, Quick Loans, Cash Advance, Payday Lenders, Quick Cas OTHER KEYWORDS instant cash, instant, about us, about, first,



CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

The language of cashconverters.ca as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Operative System running on the server. Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0)

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for cashconverters.ca by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

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Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
100%

Website ifi.ie uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery and Boostrap. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 401280 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 84706 bytes (82.72 kb uncompressed) and 16402 bytes (16.02 kb compressed).

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Another heavyweight of Urdu has fallen. Prof Gopi Chand Narang was a pillar of Urdu. When he was bestowed upon the Padma Bhushan in 2004, he was the only Urdu critic to get the Padma Shri as well. There's hardly any Urdu forum that hasn't honoured him. So has Pakistans Iqbal National Open University. So many Urdu and Persian awards have been heaped upon the professor.Interestingly, Prof Narang (February 11, 1931-June 15, 2022) happened to be the only Urdu critic from India interviewed most by Pakistan Television. Of the most sought after Indian figures in Pakistan, Narang was second only to former Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee. Incidentally, both were so popular in the country across the border that a mere mention or reference of their names helped a person attain a Pakistani visa!In 1977 he was awarded the national gold medal of Pakistan for his research on Iqbal. Even today in Pakistan's literary circles, Gopi Chand Narang is known as India's cultural ambassador. Writers know that Narang had always raised his voice against parochialism, religious fanaticism and social injustice. Communalists, be they from the Hindi or Urdu lobby, had always tried to derail him. According to Narang, one may be an activist, but in a democracy one does not need a party card to enter the field of letters.A writer's basic commitment is to the sanctity of shabda, concern for humanitarianism and a sense of nationalism. Sahitya Akademi, whose chairman he was, happens to be the biggest literary body anywhere in the world looking after 22 languages.At the same time, he was also the consultant to the biggest ever government Urdu body, that is NCPUL (National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language). But according to him, the fact remains that even today it is extremely difficult for writers of Indian languages to make both ends meet by full time writing.Narang took interest in formulating an Encyclopaedia of Indian Katha Sahitya and an Encyclopaedia of Indian Poetics. Renowned Bengali intellectual Sisir Kumar Das had completed the painstaking job. The National Bibliography of Indian Literature from 1954 till date is another enterprise that Narang has almost completed. Narang also happens to be that celebrated rare intellectual who had spurned the lure of office to pursue his scholastic work.Narang, according to senior bureaucrat-cum-writer and now, politician Pavan K Varma, is noted for being brutally frank where the question of defending Urdu is concerned. His literary adversaries (of whom there is no dearth!) can do anything but ignore him.Having been brought up in the dry, mountainous terrain of Balochistan and Narangs mother tongue being Saraiki (a blend of western Punjabi, Sindhi and Pushto), his background conspired against him. Even at his school Musa Khail, Pushto was the medium but he held the fort for Urdu. His father Dharam Chand Narang too was a litterateur himself, and a scholar of Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit, who inspired Gopi's interest in literatureSome of Narang's famous and award winning books include  Hindustani Qisson se Makhuz Urdu Masnawiyan, Urdu: Dilli ki Karkhandari Boli, Urdu ki Taleem ke Lisani Pehlu, Puranon ki Kahanian and Amir Khusrau ka Hindvi Kalaam.He finds Urdu to be one of the finest products of composite literature. Among comity of Urdu scholars, Narang is very highly regarded. Truth is that no one can match his stylistic vocabulary.Narang also happened to be the unquestioned master of Urdu phonetics according to Dr Aqeel Ahmed, the director of National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, Delhi, Urdu, according to Narang, has been the language of inter-faith harmony and has served as a common bridge between Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims right from Amir Khusrau in the 13th century.Narang believed that the politicization of Urdu has resulted in its downfall. The Urdu card played by politicians has resulted in its degradation. Urdu is not the language of Muslims. If at all there is any language of Muslims, it should be Arabic, opined Gopi Chand. Urdu belongs to the composite culture of India, truly.Being an illustrious student of Delhi College (now Zakir Hussain College), Narang had taught in various universities, including the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota.Once while speaking to his Pakistani poet friend Ahmed Faraz, he said: Do not monopolize, fanaticize and politicize a language. Urdu is one of the national languages of India and not a natural language of even a single region of Pakistan from Karachi to Lahore and Quetta to Peshawar. The litterateurs of the two countries must interact with each other.---
On a Wednesday night in early May, officials from the Fairfield school district appeared before the State Board of Education to explain why McKinley Elementary School was out of compliance with the states racial balance law for the 15th time in 16 years, with a student body that was 56 percent minority in a district that was nearly three-quarters white.

They blamed the pandemic for distracting them from the issue. They protested that they couldnt control where families chose to live. They acknowledged redistricting as an option to better balance the district but described that as a last step that would tear apart the community.

Eventually, as a Fairfield official argued students and families are happy with McKinley the way it is, despite lagging academic performance at the school, State Board chair Karen Dubois-Walton seemed to have had enough.

Im sitting here almost needing to check what date were in because I feel like Im hearing an argument for separate but equal being made in front of me, Dubois-Walton said. And I remember that being struck down quite solidly.

By the end of the meeting, Fairfield officials had agreed to submit a revised racial balance plan within the next three months, while Dubois-Walton had seen up close why integration has proven persistently elusive for certain Connecticut school districts.

It was a pretty frustrating conversation on several levels, Dubois-Walton said later. This was not the kind of partnership or collaborative planning process I would have hoped to have heard from them given that this is not their first time, that this is actually many, many years of not providing diverse student settings for their white students or for their students of color.

Despite Connecticuts liberal self-conception, its schools remain some of the most segregated in the country, with 84 percent of Black students in the state attending schools that are at least 50 percent minority, according to one 2020 report. And while much of that segregation exists between municipalities  with students of color concentrated in a handful of districts  state data shows it also occurs within individual towns, which often have dramatic demographic disparities from one school to the next.

The states racial balance law, which requires that each public school in a given district fall within 25 percentage points of the districts overall racial makeup, is designed to address that issue, to prevent towns and cities from confining students of color to one or two schools while leaving others overwhelmingly white. But decades after its initial passage, the law has failed to curb imbalance in some of Connecticuts most segregated school districts, several of which have violated the law for decades without consequence.

As of 2022, three Connecticut schools  one in Fairfield, plus two in Greenwich  remain out of compliance with the racial balance provision, while 19 others across eight districts stand in impending imbalance meaning they dont meet the legal definition of imbalance but are not far off. In West Hartford, where until this year at least one school had been out of compliance each year since 1999, five different elementary schools are in impending imbalance.

The racial balance law has numerous detractors, from parents and school district figures who consider it unfair or outdated, to officials who see it as well-intended but toothless, to advocates who worry that it addresses inequality on far too narrow a basis. Its enforcement often leads to complex questions about the value of integration, the sacrifices necessary to achieve it and the relationship between where people live and how their children are educated.

But for those who see classroom diversity as a worthy goal in Connecticut and beyond, the law raises one question above all others: Why, even with a statute on the books, is integration so hard to come by?

Sort of a guessing game

The logic behind Connecticuts racial balance law is simple and backed by research: Students benefit both socially and academically when they attend racially and socioeconomically diverse schools. Not only does integration improve test scores and shrink achievement gaps, studies have shown, it also reduces racial bias in white students.

If you have a district where most of the minority students are in one school, the students in the other schools are also suffering, said Laura Anastasio, a Department of Education attorney who coordinates the racial balance process. They dont have the opportunity to be educated among students of different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different cultures.

The framework for the law dates to 1969, the tail end of the Civil Rights era, when the state legislature first barred districts from substantial imbalance in their schools. The law was updated in 1980 with specific definitions of balance and imbalance, then tweaked over the following decades until crystallizing into the system in place today.

Under the current law, the State Department of Education annually collects the racial demographics of all public schools in the state and sorts each into one of three categories:

- Balanced schools are those whose share of nonwhite students falls within 15 percentage points of the district average.

- Schools in impending imbalance are those whose share of nonwhite students falls anywhere from 15 to 25 percentage points above or below the district average.

- Imbalanced schools are those whose share of nonwhite students falls 25 or more percentage points above or below the district average.

In Fairfield, for example, the school district overall is 26.2 percent minority, as defined by the state, whereas McKinley School is 55.6 percent minority, resulting in an imbalance of nearly 30 percentage points. Other districts have schools with the opposite issue, with white populations that far exceed the district average.

After tabulating the data, the Department of Education sends out notifications to school districts with at least one imbalanced school, asking them to submit a plan to achieve better balance. Such plans may include direct solutions such as redistricting but more often feature indirect ones, such as designating certain schools as magnets or renovating school buildings to make them more appealing to families from other parts of town.

The State Board of Education can then either approve a districts plan or, if theyre dissatisfied with the proposed solutions, ask officials to amend it.

In theory, a racial balance plan executed properly should result in a balanced district, with no schools out of compliance. In practice, districts often return year after year with nearly identical numbers, amending their plans again and again but never achieving the required balance.

Its sort of a guessing game, Anastasio said. [State Board members] are looking at a plan, and its like, Well, we think this might do something to help the imbalance, well give them a shot at doing it, and then if it doesnt have any effect, well have them amend the plan. Weve been doing that for quite a few years with a couple of the districts.

Some of the problem, Dubois-Walton says, is that there is rarely a consequence for a district that has been out of compliance for years or even decades. Under Connecticut statute, the State Board of Ed may initiate a complaint against a district that fails to submit or implement its racial balance plan, a process that can end in legal action, but that has happened only twice on record, most recently in 2011.

Part of the challenge of why its taken so long to get these schools [balanced] is that theres no real consequence to not making progress, Dubois-Walton said.

Chronically noncompliant

While numerous districts statewide have been out of compliance with the states racial balance law at one time or other, several have been particularly chronic offenders lately.

In addition to Fairfield, Greenwich has had two unbalanced schools for more than a decade, including one that has been unbalanced since at least 1999. In West Hartford, Charter Oak International Academy met the compliance standard this year for the first time in more than two decades but is still one of five elementary schools in town categorized as having impending imbalance.

Hamdens Church Street School has also been unbalanced in the past and only narrowly avoided that distinction this year, with a 92.2 percent nonwhite student body in a district that is 68.8 percent nonwhite.

As part of the procedure for districts not in compliance, representatives from both Greenwich and Fairfield have met with the State Board of Education in recent weeks. During a presentation to the Boards Legislation and Policy Development Committee on June 1, Greenwich officials noted that their two unbalanced schools, Hamilton Avenue School and New Lebanon School, had inched closer to compliance in recent years, with the latter benefiting from a new building opened in 2019.

But while both schools, and particularly New Lebanon, are closer to balance as defined in Connecticuts law than they were previously, state numbers suggest that may have less to do with changing demographics at the schools and more to do with changing demographics in the town as a whole. As Greenwich has become more diverse, the baseline its schools are judged against has changed as well.

In addition to its two unbalanced elementary schools, Greenwich still has five schools in impending imbalance. Even after years of racial balance plans, the town is home to five of the top nine most unbalanced schools in the state and seven of the top 20.

Fairfields May 4 appearance in front of the State Board of Ed grew tense at several points, as school district officials questioned the logic of the racial balance law and argued that complying could hurt students in the district, including at McKinley.

Its just inherently wrong to me that if a student is thriving or has supports in place, which students at McKinley do, to potentially take them from a school and put them in another school that maybe doesnt have those supports in place, Fairfield Board of Ed chair Christine Vitale said. It just seems somewhat counterintuitive to what is best for them from an educational, social, emotional standpoint, and that is the priority.

While redistricting often meets resistance from white families who balk at the idea of sending their kids long distances to attend schools they find less desirable, Vitale suggested that Black and Latino parents would be just as unhappy with major changes to the district.

Sure enough, after the meeting several parents emailed the State Board of Ed to oppose any redistricting, not because they wanted to preserve segregated schools but because they valued McKinleys diversity.

It is not McKinley that needs to fix the problem, one parent wrote. It is the other schools that should find ways to attract more diverse populations in order to be more like McKinley.

Another email came from McKinleys school social worker, who wrote that only McKinley had the resources to support students from a variety of backgrounds, who speak 25 different languages.

Our staff are all well-trained and equipped to deal with all of the cultural diversity of our students, she wrote. Dividing them and placing them in other schools who do not have this critical mass of supports, both within the school and community, is just cruel.

According to state data, McKinley is the only of Fairfields 11 elementary schools where fewer than 60 percent of students are white. At five of those schools, white students account for more than 80 percent of the total enrollment.

Officials in both Fairfield and Greenwich declined to be interviewed for this story.

Robert Cotto Jr., a Trinity College researcher who studies education policy, said concerns from Black and Latino families at schools like McKinley deserve to be taken seriously. As he sees it, integration shouldnt come at the cost of those students comfort.

Lets center and talk to families there and then go from there and see what might be the most logical next step, Cotto said. Look at the folks that would probably be the most impacted in whichever direction you go, start with them first. Talk to them first.

Whereas integration efforts often involve moving children of color from one school to another, Cotto argued that a more fair process would go the other way as well, with some white students jumping to more diverse schools.

Dubois-Walton said she understands the concerns of parents who value multiracial schools like McKinley but that the state has to consider the district more broadly. When parents and officials say only one school is suitable for Black and Latino students, she wonders what that suggests about the other schools in town.

Its very painful to hear parents feel like their public school district is not providing them opportunity to look at all the options and that really theres this one safe place in the entire district, she said. Thats not acceptable.

Tentative progress in West Hartford

From one perspective or other, West Hartford can be seen as one of Connecticuts worst offenders when it comes to racial imbalance in schools  or as a happy success story of a district gradually integrating after years of false starts.

The towns history with the racial balance law stretches back to at least the mid-1990s, when the local Board of Ed sought to balance the district through an aggressive redistricting plan, sparking backlash from parents in wealthier neighborhoods. The debate lasted years and at one point grew so heated that local spiritual leaders took out a half-page newspaper ad pleading for calm.

In the end, not only was West Hartfords redistricting plan defeated, but several Town Council members who supported it were voted out of office, leaving the school district just as racially segregated as it had been previously. From 2000 through 2015, West Hartford had two imbalanced elementary schools, Smith and Charter Oak, every single year, along with various other schools in impending imbalance. In 2006, Charter Oaks student body was more than 80% minority at a time when the district around it was only 33% minority, marking the largest disparity the State Department of Education has on record.

Even when Smith finally achieved compliance in 2016, Charter Oak remained in violation, as district officials submitted plan after plan but failed to clear the legal threshold for racial balance.

That changed this year, when Charter Oak dipped just slightly below the imbalanced category, with a 68.2 percent minority population in a 44.4 percent minority district. Tom Moore, who is leaving the district this month after nearly a decade as West Hartfords superintendent, credits Charter Oaks status as a magnet school offering International Baccalaureate programs, as well as the opening in 2016 of a gleaming new building, which has helped attract families from outside the adjacent neighborhood.

Thats been incredibly powerful to have, instead of what was the oldest or second-oldest building in the district to have the newest building in the district, state-of-the-art, Moore said. That has made not just the offerings there attractive but the physical space attractive.

Moore said the district has aggressively marketed both Charter Oak and Smith (a STEM magnet school) to parents from other parts of town, with events at libraries and preschools.

West Hartford has made a lot of progress, Anastasio, from the State Department of Education, said. With that renovation to Charter Oak, they were able to create a lot of seats in that school  and theyve had a lot of success with that.

Still, its not clear that West Hartfords problems are solved. During a recent presentation in front of the State Board of Educations Legislation and Policy Development Committee, board members congratulated West Hartford officials on their success in bringing Charter Oak into compliance but questioned why so many schools in town remained in impending imbalance.

One board member suggested that West Hartfords apparent progress, like that of Greenwich, owed largely to the towns changing demographics, not to action taken by town leaders.

Anastasio said she can easily imagine Smith and Charter Oak running into racial balance issues again in the future. In a town as residentially segregated as West Hartford, some degree of school segregation can become almost inevitable.

Its always a challenge trying to really encourage people to use the magnet system when its a partial magnet, Anastasio said, because a lot of people still dont want to leave their neighborhood.

A broader issue

Even those who support the objectives of Connecticuts racial balance law see it as a small solution to a problem extending far beyond the three or four districts that struggle to comply.

We could get those districts into balance and we would still have students in Connecticut experiencing a very racially segregated educational experience, said Dubois-Walton, who is currently running as a Democrat for state treasurer. As long as were looking at this district by district, I think were going to continue to push up against this [segregation].

To promote integration at a broader level, Dubois-Walton proposes expanding Connecticuts Open Choice program, which allows students, often from the states largest cities, to attend school in neighboring towns, thereby reducing segregation not only within individual school districts but also between neighboring ones.

Martha Stone, executive director of the Center for Childrens Advocacy and lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the Sheff v. O'Neill desegregation case, also suggests a more regional solution.

The ultimate remedy for all of this are regional school systems, Stone said. If you had regional school systems the way most other places around the country do, youd be able to get racial balance a different way.

Inevitably, any conversation about school segregation overlaps with one about housing segregation. Moore, the West Hartford superintendent, says he doesnt want to send his kids across town or even across town borders to attend school  and neither do most parents of Black and Latino students, who might prefer integrated schools but not want to leave their neighborhoods to find them.

That brings up the question, is it an education issue or is a housing stock issue? Moore said.

According to The Diversity and Disparities Project from Brown University, the Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford metropolitan areas all have very high levels of residential segregation, with most white people unlikely to share a census tract with large numbers of Black and Latino people. While towns like Fairfield, Greenwich and West Hartford are somewhat diverse overall, at least relative to other suburbs, they tend to be segregated within town borders.

Naturally, school segregation follows from there.

Zoning laws and housing discrimination are unavoidably linked to educational outcomes and educational segregation, said Peter Harrison, executive director of the housing advocacy group Desegregate Connecticut. Where you allow homes to be built or not dictates a lot of downstream outcomes.

One antidote for racial imbalance in schools, Harrison said, could be to permit and promote more affordable housing in all parts of these towns, not just in certain corners.

The idea of busing across town, let alone across different towns, hasnt, as a structural solution, solved anything, Harrison said. Youve got to put housing in different parts of the towns.

Cotto recommends another route. While some advocates see integration as the only way for Black and Latino students to access a public education equal to that of white students, he argues the state could accomplish that by simply funding schools equally from one municipality to the next.

That way, Cotto notes, Black and Latino people in Connecticut can live in integrated suburbs if they want  but can also choose to live in major cities without worrying about subpar public schools.

There are Black and Latino students who are in public schools who are not getting the support that they need in terms of just funding for the schools, he said. I would side more on arguing that [equal funding] may be a way to support schools as they exist now, to make them better.

We are all responsible

Despite resistance in Fairfield, Greenwich and elsewhere in Connecticut, theres reason to believe the racial balance law has made a difference in integrating schools within Connecticut suburbs.

Fewer schools are imbalanced or in impending imbalance than at most points in the recent past, with formerly imbalanced districts like West Hartford and Hamden in compliance at least for now. Compared to a decade ago  when seven schools were imbalanced and 27 more were in impending imbalance  the current numbers dont look so bad.

Meanwhile, as part of their efforts to comply with the law, often by seeking to attract white students to magnet programs, many districts have invested in schools with large Black and Latino populations, giving students there access to shiny new buildings and enhanced services.

And yet year after year, the State Board of Education watches the same districts appear to present variations on the same plans, with results that come slowly if they come at all.

It speaks to the fact that some of the hardest things for policymakers or elected [officials] to change are things that impact peoples schools and impact peoples neighborhoods, Dubois-Walton said. Its why we see real pushback around zoning, we see real pushback on discussions about school districting.

For Dubois-Walton, who was herself once a Black student in a series of majority white schools, the racial balance law is a small piece of a large conversation about how Americans relate to each other. While it cant solve segregation in Connecticut on its own, it can offer a glimpse into what communities and their leaders value  for better or for worse.

We have to get to a place of valuing each others humanity and contributions and seeing beyond the stereotypes and racialized lens, Dubois-Walton said. None of the people that are coming in front of us representing these Board of Eds, theyre not responsible for that [racist] history in this country, but we are all responsible for how we continue to carry forth these things that are so deeply ingrained.

alex.putterman@hearstmediact.com
Susan Walsh/AP

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP)  White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan tested positive on Saturday for COVID-19, according to the White House.

Sullivan typically has frequent contact with President Joe Biden but last was in contact with the president early in the week, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sullivan had been keeping his distance from Biden after a couple of people he had been in close contact with had tested positive for the virus, the official said.
Contributed / Getty

UPDATE: Fairfield police say the person injured in the shooting at Wafu in Southport is not cooperating with their investigation. Our earlier story is below.

FAIRFIELD  Officials are investigating after multiple shots were reportedly fired at a Southport restaurant just after midnight on Sunday.
CALF PASTURE BEACH  Drawn by the full moon rising over the Norwalk Islands on Tuesday night, a swarm 450 million years in the making lurked just below the waves lapping onto the sandy beach.

Joe Schnierlein, a former marine biologist and high school teacher, swooped into the shin-deep water and pulled up the armored shell of a female horseshoe crab, one of several hundred of the spider-like animals that chose this night to come ashore and lay their eggs to spawn the next generation in Long Island Sound.

The full moon and its associated high tide  which provides good cover for the horseshoe crabs to lay their eggs high up on the beach  also attracted about 40 human volunteers, including Schnierlein, who have come to place tags on the animals as they spawn, part of a scientific monitoring program that has attempted to track populations of these ancient crabs in the Sound for more than two decades.

Led by staff from the nearby Maritime Aquarium, volunteers like Schnierlein have been coming to this particular spot on the beach for years, where they say favorable tides and clear nights can help them find and tag upwards of a hundred crabs in about an hour. On other occasions, however, it can be a struggle to find even a few dozen crabs.

Theres been some good years, some bad years, Schnierlein said. Is it because of the weather? You dont know.

Across Long Island Sound, researchers who monitor the results of these and other tagging efforts say that horseshoe crabs are on the decline, driven by a combination of habitat loss, pollution and commercial fishing that is threatening the role this species has played in the environment since before the time of the dinosaurs.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission reported in 2019 that stocks of horseshoe crabs in the New York region, which includes Long Island Sound, were in poor condition, after a series of surveys showed their numbers declining since the late 1990s.

Jennifer Mattei, a biology professor at Sacred Heart University who has studied horseshoe crab populations for years as part of Project Limulus, said those findings were in contrast to more abundant populations farther south in places such as Delaware Bay, where millions of eggs laid by the crabs serve as a vital smorgasbord for migrating birds such as the endangered red knot, which flock to the bay in the thousands on their way to nesting grounds in the Arctic.

While the horseshoe crabs in the Sound are not in danger of going away completely, Mattei said that their numbers are so low that they cannot support the numbers of birds and other wildlife that they do elsewhere in their range.

We dont have that phenomenon here because there just arent enough crabs for that to happen. Mattei said. Its kind of whats quoted as an ecological extinction, where theyre just not feeding the birds, theyre not feeding the fish, because the eggs are sparse and buried and so theyre unavailable to most of the animals that use them for nutrition.

Prompted by the concerns raised by Mattei and others, officials with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection began drafting new regulations last year to sharply reduce the annual harvest of crabs within the Sound.

While the crabs are harvested in some areas for biomedical research that uses their blue blood to test the purity of vaccines, the majority of those harvested off the coast of Connecticut are taken by about a dozen licensed fishermen to be cut up and used as bait in eel and whelk traps, according to DEEP.

Fishermen were incredulous at the new rules, arguing that volunteer efforts to tag and count the crabs were doing a poor job of finding them, leading researchers such as Mattei to underestimate the overall population.

Theres more than they think, said Bob Guzzo, a commercial fisherman based in Stonington. I dont think theyve got the science all right either yet, (but) they dont ask us much, all they do is keep restricting us more and more and more.

This year, Guzzo said hes given up on harvesting horseshoe crabs altogether in favor of alternative, less regulated bait species such as the Jonah crab.

For researchers, the decision of a few fisherman to find alternative baits may represent the best opportunity for the population to rebound, after state lawmakers earlier this year ran out of time to enact a complete moratorium to cut off the harvest of tens of thousand of horseshoe crabs each summer.

I didnt do this work to take peoples livelihoods away, I want to manage the resources so theyre sustainable, Mattei said. But what weve found is that the horseshoe crab has continued to decline for all of these various reasons, everything from loss of habitat to pollution and harvest, and that their role in the ecosystem and the environment has declined dramatically.

In addition to regulatory changes, advocates for horseshoe crabs say that public outreach is also vital to raising awareness for the species and efforts to monitor and preserve their populations.

Bridget Cervero, an educator for the Maritime Aquarium who led the group of volunteers to Calf Pasture Beach this past week, said the program has experienced massive interest this year after such outings were limited during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As she spoke to the group of volunteers at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, nearly all of the adults and children huddled around in headlamps raised their hands to indicate that it was their first time tagging horseshoe crabs.

The aquarium, which leads two or three trips to the beach during May and June, requires that first-time volunteers attend a training session to learn about the horseshoe crabs and how to properly collect them and apply the tags.

One of the newcomers, Jeff Spahr of Norwalk, said he grew up seeing horseshoe crabs while taking trips out to the nearby islands on his boat, but said those sightings had become less frequent in recent years.

I always felt the population was declining and I felt bad about that so I wanted to do something to help document them, Spahr said. When I saw this, I jumped on it, it was great.

For others, including roommates Andrea McKenna and Johnny Fremgen of Saugerties, N.Y., the midnight excursions have become a regular summertime activity and a way to tap into a love of nature.

It seemed to me a better way to contribute than your typical reduce, reuse, recycle, McKenna said. Even if it was squids, Id be out here doing it.

As a result of years of tagging data done by the volunteers, Mattei said she and her fellow researchers have been able to determine that the horseshoe crabs tagged along the Connecticut shoreline will cross the Sound, but rarely venture outside of its waters.

That finding helped prompt regulators in New York and Connecticut to work together drafting similar limits on the horseshoe crab harvest on both sides of the Sound, Mattei said.

The horseshoe crabs have also found other allies in the conservation movement, most notably from the Connecticut Audubon Society, whose members have called for a complete ban on the commercial harvest to help support migratory bird populations.

The more horseshoe crab population we have here, the more fuel these birds are going to have when they stop over here, said Patrick Comins, executive director of the Connecticut Audubon Society. If they dont get the nutrition they need, theyre not able to arrive on their breeding grounds in the Arctic.

On Tuesday night, the results from the expedition along Calf Pasture Beach were encouraging, as volunteers used up all the 180 tags brought by Cervero in about an hour-and-a-half.

As with an earlier outing in May, Cervero said volunteers reported that most of the animals they found, including breeding pairs, were healthy and free of parasites. After the animals are tagged, they are placed back in the water so that they may continue to lay their eggs.

Theyre hardy animals, Cervero said. Theyve been around for 450 million years and theyve done that because theyve figured out how to live.
NICOSIA, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus, an island country in the eastern Mediterranean, on Sunday re-established a regular sea-link with the outside world for the first time after 21 years.

Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades attended a ceremony at the port of Limassol to mark the launching of a ferry connection with Greece, hailing the event as "historic."

"At last, the umbilical cord through shipping that connected Cyprus with Greece, is being re-established in a more efficient way, with more modern ships, but also with the most important aspect, which was to offer this alternative possibility to the citizens who wanted it," he said.

The last ferry departure from Cyprus to Greece had been in October 2001. After that, only cargo vessels and international cruise ship docked in Cypriot ports.

Up to 2001 there were regular departure of ferries from Limassol to Rhodes and Piraeus, but were discontinued as people had the alternative of a 90-minute air travel, as flights to Athens became more frequent and inexpensive.

However, several thousand people with air phobia or who just wanted a leisurely trip to Greece and the possibility of carrying along a car, demanded all the time the resumption of a ferry connection between Cyprus and Greece.

The Cypriot government had to offer a 5.5-million-euro ( 5.77 U.S. dollars) subsidy a year, after obtaining a special permission from the European Union, to secure interest by ship owners to operate a regular ferry link between Limassol and Piraeus.

The route will be operated by a Cypriot-registered cruiser, the Daleena, which can carry up to 270 passengers and 100 cars. The voyage will last about 30 hours.

Daleena will make a total of 22 voyages this year until mid-September. The agents of the ship said almost all trips have already been booked. They said that 6,500 have reserved a cabin or seat on the cruiser and have also reserved berths for 1,500 vehicles.

A return ticket in a VIP cabin will cost 160 euros, about the same as an economy prime time air ticket, a return second class cabin 80 euros and a return berth for car up to five meters in length 203 euros. All one-way tickets will cost one half of the full trip.

Deputy Minister for Shipping Vassilis Demetriades said that the ferry connection was going to serve a dual purpose, offering an alternative to air travel for residents of Cyprus and giving a boost to maritime tourism, as people in Greece had shown a big response. (1 euro = 1.05 U.S. dollars) 
A Florida woman was charged Friday with filing false tax returns for Connecticut residents, according to federal prosecutors.

Keyante Paul, 33, was arrested Thursday in Florida. A federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned the indictment, which charges Paul with 22 counts of tax fraud offenses, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said.

She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Irick in Orlando and was released on bond. She is scheduled to be arraigned in Connecticut on June 30, according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

The indictment alleges that Paul operated as a tax return preparer through her business Keys Tax Services. She traveled to Connecticut for part of the year to prepare returns for local clients, the U.S. Attorneys office said.

For the 2015 to 2018 tax years, Paul prepared numerous federal tax returns for clients that included false income adjustments that reduced taxpayers reported adjusted gross income, false expenses and losses in connection with sole proprietorship businesses that clients did not operate, and, in at least one instance, false charitable contributions, the U.S. Attorneys office said Friday.

The indictment charged Paul with 22 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns. She faces up to three years in prison for each count, the U.S. Attorneys office said.
Airlines canceled hundreds of flights coming and going from the tristate area Friday and Saturday, according to flight tracking data.

FlightAware, which tracks flights around the globe, reported 250 outgoing flights and 275 incoming flights canceled to and from LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International and John F. Kennedy International airports Friday.

Nearby airports like Bradley International in Windsor Locks and Westchester County in New York reported approximately 18 cancellations in total, according to data from FlightAware. There was not data immediately available on Tweed in New Haven.

On Saturday, as of mid-afternoon, LaGuardia, Newark and JFK had seen 81 incoming flights and 90 outgoing flights scrapped.

More than 1,400 flights within, into or out of the United States were canceled Friday, while more than 1,700 were canceled on Thursday, according to the Associated Press and data from FlightAware. On Saturday, as of mid-afternoon, 759 had been canceled.

Of the total cancellations Friday, American Airlines accounted for 320, while Delta Air Lines had 247 and Endeavor Air had 201. On Saturday, Delta reported 202 cancellations, while American had 152.

Delta officials said a variety of factors continue to impact their efforts to provide timely air travel.

A variety of factors continue to impact our operations, including challenges with air traffic control, weather and unscheduled absences in some work groups, officials said in a statement. Canceling a flight is always our last resort, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience to their travel plans.

Amid the cancellations, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg held a virtual meeting with airline CEOs Thursday to see how they will operate smoothly over the July 4 holiday and the rest of the summer. They also talked about how to improve accommodations for travelers who get stranded when their flights are scrapped, according to the Associated Press.

In Windsor Locks, Bradley International had 10 cancellations Friday. Six of these were through American Airlines, three were from Delta and one was from PSA Airlines, according to FlightAware.

Seven outgoing flights  two from Chicago OHare, and one each from Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, Reagan National in Washington, D.C., Charlotte/Douglas International in North Carolina, Dallas-Fort Worth International and Detroit Metro Wayne County airports. Three incoming flights from Charlotte/Douglas International, Detroit Metor Wayne County and Chicago OHare International were also canceled, according to data from FlightAware.

The airport reported five cancellations Saturday, according to FlightAware. Three were heading to Bradley  from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham International and Orlando International respectively. Two were leaving, heading to Hartsfield-Jackson and Raleigh-Durham.

FlightAware did not have data on Tweed New Haven Airport.

There were eight cancellations at Westchester County Airport Friday  five outgoing and three incoming. Five of these were from PSA Airlines, two were from Endeavor Air and one was from JetBlue.

This story was edited to say that there was no flight data available on Tweed New Haven Airport. It was also corrected to say there were 18 cancellations on Friday between Bradley International and Westchester County airports.
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BATH, Maine (AP)  The christening of a Navy destroyer on Saturday highlighted the sacrifices of two generations  the ships namesake killed in World War II and another Marine who died more than 60 years later.

The future USS Basilone bears the name of a Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor before his death on Iwo Jima.

Breaking a bottle on the ship's bow for good luck was a woman who lost her brother in an ambush in Fallujah, Iraq.

The legacy and sacrifice of such Marines are never forgotten, Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps Troy Black told a crowd of 2,000 gathered next to the warship at Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works in Maine.

Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism while defending Henderson Field against a fierce assault by a 3,000-strong Japanese force during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942.

The New Jersey resident returned home to a heros welcome and a parade. But he asked to rejoin his comrades and died on the opening day of the invasion of Iwo Jima in February 1945. He was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for heroism that day.

His 92-year-old brother Donald and others at the ceremony spoke of Basilone's patriotism, dedication and bravery.

That included his insistence on returning to combat instead of staying safe for the remainder of the war. He really wanted to go back, Donald Basilone said in statement read by his niece.

Ryan Manion, whose brother, Marine 1st Lt. Travis Manion, was killed in Iraq, said both her brother and the ships namesake were cut from the same cloth even though they were from different generations.

John Basilone was a young patriot who joined the military to do his job when his country needed him the most, she said.

The ceremony marked a milestone in construction of the 509-foot guided-missile destroyer. Dignitaries included admirals, family members, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Manion, who is one of the ships sponsors, is president of the Pennsylvania-based Travis Manion Foundation, which aims to empower veterans and families of fallen heroes, using her brother's words, If not me, then who?

Her brother was killed by a sniper when he exposed himself to enemy fire to get an advantageous firing position and draw attention away from wounded Marines during an ambush in 2007 in Iraq.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Tensions between Russia and the West are aggravating talks about the future of one of the United Nations' biggest and most perilous peacekeeping operations, the force sent to help Mali resist a decade-long Islamic extremist insurgency.

The U.N.'s mission in the West African nation is up for renewal this month, at a volatile time when extremist attacks are intensifying. Three U.N. peacekeepers have been killed this month alone. Mali's economy is choking on sanctions imposed by neighboring countries after its military rulers postponed a promised election. France and the European Union are ending their own military operations in Mali amid souring relations with the governing junta.

U.N. Security Council members widely agree the peacekeeping mission, known as MINUSMA, needs to continue. But a council debate this week was laced with friction over France's future role in Mali and the presence of Russian military contractors.

The situation has become very complex for negotiations, said Rama Yade, senior director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.

The international context has a role, and Mali is part of the Russian game on the international stage, she said.

The peacekeeping mission began in 2013, after France led a military intervention to oust extremist rebels who had taken over cities and major towns in northern Mali the year before. MINUSMA now counts roughly 12,000 troops, plus about 2,000 police and other officers. More than 270 peacekeepers havedied.

France is leading negotiations on extending the mission's mandate and is proposing to continue providing French aerial support. The U.N.'s top official for Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, said the force particularly needs the capabilities of attack helicopters.

But Mali strongly objects to a continued French air presence.

We would call, therefore, for respect for our countrys sovereignty, Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told the council Monday.

Mali asked France, its onetime colonial ruler, for military help in 2013. The French military was credited with helping to boot the insurgents out of Timbuktu and other northern centers, but they regrouped elsewhere, began attacking the Malian army and its allies and pushed farther south. The government now controls only 10% of the north and 21% of the central region, according to a U.N. report this month.

Patience with the French military presence is waning, though, especially as extremist violence mounts. There have been a series of anti-French demonstrations in the capital, which some observers suggest have been promoted by the government and a Russian mercenary outfit, the Wagner Group.

Mali has grown closer to Russia in recent years as Moscow has looked to build alliances and gain sway in Africa  and both countries are at odds with the West. High-ranking Malian and Russian officials have been hit with European Union sanctions, sparked by Russia's actions in Ukraine since 2014 and by Mali's failure to hold elections that had been pledged for this past February.

Against that backdrop, Security Council members squared off over the Wagner Group's presence in Mali. The Kremlin denies any connection to the company. But Western analysts say it's a tool of Russian President Vladimir Putin's campaign to gain influence in Africa.

The Wagner Group has committed serious human rights and international humanitarian law violations, according to allegations by the E.U. and human rights organizations. In Mali, Human Rights Watch has accused Russian fighters and Mali's army of killing hundreds of mostly civilian men in the town of Moura; Mali said those killed were terrorists. The U.N. peacekeeping force is investigating, as is the Malian government.

The recent U.N. report on Mali remarked on a significant surge in reports of abuses committed by extremists and Malian forces, sometimes accompanied by foreign security personnel." It didn't name names, but British deputy U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki said council members are under no illusions  this is the Russian-backed Wagner Group.

Mali says otherwise. While officials have said Russian soldiers are training the Malian military as part of a longstanding security partnership between the two governments, Diop insisted to the Security Council that "we don't know anything about Wagner."

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a TV interview in May that the Wagner Group was in Mali on a commercial basis.

Russian deputy U.N. Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva told the Security Council that African countries have every right to engage soldiers-for-hire. And she suggested they have every reason to, saying Mali's security continues to unravel despite European military endeavors.

She blasted Western unease about Russia's tightening ties to Mali as neocolonialist approaches and double standards.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans a six-month review to consider ways to retool MINUSMA.

To Sadya Toure, a writer and the founder of a women's organization called Mali Musso, told the council her country should not be a battlefield between major powers.

People are the ones who are suffering the consequences of these tensions."
Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

STRATFORD  Officials are reminding people to wear their life jackets after a 17 year old and 18 year old nearly drowned in an incident on Friday in Stratford.

Stratford officials said the two were kayaking from a house along Beach Drive on Friday. The plugs were not put in and the kayaks filled with water, officials said.
One thing that used to set Britain apart from many other countries was a reverence for the rule of law. While recognising the right of peaceful protest, Britons took it for granted that they needed to respect the law, as the only thing that stood between civilisation and anarchy.

Today, however, there seems to be a new mood in society: a willingness to pick and choose which laws should be obeyed and which should be flagrantly flouted. It is an incredibly dangerous turn for our country to take.

Last week in Peckham, South London  to take only the most recent example  a mob physically prevented immigration police from arresting a Nigerian man suspected of overstaying his visa.

Regardless of the rights or wrongs of the individual case, which would have been fully established while he was in custody, a crowd summoned by text by Left-wing activists deliberately prevented the Metropolitan Police from carrying out their duties. It was done in the name of community solidarity, which is agitprop-speak for mob rule.

There are plenty of examples around the world of what happens in democratic countries when the police are defied and prevented from carrying out their duties, such as in Portland, Oregon, which defunded its police force and was effectively lawless for several months in 2020-21. Crime rose and deaths from drug abuse  mainly fentanyl  increased by 41 per cent in a single year.

The scene in Peckham, south east London, after a man arrested on suspicion of immigration offences was released after hundreds of protesters gathered in for hours to block a van he was in from leaving

The streets of Portland became filled with homeless people; law-abiding people left; property prices collapsed, and the city entered a cycle of despair.

It is predictable, was predicted, and now, unfortunately, is coming to pass in front of our eyes, says David Murray of the highly respected Hudson Institute think-tank. It is a tragedy and a self-inflicted wound.

While we are not under threat of police defunding here in Britain  and, indeed, have a doughty fighter for law and order in our admirably tough Home Secretary Priti Patel  there undoubtedly is a problem when even members of juries, who used to revere law and order, continually make exceptions, as in the case of the Colston Four in Bristol who were acquitted after vandalising the statue of Edward Colston and throwing it into Bristol harbour. Or the members of Extinction Rebellion who vandalised buildings in the City of London but who likewise walked free.

It emerged last week that a plaque to Victorian imperialist Cecil Rhodes in Oxford had to be given Grade II listed status after Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries intervened to protect it.

But how long before a mob of vandals destroy that, with the police looking on powerlessly, as happened in Bristol, Peckham, and during the Black Lives Matter demonstration in June 2020, when they simply watched the statue of Winston Churchill being vandalised in Parliament Square?

The assumption all too often is that it is better to witness the breaking of the law rather than intervening to stop it, in the hope the culprits will be arrested later.

Protesters throwing the statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest rally in June 2020

Sage Willoughby, Jake Skuse, Milo Ponsford and Rhian Graham celebrate after receiving a not guilty verdict at Bristol Crown Court in January

For all that might make sense for public order reasons at the time, it sends a disastrous message when on the news and on social media we see the law being deliberately broken and the police seemingly doing nothing about it, which is made even worse when the culprits are freed by juries.

Away from the mobs and the coalition of Left-wing organisations that foment this law-breaking for political purposes, there are a large number of Britons who think it outrageous that it should be seen to be condoned. What is very visibly lost on these occasions is the authority  what used to be called the majesty  of the law, and that is ultimately more damaging than anything that happens to statues.

It is an important part of Marxist-Leninist revolutionary doctrine that The People should be taught to despise or ignore their countrys laws. That is in part what is going on here, and it must not be allowed to stand.

The law must not be seen to be merely shrugging its shoulders over the case of the gentleman in Peckham; he needs to be treated the same as anyone else who is suspected of overstaying his visa, and not allowed a free pass simply because the immigration police do not want to exacerbate local agitators.

As the old but important line goes: the law must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.

The absurdity of the Extinction Rebellion activists gluing themselves to public highways, being arrested, charged and bailed, and then promptly gluing themselves to the same highway less than four hours later, is also something that has tested the patience of ordinary Britons. If agitators set out deliberately to break the law in this way, and the police have good reason to suspect they will do the same thing again on release, they ought to be kept in police stations for as long as legally possible.

The importance of seeing the law done extends internationally, too. Many Britons are outraged when they see no fewer than three of our British courts  the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court  being over-ridden by the European Court of Human Rights over the Rwanda flights.

Human rights are not under any kind of threat in this country, however much the Left would like you to believe they are.

We have an ancient system to protect them, such as habeas corpus stretching back to Magna Carta, and a host of legal precedents that go back centuries. These are far more respected and binding than anything human rights lawyers can invent.

Members of the staff board a plane believed to be first to transport migrants to Rwanda at MOD Boscombe Down base in Wiltshire earlier this week

While we are not under threat of police defunding here in Britain  and, indeed, have a doughty fighter for law and order in our admirably tough Home Secretary Priti Patel  there undoubtedly is a problem

British courts are moreover a far more legitimate arbiter of our laws than a bench of foreign jurists sitting in Strasbourg. It was wrong of Tony Blairs government to give a non-British court precedence over our own, which is an anomaly that needs to be swiftly rectified.

Whether you support the Rwandan policy or not, Britain is a mature country that can control its own immigration policy, and must not be prevented from doing so by a foreign court.

In Britain today, there is a serious danger that people will take an a la carte attitude to laws, picking and choosing those they wish to obey and those they simply flout.

Of course, flouting the law is a Britons prerogative, so long as he does not mind suffering the consequences. But all too often there seems to be no consequences.

The ultimate result of all this will be a general lowering of respect for the concept of law and order in this country, which time and again throughout history has been disastrous for civil society.
When she was a local Labour councillor, Tulip Siddiq said her politics were all about generating a culture of giving. She wanted North London bankers to give up a share of their bonuses to fund local services.

But now shes on the Labour frontbench, it appears Tulip has switched from giving to taking  freebies.

The shadow Treasury Minister responsible for the City apparently saw no conflict of interest in accepting a 360 jolly from Lloyds Banking Group to visit the Chelsea Flower Show plus dinner for two.

The MP, who replaced Glenda Jackson as the member for Hampstead and Kilburn in 2015, descends from a Bangladeshi political dynasty  her grandfather was the countrys first president and her aunt is the current prime minister.

Tulip Siddiq apparently saw no conflict of interest in accepting a 360 jolly from Lloyds Banking Group to visit the Chelsea Flower Show plus dinner for two

Tulip wouldnt say why on an MPs salary of 84,144 she couldnt pay her own way to see the Chelsea Flower Show, nor how accepting the freebie was appropriate as a Shadow City Minister.She did, however, post several pictures of blooms on her Instagram, with the insightful caption: Chelsea Flower Show just amazing.

Days later she posted an article about Labours Treasury team under the headline: We want to behave like were in government. It seems like youve already started, petal.

Beware men in grey suits

Tomorrow, politicians and the donors who pull their strings will pile in to Londons V&A museum for the Conservative Summer Party.

Boris Johnson and the whole Cabinet are due to attend, an insider tells me, alongside Tory Party co-chairman and museum trustee Ben Elliot.

A sum of 20,000 will get a Minister on your table, with a dinner and auction expected to open up wallets. Sir Nicholas Coleridge, the V&A chairman, will have quite the occasion to celebrate his new knighthood.

Boris Johnson (pictured) and the whole Cabinet are due to pile in to Londons V&A museum for the Conservative Summer Party

Last night, the museum insisted no trustees were involved in what was described as a standard corporate venue hire, nor was there a special discount.

The dress code is suits, which  given the PMs recent woes with dissatisfied MPs and donors  will leave him hoping they dont all turn out to be grey

What will happen to his Islamophobia investigation now that ethics chief Lord Geidt has quit?

He spent five months examining Tory MP Nus Ghanis complaint that Chief Whip Mark Spencer had told her she was sacked as a Minister because her Muslim faith made people uncomfortable.

Geidt was due to update Ghani on the day he resigned and there is talk the Prime Minister will not replace him.

Lord Christopher Geidt (pictured) stepped down from his position as Boris Johnson's adviser on ministers' interests

All of which means, in theory, Johnson is left overseeing a probe where he is not only a key witness but has already promoted Spencer to Leader of the House.

MPs tell me that, meanwhile, Ghani has been warned to stay clear of Spencer. Another good week for ethics.

Maria Caulfield, the Minister for Teeth, pulled out of a British Dental Association conference this month to avoid a drilling about the crisis of low earners doing DIY dentistry.

Citing urgent government business, Caulfield was, in fact, happily tweeting from a constituency fair in Sussex.

The excuse was mocked with an empty chair replacing Caulfield at the conference. No doubt when the Minister next needs a check-up there will be a queue of NHS dentists ready to help  with pliers and string at the ready.

My political opponents love to paint me as some kind of tech geek, Rishi Sunak wrote in his newsletter last week.

Actually, Chancellor, your opponents  and colleagues  paint you as a Green Card-holding, out-of-touch husband of a non-dom billionaire heiress with Russia-linked investments.

The rumoured comeback of the most politically naive member of the Cabinet might need a bit of work yet.
How this happened I dont know, but all of a sudden those small bickering children fighting over who has the last Haribo are getting married.

Wedding season is upon us  and its not my friends but their children who are making their vows. Weve had three weddings in the diary for this summer. The first was last weekend in Sicily, where the Sicilian father of one of the brides wore a Gay Pride sash to officiate as his daughter exchanged rings with her British girlfriend.

It was heaps of fun and confirmed my view that its the guests who make weddings a roaring success (or not). Of course, the blessed couple are the centrepiece of the day. But when it comes to creating a special and memorable atmosphere, the calibre of the guests is key. You cant do much with a wedding party of stuffed shirts checking their watches and plotting an early escape.

We British are great at hats, but our natural reticence doesnt make us ideal guests at weddings, where typically most people dont know each other.

We British are great at hats, but our natural reticence doesnt make us ideal guests at weddings, where typically most people dont know each other. Often its a very mixed bunch: distant relatives who have flown in; invitees from one side of the wedding party who have little in common with the other; the slightly incongruous guests who the parents felt they just had to invite.

Mingling requires a certain amount of moving out of our comfort zone and firing up a conversation with people we dont have a clue about.

As a nation, were absolutely brilliant at sitting at our tables staring quizzically at the goings-on. But that doesnt add a huge amount to the gaiety of nations.

Italians are there to celebrate. Dancing is not optional. Pictured: Stromboli, Sicily

Which is where the Italians come in. They are there to celebrate. Dancing is not optional. After each course last weekend, we were all whipped to our feet, congo-ing around the place and working up a sweat before the next plate of deliciousness arrived. Most of the Italians couldnt speak much English and most of us spoke no Italian. But if anything, that helped.

The language of parties  involving backslapping, cheering and waving of arms  served us all perfectly well and helped avoid resorting to dreary How do you know the bride? gambits so often called on when wedding conversations begin to flounder.

even with just a thimble of prosecco

One noticeable difference between the two cultures is our attitude to alcohol. Although the Italians love their drink, they take it in small quantities. At our table of Brits there was borderline panic at the small amount poured into the glasses as the wine waiters occasionally appeared. Italians savour their thimblefuls slowly, and the idea of plonking a bottle on the table for everyone to help themselves is considered the height of barbarity. Again, they have it right. It meant you could start on the prosecco at 6pm and still be drinking vino rosso at midnight without a trace of a hangover the next day.

Fashions point of no return

Fashion company Asoss shares fell by a fifth last week, reflecting in part the toll that free returns are taking on the business. And its not alone. Online returns are the dirty washing of e-commerce  sometimes literally.

Vast numbers of returns are a huge problem for both the company and the environment. More clothes are made to meet the demand from people purchasing items in multiple sizes and colours, while shoppers feel encouraged to buy more than they need in the knowledge that they can send it all back easily and at no extra cost.

Vast numbers of customer returns are a huge problem for Asos - and the environment, too

Often, in the case of big high-street brands, by the time an item is returned it will no longer be that seasons must-have.

But its hard to put this particular genie back in the bottle. You have only to look at the pile of Asos packaging in my local post office to see how popular the free-returns facility is  particularly with young people who borrow clothes to take an Instagram selfie or for a party.

There is a huge disconnect between the belief that were all more sustainability-conscious now, and our freewheeling attitudes to returns. Returning less is one of the most green actions we can take. And unpopular as it may be, having to pay delivery fees for the privilege of receiving and returning items we dont keep is one of the most effective ways of nudging us in the right direction.

Do the French only eat skinny fries?

There are almost no points on which Boris Johnson and I agree, but hes right that the way to lose weight is to eat less. For many low-income households its hard to avoid calorie-laden cheap food.

However, judging by the number of enormously fat well-off people wandering around Catania in Sicily, money is not the main issue. My straw poll of holidaymakers suggested Germans and Americans were the worst offenders  with not an overweight French man or woman in sight.

Heres my novel idea for men to read more

THIS years Womens Prize for Fiction committee invited suggestions of novels by women that men should read. Apparently, men read hardly any female authors. More fool them. My list was Francoise Sagans Bonjour Tristesse, Jennifer Egans A Visit From The Goon Squad, Baroness DOrczys The Scarlet Pimpernel and Zoe Hellers Notes An A Scandal. Why specifically those? Well, they all seemed far less obvious than Harper Lees To Kill A Mockingbird and George Eliots Middlemarch (neither of which Ive read, incidentally).

But why didnt I suggest Daphne du Mauriers Rebecca or Joan Didions Play It As It Lays?

Like everyones imaginary Desert Island Discs list, selecting your favourite books is an endless work in progress.

Hands up, whos made a phone pas?

Never be photographed with a glass in your hand is a well- worn social commandment. Time to update it and replace glass with smartphone.

How unattractive everyone looks in photos peering at their little screen, completely ignoring those around them.

When smartphones first arrived, clutching one in a photo might have made the owner look marginally important. As if they had urgent business going on and couldnt spare a minute away from it. Now you just look like youre indulging in tractor porn.
An ex-McDonald's worker has revealed how she sold her alcohol brand in a deal worth over 1 million after launching it on a shoestring budget.

Sally Wynter, 27, from Haringey, London, said money was 'tight' for her family while she grew up and times became so difficult, she relied on free school meals.'

However she saved up 1,000 from freelance journalism work to launch MUHU, the UK's first CBD-infused gin, from her bedroom in 2019.

With only a tiny budget, the savvy businesswoman taught herself the skills she needed to start the business, from designing a website to learning about trademark law.

Within five months of launching, two investors had come forward with offers for the one-woman brand and she became a millionaire overnight after selling the drinks label.

Speaking to FEMAIL, she explained: 'I didn't even know what an entrepreneur was growing up, I had to Google it when I started.'

Sally Wynter, from Haringey, London, has revealed how she sold her alcohol brand in a deal worth over 1 million after launching it on a shoestring budget

Sally revealed: 'Growing up I didn't have positive role models. Money was tight and we often went without. It made me determined to change things once I got older.

'Because of how I grew up, it felt like I'd never be able to be in the right room with the right people.'

She explained that growing up in a low-income household made her strive for more: 'Coming home to no food in the house was a familiar feeling.

'We relied on free school meals when I was younger, and I had never even met anyone with their own business. I had to create a network from scratch.

Sally created CBD-infused gin MUHU (pictured left) from her bedroom with just 1,000 saved up from freelance work

'Without social platforms I could never have got into those circles where I was able to speak to business owners and investors.'

WHAT IS CBD OIL? CBD oil is a legal cannabinoid that can be sold in the UK. CBD contains less than 0.2 per cent of the psychoactive substance THC. Although the oil has been thought to have some medicinal properties, including relieving inflammation, pain and anxiety, there is no conclusive science. Suppliers in England and Wales have to obtain a licence to sell CBD as a medicine. Manufacturers are able to avoid the strict regulation by selling it as a food supplement - ignoring the lengthy process of gaining a medicinal licence. CBD products comes in many forms, the most popular being an oil - which users spray under their tongue - or gel tablets which melt slowly in the mouth. Government advisers at the MHRA found that CBD has a restoring, correcting or modifying effect on humans. Cannabis oil, which is different to CBD oil because it contains THC - the compound that gives users a 'high' - is illegal under UK laws. Billy Caldwell, from Castlederg, Northern Ireland, made headlines last April when he became the first Briton to be prescribed it on the NHS. Cannabis oil, which reportedly has no side effects, influences the release and uptake of feel good chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. Advertisement

After catching the entrepreneurial bug, Sally went through 'dozens' of ideas before she landed on launching a CBD-infused drink.

She told mediacatmagazine.co.uk: 'I'd been making my own drink mixes at home since my second year of uni, so when I started getting into CBD and seeing all the issues with the bitter tasting oils, I knew gin would be the perfect spirit of choice from which Brits could have their first CBD experience.

'The way I saw it, if 'worst comes to worst' then everybody loves gin. I'd be able to sell the bottles at cost to family and friends.'

The entrepreneur began testing out different flavours in the alcoholic drinks after she was left bored during a holiday.

She explained: 'I've always had an experimental streak, so when a monsoon hit and didn't stop for days I decided to start infusing locally available vodka in jars with things like mango and hibiscus to beat the boredom.

A few days after her first infusion, she checked up on her experiment, saying: 'They tasted fantastic, not artificial like a lot of the flavoured gins back home. I was impressed with how they turned out,.

Back in the UK, Sally continued her experiments, saying: 'Phase two was testing out adaptogens. I'd add things like CBD and tea leaves into the mix and each blend had a different feel.

'One was perfect for a night of clubbing, whilst another was much more suited to a chilled night in with mates,' she said.

Her homemade blends became a fast hit with friends and family and, after six months, Sally decided she would try and take MUHU from her kitchen table to the shelves.

'It was a huge decision because I had no experience,' the entrepreneur admitted.

'I'd only recently graduated from uni and I didn't know the first thing about starting a business or creating a product.'

After connecting with business owners in the food and drink space, Sally discovered most were spending tens of thousands on new product launches.

She said: 'It seemed mad. 20,000 for a label design. No way it should cost that.

Sally saved up 1,000 from freelance journalism work to launch MUHU, the UK's first CBD-infused gin, from her bedroom in 2019

'Obviously, those kinds of figures were well out of my reach but I was convinced there must be some way to do it on a smaller budget,' she added.

Realising that she would need to learn skills to save cash, the savvy businesswoman started using blogs, YouTube videos and reaching out on LinkedIn to teach herself how to design a website, trademark her brand and get press coverage.

'The biggest phase was research. I had to be sure that the idea was viable as a business,' the entrepreneur said.

'Gin is one of the fastest and most cost-efficient spirits to produce as it can be distilled in as little as 24 hours.

Sally said she's always had an entrepreneurial spirit and began her business out of boredom while on holiday

'It starts off as vodka and then you just add botanicals. It doesn't need refrigerating and there is no sell-by date.'

However she struggled to find a distillery who would support her in her product development.

She said: 'It took months of emails and calls to find a distillery that could help take MUHU from my kitchen table to a proper production line and I came close to giving up.'

After contacting ten distilleries and being quoted tens of thousands for product development, Sally finally signed with a distillery near Birmingham that agreed to do the testing for free.

Sally admitted she came close to giving up on finding a distillery which could help take MUHU from her kitchen table to a proper production line

She added: 'The ones I ended up working with were basically the last chance saloon.'

After nine months of research and preparation, MUHU was ready to launch.

She said: 'This was the tricky bit because I had nothing to spend on marketing and Google had banned ads for CBD products so I had to go old-school; I searched for press release templates online and started sending stuff out to journalists I found on Twitter.

To her delight, the wacky combination of CBD with gin raised eyebrows and several national newspapers covered the launch, generating thousands of pounds of orders for the drink.

Sally was able to strike a deal with a global consumer goods company based in the US after impressing them with how she single-handedly managed her brand

Sally has moved onto new projects after quietly selling her gin brand (pictured), which made her a millionaire overnight

She said: 'From it took off quickly but it was gruelling without a team to support me.

'Doing everything myself was draining and I was working 60 plus hours a week to promote the product and try to get it into bars.'

However it wasn't long before a number of brands spotted Sally's hard work and, impressed by how she had managed her product launch, offered to buy her out.

A deal was struck with New Frontier Brands, a global consumer goods company based in the US.

The sale was worth over 1,000,000, with Sally saying it 'changed her life overnight.

Despite her success, Sally admitted she had found the process 'draining' and said working 60 hours a week had been hard

Sally said without social platforms, she would never have been able to get into the circles needed to speak to business owners and investors

She said: 'As someone from a working-class background, the sale was life changing for me. It's been a turning point in my life path'.

Wynter worked with New Frontier Brands for 18 months as part of the acquisition agreement.

After quietly selling her brand, she's now moving onto new projects and mentors other entrepreneurs.

And last month, she went viral on LinkedIn after she shared the news in an excited post.

She wrote: 'The secret's outIts been a hell of a ride and Im honestly shaking tapping out these words on my keyboard.

After quietly selling her brand, she's now moving onto new projects and mentors other entrepreneurs

'After the huge struggle of launching MUHU from my bedroom on a tiny 1000 budgetafter the dropped pallets of gin, the 60+ hour unpaid working week, pushing my mental health to its limits andCOVID.

'Its happened. Its actually happened.

'I can FINALLY share with you all that my first ever business has been successfully acquired for a seven-figure-sum.'

She went on to say: 'Thats right, me.female, grew up on free school meals, no positive role models, no experience, no friends or family with money, no co-founder.

'And when I started? You better believe I Googled What is an entrepreneur?.

'Never let someone tell you that you cant'
A mother-of-two who says she refuses to be 'held hostage' by school term dates claims she's saved 10,000 over the course of a decade by taking her two sons out of lessons to jet off.

Catherine Warrilow, 43, from Oxford, insists she's never been fined for taking Noah, 14, and Sully, nine, out of lessons to travel to destinations such as Egypt, Mexico and Lanzarote - and says that even holidays can be a learning experience.

And she's unfazed by the prospect of a fine, saying it won't stop her from booking trips during term-time - and she's yet to receive one.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Catherine insisted her boys, who hardly ever take time off for sickness, aren't missing as much school as other children.

She said: 'I can't remember the last time either of the boys were out of school for sickness so their attendance is really good.

Catherine, who is mum to 14-year-old Noah and nine-year-old Sully, says the boys aren't missing too much of their education by taking a few days off school

'I feel confident that the handful of days they miss a year is potentially a lot less than average.'

She described her boys as 'bookworms' and argued: 'They read avidly, maybe a book a week often. So they are constantly learning in and out of school.'

Typically, Catherine will take the boys out of school for a few days either side of February half term or the summer break, meaning they're not missing large chunks at a time.

On Friday, the government announced an end to the 'postcode lottery' of how councils deal with school absence, ensuring parents of children with five days of unauthorised absence in one term will be fined.

But Catherine said she's undeterred by this announcement and will still take the boys out of school for family holidays.

'I wouldn't change our plans or timings because of [the policy],' she said.

'I think it puts schools in a tough position because it just breaks down the relationship with parents further rather than finding ways to work together to solve issues like this.'

She added the government should instead work with travel companies to make it more affordable to book trips abroad during the school holidays.

'It blows my mind that the answer is to fine people,' Catherine said, adding that it didn't make sense to lump her children in with other pupils who play truant.

She added the family has weighed up the decision and believes their kids' education isn't going to suffer by taking a few days off school. Catherine also said she would never take Noah and Sully out of school during exam periods.

Catherine Warrilow, 43, has been taking her sons out of school to go on holiday for nine years and claims she has saved 10,000 in the process

By taking a few extra days here and there, Catherine said she can save up to 2,000 at a time and has been able to take trips at much more affordable prices.

Government plans to crackdown on parents of children who have unauthorised absences from school The government has announced a crackdown on parents whose children take unauthorised absences from school. The plans, announced on Friday, promised to end the 'postcode lottery' on how different councils deal with parents whose children repeatedly miss school. According to the plans, parents across the country will be fined if their children have five days of unauthorised absence/lateness in one term will be fined. Parents and guardians who take their children out of school for holidays during term time will also face fines. Plans suggest a parent would face a maximum of two fines in the school year, and if rules continued to be breached prosecution would be considered. Under current rules, a parent who repeatedly takes their child out of school can be fined 60 per child for doing so. If they do not pay the fine within 21 days, this fine can double to 120. In extreme cases, a guardian can be fined up to 2,500 for taking their child out of school. They can also be jailed for up to three months and given a parenting order. It has been reported that 1.8 million children missed 10% of the autumn term in the last school year. Although heftier fines are more rare, parents in Taunton, Somerset, was this week fined a total of 2,418 for not ensuring her child attended school regularly and not ensuring he was receiving a suitable education. Last month a mother from Washford, Somerset was recently fined a total of 846 for taking her child out of school four times.

Source: www.gov.uk, BBC News Advertisement

While it may seem to some people that her kids are missing out on their education, Catherine argues the opposite is true.

'Travel is one of the most educational ways to spend time,' she told FEMAIL.

'As parents, my husband and I will do everything we can to support our kids through school and exams onwards into higher education or work, but I also know from experience that it's the opportunities outside the classroom that really help to shape your confidence, interests and future.'

She added that if they miss out on something at school, they can always catch up on it.

But she argued that their time to experience different cultures, speak other languages and eat regional food is time limited.

'You only get a finite amount of time to do that as a family,' she told MyLondon.

Catherine added that both she and her husband are 'proactive' about ensuring their children are always having a learning experience outside the classroom.

This could take the form of making them work out the bill when they're eating out to 'teach them the value of money' to reading with them or visiting new places.

She added that sitting down with them to do homework, or even playing board games together is just as important as time in the classroom.

The mum, who works as a managing director for daysout.com, accepts some other parents might disagree with her decision.

And while she has never been fined for pulling the kids out of classes, she has received frosty responses from the schools themselves.

In the time she has been requesting holiday during term time, Catherine says she has been called into formal meetings and even been told the school doesn't allow unauthorised absences.

Her children have attended three different schools and she said that some asked for an application in writing.

Despite ruffling a few feathers along the way, Catherine is adamant her family benefits from taking the kids out of school for big holidays.

She said: 'We save throughout the year for an annual winter sun holiday in February which affords us the luxury to go somewhere nice  an opportunity that is often not achievable price wise if you stick rigidly to school holidays.'
Springwatch star Lucy Hodson says she was flashed by a man - who then filmed her reaction - while out birdwatching at a riverbank, saying the experience has left her feeling like her 'safe place of solace' has been tarnished.

Lucy, 30, was alone watching an egret in Tamworth, Staffordshire, last year, when she spotted the man exposing himself across the river.

She said the incident saw her froze, leaving her 'shocked and terrified', and that, months on, the incident has stayed with her, making her anxious about doing the thing she loves the most - being in the outdoors exploring alone.

Springwatch star Lucy Hodson has revealed the moment she was out birdwatching alone when a 'pervert' filmed her as he exposed himself

She told The Sun: 'A man opposite me on the river was exposing himself. I was shocked and terrified. I always thought I'd cope in that scenario, but I just froze.

'Mostly because he was filming me. All I could think was that my video was going to end up on some weird forum.'

She said she shouted at a mother and daughter who were about to pass the man to go another way, and then called the police - but feared her description of a 'white man in his 30s or 40s in dark clothes doesn't get very far.'

Lucy calls herself a Wildlife Weirdo Naturalist & Conservationist, she's an ambassador for @beavertrust, and makes it her mission to have a world with more 'wild' in it and she often uses her Radio 4 show to campaign for a safer countryside for women.

Lucy, 30, was alone watching an egret in Tamworth, Staffordshire, last year, when she spotted a random man exposing himself and filming her at the same time

She added: 'Flashing is sexual assault. I may not have been physically hurt but it affected me mentally.

'When I was walking home I saw a man on the footpath and was scared. Then I realised it was my colleague's husband. I was a crying mess and told him what happened.

The star admitted that she's 'still shaken' and is now 'constantly assessing' the risk of it happening again when she's outdoors for her work.

Springwatch - alongside Autumnwatch and Winterwatch - is an annual BBC Two television series about British wildlife.

The programmes are filmed from locations around the country, sometimes with a crew of 100 and over 50 cameras. It's known as BBC's largest British outside broadcast event.

She said that even though she wasn't physically hurt in the incident it affected her mentally and she was anxious passing people out and about soon after

She said on her Instagram account: 'Walking around as a lone woman, a catalogue of 'what ifs' regularly race through your head. My female friends share these worries too. On nature walks, we subconsciously plan an escape. A path to run down, or a door to knock on  even jumping into a canal has crossed my mind before.

'Last year, my fears became a reality. I won't go into detail, but I had a horrible experience whilst out birdwatching. For a long time after, I was rattled. My safe place of solace and peace had been shattered. I birdwatched with my back to a wall or hedge. I glanced over my shoulders constantly. I felt hurt and frustrated that single horrible incident, carried out by one individual, had impacted upon the thing I loved doing so much.

Lucy calls herself a Wildlife Weirdo Naturalist & Conservationist and she often uses her Radio 4 show to campaign for a safer countryside for women

On her Instagram account she wrote: 'Walking around as a lone woman, a catalogue of 'what ifs' regularly race through your head. My female friends share these worries too. On nature walks, we subconsciously plan an escape.'

'There's a shared understanding between a lot of women  this mix of fear, uneasiness and outrage is a familiar cocktail in a world where sexual harassment is so widespread. But I've also learned how women supporting women, lifting each other up and sharing our joy together, is a wonderful, powerful thing.

'This week I talked about my experience on @BBCRadio4. In doing it, I had the absolute 'honour' of meeting four other badass, wonderful, kind women who adventure in the outdoors alone.'

Lucy posted on her Instagram page @lucy_lapwing and explained how widespread the feeling of fear and outrage about women exploring the countryside alone

She mentioned Sorrel Lyall  a fellow birder and nature lover. As well as Ali Ogden  a hiker and rambler, who goes camping at the base of beautiful mountains. Also runner Catriona @runner.racer.mum.wife. And @leecraigie_  a biker and racer.

She said: 'We chatted about all this tough stuff. It was sad, and infuriating, and also joyful and warm.'

Supporters were quick to post messages of solidarity, with one gentleman sharing his thoughts on the issue explaining: 'These days I recognise my perceived threat to women and do what I can to avoid any wrong signals.'

Fans of Lucy were quick to post messages of support on her Instagram page. With many thanking her for sharing her experience.

One wrote: 'Youre so brave for sharing this and youre empowering yourself and other women by speaking up. I love to walk alone but dont go anywhere isolated as Im fearful and it just ruins my experience of being in nature.'

While one man even posted: 'Hi Lucy. As a man I'm often walking solo around woodlands and nature reserves without a care in the world. I know how privileged I am in that respect. I'm also very lucky to have a close network of female friends from whom I have learnt a great deal over the years. I listened to your show yesterday, saddened to hear what you experienced, and so many others.

'These days I recognise my perceived threat to women and do what I can to avoid any wrong signals. I might give a cheery, but non engaging 'Hi'. Make it obvious I'm giving them plenty of space (without being weird about it). Or just showing a general disinterest. And that's a shame as I love engaging with people who share their love of nature.

'I wish there were an 'I'm safe' signal flashing above those of us who recognise the situation. But I know it's not about me, it's that I will always be that potential threat to a lone woman, wherever we pass by. I wish you all peaceful nature trailing.'
Post-pandemic world should focus on respect, cooperation, Venezuelan president says

Xinhua) 11:08, June 19, 2022

CARACAS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The post-pandemic world should focus on "respect, cooperation and equal humanity," Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday, after returning from a visit to six countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

"A new global geopolitical vision is beginning to emerge," in parallel with "a new consensus for a new humanity without imperialism," Maduro said after his arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport, about 21 km from downtown Caracas.

The majority of the world is opposed to a global model that seeks to "govern under the aegis of command and obedience," he said.

The six countries he visited, namely Turkey, Algeria, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar and Azerbaijan, are part "of the new world that is being built," he said, adding that Venezuela reached with them "agreements in terms of investment in oil, gas, agriculture, food, tourism, and air transport."

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
A pregnant woman who jetted off on a 'baby-moon' was trapped in Greece for TWO months and forced to spend a whopping 5,000 on accommodation - after her daughter made a surprise early arrival.

Robyn Bishop, 29, from Northampton, flew to Crete with partner Stephen Howe, 32, for a luxurious stay at a five-star adults only resort in April 2022.

The mum-to-be was 29 weeks pregnant at the time, and had been signed off as fit to fly by her doctor. But just two days after landing in Greece, Robyn's waters broke and baby Flora arrived six weeks early.

Robyn Bishop, 29, jetted off on a 'babymoon' before the birth of her first child but she was then trapped in Greece for TWO months - after her daughter made a surprise early arrival

The trio finally landed back in the UK on June 8, after two months in Greece, thanks to a medical repatriation flight - Flora, who was born six weeks' early, had been deemed too tiny to fly to the UK

The insurance company initially declared the baby was too premature to fly. But eventually the trio landed back in the UK after two months in Greece thanks to a medical repatriation flight.

Mental health nurse Robyn, who lives with boyfriend Stephen, said: 'I'm so traumatised by the whole experience. I'm a first time mum with a premature baby and we were just stuck in another country with no help, it's been so difficult.

'We were calling the insurance company seven times a day, just trying to find a way back to the UK. We were desperate to get home.

Mental health nurse Robyn said: 'I'm so traumatised by the whole experience. I'm a first time mum with a premature baby and we were just stuck in another country with no help, it's been so difficult.' In the end Robyn had to have a C-section

Robyn Bishop, 29, lives with partner Stephen Howe, 32, in Northampton, and was looking forward to a relaxing holiday and baby-moon before becoming a new mum

'I'm just so relieved that Flora is here safe and sound. It was unlikely I could have had children easily naturally due to PCOS, so she is my miracle baby!

Their first child's due date was June 24, so Robyn and Stephen, who is the director of a painting and decorating company, decided to book a 'babymoon' in Greece to fly on April 17.

Robyn said: 'We actually booked our holiday before we got pregnant and then decided to use it as a babymoon as I'd still be safe to fly.

Robyn said she feels traumatised by the experience of having her baby prematurely overseas and being trapped there without family and friends for so long, not knowing when they'd be able to return

Sadly, once Robyn gave birth to Flora via C-section, she hardly saw her newborn baby, sometimes only seeing her once a week as Greek doctors cared for her

'We had been struggling with the idea of having a baby and the realities of it. We'd hoped some time, just the two of us, without life's stresses, would give us an opportunity to reconnect before our baby arrived.'

Robyn visited her doctor in April 2022 where she was declared fit to fly and set off with Stephen, five days later.

But the peace and tranquility of their last holiday without a baby was soon disturbed when Robyn's waters broke on their second day. As she sat down on a chair on their hotel balcony everything changed.

Robyn and baby Flora were in Venizeleio Hospital, in Heraklion, for a total of four weeks, with Stephen back and forth to the hospital to be with his partner and newborn

She was rushed to Venizeleio Hospital in Heraklion, on the north side of Crete, Greece's largest island, by ambulance, where medical staff administered medication to try and stop the contractions and halt the premature labour.

Despite the doctor's attempts at delaying the birth, Robyn and Stephen's child was in no mood to wait and baby Flora was born a few weeks later on May 13 via caesarean.

With her original plan to give birth in her local hospital back in Northampton, Robyn found the experience of having her baby six weeks prematurely in another country very traumatising.

Once baby Flora was born she wasn't reunited with her mother for another two days, and she was kept in an incubator (pictured)

Robyn said: 'Nobody spoke any English and they weren't explaining what they were doing so I was just having drugs pumped into me without knowing what medication it was.

'After the C-section, I woke up to no baby. I didn't see Flora for two days, and then only saw her once a week.

'I was in hospital for four weeks and we only saw her four times and only allowed to touch her twice. It was horrible.'

After being discharged from the hospital last month, Robyn, Stephen and baby Flora were still left trapped in Greece and struggled to get back to the UK.

Baby Flora slept throughout the flight, only waking for a feed. And she was hooked up to a heart rate monitor and strapped into a cosy pod

Robyn claims their medical insurance company, Mayday, had originally stated that premature Flora was unfit to fly due to arriving six weeks early.

The new mum claims that Mayday did offer an ambulance to take them back to the UK but says that doctors advised against the four-day trip with a premature baby.

The family were stuck in Greece for eight weeks and had to change accommodation four times, spending a whopping 5,000 on finding a place to stay.

Dad Stephen said: 'It's been such a difficult journey. The medical insurance company were making financial decisions that they were putting above the health of our baby.

'They were doing everything they could to keep us there instead of paying out for our medical repatriation home which is what is on our policy and what we had paid for!'

Thankfully Robyn said the journey 'was a dream'. The ambulance crew visited the apartment to check Flora's vital signs to ensure she was fit to fly. And the paramedics instructed the two to go to sleep during the four-hour flight and they'd handle any feeds/nappies

Robyn said: 'I'm traumatised by the whole experience. I've PTSD from everything that has happened and I'm so frightened of pain that I have a breakdown every time I have to change my dressings.

'I'm a first time mum with a premature baby and we were just stuck out there in another country with no help, it's been so difficult.

'Only time will tell how this will leave us - we're still going through it and have both experienced our own traumas throughout. We're still learning how to communicate and share these experiences.'

Thankfully, Mayday finally managed to put the family on a medical repatriation flight on June 8 and they're now back home.

Prior to the flight, a spokesperson for Staysure Insurance, who use Mayday as their global assistance company for customers, said: 'Our priority is to ensure that baby Flora gets the best care possible, which is why we have been closely liaising with our medical team on the ground, and the doctors at the hospital, to discuss the safest way to get the family back home to the UK.

When the family landed they were taken in an ambulance and straight to Robyn's mother's address where they were all finally reunited. 'I'm just so relieved that Flora is home safe and sound,' she added.

'Various options were explored, including transfer by road ambulance with a specialised medical team, however, despite the doctors declaring baby Flora fit to fly home on a commercial flight, Mayday, our 24/7 global assistance company, overruled the decision and instead have arranged her transfer by air ambulance, to ensure the safest and most comfortable journey home for them all.

'Staysure always strive to deliver the best travel insurance so our customers can travel confidently knowing we're there for them when they need us.'

Although still dealing with the trauma of their rocky start to family life, Robyn and Stephen are pleased to be back and are settling in with Flora at home.

Robyn said: 'The journey honestly was a dream. The ambulance crew came to the apartment and checked her vital signs to ensure she was fit to fly.

'They went through some questions about her birth, treatment following it and my pregnancy and they then put her in the pod and into the ambulance.

'We were put in a taxi and we all went to the consulate to pick up her passport. From there, we drove to the airport and went through the crew security and straight onto the plane.

'The paramedics were incredible and instructed us to go to sleep if we could and they'd handle any feeds/nappies. It took just over four hours and we were in Luton.

'Flora slept the whole way, only waking for a feed. She was hooked up to a heart rate monitor where they tracked her O2 levels and was strapped into a cosy pod.

'When we landed, she went in an ambulance and us in a taxi to my mum's address where we were all finally reunited.

'I'm just so relieved that Flora is home safe and sound. Although I am suffering with some post-partum depression, because for a long time it was unlikely I could have children easily due to having PCOS.

'I'm extremely happy she's finally here. I couldn't wait for her to come - and it turns out, neither could she!'
Princess Eugenie posted a sweet tribute to her husband Jack Brooksbank on his second Father's Day after the birth of their baby son August.

Eugenie, daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, wished her beau a happy Father's Day, calling him 'the best dada'.

The princess, 32, who is 12th in line to the throne, shared a rare glimpse into her family life as she posted a photo of Jack pushing one-year-old August down a country path in the pram.

She also posted a heartwarming snap of the father and son walking side-by-side at The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations as little August tottered along in his blue knitted jumper embroidered with a Union Jack.

Another sweet photo she shared showed the pair playing together at home.

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Princess Eugenie, 32, wished Jack Brooksbank a Happy Father's Day on Insta, posting a series of sweet photos to her Instagram stories

The shots included the pair strolling at the recent Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and a shot of them playing with a toy at the family home

Eugenie failed to give a nod to her own father, Prince Andrew, who was stripped of several military titles amid a civil sexual assault case filed against him in the US earlier this year.

Andrew settled the lawsuit with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, in February after she accused him of sexual assault on three occasions when she was under the age of 18.

He has always strenuously denied the allegations. Since settling the lawsuit Andrew has kept a low profile in public - and couldn't attend Platinum Jubilee celebrations due to testing positive for Covid.

Eugenie largely kept August out of the limelight for his first year, but delighted fans when she shared a video of her son dancing during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Eugenie, who rarely posts snaps of her son, shared a sweet snap of him with hia father Jack at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this month, sending royal fans wild

The adorable posts follow a similarly heartfelt tribute posted to Jack last year on his first ever Father's Day.

Underneath a photo of Jack pushing August in the pram, she wrote: 'Happy Father's Day to you my love.. you are the ultimate father to our boy!'

In May this year, the princess posted another cute tribute to her husband as she shared two beaming selfies.

She wrote: 'Happy birthday to you my Jack. 36 years today. What a journey it's been so far. Can't wait for so many more.'

Princess Eugenie, who rarely showed off baby August in public during the first year of his life, delighted royal fans when she celebrated with him at the Platinum Jubilee

Eugenie, who tends to keep her family life private, first introduced baby August to the world in an Instagram post shortly after he was born.

Sharing a stunning family portrait taken by her midwife, she wrote: 'We wanted to introduce you to August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.

'Thank you for so many wonderful messages. Our hearts are full of love for this little human, words can't express.

After giving birth during the height of a national lockdown, the Princess also thanked the key workers who had helped deliver her son safely.

The princess, who is 12th in line to the throne, married wine merchant Jack in October 2018 in a stunning ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor.

The pair first began dating in 2011 and confirmed their relationship in an appearance at Royal Ascot that same year.

When Eugenie left London to work for an auction house in New York in 2013, the pair maintained a long distance relationship.

At the time, Jack told The Daily Mail: 'We spend a lot of time on Skype. It's great. We're still very much together.'

In 2015 the Princess returned to London where the pair grew ever closer - and they sparked engagement rumours the following year.

But it was two more years before Jack popped the question while the pair were away in Nicaragua in January 2018.
With a career spanning more than six decades, Linda Evans, 79, is best-known for her role as Krystle Carrington in 1980s soap Dynasty. Twice divorced, she lives in Rainier, in the U.S. state of Washington.

Like most people, I thought loving yourself meant going to a spa or buying yourself something to feel better. Its taken me a long time to realise that it really comes from within.

In 2012, I went to Africa with some friends and we had the opportunity of staying with a Maasai tribe.

During the day wed walk with these warriors, who had little in the way of possessions and who were at one with nature, while at night wed gaze up at the stars. I was filled with an incredible sense of peace and joy  a feeling that it doesnt take a lot of material things in order to be happy. When I returned home, I was on an incredible high.

1980s soap star Linda Evans, 79, (pictured) says accept yourself for who you are. Known for her role as Krystle Carrington in Dynasty, Linda went to Africa in 2012. She describes how she realised that joy didn't come from material objects

Before the trip, I had committed to taking part in a fashion show for the American Heart Association in New York. But on my return, when I tried on the dress I was modelling, I was horrified. Id obviously put on weight.

How could I have felt so much joy on returning from Africa, only to feel utterly miserable days later? What had changed was my attitude. My judgment of what I looked like was killing my joy of having been a part of this wonderful show.

Looking back now, I love myself for that moment as it taught me that we have to love ourselves in all our forms.

Linda is known for her role as Krystle Carrington in Dynasty (right). She know lives a quiet life in Washington State

When I was focusing on my career and played the role of Krystle in Dynasty, I had everything anyone could hope for, yet still I felt there was something missing. Fame and success are great, but you cant hold on to these things forever and trying to doesnt lead to happiness.

Now I live on 70 acres in Washington State, where I have a quiet life. I only work on special projects that fill my heart with joy. Thats why, in 2019, after falling in love with a script written by the filmmaker Todd Stephens, I accepted a role in his film Swan Song. It tells the story of an older man dying with sadness about his life, but who is reborn after revisiting his past.

Its one of the lovely things about getting older. Truly loving myself has been very valuable to me  it doesnt matter how late in life it happened.
When the then Lady Nicholson was made a life peer in 1997, she could hardly have imagined that 25 years down the line, she would be considered a champion of women's rights by today's feminists, become a poster girl for parenting website Mumsnet and a treasured ally of gay campaigning groups.

Yet aged 80, that's where she finds herself, having become a very determined and vocal player in the push back against what she considers to be the erosion of women's rights and free speech at the hands of trans activists.

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne is her full title  'such a mouthful isn't it? You must call me Emma,' she says when we meet. These days she's barely out of the news as one of the few politicians prepared to nail her colours to the mast and say that she does not think it's possible to change sex.

Baroness Nicholson has become a champion of women's rights for today's feminists, a poster girl for parenting site Mumsnet and a treasured ally of gay campaigning groups

Baroness Nicholson, pictured with her husband Sir Michael Caine, is one of the few politicians prepared to say that she does not think its possible to change sex

Earlier this month she demanded a sentence review after a male born paedophile was spared jail. Peter Selby pleaded guilty to having over 125,000 images of child abuse but was shown leniency after the court heard the paedophile identified as transgender and was fearful about managing in prison.

So, what does she make of those  such as Keir Starmer and Anneliese Dodds, Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities  who tie themselves in knots when asked the question: what is a woman?

'I'm ashamed of them,' she replies. 'For grown men to pretend they don't know what a woman is when they have a wife and children. Who are they fooling? But it's even worse when it's a woman because that's a shocking betrayal of one's own sex.'

Dressed in her immaculate silk two-piece suit and court shoes, Baroness Nicholson looks the picture of a well-to-do English lady. The daughter of Sir Godfrey Nicholson, a Conservative MP, and his wife Lady Katharine (the daughter of the 27th Earl of Crawford), Emma has always been something of a trailblazer.

'Gender critical feminists' first came to Emma's attention in 2017. Pictured is Emma with JK. Rowling at a cocktail party celebrating the auctioning of a handwritten book of wizarding stories in 2007

Before going into politics she worked as a computer programmer and systems analyst in the 1960s and 1970s, at a time when most people hadn't even seen a computer.

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head in exasperation when I ask how she might have reacted then if somebody had said that in the future it would be considered controversial to believe in biological sex?

'Honestly, how can we be wasting good time and energy saying people are 'assigned sex at birth?' There are basic elements of life and to deny them is lunacy. I was born profoundly deaf. That's how I am, that's nature. Then nature, unfortunately, took a lot of my sight away when I was nine. I wasn't assigned deafness at birth.'

So called 'gender critical feminists' (those who believe sex is biological and immutable) first came to Emma's attention when she saw news reports about a group of women who had been attacked at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park in 2017.

'As a politician's daughter and the first female in my family in politics, that woke me up immediately. Speakers' Corner is where everyone can go and say what they want  however dotty.'

She tracked down the women and invited them to meet with her at the House of Lords. They wrote back to say the aggressive scenes at Hyde Park were typical of what was happening all over the country whenever they attempted to speak about women's issues. After she gave the women assurances about their safety, a large group met Emma at the Lords.

Baroness Nicholson is pictured here with grateful nurses and medical staff at Solotvyno Hospital, Ukraine who received medical supplies funded by the Daily Mail Ukraine appeal campaign in April

'I arrived to find a room of about 90 people who were being denied freedom of speech. To attack freedom of speech attacks my bloodline, my heart, my feelings, and I just said, 'Tell me about it' and they did.' It was during the meeting that Emma was alerted to a consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act (since dropped) to allow for self-identification (allowing individuals to identify as their chosen gender without medical diagnosis).

'It was 80 pages long. It wasn't literate or numerate or competent or logical. It just went on and on and round in circles. I've never seen such a poor-quality civil service document in my life. Yet this was a big, circular questionnaire used to potentially shape government policy and I realised there was something going on.'

It was at a second meeting with women's rights campaigners that Emma spoke to two nurses who told her they had lost their jobs because they had refused to say that trans women were the same as biological women.

For Emma, it was her call to arms.

'These young women did not have the funding or the contacts to go to an employment tribunal. They'd been destroyed in the early stages of their careers and it's at that point I thought: 'Right, I'm in.' '

Emma's whistleblowers have told her that staff on NHS wards are instructed to deny that males are present on wards if the male in question identifies as female. Pictured is Baroness Nicholson with Prince Charles in 2017

The NHS had previously committed to single-sex wards for the sake of patients' privacy and dignity. But in 2019 'Annex B' legislation stated that staff should assign accommodation according to how the patient identifies  meaning male-bodied trans women have made their way on to female wards.

To say Emma has the bit between her teeth about this is an understatement. 'I have written to health ministers a number of times and I'll be writing a huge letter this week. I've told them Annex B is breaking the law and they've asked for my reasoning and they're going to get it . . . in spades.

'It flies in the face of the 2014 Care Act, which is the bible for the NHS, and it breaks the duty of candour  which says that you must tell a patient the truth.'

Emma's whistleblowers have told her that staff are instructed to deny that males are present on wards  if the male in question identifies as female.

'If, as a patient, you see or hear a man and flag it up, you are told that is not the case  there are no men on the ward. If you persist, you'll be removed from the hospital. I know a number of cases where that's happened. In other words, the NHS has gone against its own principles. Annex B allows for trans patients to have no need for a Gender Recognition Certificate, to appear fully male in appearance and have access to women's health care.

Baroness Nicholson said she spent most of her lockdown looking at the issue of Annex B and described it as 'wicked'

'I spent most of my lockdown digging into the issue of Annex B and 'wicked' is the world I would use to describe it. They are destroying the ethics and integrity of thousands of nurses who are being instructed to lie and they've gone about it in the most underhand and deceitful way.'

Emma's campaigning means that people ('many hundreds') reach out to her to confide their experiences  doctors, nurses and patients alike. Earlier this year she revealed, in the Lords, that a patient had been raped on the ward of an NHS hospital.

Under English law, the act of rape is only committed with a penis. The patient went to the police who investigated and were initially told by the hospital that it was not possible as no male was present. Emma stated at the time: 'It has taken the hospital nearly a year to agree that there was a male on the ward and, yes, this rape happened.

'What happens is the NHS will ask me to give them the details of the women and the hospitals. Well, for one, they're not going to look at this objectively and I must protect those who come and tell me things. I'd die at the stake before I betrayed anyone's confidence.'

Perhaps predictably, Baroness Nicholson's campaigning led to accusations she was transphobic and she was stripped of her role as honorary vice-president of the Booker Prize Foundation.

Her campaigning on gender means she has had thousands of people reach out to her to share their own experiences

The move came following an online spat with transgender activist Munroe Bergdorf. Emma called Munroe a 'weird creature'. She apologised and deleted the tweet, but it made no difference. 'The organisation had been set up and chaired by my late husband [Sir Michael Harris Caine]. I felt terrible because they threw three other people in honorary roles off too including Sir Ronald Harwood, one of our most famous playwrights. I felt so embarrassed that something I had said had ended up hurting them.'

It didn't stop with the Booker Prize Foundation. Baroness Nicholson was also made to step down from a children's charity she supported in Devon. She pushed back when attempts were made to kick her off the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing, an annual literary prize she set up in her husband's memory. 'I fought back and they've kept me on the peripheries . . . it's all made me realise what those poor nurses were facing.'

Anybody trying to permanently 'cancel' the formidable baroness is likely to be disappointed. It's something she has in common with her good friend J.K. Rowling, who also experienced a backlash from trans activists. Together, in 2005, they established the global children's charity Lumos.

'When I saw her being criticised, I was appalled. And as for those actors who have her to thank for their whole careers . . .'

She has no truck either with the issue of pronouns. 'I see it as a triviality that is taking up space it shouldn't. I'm much more interested in how the NHS decided to bypass Parliament.'

As for claims she is transphobic, Emma says: 'It's not a word I recognise. I have been helping trans people for decades. There was a trans woman who was in the police force about 30 years ago and who wasn't supported after transitioning and I did all I could to help her when I was an MP. She was what I would call a genuine trans woman. The transgender lobby group today is utterly self-absorbed and only interested in its own money and status.

Emma, pictured with husband Michael Caine, said one of the best things that has come out of her campaigning is befriending and making connections with people she might not otherwise have met

'Lesbians are now facing tremendous harassment and I got in touch with the LGB Alliance when they set themselves up to offer my support and they've become great friends  although I do tease them for not giving me a membership. I don't qualify!

'The Gay Men's Network are coming to see me soon to work with me too.'

One of the most uplifting things to have come out of the last few years are the friendships and connections she has established with people she might not have otherwise come into contact with. Does she see an end in sight to what she describes as the 'lunacy', I wonder?

'It's a bad movement that feeds on a lie  that you can change your sex  and they've spun this web of nightmares that is having a physical and mental impact on millions around the world. It's a family-destructive movement.

'There's positive stuff happening in Europe. We're seeing a big fightback against puberty blockers in France, Sweden and Finland. Good for them.

'In time what's happening here will be seen as a national scandal but, by then, it will have left a trail of destruction.'

I do wonder if Baroness Nicholson wouldn't rather be enjoying a gentle retirement than working full-time as she currently is.

'I worked as Mrs Thatcher's vice-chairman with special responsibility for women, at the same time I was director of Save The Children. I couldn't just sit and allow this to sail past. I want to be helpful while I have the capacity to be helpful.'

Emma loves spending time with her family when she is not campaigning on gender. Pictured: JK Rowling and Baroness Emma Nicholson at JK Rowling's 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' launch in December 2007

When she's not immersed in this political hot potato, Emma loves to spend time with her family. 'I come from a huge family. We had a lunch the other day and 83 cousins rocked up!'

Although family means the world to her, she has no children of her own. She was 46 when she married her businessman husband Sir Michael, who died in 1999. Together, they rescued Amar Kanin, who was horrifically injured in a napalm attack in Iraq when he was ten. Amar, now 43, lives in Devon, and he gives his name to the Amar Foundation, set up by the Nicholsons to help families in crisis around the world.

Despite her tireless work for children, she has no regrets about not having them.

'I never meant to have any,' she says. 'When I was seven, I was visiting a children's home with my father, and I felt so lucky to have a loving home and I vowed then to not make any more children myself but to find homes for the existing ones who didn't have them. And I stuck with that.'

As we talk, she checks her emails as more pour in from people seeking her help. This morning it's a mother worried her confused and 'questioning' daughter is being told she is trans and 'born in the wrong body' at her secondary school.

'I know a great organisation who will help her,' says Emma who puts the mother in touch with the Bayswater Support Group.

Interestingly, she says politicians on both sides of the divide have confided in her that they support her stance but are too scared to say so openly.

In today's climate many would consider the bold baroness to be a brave soul to be so fearless.

'This isn't bravery. Bravery is calmness and the rescuing of others under fire. I see this as the restoration of common sense.'
During 2019, as TV comedy Fleabag aired  featuring the 'hot priest' and his penchant for canned cocktails  one drink started to fly off the shelves: the Marks & Spencer gin and tonic in a tin.

This summer, M&S has another hit on its hands: the G&T sorbet. It sells three tubs every minute.

M&S is not the only one persuading grown-ups that boozy ice cream is the way to survive the heat. Haagen-Dazs has three flavours all containing real alcohol, while Morrisons is stocking a brand called Speakeasy, which has teamed up with high-end drinks companies to make both an amaretto and a limoncello ice cream.

Even those who failed GCSE science know alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than water (a bottle of vodka or gin freezes at about -27c).

Harry said that frozen cocktails and ice lollies are popular this summer, including the Pimm's pops

So how is it possible to make frozen cocktails? 'It is a challenge,' says Jane Woodhead, who set up Speakeasy with her husband. 'We have to adjust the recipes, because alcohol has sugar in it, which also affects the freezing point.'

Many of the ice creams or sorbets have an extra dose of xanthan gum, a common stabiliser, to stop the alcohol splitting and dribbling into a pool at the bottom of the tub.

Pops, one of the most alcoholic brands, sells its lollies in Calippo-style packaging. You push up the lolly as you eat it, so it doesn't matter if it is slightly more slushy than normal.

Most end up being not particularly alcoholic. M&S's G&T tubs are 1.4 per cent ABV [alcohol by volume]  a touch above a low-alcohol beer. Speakeasy's limoncello is 1.1 per cent.

'To be over the drink-drive limit, you'd need to eat something like eight litres in one sitting. That's an awful lot of ice cream,' says Jane. Unlike with drinks, food containing alcohol does not need to declare the ABV on the packaging, though most do state it somewhere.

However, any product with more than 0.5 per cent alcohol should be age-restricted. 'Which explains why I was not allowed to buy M&S's sorbets at the self-scan checkout until a member of staff had ascertained I was 18-years old. It's not often you get screened when buying ice cream.'

So which frozen treats are cream of the crop and which are a flop?

AN AFTER-DINNER ZESTY WINNER

Speakeasy Limoncello (5.50 for 500ml tub, morrisons.com)

Alcohol: 1.1 pc ABV

Speakeasy Limoncello (5.50 for 500ml tub, morrisons.com) has a distinctive taste- part zesty lemon, part sweet sherbet

Italian after-dinner liqueur limoncello has a distinctive taste  part zesty lemon, part sweet sherbet. Speakeasy has managed to capture the flavour perfectly using the Lazzaroni liqueur as its key ingredient.

And even if you are not a fan of limoncello, this really is a lovely, smooth, grown-up ice cream for summer.

VERDICT: 5/5

FROZEN PIMM'S PACKS A PUNCH

Pops Pimm's No. 1 (5 for three popsicles, minimum order 15, wearepops.com)

Alcohol: 4.3 pc ABV

Pops Pimm's No. 1 (5 for three popsicles, minimum order 15, wearepops.com) is a frozen cocktail that should have the same kick as a glass of Pimm's

This is a frozen cocktail that should have the same kick as a glass of Pimm's, though I struggle to taste any booze. The mint overpowers all the other flavours.

But don't worry about the alcohol; they're small and you'd need to eat seven to consume the equivalent of a pint of beer.

Pops are sometimes sold in Waitrose, but you may need to buy them in bulk online.

VERDICT: 2.5/5

JUST THE TONIC TO REFRESH YOU

M&S Gin & Tonic sorbet (5.25 for four 100ml tubs, marksandspencer.com)

Alcohol: 1.4 pc ABV

M&S Gin & Tonic sorbet (5.25 for four 100ml tubs, marksandspencer.com) are a great size and Harry said that just 72 calories you could demolish one guilt-free

These dinky tubs are a great size. At just 72 calories per pot, you could demolish one guilt-free. They are quite strong  not in booze but in taste. The overriding flavour is that of a zesty, tonic-heavy G&T, with lots of lime and juniper. Extremely refreshing.

VERDICT: 4/5

PEACHES AND CREAM DREAM

Jude's Peach & Champagne (55 for six 460ml tubs, judes.com)

Alcohol: Less than 1.2 pc ABV

Jude's Peach & Champagne (55 for six 460ml tubs, judes.com). Harry said that the ice cream is lovely and deliciously smooth but not quite what he hoped for

A limited-edition flavour created to mark this Hampshire company's 20th birthday, this is a deliciously smooth ice cream. It's vegan, with coconut oil and cornstarch used to replicate cream and eggs.

I struggle to taste the champagne  you get mostly peach flavour. It's lovely, but not quite what I'd hoped for.

Jude's is stocked in many supermarkets, but you have to buy this from its website.

VERDICT: 4/5

PINEAPPLES IN PARADISE

Haagen-Dazs Pina Colada (4.80 for 460ml tub, tesco.com)

Alcohol: Less than 1 pc ABV

Haagen-Dazs Pina Colada (4.80 for 460ml tub, tesco.com). Harry said you can taste the rum even though it makes up a small portion of the ingredients list

Pina Colada has become the flavour of summer 2022, with the heady mixture of rum, coconut and pineapple appearing in endless ready meals and puddings in supermarkets.

Haagen-Dazs has embraced the trend, adding this flavour to its small range of alco-ice cream. Though rum makes up a mere 1.5 per cent of the ingredients, you can taste it.

If you like pina colada cocktails, you'll love this.

VERDICT: 3/5

MOJITO WITH A LIP-SMACKING ZING

Ice Kitchen Mojito ice lolly (4 for three, ocado.com)

Alcohol: 1.5 pc ABV

Harry said that the Ice Kitchen Mojito ice lolly (4 for three, ocado.com) is deliciously tasty and you can really taste the booze

Ice Kitchen's co-founder is Cesar Roden, whose grand-mother Claudia is the food writer responsible for introducing Middle Eastern cuisine to Britain in the 1970s.

He must have inherited her food genes because these lollies are seriously tasty.

They have a lip-smacking lime zing and get the balance between sweet and sour just right. And, although the rum makes up just 4 per cent of the ingredients, you can really taste the booze.

VERDICT: 5/5
Rare are the entrepreneurs who provoke a bidding war on Dragons' Den and rarer still those who return to the infamous elevator with double the investment they asked for.

Charlotte Morley of The Little Loop did both, walking away earlier this year with 140,000 in her pocket (twice the 70,000 she originally wanted) and a double whammy of dragon-mentors in Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett.

'It was a gamble even appearing,' she says. 'My first instinct was that I had no desire to get ripped apart on national TV, but I also recognised what great exposure it could be and I always said I wouldn't rest until I'd given every opportunity my very best shot. The money was a wonderful side product.'

It was the zeitgeisty feel of The Little Loop that the dragons pounced on  not only a rental clothing company with a sustainable, anti-fast-fashion ethos, but a high-tech one, too, using bespoke software to track every single item rented out and feed data back to retailers. The twist, of course, is that it deals only in clothing for children.

This month the Dragons' faith in Charlotte was rewarded when she began a partnership with John Lewis  the children's department now offers access to 49 rentable styles, many, cleverly, from John Lewis's occasionwear brand Heirloom Collection.

Charlotte Morley, who owns The Little Loop, walked away from the Dragon's Den with double the investment of what she asked for and provoked a bidding war among the dragons

However, given each item in The Little Loop's inventory is typically rented out four to five times, I can't help wondering how the clothes don't get completely wrecked. Charlotte laughs: 'Children rise to the task of looking after things if you explain to them why we want to make clothes last longer nowadays and what they're wearing is borrowed.'

Everything is insured for unavoidable Ribena accidents and ripped knees, but renting clothes for nursery, say, still seems high risk.

'What we mostly stock are lovely outfits for kids to wear every day but not necessarily for messy play  that's where secondhand and charity shop clothes come into their own,' says Charlotte.

There are more than 1,000 items on The Little Loop website. Monthly subscriptions, ranging from 18 to 36, buy 'credits' to rent clothes that are then swapped in and out. The more worn the item, the fewer credits it will cost.

Charlotte says that her business model allows people to live affordably and not have to compromise their values around ethical shopping

Charlotte, 41, argues her model 'allows you to live affordably and not have to compromise your values around ethical shopping'.

In other words, for the price of her subscription you could buy a similar-sized armful of clothes on the High Street, but they wouldn't be made of organic cotton and would likely end up in landfill.

Prior to The Little Loop, Charlotte worked in the defence industry, once finding herself on an American air base in the middle of the Iraqi desert with 'mortars coming over the perimeter fence'.

As career changes go, they don't come much bigger. 'It was pretty scary on reflection, although I've genuinely found running my own business more terrifying on a personal level,' she says. 'Clearly it's not physically unsafe, but it does feel like a big emotional risk. I had sleepless nights in Iraq, but I've had more as a business owner.'

Prior to starting her business, she was working in the defence industry. She described her career change as 'a big emotional risk'

On maternity leave in Hampshire with her second daughter  Edith, now three, who followed Rosa, five  she became frustrated by the piles of barely-worn clothes.

She says being on maternity leave gave her the headspace to start the business, but adds: 'This isn't something I do at the kitchen table. I'm here to achieve scale with this because it'll only have real impact when we're big.'

How big? 'Hundreds of thousands of customers,' she replies. 'Then, with the environmental benefit we can deliver, it will all be worth the huge amounts of time and energy and stress.' Every rented garment eliminates the need to produce four more, Charlotte claims.

She says that while her company continues to grow, her husband is picking up the financial strain including wages for a nanny

Her goal is nothing less than a radical rethink of the peculiarly British mindset that says owning is always better than hiring.

While The Little Loop finds its feet, Charlotte's husband, Nick, managing director of a software company, picks up the financial strain, including wages for a nanny. 'That's the unspoken reality of starting a business,' she admits.

'You need support. I love my children but I didn't start the business because I wanted to spend more time with them. If anything, I see them less than before. I put them to bed every night but I don't take them to school every day. I know I'm lucky in that respect and I don't take it for granted.'
When Dr Lisa Gadd was 24 years old she lay down on her parents couch and closed her eyes 'for a minute', three days later she woke up in ICU: she'd had a major stroke

When Dr Lisa Gadd was 24 years old she lay down on her parents couch and closed her eyes 'for a minute'.

Three days later she woke up in ICU after a major stroke doctors believe was caused by a blood clot related to her oral contraceptive pill.

The Melbourne-based osteopath had been suffering from an excruciating headache, light sensitivity and a sore neck for a few days.

She had even been admitted to hospital with suspected meningitis - but her impending brain bleed was missed and she was sent home.

After she 'blacked out' on the couch she was taken to hospital where she was put into an induced coma.

The next time she opened her eyes she was scared and confused, she told FEMAIL.

'I had no idea where I was or what had happened,' she said.

'When my brother told me I had had a stroke I thought, even with my medical training, that's for old people,' she said.

The initial brain bleed was the first of a few connected medical episodes which included a blood clot developing in Lisa's chest three weeks later.

This is when doctors told her she was going to die.

'I couldn't die, I told myself I had to get better and that I would live. I still had so many things I wanted to do,' she said.

The oral contraceptive pill and blood clot risk The pill can increase your chances of thrombosis. The combined oral contraceptive pill is commonly prescribed to women during their childbearing years. It contains both a synthetic oestrogen and progesterone. Oestrogen can increase the levels of clotting factors within your blood. These factors make it easier for your blood to clot and increases your risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) - which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The highest risk is during the first year of use. However, it is important to remember that the absolute risk is still quite small. For this reason, the advantages of taking the pill can outweigh the added risk of VTE. If you are predisposed to VTE your doctor will help you to decide what the best option for you is. For instance, they might recommend a different contraceptive pill with less or no oestrogen component. It is important to talk to your doctor and understand the risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) before using the combined oral contraceptive pill. Occasionally people might be advised to take extra precautions  such as wearing compression stockings during travel or taking medication to help thin your blood for a short period of time. Source: Thrombosis Australia Advertisement

Her family was also shattered by the news. Lisa believes those first few weeks at the hospital were much harder for them than they were for her.

'They were extremely supportive but it was horrific for them,' she said.

'My mum was in tears the other day and told me sometimes it feels like it all happened yesterday.

'They have had to work really hard to push through,' she said.

Lisa said the stroke and recovery period taught her about resilience - she is pictured here with her parents who were her greatest supporters

She now takes part in triathlons and says the stroke made her focus all of her energy on her health

Lisa was soon moved into the regular hospital ward, where she would spend the next three months learning to walk and talk again.

'I would try to speak and the words would come out in the wrong order, it was really frustrating,' she said.

'The same thing would happen when I tried to text, the words would come out in the wrong order because I had some kind of processing issue,' she said.

Walking was also a struggle - but the same drive and determination which made lying in a hospital bed for months a living hell also lead her to success.

'It is my greatest strength as well as my greatest weakness,' she said.

After three months Lisa was allowed to return to the family home, where she would continue to improve her speech and mobility.

'The same thing would happen when I tried to text, the words would come out in the wrong order because I had some kind of processing issue,' she said

But it would take her six months to really feel like she had mastered her life again.

'I lost my peripheral vision when I had the stroke and it took about six months to come back.

'When you are young and used to driving yourself around and leading a certain lifestyle these things are huge,' she said.

Once her eyesight returned to normal she was give a doctor's note which allowed her to drive.

'When you are young and used to driving yourself around and leading a certain lifestyle these things are huge,' she said

And while Lisa wouldn't wish a major stroke on anyone - she also says it was the best thing to ever happen to her because it taught her resilience.

Up until this point the young woman had never had to overcome a major obstacle. In fact it was probably the biggest exercise in resilience her family had ever had to overcome as individuals and a unit as well.

'I had some normal amount of school bullying and had fight with friends and things but never anything major,' she said.

As a result she has also found a new respect for her health.

Up until this point the young woman had never had to overcome a major obstacle. In fact it was probably the biggest exercise in resilience her family had ever had to overcome as individuals and a unit as well

'Without it I have nothing, it is the most important thing in my life,' she said.

She doesn't think she would have ever started her own business, become a triathlete or been as conscious with her choices without suffering the stroke.

'I have done a lot since, I have the house, the career, I have travelled, I found a partner and I am thinking about getting a dog,' she said.
During her second pregnancy, mum and breast cancer survivor Larissa Brown was told her baby had a 'fatal condition' and was encouraged by doctors to terminate.

The 39-year-old from Townsville, Queensland, considered herself lucky to be able to have children after enduring both cancer and endometriosis treatments in her late-20s.

Against the odds Larissa and husband Nathan Brown welcomed Emilia into the world in 2017 then Georgia in 2021.

But little Georgia was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome - a rare and complex defect that affects regular blood flow - which has been a rollercoaster of a battle for the entire family.

'I gave birth, gave her a kiss then they whisked her away before I had a chance to hold her,' Larissa told FEMAIL.

Australian mum Larissa Brown (pictured, left) was told by doctors to terminate her second pregnancy as her baby Georgia (pictured, right) has a 'fatal heart condition'

The 39-year-old mum from Townsville, Queensland, and husband Nathan considered themselves lucky to have children as Larissa survived breast cancer at just 27 and also suffers from endometriosis

Unfortunately little Georgia was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome - a rare and complex defect that affects regular blood flow - which has been a roller coaster of a battle for the entire family

At the 20-week pregnancy scan the couple were given the devastating news and Georgia was officially diagnosed with the fatal condition.

'It was pure heartbreak,' Larissa said, adding: 'I took a week off work and just cried.

'They ran us through the three heart surgeries she would need to survive and we had so many termination discussions - which I would never wish upon my worst enemy,' she said.

At the time doctors said it was extremely likely Georgia would have learning issues, mental delays, a shorter life expectancy and an overall poor quality of life.

Unfortunately there are no known causes for her rare and fatal condition.

'We didn't have it in our hearts to terminate the pregnancy - and we felt like the worst people in the world for choosing to proceed, but we couldn't give up on her,' she said.

Prior to making the life-changing decision, Larissa reached out to other parents in private Facebook group who's children also suffer from the same condition but have been able to live 'normal' lives.

After conducting hours of research and speaking to others, Larissa and Nathan were confident in their decision to proceed with the pregnancy.

Beforehand at the 20-week pregnancy scan the couple were given the devastating news and Georgia was officially diagnosed with the fatal condition

Earlier in life Larissa survived breast cancer at just 27 and also suffers from endometriosis.

The treatment used to combat both diseases meant she would likely struggle to conceive children - or never have a baby at all.

Larissa and Nathan didn't lose hope and moved to Sydney to discuss possible IVF treatments.

To their surprise, Larissa managed to conceive naturally and gave birth to their first daughter Emilia, now three.

A couple years on, the pair started considering having another baby to expand their family through IVF once more - but due to Larissa's issues with endometriosis she was considered 'high risk' and the specialist refused her.

'My gynaecologist, who's been treating my endo for 15 years, suggested a "gentle clean up" surgery and said: "This will be your best chance at having another baby",' Larissa recalled.

'It was a huge surgery and recovery, but I fell pregnant again naturally - I couldn't believe it, we were so happy.'

At 36 weeks into the pregnancy the couple decided to give Georgia the best chance at survived and moved from Townsville to Brisbane to be close to Queensland Children's Hospital

At 36 weeks into the pregnancy the couple decided to give Georgia the best chance at survived and moved from Townsville to Brisbane to be close to Queensland Children's Hospital.

By 38 weeks doctors made the decision to give Larissa a C-section where she has a huge medical team on standby.

Doctors had to act quickly after delivering the baby and had a short timeframe of 30 minutes to one hour to provide Georgia with a specific medication - sadly leaving no time for mum and baby to interact during the first few moments.

At just six days old precious Georgia had open heart surgery, which lasted for a staggering 10 hours due to complications.

It was a long road after the surgery and during the recovery the newborn experienced a collapsed lung.

'She looked really puffy and was in a bad way, but then she started recovering beautifully, then out of nowhere she needed more oxygen,' Larissa said.

'Doctors had no idea what was wrong with her, they ran all the tests and gave her medication but she gradually became worse.'

At just six days old precious Georgia had open heart surgery, which lasted for a staggering 10 hours due to complications

After having a CT scan the cardiologist called Larissa to deliver some break-through news. The doctor discovered Georgia was over-circulating and her oxygen levels were dangerously low, which also meant she qualified to have the next heart surgery

After having a CT scan the cardiologist called Larissa to deliver some break-through news.

'He said to me: "I finally understand Georgia's heart",' she recalled.

The doctor discovered Georgia was over-circulating and her oxygen levels were dangerously low, which also meant she qualified to have the next heart surgery.

'It was such a relief,' Larissa said.

A couple days on Georgia was preparing for the surgery but unfortunately doctors found an infection she needed to recover from first.

Antibiotics helped kill the infection and the baby was once again ready for the five-hour surgery.

Thankfully the procedure was 'simple', and doctors admitted afterwards to Larissa they too were worried about her.

After spending 169 days inside a hospital, the family was finally able to take Georgia home for the first time

After spending 169 days inside a hospital, the family was finally able to take Georgia home for the first time.

'I was both terrified and excited, because in hospital if we're concerned about anything we could just hit a buzzer and a nurse would come. Now it's all on me,' Larissa said.

Beautiful little Georgia has been thriving at home, despite catching rhinovirus twice and having Covid.

'We're 110 per cent grateful and are so lucky to be able to bring her home. She has a lot of catching up to do with her development but she's getting there,' Larissa said.

Now being 11 months old, Larissa described Georgia as the 'cheekiest little baby' who always smiles, waves at people and knows when she's done something wrong.

'She's an incredible baby and is always draws everyone in,' she said.
In the last 12 months Georgia Geminder, 29, from Melbourne, Victoria has sold over 30,000 tooth whitening pens after launching her own natural oral health brand

A young entrepreneur has revealed how she went from working as a model to a Forbes rich lister in just two years after taking advantage of a gap in the beauty market.

In the last 12 months Georgia Geminder, 29, from Melbourne, Victoria has sold over 30,000 tooth whitening pens after launching her own natural oral health brand, GEM.

Speaking to FEMAIL Georgia revealed she was working as a model in LA when she noticed a radical shift to natural products within the beauty industry.

New brands flooded the market but one category - personal care - remained virtually untouched, especially when it came to alternative options for tooth paste.

'The 'natural' options that existed on the market lacked efficacy, they didn't foam up properly and they weren't minty enough,' she said.

But the traditional chemical-based products didn't 'do it' for Georgia either.

'We spend our lives avoiding chemicals to then come home and pour 20 or more of them into your mouth,' she said.

The Forbes rich lister saw a gap in the market when the world began turning to more natural alternatives in the beauty space

She started by making a toothpaste without the 'nasty nine' now she has mouthwash, a whitening pen and breath spray

So she decided to change that with an aim to become a major agitator in the space.

'I basically then went on this two-year quest to create the perfect natural toothpaste, that not only tasted minty and guaranteed fresh breath but also remineralised tooth enamel,' she said.





Before explaining she wanted it to 'look cute too' after noticing the dental health sector was still considered daggy in a beauty industry which had had a major glow-up.

'I thought it was time for a trendy, millennial focused brand to disrupt the category,' she said.

'I wanted to create something that not only looked good in our bathrooms, but also worked,' she said.

While researching the chemicals in toothpaste she found 'the nasty nine' which includes SLS, a chemical compound used as a foaming agent in toothpaste that's also used in industrial cleaners.

Georgia was working as a model in LA when she decided to start her company, GEM

She also found triclosan which has been banned in soap and body wash but is still used in toothpaste for its anti-bacterial properties and titanium dioxide which is commonly found in paint.

'Needless to say, not a single one of the nasty nine has made its way into Gem,' she said.

She also added a mouth-specific pro-biotic to the mix.

'The idea here is that if you nuke your mouth with chemicals, any bacteria good or bad can flourish. But if you add in beneficial bacteria, like our oral probiotic, this really allows for a balanced environment in the mouth,' she said.

'Considering the mouth is the gateway to the gut  and overall health  it's pretty important.'

The company was launched with a single toothpaste offering in 2020 - after the young woman managed to come up with a formula free of chemical compounds such as parabens and triclosan.

She now offers eight flavours of toothpaste, two mouthwashes, two whitening pens, and a breath spray with more coming soon.

The tooth whitening pen has been the most successful stand-alone product for GEM so far.

And it was something Georgia didn't really expect.

'Literally thousands of customers are seeing whiter teeth in just days, and it's only $20. I'm really proud of this product,' she said.

The pens are made using 'a very low dose of food grade hydrogen peroxide, which acts as a safe, low sensitivity whitening agent' she explained.

She wanted to develop a product that also included pro-biotics to help with gut health

'The oxygen penetrates your tooth's enamel and lightens surface stains. The level of Hydrogen Peroxide is safe for all, even those with sensitive teeth,' she said.

'Everyone wants a bright, sparkly smile - I think the pen has been so popular due to how easy it is to use and how affordable it is.'

Georgia launched Gem at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, so has come across some challenges.

'Launching a business at the start of global pandemic wasn't easy. However it allowed me to refine the brand, the packaging. Now since the world has started to open back up, we can look to global markets for further expansion,' she said.

Likening having her own business to being on a wild rollercoaster ride.

But being named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list has made it all worth it.

She also wanted the packaging to look good after noticing the oral healthaisle was still filled with daggy products

'It truly has been a dream come true,' she said.

'In two short years it feels incredible to have been acknowledged for our work in the oral care space. Anyone who knows me, knows that this has been a dream of mine since forever,' she said.

The Forbes announcement came the same week Gerogia turned 29. Her company also released two new products at the same time making it a huge week.

Georgia owes her career in modeling to her insight into the beauty industry.

'I spent most of my early career modelling in Australia, London and Los Angeles.'

'I also spent some time working at Remedy Kombucha, where I learnt about the importance of forming healthy habits and the microbiome,' she said, before admitting that is where she caught the start-up bug.

Georgia appeared on the 30 under 30 list alongside the founder of The Quick Flick and beauty fridge, Iris Smit.

Iris' beauty empire is now worth over $15-million per year - and is shipped all across the world.
You magazine food editor Eleanor Maidment (pictured) has come up with creative and cost-cutting tricks to make putting food on the table that bit easier

Rising food prices  along with all our other bills  have been difficult to digest. Experts warned last week that the cost of putting meals on the table is set to rise by more than 500 a year for the typical household.

However, with clever product swaps and creative cooking, you can still cut costs and eat well. You just need to know where to start. And once youve adapted to new cooking methods and shopping habits, youll see that a lot of them are long-term, positive changes.

Here, You magazine food editor Eleanor Maidment, whose weekly column The Canny Cook is packed with brilliant money-saving ideas, lists her favourite tips to help you slash your bills.

1. EAT MEAT, BUT LESS OF IT

Fresh poultry and meat can push up supermarket bills, but rather than buying lower-quality options or cutting it completely, try consuming a little less.

When making burgers or meatballs, halve the quantity of minced meat and add an equal amount of cooked quinoa. Or add lentils to a bolognese  the result is a little lighter, yet equally delicious.

Alternatively, try serving one chicken thigh per person and bulking out the dish with white beans or wholegrains, or choose one good-quality 250g steak to share between two people and make sure to serve plenty of roasted vegetables.

With cured, strongly flavoured meats such as chorizo or pancetta, use just a small amount to season dishes. Many supermarkets sell little packs of finely diced chorizo, always handy to have in the fridge.

2. BE LESS BRAND-LOYAL

Apparently big brands pay extra for eye-level positioning on shelves, so its better to be shrewd and weigh up all the options.

In almost all cases, supermarket own brands come in at much lower prices, and in many taste tests, consumers cant tell the difference.

I have frequently been told on good authority that items including soy sauce, yogurt and biscuits are often manufactured by the same big brands for supermarkets, so the products are very similar.

Current swaps I am very impressed with are Lidl baked beans, Sainsburys tomato ketchup and Aldi washing-up liquid.

When making burgers or meatballs, halve the quantity of minced meat and add an equal amount of cooked quinoa. Or add lentils to a bolognese  the result is a little lighter, yet equally delicious

3. HEAD TO FrEEZER AISLE

Frozen fruit and veg is usually much cheaper than fresh, and can even contain more nutrients. It is often picked at its peak and quick-frozen, retaining goodness, rather than hanging around in transport or on the supermarket shelf  and then in your fridge  before being eaten. Once picked, green peas lose half of their Vitamin C in 48 hours.

4. WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

One of the simplest, most joyful no-waste tips Ive picked up is to use strawberry tops to infuse water. Add them (including the leaves) to a large jug of water with a handful of mint and a few slices of cucumber, then leave it for a few hours before adding ice to serve. Its a wonderful summer drink.

Other ways to use things we think of as waste is to add tomato vines to the pan when making a sauce as they hold an intense tomato flavour, or whizzing up pestos from lingering lettuce leaves or carrot tops.

HEAD TO FrEEZER AISLE: Frozen fruit and veg is usually much cheaper than fresh, and can even contain more nutrients

5. MAKE SAVVY SWAPS

If pasta makes as regular an appearance on your weekly menu as it does on mine, then think about swapping your parmigiano reggiano (the official name for what we tend to call parmesan) for grana padano.

Theyre usually found side by side in the supermarket because theyre a similar-style Italian hard cheese.

While parmigiano reggiano is aged, nutty and considered the king of cheeses, grana padano is more mellow, less crumbly and comes with a much lower price tag. Both are perfect for grating over pasta and, particularly when cooking, you will be hard pushed to notice the difference.

6. STAY NUTRITIOUS

The NHS recommends that adults should eat two portions of fish a week, including one oily variety. Its a good source of protein and vitamins, while oily fish also contains omega-3, said to keep hearts healthy.

But these benefits arent just for fresh fish. Smoked mackerel or trout are great-value options and add flavour to dishes. Tinned tuna and sardines are also usual items to have in the cupboard.

Learning new kitchen skills can help keep costs down. Buying a whole chicken and jointing it is definitely the most cost-effective way of eating chicken, plus you get to use the carcass for stock

7. EAT LIKE THE ITALIANS

Many of the greatest Italian dishes come from the most humble roots, because its a country where the enjoyment of food has historically not required great wealth.

It is the simplest of pastas that I find myself cooking on repeat at the moment: spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino, a joyous dish requiring little more than garlic, olive oil and chilli flakes from the cupboard.

Other summer favourites such as panzanella (a Tuscan salad of tomatoes, onion and stale bread) and risi e bisi (Venetian rice and peas) show the Italian ingenuity for creating treasured recipes from very little.

8. IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS

Learning new kitchen skills can help keep costs down. Buying a whole chicken and jointing it is definitely the most cost-effective way of eating chicken, plus you get to use the carcass for stock.

In fact, having good knife skills (and a good chefs knife) in general will mean that you can rely less on pre-cut fruit and vegetables.

Baking bread and cakes from scratch is also often cheaper than ready-made. And mastering the art of preserving and pickling fruit and vegetables is a great way of using up leftover fresh produce to enjoy in the coming months.
Dozens of major investors are considering whether to ditch funding for green UK energy projects because of threats to extend the windfall tax, according to the boss of SSE.

The Government has pledged to raise around 5billion through a one-off levy on oil and gas companies whose profits have soared following spiralling energy prices.

Money raised will go towards helping families struggling with the cost of living crisis.

Warning: SSE boss Alistair Phillips-Davies said the windfall tax could hamstring efforts to build the large-scale green energy projects that will help wean Britain off gas imports

But SSE chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies warned that Treasury threats to widen the tax to electricity producers have made major investors reconsider funding commitments  even to renewable energy schemes.

Phillips-Davies said the tax could hamstring efforts to build the large-scale green energy projects that will help wean Britain off gas imports. He said: 'We have heard from many clean energy investors recently who are now asking whether the UK remains a good place to deploy capital.

'The irony is that the more difficult and expensive we make it to build the big projects we need, the longer the UK will be dependent on expensive imported gas.'

Although it earns some revenue from gas-fired plants, SSE is not part of the group that will be targeted by the Energy Profits Levy unveiled by Chancellor Rishi Sunak last month.

But the Government has said it is consulting with the electricity generation sector  which includes SSE  as certain companies have also seen 'extraordinary profits' due to record gas prices.

SSE could be targeted after it last month reported a 23 per cent rise in full-year profits to 1.2billion.

Last week the Perth-based group, which is worth 17billion, revealed Phillips-Davies received a pay packet worth 4.5m in 2021.

Although the UK is a hub for renewables projects, these need large external funding because of their huge development costs.

It is this cash that is most at risk at a key time when many schemes are trying to get off the ground.

SSE plans to invest 24billion in renewable and energy transition projects this decade.

Phillips-Davies said the uncertainty around the levy was 'clearly unhelpful'.

He sounded the alarm after it emerged Norwegian state oil giant Equinor is reportedly reconsidering a 4.5billion North Sea project.
International fast food restaurant KFC is teaming up with FareShare, a food redistribution charity, to help eradicate food waste from their stores.

FareShare takes good-to-eat surplus food, which is unsold or unwanted by the food industry, and redistributes it through a network of almost 10,000 local charities and community groups.

In the last year FareShare redistributed the equivalent of 2.5 million meals every week, or four meals every second, across the UK.

The equivalent of four million meals are forecasted to be redistributed through the new partnership.

And after a year of all KFC restaurants supplying donated food, 12 million meals are expected to be redistributed.

The decision is another major boost to The Mail on Sunday's War On Food Waste campaign, which was launched last June with the aim of cutting by 30 per cent the amount of food being dumped in bins by households each week.

Pictured: KFC restaurant staff handover surplus food to local FareShare partner

Approximately 3 billion worth of meat goes to waste in the UK every year, three quarters of which is from UK homes.

With the current cost of living crisis and more than ten per cent of the UKs population facing food insecurity each day, the programme hopes to help deliver the equivalent of more than four million meals across the year to local people in need.

Jenny Packwood, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at KFC, said: Weve seen more and more people in the local communities that we serve being plunged into food insecurity and, as the cost of living crisis intensifies, it is more important than ever that we make sure any surplus food gets to the people who need it most.

We want to move fast and hard on rolling out our food redistribution programme by the end of the year, and across all of our restaurants, because we cannot sit by while our communities suffer.

The rollout will see the initiative across the majority of its 1,000 restaurants by the end of 2022, following a successful pilot in 20 KFC restaurants in the Midlands, the North East and Essex.

Since the beginning of the eight-month trial period, the partnership has redistributed the equivalent of more than 27,500 meals to over 22 local community groups, supporting an estimated 1,900 people each week.

International fast food restaurant KFC (pictured) is teaming up with FareShare, a food redistribution charity, to help eradicate food waste from their stores

The partnership will also be FareShares first venture into frozen food, further diversifying the food available to people facing hunger and offering people the opportunity to enjoy food in their own time, and on their own terms.

In the UK today, around 4 billion of food equating to 1.1 million tonnes goes to waste across supermarkets, manufacturers, restaurants, cafes and similar every year.

Last year dozens of Britain's biggest supermarkets, restaurants and food manufacturers pledged to slash their food waste by 30 per cent as part of a landmark environmental agreement.

In a major boost for this newspaper's War On Food Waste campaign, 47 of the country's leading food companies vowed to ramp up their own efforts.

They signed an agreement to help remove 580,000 tons of food waste from the retail, manufacturing and hospitality industries over the next nine years.

Eleanor Morris, Special Adviser for Business Collaboration at WRAP said: This partnership between KFC and FareShare shows the power of collaboration between businesses and charities to ensure that good food is redistributed and doesnt go to waste.

It shows KFCs commitment to the UKs food waste reduction targets under WRAPs Courtauld Commitment, as well as providing food for those who need it. WRAP estimates that around 50,000 tons of meat is discarded in hospitality and food service outlets every year in the UK. We want the sector to feed people, not bins.
Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg got a taste of summer travel misery hitting millions of Americans after his flight from DC to NYC was canceled after a crisis summit with airlines.

'That is happening to a lot of people, and that is exactly why we are paying close attention here to what can be done and how to make sure that the airlines are delivering,' Buttigieg said Saturday, after driving from the capital to the Big Apple.

Saturday saw a total of 856 flights canceled across the US, with 5,997 flights within, into or out of the US delayed, according to FlightAware.

And there's already more misery lined-up for Sunday travelers. As of 2am EST, 567 US flights have already been canceled - including 163 axed by Delta. A further 182 have so-far been delayed across all airlines.

The travel anguish comes after a total of 8,900 delays and 1,470 cancelation thwarted US travels on Friday and more than 1,700 were canceled on Thursday.

Buttigieg said he is pushing the airlines to stress-test their summer schedules to ensure they can operate all their planned flights with the employees they have, and to add customer-service workers.

That could put pressure on airlines to make additional cuts in their summer schedules if they discover they have insufficient resources to operate flights.

Buttigieg said his department could take enforcement actions against airlines that fail to live up to consumer-protection standards.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, center, speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington, May 16, 2022, as Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, left, and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan, right, listen. Buttigieg says he is pushing airlines to hire more customer-service people and take other steps to help travelers this summer

Travelers wait to check-in in the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport

Miami airport Summer travel long lines at the TSA check points with passengers facing delays getting through security

But first, he said, he wants to see whether there are major flight disruptions over the July Fourth holiday weekend and the rest of the summer.

Airlines have blamed a week of tumultuous weather for the severe delays and cancelations. The Midwest experienced heavy storms earlier this week, which caused immense delays as thousands of travelers tried to switch flights.

Much of the US is currently under a heat warning which can also affect travel as flying in extreme heat uses much more fuel - meaning weight restrictions are tighter.

The mass delays came as summer travel ramped up this week with thousands taking their annual vacations.

Delta and American Airlines ticketholders were among the most disappointed as the airlines' flight schedules decreased six and four percent, respectively, according to the USA Today.

An American Airlines spokesperson told USA Today that the majority of cancelation were 'weather-related.'

Enforcement actions can results in fines, although they tend to be small. Air Canada agreed to pay a $2 million fine last year over slow refunds.

During Thursday's virtual meeting, airline executives described steps they are taking to avoid a repeat of the Memorial Day weekend, when about 2,800 flights were canceled.

'Now we're going to see how those steps measure up,' Buttigieg said.

Travel is back. On Friday, more than 2.4 million people passed through security checkpoints at U.S. airports, coming within about 12,500 of breaking the pandemic-era high recorded on the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year.

Travelers queue up at the north security checkpoint in the main terminal of Denver International Airport

The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that all travelers test negative for coronavirus before flying to the US, amid pressure from airlines that viewed the measure as excessive and blamed it for depressing ticket purchases

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, with Vice President Kamala Harris, delivers remarks during a clean transportation event in the South Court Auditorium of the White House

The record surely would have been broken had airlines not canceled 1,400 flights, many of them because thunderstorms hit parts of the East Coast.

A day earlier, airlines scrubbed more than 1,700 flights, according to tracking service FlightAware.

Weather is always a wild card when it comes to flying in summer, but airlines have also acknowledged staffing shortages as travel roared back faster than expected from pandemic lows.

Airlines are scrambling to hire pilots and other workers to replace employees whom they encouraged to quit after the pandemic hit.

It takes months to hire and train a pilot to meet federal safety standards, but the Transportation Department sees no reason the airlines cannot immediately add customer-service representatives to help passengers rebook if their flight is canceled.

The government has its own staffing challenges. Shortages at the Federal Aviation Administration, part of Buttigieg's department, have contributed to flight delays in Florida.

The FAA promises to increase staffing there. The Transportation Security Administration, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, has created a roving force of 1,000 screeners who can be dispatched to airports where checkpoint lines get too long.
Infra-red footage has captured a dramatic high speed chase where police used tyre spikes to stop an allegedly stolen vehicle.

A Toyota Aurion sedan was allegedly lifted from Mott Street at Gaythorne, Brisbane, on Wednesday.

Police later spotted the car speeding along the Bruce Highway at Coochin Creek, on the Sunshine Coast, on Thursday.

Infra-red footage has captured the dramatic moment a high speed chase came to an end after police used tyre spikes to stop an allegedly stolen vehicle

A police helicopter filmed the vehicle travel along Caloundra Road before police set up tyre spikes to pop the tyres, Courier Mail reported.

The car continues to zoom along the road with four flat tyres, leaving a trail of debris.

The vehicle turns down a road near Honeyfarm Road at Meridan Plains before coming to an abrupt stop with a police motorbike and car behind it.

Officers swoop in and arrest three people as they try to flee on foot, before tracking a fourth one after they tried to escape in nearby bushland.

A 15-year-old girl from Boondall was charged with unlawful use of a vehicle and stealing.

A 16-year-old boy from Sandgate was charged with burglary, receiving tainted property, and unlawful use of a vehicle.

The pair will later appear at Maroochydore Children's Court.

The vehicle then turns down a road near Honeyfarm Road at Meridan Plains before coming to an abrupt stop with a police motorbike and car behind it

A 18-year-old man from Boondall was charged with unlawful use of a vehicle and stealing and will face Maroochydore Magistrates Court on July 11.

A 22-year-old man from Tewantin was charged with burglary, receiving tainted property, unlawful use of a vehicle and possession of drug utensils.

He will appear at Maroochydore Magistrates Court on June 17.
Disturbing doorbell camera footage captured the moment three female friends were brutally beaten in an unprovoked attack by a man cops say is a woman-hating ex-con who went on to target three other victims over the ensuing 24 hours.

The clip was shot in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, and shows a man cops think is Malcolm White, 36, punch one woman to the ground while walking past them, and then attack one of the first victim's female friends as she rushed to help.

The first victim screamed 'F**k you' at her attacker while laying injured on the ground.

A third woman was seen grabbing a trash can and running into the road in a bid to protect herself from the attack by a man cops say neither she nor her friends had met before.

The man cops say is White fled the scene afterwards.

Police are investigating if White was the man videotaped attacking three women on Wednesday night, punching all three of them in the face in a horrific assault

Despite their efforts, all three women were beaten brutally before the man ran off

He is suspected of attacking another woman 20 minutes later that evening, as well as of carrying out two separate assaults against female victims the following day, one of which included a sex attack.

There's no suggestion any of the victims knew the attacker cops believe is White, and all four attacks carried out in Philly are believed to have been totally random.

The second attack to take place on Wednesday evening - which happened 20 minutes after the three women were filmed being beaten - saw a woman in her 30s knocked unconscious while sat on the porch of her home.

The first attack to take place on Thursday saw a female office worker who is in her 20s followed into the vestibule of the building where she works, before being beaten and sexually assaulted.

White is said to have begun stalking her after she got off a bus, and allegedly stole her phone.

Later on Thursday, White is accused of carjacking a woman by tearing her from her car by her hair.

She called 911, and cops later arrested White in a nearby wooded area. They're said to have recovered the phone stolen from the woman attacked and molested in her office vestibule during that arrest.

Malcom White, 36, of Brooklyn, (pictured) was arrested on Thursday after a brutal carjacking. Police believe he is behind a series of attacks on women in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Chief Inspector Frank Vanore told reporters on Thursday that the victims in Wednesday's attack included one 29-year-old, and two 27-year-olds.

Law enforcement sources told Fox that White was released from prison in January and has a history of assaulting women prison guards in New York.

White had been released from Clinton County Jail after serving a 12-year sentence on drug and assault charges.

In 2010, he was being held at the prison without bail for allegedly trafficking heroin and crack cocaine between New York City and North Country, Pennsylvania, the Press Republican reported.

While in jail, White was accused of attacking a women prison guard, biting her while she was transporting him from his cell. He was then charged for assaulting four other officers in the prison.

Despite the violent assaults, White was only given a 12-year sentence as part of a plea deal.

Philadelphia Chief Inspector Frank Vanore said police suspect White attacked another woman following the Wednesday assault. They believe he went on to beat and sexually assault another woman hours later, and then attacked another woman and stole her car

Police eventually tracked White down to a wooded area near the car jacking incident. They said he was recently released from jail after a 12-year sentence for drug trafficking and for assaulting guards at a prison

Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner.

The string of attacks against women have left the City of Brotherly Love on edge as it comes as crime continues to rise while District Attorney Larry Krasner faces calls to resign for his 'soft-on-crime' policies.

As of June 12, the city has seen 43 homicides, a 30 percent increase from the previous week, and 324 aggravated assaults with a gun, a 13.3 percent increase.

Overall crime in Philadelphia is currently up more than 7 percent compared to the same time last year.

And after the city faced a mass shooting last week, which killed three and injured 11, Pennsylvania House Republicans initiated the process to impeach Krasner.

'Across the country, people are standing up to unchecked and uncontrolled violence and lawlessness allowed because of radical politicians in district attorneys' offices, like Larry Krasner,' State Rep. Torren Ecker said of the George Soros-backed DA.

'Just last week, city businesses said they are thinking of relocating because of spikes in crime. Philadelphia is Pennsylvania's major economic engine, a tourist attraction, and the birthplace of our freedoms.

'If unchecked crime is keeping businesses and tourists from visiting and locating in Philadelphia, it impacts Pennsylvania as a whole.'

Krasner will now likely face a recall campaign, after San Francisco's progressive DA Chesa Boudin was ousted from office amid fury over spiraling crimes impacting locals' quality of life.

Woke LA DA George Gascon is also on the verge of facing his own recall election over similar issues in the crime-plagued City of Angels.
Fears have arisen that Vladimir Putin's spies are 'active at all levels of British society' - with MI5 spyhunters placed on alert for possible cyber attacks amid the UK's support for Ukraine following Russia's invasion.

Up to 50 Russian spies could now be roaming in the UK amid concern that Putin has ordered all sleeper agents to be ready to respond to tasks.

MI5 chiefs fear the spies may attempt to steal British military secrets and target both Russian and Ukrainian dissenters, The Mirror reports.

It has been claimed that Putin already has spies placed in all areas of UK society, including top public schools, the civil service and the House of Commons.

Vladimir Putin talks at the plenary session during the Saint Petersburg Economic Forum on Friday

Former intelligence officer Lt Col Philip Ingram (pictured) says it is 'impossible to accurately assess how many Russian agents there are in the UK'

A senior intelligence source told The Mirror: 'We have to assume Russia is now active at all levels of British society.

'They scoop up all forms of intelligence and pass it back to the Kremlin through handlers.

'This could be anything from what sort of weaponry is being sent to the Ukraine  and how much of it  to the sexual antics of the countrys political and military leaders.'

It comes after a a Russian man was arrested at Gatwick Airport earlier this week as he attempted to leave the country, on suspicion of spying for the Putin regime.

The suspected agent was detained as he attempted to board a flight out of the UK and was taken to Hammersmith police station late last night by Met officers.

His arrest came as the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Met's SO15 counterterrorism unit and Britain's domestic counter-intelligence and security organisation, MI5.

'Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command arrested a man in his 40s at Gatwick airport on Monday. He remains in custody,' a Met police spokesperson said.

Former intelligence officer Lt Col Philip Ingram said: 'It is impossible to accurately assess how many Russian agents there are in the UK.

'Of course there are different types  declared intelligence officers known as part of Russian diplomatic missions, and those operating under cover trying to recruit agents and then sleeper agents in all aspects of society.

'Given our support for Ukraine, Russian intelligence will be focused heavily on operations inside the UK and could also include recruiting agents inside political establishments, defence and industry.'

Spy chiefs in the UK are on heightened alert for nefarious cyber attacks after it was revealed earlier this month that Russian hackers had attempted to compromise the mobile devices of several Ukrainian and European officials.

Victor Zhora, the deputy head of Ukraine's State Special Communications Service, said phones being used by the country's public servants have come under sustained targeting by Russian agents in the months since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine on February 24.

The suspected Russian agent was detained as he attempted to board a flight out of the UK and was taken to Hammersmith police station late last night by Met officers (armed officers are pictured patrolling Gatwick airport)

Victor Zhora, the deputy head of Ukraine's State Special Communications Service, said phones being used by the country's public servants have come under sustained targeting by Russian agents in the months since Putin ordered troops into Ukraine on February 24

'We see a lot of attempts to hack Ukrainian officials' phones, mainly with the spreading of malware,' Zhora told journalists at a recent online news conference, but confirmed there was no evidence that Ukrainian devices have been compromised thus far.

The hacking of government leaders' devices crept up the international agenda following a cascade of revelations last year around the how phones used by presidents, ministers, and other government officials had been targeted or compromised.

The ability to remotely and invisibly hack into such devices using sophisticated spy software - sometimes called a 'zero click' hack because it requires no interaction from the victim - is particularly feared.

Zhora said he and his colleagues were aware of the threat of zero-click intrusions but declined to comment on whether they knew of any such attempts against their own devices.
Primary schools should provide lessons in money management to pupils as young as seven, a report has concluded.

The study, by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) think-tank, reported that 14 million adults who have faced financial problems believe that their lack of money-management skills had contributed to their plight.

Experts claim that most adult money habits  such as managing spending and saving for rainy days  are already set by the age of seven.

Primary schools should provide lessons in money management to pupils as young as seven, a report has concluded, after research found adults blamed lack of skills for money problems

The CSJ also reported in the study, titled On The Money: A Roadmap For Life-long Financial Learning, that being taught how to manage money was a particular challenge for children from the most deprived backgrounds because they are less likely to receive pocket money.

Tory MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the Education Select Committee, said: The soft skills which we too often denigrate in fact arent soft at all. Indeed, they are skills for life.

'This report shows how those leaving school without an effective financial education are at high risk of financial abuse, fraud and debt.

Robert Halfon said schools must be bolder and add financial education to their curriculum

Yet today only one in three children currently receives any form of financial education at primary school.

We must be bolder  critically, by adding financial education to the curriculum in primary school.

Adults of all ages also need opportunities to develop critical financial skills throughout their life, whether that be in the workplace, further education or via the welfare system.
A trans rights campaigner who led calls to scrap women-only toilets is on a judging panel hearing the case of a Christian teaching assistant sacked for speaking out against lessons in which primary school children learn they can change gender.

Edward Lord, a well-known LGBT activist, has been chosen to advise a tribunal judge during an appeal by Kristie Higgs, who lost her job as a school pastoral assistant after sharing a petition on her Facebook page against extending sex and relationship education.

Lawyers for Mrs Higgs have applied for the 50-year-old to be removed from the panel amid concerns that she will not get a fair hearing when the case is heard in London next week.

Teaching assistant Kristie Higgs (pictured) was sacked after voicing concerns about teaching children they can change gender at a Church of England primary school attended by her nine-year-old son. Mrs Higgs has appealed this decision and will face a judging panel

Lord, who uses the pronouns they, them and their, is refusing to step down. A Liberal Democrat politician who identifies as non-binary, Lord has campaigned in favour of allowing transgender women to use female-only spaces.

As an elected member of the City of London Corporation, Lord was head of an equality committee that changed rules to allow transgender swimmers full access to Hampstead Heaths ladies pond in 2019.

Lord has been vocal on Twitter about allowing trans women to use female-only spaces, yet attracted claims of hypocrisy when it emerged the activist was a Freemason, a men-only organisation.

Lord was awarded an OBE in 2013 and has sat as a magistrate in London since 2002 . They became a lay member on the employment tribunal circuit last year.

It is in that role that Lord will able to question witnesses and advise Tribunal Appeal Judge Mrs Justice Eady on whether Mrs Higgs, 45, was unfairly dismissed in 2018 by Farmors School in Fairford, Gloucestershire.

The mother-of-two was sacked after sharing concerns about lessons at the Church of England primary school attended by her nine-year-old son.

Critics had expressed alarm about the No Outsiders anti-prejudice classes for pupils as young as four which provide teaching on gender identity through stories about a boy who wants to wear a dress and a book about a red crayon that discovers it is really blue.

Edward Lord, a well-known LGBT activist, who led calls to scrap women-only toilets, has been chosen to advise a tribunal judge. Lawyers for Mrs Higgs have applied for the 50-year-old to be removed from the panel amid concerns that she will not get a fair hearing when the case is heard in London next week

Ms Higgs insists her only motive was her view that her son was too young to understand what it means to change sex. As a practising Christian, this went against her beliefs.

During a six-hour disciplinary hearing that resulted in her dismissal, a school governor compared her posts to those of a Nazi far-Right extremist and it emerged the school had also snooped on her emails.

Mrs Higgs launched an appeal after losing her claim of religious discrimination at a Bristol employment tribunal, which found she had been fairly dismissed because her views could be perceived as transphobic.

The appeal case was due to begin on Wednesday but may be delayed after lawyers from the Christian Legal Centre made a formal request for Lord to be removed from the panel.

Last night, Mrs Higgs said: I am concerned that I will not get a fair hearing. Edward Lord has made many public statements that strongly oppose me and my Christian beliefs which are at the heart of my case.

Andrea Williams, from the Christian Legal Centre, said the recusal of Lord was a simple and reasonable request that helps avoid any whiff of a stitch-up. But in an email to the court, Lord said: Whilst I do have views on the topics at the heart of the case, and indeed have expressed some of those views publicly but in an entirely private capacity with no reference to my judicial office, I did not consider them grounds for recusal ... When exercising judicial office, my decision-making follows the facts of a case and pertinent law and nothing else.

A spokesperson for the judiciary said: Judges cannot comment on ongoing proceedings. All judges take a judicial oath, which means they hear cases without fear or favour and find according to the law, personal views do not contribute in any way.
A prominent jewellery family is suing their landlord after he left a 'fake' one-star Google review of their business.

Hassan Ramaihi admitted he left the unflattering review of the Micheli Jewellery shop in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, but denied it was defamatory.

Mr Ramaihi claimed the review, in which he recommended customers take their business elsewhere, was true and a based on his experience at the shop.

But the jewellery business said the review was fake and only made because Mr Ramaihi was angry about a rent dispute with two of the business owners.

Marc Salzmann (pictured left, with his wife) is among those suing Hassan Ramaihi over a 'fake' review of their jewellery business

The review (pictured) posted by Hassan Ramaihi said he had a 'disappointing' experience at Micheli Jewellery in the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds

Mr Ramaihi wrote in his October 2021 review that his experience with Micheli Jewellery was 'disappointing'.

'The customer service provided was rude and not helpful and when finally receiving a quote for what I was after I found that it was almost twice as expensive to the jewellery store up the road,' he wrote.

'I would recommend you shop elsewhere where you can save yourself money and enjoy being looked after.'

County Court documents said Mr Ramaihi is the landlord of an apartment that was leased to Elvi and Darren Harris, two of the owners of the jewellery store.

The couple, along with fellow owner and family member Marc Salzmann, said the review damaged their business and reputation.

They claim the reason behind it was a dispute over the rent the couple was paying to Mr Ramaihi for his Essendon apartment during Melbourne's Covid-19 lockdowns.

The rent had been halved by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal from $4,777 a month to $2,390 in December 2020 due to financial hardship, The Age reported.

Micheli Jewellery has more than 100 positive reviews online, and just four one-star assessments, including that of Mr Ramaihi.

Micheli Jewellery (second shop from right) has more than 100 positive reviews online, and just four one-star assessments, including that of Hassan Ramaihi

The jewellers said Mr Ramaihi was not a customer and therefore the review could not be truthful.

'The plaintiffs track all quotes and sales via the point-of-sale system for Micheli Jewellery,' court documents said.

'There are no records of Hassan Ramaihi patronising Micheli Jewellery, nor of having provided a quote to him.'

Mr Harris told the Sunday Age: 'He never got a quote from us as stated and used Google reviews as a way to get revenge and hurt us financially.

'That's what I believe may have occurred anyway, we will let the court decide if they agree or not.'

The owners of Micheli Jewellery are seeking damages over the review, which is still online.
Dominic Raab has vowed to strengthen freedom of speech in the Governments new Bill of Rights with protections for journalists sources.

Whistleblowers will be given extra confidence to speak to journalists, with courts forced to meet a higher bar before demanding that a journalist disclose a sources identity.

At the moment a court can order journalists to reveal their sources if there are grounds to show it would prevent a crime or is in the interests of justice or national security.

Now an extra test will be added to the proposed Bill of Rights, which is expected to be unveiled next week, ensuring a journalist will have to reveal a source only if there are exceptional and compelling reasons to consider it is in the public interest.

It will mean the public interest to disclose must outweigh the public interest in protecting the sources right of freedom of expression.

Dominic Raab who is Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary new Bill of Rights with protections for journalists sources will give whistleblowers extra confidence

The test will add a layer of protection to that already contained in the Contempt of Court Act. In March, journalist Chris Mullin won a court battle to block a police bid for him to reveal sources after he wrote a book that helped secure the release of six men wrongly accused of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings.

The Bill is also expected to crack down on claims under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which lets asylum seekers and foreign criminals claim the right to family life to avoid removal.

Mr Raab, who is Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, said: Freedom of speech is the liberty that guards all others. Journalists should have confidence in their right to hold powerful individuals, businesses and governments to account.

This protection in our new Bill will make it harder for courts to order the disclosure of sources, reinforcing the British tradition of healthy and rambunctious public debate.
Gordon Brown has revealed that Vladimir Putin threatened him during an official visit to Moscow and says the West failed to stand up to the Russian President for years before his invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Brown has also slammed 'global disunity' after 150 countries failed to impose sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

I was under no illusions about what Putin was like, the former Prime Minister said in an interview with The Telegraph Magazine this weekend.

Recalling a 2006 visit to the Kremlin while Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Brown went on: I was put in a very low seat so that I was looking up at him. Hes certainly a relatively small man, and he wears these stacked heels.

Anyway, that day he took out these index cards, and proceeded to read out all this information he had about me, as though he wanted to prove that he knew more about me than I knew about myself. So when people say that Putins changed and is only now threatening, I can tell you that he was threatening me even then.

Recalling a 2006 visit to the Kremlin, Gordon Brown said: 'When people say that Putins changed and is only now threatening, I can tell you that he was threatening me even then

A tram depot on the northern outskirts of Kharkiv, received significant damage as a result of constant shelling by Russian troops yesterday

Smoke from shelling rises near a mine waste bank in Lysychansk, Luhansk area, Ukraine

Mr Brown believes Putin only responds to an uncompromising and unyielding show of strength, adding: The only thing Putin understands is strength. Weakness he will exploit; hes opportunistic to the nth degree.

And he warned that the Wests inaction over Russias 2014 invasion of Crimea, which took place while David Cameron was Prime Minister, allowed Putin to think he might get away with further incursions.

In an interview with Sophie Raworth on the BBC's Sunday Morning today, Mr Brown slammed the 150 countries which did not impose sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine and suggested the West's failure to tackle global poverty was one cause.

He said: 'I applaud NATO unity but there is a problem with coordinating sanctions where some countries are not prepared to do it

'What we've also seen is global disunity - 82 countries refuse to support the action against Russia for its breach of human liberties, 150 countries around the world are not imposing sanctions, so we have global disunity.

'One of the reasons is we have not shown people that globalisation which is led by the West is working to reduce poverty, raise living standards and of course, deal with climate change in the poorer countries and really have to honour our promises.

'Two billion people remain unvaccinated despite the fact we have 24 billion vaccines being produced this year. And of course climate change promises to Africa have not been met.'

Gordon Brown claims the West 'failed' to stand up to Vladimir Putin for years as he reveals Russian President threatened him during official visit to Moscow while he was Chancellor. Pictured: Brown (left) and Putin (right) during a meeting at the Kremlin on 11 February 2006

Brown believes Putin only responds to an uncompromising and unyielding show of strength

The comments came as Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky yesterday visited troops in a bunker on the frontline of the southern Mykolaiv region.

Despite Russian advances in eastern Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said: Our brave men. Each one of them is working flat out. We will definitely hold out! We will definitely win.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines, although not in quantities that Ukrainian officials say are needed to push back Russian forces.

Last night, there were fears of another Russian push to seize the key city of Sievierodonetsk. Serhiy Gaidai, the regional governor in Luhansk, claimed Russian reservists were being redirected to the area.

Meanwhile, as he returned to the UK from a visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: The Russians are grinding forward inch by inch and it is vital for us to show what we know to be true, which is that Ukraine can win and will win.

He added: When Ukraine fatigue is setting in, it is very important to show that we are with them for the long haul and we are giving them the strategic resilience that they need.

A Ukrainian serviceman mans a position in a trench on the front line near Avdiivka, Donetsk region

In an interview with the Sophie Raworth on the BBC's Sunday Morning, Mr Brown slammed the 150 countries which did not impose sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine and suggested the West's failure to tackle global poverty was one cause

The new head of the British Army has said troops must prepare 'to fight in Europe once again' as the conflict in Ukraine continues.

General Sir Patrick Sanders took over from General Sir Mark Carleton Smith on Monday and wrote to his charges about the challenges they face, The Sun first reported.

'There is now a burning imperative to forge an Army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle,' Sir Patrick said.

'We are the generation that must prepare the Army to fight in Europe once again,' he added.

It comes after the Prime Minister returned from Ukraine with a warning that 'we need to steel ourselves for a long war'.

After visiting Kyiv, Boris Johnson said Vladimir Putin's invasion is 'entering a new phase' and if Russian advances are successful he "would not stop at dismembering Ukraine".

Writing in The Times, Mr Johnson said: "I am afraid that we need to steel ourselves for a long war, as Putin resorts to a campaign of attrition, trying to grind down Ukraine by sheer brutality.

'The UK and our friends must respond by ensuring that Ukraine has the strategic endurance to survive and eventually prevail.'

'Everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its ability to defend its soil faster than Russia can renew its capacity to attack,' he added.

'Our task is to enlist time on Ukraine's side.'
Rwandas Anglican leader has slapped down senior Church of England clerics, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, for criticising the UKs asylum plan.

Countering Justin Welbys claim that it was ungodly, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda said removing asylum seekers to Rwanda was not immoral. He said the country was ready to welcome people needing a home, and defended the plan by saying that by accepting the asylum seekers, Rwanda will help to tackle a global crisis.

In contrast to Mr Welby, an Eton-educated former oil executive, Archbishop Mbanda said he spent most of his life as a refugee in Burundi and knew how it felt to be without a home.

Archbishop Laurent Mbanda , Rwandas Anglican leader lived in exile like many Rwandans

He said that, like him, many Rwandans had lived in exile because of genocide in the 1990s and understood the issues faced by people fleeing their homes.

The archbishop said it was time for African churches to speak for themselves rather than wait for the Archbishop of Canterbury to tell them what to do.

After Archbishop Welby called the plan ungodly in his Easter sermon, the UKs Anglican bishops signed a joint letter claiming that it shames Britain.
The break in the recent hot weather may be short-lived, with experts predicting four more heatwaves in the coming months.

Temperatures soared to as high as 32.7C (91F) on Friday, but it was far cooler yesterday, with much of the UK experiencing rain.

Further showers are expected today, with highs of 21C (70F). But forecasters say there will soon be a return to a Spanish summer with further hot spells on the way.

In response to the warming climate, the Met Office recently changed its definition of a heatwave, meaning that it now requires certain thresholds to be met for three consecutive days.

Experts claim heatwaves should now be given names as they're the future.

Crowds packed out the beach at Brighton on Saturday, with experts predicting the fine weather is set to continue with four more heatwaves in the UK over the summer months

Exhausted tourists in Cambridge hid under umbrellas as they took a punt on the river Cam

University of Reading climate scientist Professor Hannah Cloke said: 'People just dont realise that heatwaves are very dangerous', The Times reported.

'We should be doing anything we can to raise awareness in the same way as we do for storms.'

Heat thresholds differ county by county, with temperatures of at least 28C (81F) required in London and the Home Counties, 27C (82F) across the rest of the South East and most of the Midlands, 26C (79F) in the North-West Midlands and Welsh Borders, and 25C in the North and West.

Leon Brown, from The Weather Company, the worlds biggest commercial forecaster, said: More heatwaves imported from the Continent to the UK are forecast this summer, each reaching at least 28C  and likely higher  and each lasting several days.

Mr Brown, the head of meteorological operations, said the next hot spell was forecast for early July, with another predicted for the second half of the month.

He added: With heat building further in Western Europe by July and a similar air flow expected from Spain again, it would bring even hotter temperatures than on Friday.

We should see well into the 30s  36C (97F) would not be at all surprising. A third hot period is due in August, with September having further hot spell potential.

Warmth can be brought to the UK in September by tropical storms tracking across the Atlantic.

Crowds of sunseekers take up every spare inch of space at Bournemouth beach on Friday

In contrast to Britain, many parts of mainland Europe continued to experience sweltering temperatures yesterday.

Outdoor public events were banned in parts of southern France, while Paris recorded its hottest ever June day with temperatures predicted to reach 42C (104F).

In Spain, temperatures were forecast to hit a scorching 43C, according to the governments Aemet weather service.

Firefighters battled forest blazes in the north-west Sierra de la Culebra region which have forced some 200 people from their homes.

Meanwhile, water levels are so low across large stretches of Italys largest river, the Po, that locals have been able to walk through the middle of the expanse of sand, and wartime shipwrecks are resurfacing.

Londoners were seen attempting to cope with sizzling temperatures as it hit 31C on Friday

Temperatures are set to plunge across Britain by up to 13C (55F) today, meaning it will be a cool and somewhat soggy 17C to 21C for Fathers Day.

The South will be mainly dry from tomorrow and is set for temperature highs of about 26C (79F) by Wednesday, but the North faces further showers.

A Met Office forecaster said last night: Rain in the far South on Sunday will be heavy in places, with temperatures much nearer normal, while showers are due in the North.

Rain spreads to the North West from Monday, with the South feeling warm in sunny spells by Wednesday.
In the wake of the CDC's approval of Pfizer and Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine for babies as young as six months, at least one expert has questioned the move.

Dr. Sarah Long, an infectious diseases expert at the Drexel University College of Medicine, told the New York Times: 'We should just assume that we don't have efficacy data.'

That comes off the back of Pfizer's own reporting that said their statements of 80% effectiveness in children under five was based on the responses of just three children.

Those children were part of a group of ten but seven were given a placebo.

And there are also concerns about the Moderna shot, which is only between 37 per cent and 51 per cent effective, depending on the age of the child receiving it.

Dr. Sally Long of Drexel University has stated that 'We should just assume that we don't have efficacy data' about vaccines for those under five years old

According to the Times report, the CDC noted in their meeting this past Friday on whether or not to approve the vaccines that Pfizer's metric was unreliable.

Dr. Long said that despite this she was 'comfortable enough' in approving the vaccines based on other data.

Both Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines were shown to have a success rate of around 95% in adults. However in Moderna's case, that number is just 37% in children aged two through five.

The shot is effective in 51 per cent of children aged between six months and 23 months.

Earlier in June 2022, FDA advisors met to discuss new vaccines to deal with new mutations of Covid-19. Public health authorities have expressed a worry that a new mutation in the latter part of the year, could undermine vaccines, reports CNBC.

Moderna's shot How many doses? Moderna requires two doses. How long is it in between doses? The first and second doses are given within three weeks of each other. How long does it take to reach maximum protection? Maximum protection is achieved within 42 days. Why does Moderna only have two doses? Moderna has a higher dosage of the vaccine which is why it works faster What are the side effects? The side effects are similar, with fever in toddlers and irritability in babies being the most common. Is one more effective than the other? Experts say no. Advertisement

Pfizer's shot How many doses? Pfizer requires three doses. How long is it in between doses? The second is given three weeks after the first, the third is two months later. How long does it take to reach maximum protection? Maximum protection is achieved within 90 days. Why does Pfizer have three doses? Pfizer contains a lower dosage which is why it takes longer to reach maximum protection but it may work in your child's system for longer. What are the side effects? One study showed that Pfizer had less impactful side effects in babies than Moderna. Is one more effective than the other? Experts say no. Advertisement

Both Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines were shown to have a success rate of around 95% in adults

According to the CDC, the Pfizer vaccine requires three shots for those between six months and five years old. Moderna requires two

According to the CDC, the Pfizer vaccine requires three shots for those between six months and five years old. Moderna requires two.

For Moderna, it takes around 42 days after the first dose to achieve maximum protection in a child. In Pfizer's case, it takes 90 days. Although, Pfizer's protection may last for longer, reports the Times.

While Dr. William Towner, who performed vaccine trials for both Moderna and Pfizer, told the Times he felt most parents who choose to vaccinate would opt for Moderna as it has one less shot.

However Dr. Towner noted: 'It's really going to be impossible to say on is better than the other.'

Around 2.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 1.3 million of Moderna have been ordered.

According to the census bureau, there are around 20 million children aged between six months and five years old in the United States.

In November, Pfizer's vaccine was approved for five to 11 year olds but less than 30% of that age group has received two doses.

A survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation Vaccine Monitor in April found that just 18% of parents were planning to vaccinate the children if and when they were approved for under fives.

A survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation Vaccine Monitor in April found that just 18% of parents were planning to vaccinate the children if and when they were approved for under fives

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has signed off on Covid-19 vaccines for babies as young as six months old - and couldn't keep the smile from her face as she announced the news on June 18.

Walensky's approval came hours after a panel of advisors to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday voted unanimously 12-0 to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months

This means that a nationwide role out is likely to begin next week, even though the most recent statistics show just 442 children aged between 0 and four have died of COVID in the US since the pandemic began two years ago.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized Moderna Inc's shot for children aged six months to fiveyears, and Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine for children aged six months to four years. Pfizer's vaccine is already authorized for children over the age of five.

Following the approval, Walensky posted a clip on Twitter where she said: 'Nearly 20 million children are now able to get vaccinated against Covid-19. I know many parents with very young children have been anticipating this day.'

Walensky continued: 'We now know, based on rigorous scientific review, that the vaccines available here in the United States can be used can be used safely and effectively in children under five. Vaccinating children is a critical opportunity to protect them against hospitalization and death from Covid-19.'

For children ages one through four years old, Covid-19 is the fifth leading cause of death.

The same data says that hospitalizations of that age group spiked during December 2021 at the height of the Omicron wave.

But for the vast majority of children infected by COVID, the symptoms are exceptionally mild.

Conversely, young children are at risk of a rare but potentially serious - and even deadly - inflammation of the heart linked to COVID vaccines called myocarditis.

Millions of American children have already been infected with COVID and recovered, further complicating the issue, as an infection is believed to leave people with at least a few months of immunity.

That has left many parents weighing up whether to vaccinate their child, although experts have urged them to do so.

The shot will also be welcomed by parents of under-fives with underlying conditions that leave the vulnerable to potentially-serious side effects from COVID.

And the virus itself is also found to have caused a rare but serious inflammatory disorder dubbed MIS-C, meaning some parents may opt to get their children the shot to try and protect them from that condition.

In a statement, Walensky said: 'Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nations fight against COVID-19.'

The director added: 'We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with todays decision, they can.'

'I encourage parents and caregivers with questions to talk to their doctor, nurse, or local pharmacist to learn more about the benefits of vaccinations and the importance of protecting their children by getting them vaccinated.'

According to the CDC's own statistics, 442 children ages four and under have died in the US from Covid-19

For children ages 1 through 4 years old, Covid-19 is the fifth leading cause of death

President Joe Biden has said that the national rollout for children will begin after the holiday weekend

'This infection kills children and we have an opportunity to prevent that,' Beth Bell, one of the doctors on the CDC panel, said following the vote. 'Here is an opportunity to prevent a known risk.'

President Joe Biden's administration plans to roll out the vaccines to the under five age groups on Tuesday following the Juneteenth holiday weekend.

'We will begin shipping millions of vaccine doses for kids to thousands of locations parents know and trust - including pediatricians' offices, children's hospitals, and pharmacies,' Biden said in a statement on Friday.

'As doses are delivered, parents will be able to start scheduling vaccinations for their youngest kids as early as next week, with appointments ramping up over the coming days and weeks.'

Production of the Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 in Puurs, Belgium

In her statement, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said: 'In a statement, Walensky said: 'Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nations fight against COVID-19'

Biden's Covid tsar, Dr. Ashish Jha, has said that there will be 10 million doses available for babies and children

Biden's Covid tsar, Dr. Ashish Jha, has said that there will be ten million doses available for babies and children.

Dr. Matthew Daley, a senior clinician investigator at Kaiser Permanente's Institute of Health Research, said on Friday that those over the age of five who are not vaccinated were ten times more likely for die from Covid-19.

Dr. Daley did not say what the fatality rates were for unvaccinated children under the age of five.

While many parents in the United States are eager to vaccinate their children, it is unclear how strong demand will be for the shots.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized for children aged five to 11 in October, but only about 29% of that group is so far fully vaccinated, federal data shows.

CVS Health Corp plans to provide vaccines to children aged 18 months and older while Rite Aid Corp and Walmart Inc plan to offer these shots for kids who are at least three years old. Infants are traditionally vaccinated at a doctor's office.

Public health officials have been pushing for childhood vaccinations ahead of the new school year as they hope shots for the age group will help prevent hospitalizations and deaths if COVID-19 cases rise again.

The CDC advisers will meet again next week to consider whether to back use of the Moderna vaccine for children and adolescents aged six-17.

There has been some concern about the rate of rare cases of heart inflammation in teenage boys and young men from the Moderna vaccine, and the advisers are expected to consider that data.
The Aboriginal flag will be permanently flown atop Sydney Harbour Bridge by the end of the year following a five-year-long grassroots campaign.

Kamilaroi woman Cheree Toka led the push to give the flag a prime position on Sydney Harbour for 365 days each year by organising successful petitions and fundraising $300,000 towards the cost.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet this week committed another $25million for construction work on the bridge to install the third flagpole ahead of the state's budget announcement on Tuesday.

Mr Perrottet said flying the flag alongside the Australian and NSW state flags is an important gesture towards Closing the Gap and addressing inequality.

The Aboriginal flag will be permanently flown atop Sydney Harbor Bridge after previously being flown only on special occasions such as Australia Day and NAIDOC week (pictured)

Indigenous activist Cheree Toka (pictured) has been fighting for three years to have the Aboriginal flag flown permanently on Sydney's Harbour Bridge and was thrilled with the funding announcement

'Our Indigenous history should be celebrated and acknowledged so young Australians understand the rich and enduring culture that we have here with our past,' Mr Perrottet said in his pre-budget statement on Sunday.

'Installing the Aboriginal flag permanently on the Sydney Harbour Bridge will do just that and is a continuation of the healing process as part of the broader move towards reconciliation.'

The flagpoles are about 20 metres high, the same as a six-storey building, while the flags require an attachment strong enough to withstand all weather conditions.

Transport for NSW and Aboriginal Affairs will engage with key stakeholders about the project.

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean (left) and Premier Dominic Perrottet (right) have made some pre-Budget funding announcements on Sunday

Mr Perrottet had previously committed to giving the Aboriginal flag a place on the Harbour Bridge in February.

The funding, however, provides a guarantee it will be in place before next year after consultants initially said engineering and construction work could take up to two years.

'I can't see why it would take that long... I'll climb up there and fly it myself if I need to,' he said when announcing the decision.

Ms Toka said she was thrilled at the success of the campaign.

'I think this is really important for us as Indigenous people, achieving reconciliation through recognition,' she said.

'While I know a flag is symbolic, it does spark conversation around the unjust things that are happening on Country to our people, and it shows that we are moving forward,' she told NITV News.

The passionate advocate now has her sights set on other places the flag can be displayed after having a similar win in Sydney's Inner West Council this year.

She also said the campaign is not yet finished with the next step being a change in protocol to ensure future premiers cannot remove the flag.

Ms Toka (pictured) organised a successful petition and raised more than $300,000 towards the cost

Other funding announced on Sunday ahead of the state budget includes $37.9 million to improve before and after school care services and $206 million towards a sustainable farming program.

Treasurer Matt Kean says the landmark program will reward farmers who voluntarily reduce carbon emissions and protect biodiversity.

The NSW government also committed $56.4 million to the creation of a four-day walking track at the Dorrigo Escarpment through the Gondwana Rainforests on the NSW mid-north coast.

Environment Minister James Griffin said the funding was the largest capital investment in any NSW national park.

'I want everyone who comes to our NSW national parks as a visitor to leave as a conservationist, and this world-class Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk helps us achieve that,' Mr Griffin said.

The Aboriginal flag being flown on the bridge was previously debated in parliament in 2019 but was knocked back due to the construction of a third flag being 'too costly' (pictured: Ms Toka and supporters)

Some $28 million has also been committed to the state's farm forestry industry, with funds going to the support and education of farmers following the introduction of a new code of practice this year.

Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the investment reflects the increasingly important role farm forestry will play in supporting the sustainable timber industry.

Women in small business will also gain free access to TAFE courses and professional advice thanks to $15 million over the next four years.

Mr Kean says more than 95 per cent of businesses in NSW are small businesses but only a third are run by women.

The Perrottet government is due to hand down its 2022-23 state budget this Tuesday.

Mr Perrottet, Mr Kean and Planning Minister Anthony Roberts are scheduled to make a further budget announcement in Sydney's northwest later on Sunday morning.
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A 27-year-old star painter is dating her 71-year-old power art dealer after falling out with a former gallerist who bought one of her paintings for $15,000, only to sell it a year later for $1.6 million.

Anna Weyant, 27, who first gained attention for her paintings on Instagram, spoke out about her meteoric rise in a lengthy profile for the Wall Street Journal on Saturday.

From selling her painting on the sidewalk for $400 just three years ago, Weyant has quickly become the toast of the art world, with several of her works fetching more than $1 million at auction, and their prices expected to clime even higher.

Weyant also has the backing of powerful supporters. For a year, she has been dating 71-year-old Larry Gagosian, and last month she signed a global representation agreement with the famous dealer's Gagosian Galleries following a bitter business split with dealer Tim Blum of Blum & Poe.

'I'm just trying to protect her from the big bad wolves,' Gagosian told the Journal, insisting that when it comes to discussions about Weyant's career, he treats her the same as any other artist with his gallery.

At the heart of Weyant's split with her former dealer Blum appears to be her painting 'Falling Woman,' which she says she sold to him last year for $15,000 -- just half what his gallery was charging collectors for other works in her spring 2021 show.

As interest in her paintings soared, Blum then sent the painting to Sotheby's for auction, and late last month it fetched $1.6 million, a record for Weyant's work.

Blum didn't break any rules in doing so, although dealers don't usually consign their own artist's paintings to auction. It's unclear if he was still representing Weyant when the artwork was dispatched to the tony auction house.

Rising star artist Anna Weyant signed a deal with legendary dealer Larry Gagosian (with her left), whom she is also dating, after a falling out with her former dealer Tim Blum (right)

At the heart of Weyant's split with her former dealer Blum appears to be her painting 'Falling Woman,' which she says she sold to him last year for $15,000 -- just half what his gallery was charging collectors -- and he auctioned for $1.6M last month

'Summertime,' Ms. Weyant's portrait of a woman with long, flowing hair that the artist had sold for around $12,000 two years before, resold for $1.5 million, five times its high estimate, at a Christie's auction on May 9

Though Weyant declined to described her falling out with Blum in detail, she told the Journal that she was unhappy with how things ended, and that the consignment of 'Falling Woman' was the final straw in her decision to switch to Gagosian.

Blum declined to comment to the Journal and could not be immediately reached by DailyMail.com.

Born in 1995 in Calgary, Canada, Weyant studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, which she says she attended because it was the closest school to New York City that accepted her.

Far from having an artistic upbringing, she is the daughter of a lawyer and a provincial court judge. But she quickly took to painting in college, and even placed in the top three of a Canadian art contest the summer after her senior year.

After graduating in 2017, she spent six months painting at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, where she says the city's sepia tones influenced her now-signature muted palette.

Weyant got her big break when she moved to New York in 2018 and began assisting the established painter Cynthia Talmadge, who promoted her work on her own Instagram account.

Larry Gagosian, Jeffey Deitch and Anna Weyant attend the Party 'Maya Ruiz-Picasso, Fille de Pablo' at Musee des Arts Forains on April 23, 2022 in Paris, France

Feted, 2020, is one of Weyant's works. Born in 1995 in Calgary, Canada, Weyant studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design

Weyant's works Cheerleaders (left) and Loose Screw (right) are seen above. Weyant got her big break when she moved to New York in 2018 and began assisting the established painter Cynthia Talmadge

Weyant is also noted for her transfixing, portentous still lifes. Above is seen Godzilla, 2022.

Talmadge introduced Weyant to her own dealer Ellie Rines, owner of the New York gallery 56 Henry, who recalled to the Journal: 'I saw a lot of potential in her.'

Rines helped Weyant make some of her first sales in the summer of 2019, laying out her paintings on a sidewalk at a Hamptons art fair, selling a few for $400 apiece.

Group shows followed, and then Weyant's first solo show at 56 Henry, titled 'Welcome To The Dollhouse.'

Gagosian Galleries recently described that series as 'a sequence of darkly cinematic vignettes depicting a dollhouse and the strange, cloistered lives of its inhabitants.' The show sold out, with every piece going for between $2,000 to $12,000.

It was around this time that Gagosian first became aware of her work, and purchased one of Weyant's paintings, titled 'Head,' which is hanging in his home today.

By the spring of 2021, Weyant was being exclusively represented by Los Angeles gallery Blum & Poe, and some of her paintings were selling for nearly $50,000 apiece.

Gagosian, who visited her spring 2021 show, invited the artist to have dinner at his Beverly Hills mansion, recalling that he was struck when she asked if he had any gin, which is one of his favorite drinks.

The couple were soon dating and vacationing together in exotic locales such as Paris and Saint-Tropez.

Despite her rise to fame, Weyant still lives, and paints, in this modest 675-square-foot one-bedroom apartment on New York's Upper West Side, where she has lived since moving to the city

Although Weyant increasingly travels in Gagosian's jet-set circles, she has tried to remain grounded and sticks to her routines, working from her Upper West Side apartment

Weyant's still-live Buffet (2020) is seen above. She has gone from selling work on the sidewalk for $400 to seeing her paintings auctioned on the secondary market for more than $1 million

But although Weyant increasingly travels in Gagosian's jet-set circles, she has tried to remain grounded and sticks to her routines.

She still lives, and paints, in a modest 675-square-foot one-bedroom apartment on New York's Upper West Side, where she has resided since moving to the city.

Weyant, 27, has made a splash in the art world

Despite her tension with Blum over the matter, it was the Sotheby's sale of 'Falling Woman' last month that set heads spinning and put Weyant's name on the lips of every collector.

First on the docket for the prestigious evening show, 'Falling Woman' blew past all expectations, with the final bid coming in at eight times the high-end estimate.

Weyant's relationship with Gagosian has also set tongues wagging in the art world.

Prior to dating Weyant, Gagosian and his longtime girlfriend, Chrissie Erpf, a senior director at the gallery, split in 2019, according to Page Six.

Gagosian also briefly dated Holly Bawden, his 35-year-old former personal assistant, later in 2019, the outlet reported.

Weyant's allies harshly denounce any speculation that her romance with the legendary gallerist has given her a leg up in the cutthroat art world.

'When someone becomes successful, people kind of forget that that's a human being,' Rines, Weyant's first dealer whom she remains close with, previously told the Daily Beast.

'She's a 27-year-old woman, and I think it's really wild that men, mostly middle-aged men, are spreading all these rumors about her. I think it's so pathetic.'
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Pro-abortion activists dressed in blood-soaked outfits and brandishing dolls held a protest outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday as the court is poised to overturn Roe V. Wade in the coming weeks.

Protesters from the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights group gathered outside Barrett's home in Falls Church, Virginia, waving signs calling on the Supreme Court to protect women's federal abortion rights.

The group also carried dolls and wore white pants with blood stains around the crotch, which they said represented an increase in the number of forced births that would take place if Barrett and her fellow conservative justices strike down Roe v. Wade.

It's the latest set of demonstrations outside the homes of the justices following a leak last month that showed the conservative majority's willingness to end the landmark abortion ruling.

Members of the Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights group protested outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday, calling on her to uphold women's federal right to abortion

The protesters had their mouths tapped, wore blood-stained pants and carried around toy dolls during the demonstration. They said they were dawning symbols of the forced births that would take place if Roe V. Wade were overturned

The women stood outside Barrett's home in Falls Church, Viriginia, while hightened security was nearby following an attempted murder case outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home last week

It was the latest protests spurnned on by a leaked document from the high court showing that the conservative majority were poised to strike down America's landmarkt abortion ruling

The protests have been centered outside the Supreme Court and at the homes of Barrett (top right) and her fellow conservative justices. Lawmakers have increased security around the justices and their families

Protests have erupted in Washington D.C. and across the country over the expected ruling, with many fearing for the justices' safety after protesters began demonstrating outside their homes and country clubs.

Last week, protester Nicholas Roske, 26, was arrested and charged with attempted murder after police found him carrying a handgun, ammunition, a crow bar and pepper spray near Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home.

Prosecutors say Roske traveled from California to the justice's home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with the intent of killing Kavanaugh, and then himself, because he was allegedly upset over the expected overturn of Roe V. Wade.

A Catholic native of Washington, Kavanaugh's nomination in 2018 to the high court drew particularly heated debates over his views toward women and abortion rights.

He was forced to angrily deny sexually assaulting a woman at a party while attending school in a series of confirmation hearings that electrified - and divided - much of the United States.

His confirmation gave conservatives a 5-4 majority on the court, which grew further when Catholic, stridently anti-abortion Barrett joined in October 2020 following the death of abortion-rights champion Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The women marched outside Barrett's home wearing white pants with blood stains around the crotch area

They paraded around with the dolls and signs calling on Barrett to uphold Roe v. Wade

Part of the demonstration took place near a school zone in the Virginia neighborhood

The protesters also let out chants as they paced outside Barrett's home on Saturday

They were guided and told to stay at a distance from the judge's home as security for justices is tightened

A barricade went up around the Supreme Court on May 14 following the leak about the abortion ruling

Congress has since passed legislation to bolster security around the nine justices, with Biden signing off on a bill this week to extend the protection to their families.

Security has already dramatically ramped up outside Justices' D.C.-area homes and around the Supreme Court building, where a seven-foot tall, non-scalable fence was erected in May to keep protesters, demonstrators and other threats clear from the building and its employees.

The high tensions over security concerns come as a string of acts of vandalism and arson are taking place against pro-life clinics throughout the nation, which the FBI announced on Friday that it would be investigating as acts of terrorism after the radical pro-choice group, Jane's Revenge, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

In a statement, the bureau said: 'The FBI is investigating a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers and faith-based organizations across the country.

'The FBI takes all threats seriously and we continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and will remain vigilant to protect our communities.'

Last week, protester Nicholas Roske, 26, (left) was arrested and charged with attempted murder after police found him carrying a handgun, ammunition, a crow bar and pepper spray near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh (right).

The Compass Care, a Christian pregnancy center in Buffalo, New York was firebombed on June 7. The pro-abortion radical group Jane's Revenge claimed responsibility for the arson as the FBI said it was treating it as an act of domestic terrorism

The group also claimed responsibility for throwing Molotov cocktail into the Wisconsin Family Center, in Madison, on May 8, causing severe fire damage (pictured)

On June 7, the North Carolina-based Mountain Area Pregnancy Services (above), was also vandalized

Jane's Revenge, a pro-abortion radical group, graffitied their signature on the attack

The group boasted about several of the attacks, including two of the most recent ones that happened on June 7 when a Christian pregnancy center in Buffalo, New York was firebombed and a Mountain Area Pregnancy Services center in Asheville, North Carolina was vandalized.

The letter described how 'easy and fun it is to attack' the centers as the group vowed to take 'increasingly drastic measures against oppressive infrastructures' following the deadline's expiration.

'Those measures may not come in the form of something so easily cleaned up as fire and graffiti,' the letter threatened.

In the letter, which claims that Jane's Revenge is 'not one group but many,' and has disseminated 'communiques' in locations across the country, but mainly in the Pacific Northwest.

They've claimed responsibility for various attacks in Madison, Wisconsin; Ft. Collins, Colorado; Des Moines, Iowa; Hollywood, Florida; Denton, Texas; and Washington, D.C.

They also claimed to have attacked Portland, Eugene and Gresham in Oregon, along with Olympia, Lynwood and Vancouver in Washington state, and Reisterstown and Frederick in Maryland.
Insiders claim Annastacia Palaszczuk has 'checked out' and Labor stalwart Peter Beattie has urged her to start a new agenda and prove she still wants to be premier.

Mr Beattie, who was state premier between 1998 and 2007, warned voters would turn on Ms Palaszczuk if they believed her government had become 'stale'.

'You've got to keep renewing your vision, because if you don't, you get stale and people see you're stale and they will want someone else to have a go,' he told Courier Mail.

Ms Palaszczuk and her boyfriend Dr Reza Adib attended the premier of Baz Luhrmann's new film Elvis on June 4

Labor stalwart Peter Beattie has urged Annastacia Palaszczuk to start a new agenda and prove she still wants to act as premier as rumours swirl she has 'checked out'

'If you've been there a while it gets tougher because people want to see well what are you gonna do.'

Labor insiders claim Ms Palaszczuk has 'checked out' of her role and showed more interest in attending social events than running Queensland.

Ms Palaszczuk and her boyfriend Dr Reza Adib attended the premiere of Baz Luhrmann's new film Elvis on June 4.

The Queensland premier was also spotted letting her hair down at the Strabroke Handicap race day at Eagle Farm last Saturday and will attend the Logie awards on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

'Every time they turn on the news there's another story about some atrocity in the health system,' an insider told The Australian.

'And there she is: out and about again with the doctor. It's not a good look.'

Mr Beattie suggested the premier capitalise on the upcoming 2032 Olympics to introduce an innovation strategy.

He said the jobs in the energy, mining, biotechnology, defence, space, and agriculture industries.

Labor insiders claim Ms Palaszczuk has 'checked out' of her role and showed more interest in attending social events than running Queensland (pictured, Reza Adib, Baz Luhrmann and Annastacia Palaszczuk at the Elvis premiere)

'You've got to have a vision and you've got to demonstrate it. And the answer to this is you've got to go out and share it with people and take them with you,' he said.

Ms Palaszczuk could become the longest-serving Labor premier in Queensland since World War II if she leads her party to victory at the next election in 2024.

She would beat the previous nine-year record set by Mr Beattie.

Labor insiders claim Ms Palaszczuk has given too much power to union boss Gary Bullock and won't make any decisions without first consulting him.
A hugely popular Chinese salesman was taken offline during the middle of a show for a sales stunt with an Australian dessert - and he hasn't been seen since.

Austin Li, also known as the 'Lipstick King' for selling 15,000 lipsticks in five minutes on a livestream, was hosting a sales event on the Taobao e-commerce site on June 3.

The marketer with millions of followers did a stunt involving a Viennetta, recently named Australia's favourite nostalgic dessert, 40 years after its launch in 1982.

The sudden end to Li's show came after his crew presented him with the cake that had chocolates added to it in a way that resembled a tank.

The stunt, whether or not it was intentional, put his stellar sales career - he once sold $2.2 billion worth of goods in a single show - in jeopardy.

Austin 'Lipstick King' Li, pictured getting his hair done for a show, has disappeared from the internet in China after a sales pitch took a wrong turn

With traffic building on his Taobao live stream, one of Li's staff presented the Viennetta decorated with Oreo cookies, a Ferrero Rocher and a chocolate roll.

The overall effect meant the simple treat now looked a little bit like a tank, and random tank images are not welcome in China in case they are a veiled reference to the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.

On June 3, 1989 - Li's show was on the 33rd anniversary - thousands of armed troops and hundreds of armoured military vehicles entered Beijing city centre.

The next day, soldiers shot at the protesters and ruthlessly crushed the uprising. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand.

Li's tank-shaped Vienetta triggered a sophisticated Chinese censorship system designed to block any reference to the massacre.

The Chinese government is particularly sensitive to any use of the famous photo of a man standing in front of tanks on June 5, 1989 during the student-led protest.

The photo is banned in China, as is anything that may even be alluding to it.

Chinese e-commerce star Austin Li (left) is pictured beside one of his staff presenting a Viennetta ice cream done up to look like a tank, or at least that's what Chinese censors thought it was

What happened in the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre? April 1989 - people from across China gathered in Beijing's Tiananmen Square to mourn the death of the liberal Communist party leader Hu Yaobang and share their frustrations about the slow pace of promised reform. May 13 - hundreds of student protesters went on hunger strike in order to push for talks with Communist party leaders. An estimated one million people joined the protests in Beijing. May 20 - martial law was declared. June 3/4 - thousands of armed troops and hundreds of armoured military vehicles entered the city centre. Soldiers shot at the protesters. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand. Source - Amnesty International Advertisement

Suddenly, Li's stream disappeared.

As fans - most of whom have no idea what happened in Tiananmen Square more than three decades ago - wondered what happened, Li, 30, posted an apology.

Using Chinese social media site Weibo, he initially said his team was 'having a technical issue'. A follow up post announced the live event was over.

After being an almost daily presence in their lives for five years, Li's millions of fans have not heard from him since.

His name could still be searched on China's social media, but the photo of him holding the Viennetta tank is censored on Weibo.

Eric Liu, a former Weibo censor who now lives in the US, said Li's censorship is a 'normal reaction' over the 1989 massacre.

'There is a very strict censorship system especially about Tiananmen protests,' Mr Liu told the ABC.

'If you post something that can be related to Tiananmen, such as a candle emoji between the night of June 3 and June 5, the post will be removed, and your account will be suspended.'

Though he had previously proven popular with the Chinese Communist Party for his work ethic and great success, Li's disappearance showed no one is immune to state censorship.

But making a very big deal out of an ice cream cake may have backfired on Beijing.

The censorship of Li has made young Chinese people wonder why it happened and what was behind it.

Many of his fans were not even born when the Tiananmen Square Massacre happened.

The sudden disappearance of one of their heroes could be the catalyst for them to find out about a very dark chapter in their country's history.
An East Hampton-dwelling Washington Post journalist wished boils on a CNN writer who blasted her for saying that everyone she interacts with wears an N95 mask.

Hannah Selinger and Rebecca Bodenheimer squabbled for all to see on Saturday over Bodenheimer's suggestion that Selinger's continued reliance on the medical-grade face masks smacked of irrational and privileged behavior.

Selinger, who divides her time between ritzy East Hampton and Boxford, Massachusetts, subsequently launched into a multi-tweet attack on Bodenheimer.

And she even suggested that her online foe deserved to develop painful spots for her impertinence.

The spat began with a series of tweets from Bodenheimer which read: 'If you get on here and say *everyone* you interact with wears an N95, I have no choice but to assume you interact with a very small subset of people - mostly middle/upper class and working from home - and that you get most things delivered to your home by service workers.'

Bodenheimer, who lives in Oakland, continued: 'Thats simply not the way the vast majority of Americans are living at this point in the pandemic. Youre free to mask as long as you want but what you wont do is claim to represent the beliefs of a diverse cross-section of the population.'

She concluded her screed by saying: 'And the reason I know this is that I live in one of the most risk-averse cities in the nation, but also one of the most racially and economically diverse ones. I live hood-adjacent and my spouse is an essential worker who works *in* the hood. I see a wide range of beliefs here.'

CNN contributor Rebecca Bodenheimer, left, found herself waging cyber battle with Washington Post writer Hannah Selinger, right, after calling out people who brag about strict masking measures and Selinger realized she was the person being talked about

This is the thread from Bodenheimer that kicked off the exchange

But Selinger - who writes for the Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal quickly lashed Bodenheimer, a freelancer who has worked for CNN, Vice, Politico and The Cut, with a stream of invective.

She quote-tweeted Bodenheimer's original tweet thread and wrote: 'Rebecca is tweeting about me, because she's an anti-masker.'

Bodenheimer admitted her original missive had indeed been referring to Selinger.

She defended herself by saying that she didn't name Selinger or call her out directly, and that she was just 'making an observation.'

But that cut little ice with Selinger, who said: 'The tweet was about me! Of course you were calling me out! don't be ridiculous. That's passive-aggressive bullshit.

'Either say what you're saying (inaccurately, per our conversation) and own it, and the repercussions, or don't.

'You know your tweet was inaccurate.'

Selinger realized she was the one being spoken about, and issued a cutting response on Twitter

The spat was further inflamed when Bodenheimer admitted she'd been referring to Selinger in her original thread - but defended herself by saying that she hadn't named Bodenheimer directly

Bodenheimer responded again to dispute Selinger's claims she was a coward, insisting: 'I was trying not to have people harass you.'

And she poured fuel on the fire with a further dig at Selinger's COVID-safety measures, writing: 'I do know many people aren't as risk-averse as you and that you shouldn't assume your beliefs extend to everyone else.'

That further inflamed Selinger, who then queried whether Bodenheimer should continue to tweet at all, given she has followers who went on to 'harass' Selinger.

Bodenheimer finally checked out of the cyber battle, telling Selinger she was 'done.'

That prompted Selinger to respond with a gif of a woman laughing hysterically.

The squabble appeared to come to an end when Bodenheimer said she no longer wished to discuss it - prompting Selinger to send her a gif of a cackling woman

But Selinger decided to have the last word, and suggested she hoped Bodenheimer develops boils on her skin for taking her to task over her approach to masking

Selinger then brought the squabble full-circle with a tweet of her own that didn't mention anyone directly - but which did appear to wish a painful illness on Bodenheimer.

She wrote: 'So weird when seemingly rational people turn anti-mask or anti-vaxx. Its always the ones with feeble, bit-heavy social followings, too, amirite? Its hard to know what to wish on these folks. Maybe boils?'

The fracas was started earlier in the day after Selinger replied to a previous tweet from Bodenheimer that said masks ultimately made little difference unless they were high-quality.

Selinger wrote: 'People are pretty much only wearing N95s at this point. A mandate in certain federal circumstances is critical. You cant expect people to do the right thing on, say, an airplane. They wont.'

The unseemly fight between the two writers is emblematic of seemingly never-ending tensions over COVID safety measures.

It is also the latest example of well-paid journalists publicly attacking each other online over issues many inflation-battered Americans would deem trivial.

COVID masking and vaccine mandates have largely been lifted across the US as deaths from the virus drop, even though new variants continue to infect and re-infect thousands of Americans.

This is part of the exchange that ignited the fight between the two women, and led to Bodenheimer to post her series of tweets about privileged mask wearers

Meanwhile, Washington Post staffer Felicia Sonmez was fired from her job earlier this months after a multi-day rage at male colleague Dave Wiegel after he retweeted a sexist joke saying all women were either bisexual or bipolar.

Wiegel apologized, but Sonmez continued to rant about his behavior, and call for disciplinary action against journalist who defended him.

Other august publications have also been rocked by staffers attacking each other publicly on Twitter - often over issues of social justice.

That has prompted them to warn staff to keep disputes private, with the New York Times also advising its reporters that they can stay off Twitter altogether, if they so wish.
A disabled veteran on his honeymoon and new mother with a hungry baby and no formula were among passengers left stranded by canceled Delta flights Saturday.

On Saturday, Delta canceled 219 flights, among the 2,709 called off nationwide, according to Flight Aware, leaving customers with the short-end of the stick as the airline also delayed 672 flights.

Saturday saw a total of 856 flights canceled across the US, with 5,997 flights within, into or out of the US delayed, according to FlightAware.

And there's already more misery lined-up for Sunday travelers. As of 2am EST, 567 US flights have already been canceled - including 163 axed by Delta. A further 182 have so-far been delayed across all airlines.

The travel anguish comes after a total of 8,900 delays and 1,470 cancelation thwarted US travels on Friday and more than 1,700 were canceled on Thursday.

On Saturday, passengers stuck at Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport were among the worst hit.

Disabled U.S. Army veteran Joe Reis told 11 Alive that the delays and cancellations have kept him from returning home from his honeymoon and accessing the charger for his hearing aids, which is in his hold bag.

'Instead of it being a happy honeymoon, it became a very miserable plane ride waiting for this hell hole to let us finally leave,' Reis said, adding that he had to sleep on the floor on Saturday. 'I have to rely on hearing aids, and so my charging port is actually in my bag in Omaha.'

New mother Brooke Osborne echoed the complaints, saying that she was running out of diapers and formula for her 11-month-old daughter, Carson.

'We've just been giving her more food throughout the day and less bottles since all of her formula is in our checked bag, which is in Omaha,' she told the local outlet.

Osborne spoke as Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg ordered airlines to 'stress-test' their services ahead of July 4, which could mean further flights are canceled if they realize they've got insufficient staff to operate them.

U.S. Army veteran Joe Reis (left) and new mother Brook Osborne (right) said they were stuck at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport for 24 hours on Saturday, with their bags containing essential equipment waiting for them in Omaha, Nebraska

Osborne said she was running out of diapers and formula for her 11-month-old daughter

The chaos at the Atlanta airport (pictured) came after Delta canceled219 flights on Saturday, among the 2,709 called off nationwide. There have been 1,501 flights canceled so far for Sunday as the congested airports deal with the Father's Day weekend

Rachel England, another passenger who was stuck waiting for her flight to Omaha, said she had been stranded in Atlanta since Friday.

'We've been there since like 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., the night before,' England told 11 Alive on Saturday.

'I told [Delta], 'This is on you. You guys get me the reimbursement for the hotel,'' she added. 'I made sure to get flight insurance just in case something like this happens.'

In a statement about the delays and cancellations, Delta said: 'We apologize for any inconvenience and delay customers have experienced as a result of issues primarily driven by weather, ATC, and crew resources.

'Delta people continue working hard to deliver the operations customers have come to expect from us, and we are working quickly to resolve travel issues and get customers to their destination.'

The delays are partially driven by on-going storms throughout the U.S. after a heat dome settled over the Midwest and South earlier this week, creating the perfect conditions for surprise tornadoes and showers.

Delta has canceled 158 flights and delayed 39 so far on Sunday, according to Flight Aware, with a total of 1,501 flight cancellations scheduled across the country.

United Airlines has canceled 80 flights and delayed 15 on Sunday, and American Airlines has called off 17 flights and delayed 26.

Among the airports seeing the most cancellations on Sunday so far are Newark Liberty International with 45, Hartsfield-Jackson International with 30, Boston Logan International with 27, and New York's LaGuardia with 25 and JFK International Airport with 21.

Travelers at New York's LaGuardia (pictured) have experienced thousands of cancellations in the past few days, with almost 800 cancellations and nearly 3,000 delays on Saturday

Transportation Pete Buttigieg called on airlines to brace themselves and prepare for the hectic July 4 weekend and said travelers should expect more reliable service by then

The ongoing trends of frustrated travelers and high number of cancellations pushed Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to tell airline executives to clean up their act and avoid another flying catastrophe before July 4.

Buttigieg, alongside millions of other travelers, are tired of what feels like constant cancellations without so much as an apology from the airlines.

The father-of-two has given airline executives a short two-week period to clean up the mess and guarantee travelers can enjoy a patriotic weekend and summer without the airport stress.

He's asked them to 'stress-test' operations ahead of the next big holiday - meaning travel firms could ultimately end up cutting more flights if they realize they'll have insufficient resources to operate them.

'At the end of the day, they've got to deliver,' Buttigieg told the Today Show. The Democrat met with top airlines executives on Thursday to warn them to avoid the Memorial Day disaster, where 2,700 flights were canceled.

On Friday, Buttigieg tweeted: 'Air travelers should be able to expect reliable service as demand returns to levels not seen since before the pandemic.'

The number of travelers is surging back to pre-pandemic levels. This chart shows the same week over the last three years

A recent survey by the US Travel Association found than one in ten can't afford to go on a road trip this year because of the increased cost and gas isn't the only thing that's more expensive

Travelers should expect to embrace a seemingly difficult travel season as not only are there less pilots in the cockpit, but less TSA agents screaming to take laptops out of backpacks.

Pre-pandemic, there were roughly 50,000 TSA agents employees, but in the last two years, that number has dipped to 46,000.

Many TSA checkpoints were closed during the height of the pandemic in 2020 - creating bottlenecks at already-crowded ports.

On top of that, TSA lost an abundance of workers due to the vaccine mandate last year. Official numbers have not been released for how many agents were lost to other jobs during the pandemic, but the agency is recruiting across the country.
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In a rare sighting since he and his wife's controversial January 6 testimony was released, Jared Kushner was spotted out and about in Surfside, Florida, hitting the beach with two of his children.

Jared, 41, was seen Saturday with his eldest child, daughter, Arabella, 11, son, Joseph, 8, and his youngest son Theodore, 6 boogie boarding and soaking up the sun in the Miami neighborhood.

Clad in a Patagonia hat, clear watch, grey t-shirt, pattern shorts and dark clothes, Jared smiled all day as he played with his children at the beach, and clearly enjoyed the family outing.

The property heir and his wife Ivanka Trump have kept a relatively-low profile in the wake of their testimony to the Capitol riot committee.

Ivanka said in her testimony that she didn't believe her father Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. While Jared said that he didn't think his father-in-law should follow Rudy Giuliani's advice about declaring victory on election night.

That put them on a collision course with Donald Trump himself, who still maintains he lost the race against Joe Biden unfairly.

Jared Kushner was seen walking a long a street in Surfside, Florida, with two of the children he shares with Ivanka Trump

Son, Joseph, and daughter, Arabella, are seen on scooters as they walked next to their father

Ivanka and Jared were last seen in Surfside, Florida, where they are renting a condo, running errands on June 10

The family was later seen hitting the beach with an array of beach toys while Jared clutched a tote bag

Ivanka and Jared were last seen in Surfside, Florida, where they are renting a condo, running errands on June 10.

Surfside is located 13 miles north of downtown Miami. It is nicknamed: 'Miami's Uptown Beachtown.'

They have bought a $30 million estate nearby in Indian Creek Island, and are expected to move in in the fall when building work is complete.

Shortly, the couple will count Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tom Brady and his supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen, as their neighbors. They bought plot of land on Indian Creek Island and are in the process of building an environmentally sound home.

The area counts billionaires Carl Icahn and Eddie Lampert among its residents and has earned the name 'Billionaire Bunker.'

The couple's daughter, Arabella, was seen with a bandage wrapped around the upper part of her right leg

Jared and Ivanka have bought a $30 million estate nearby in Indian Creek Island, and are expected to move in in the fall

Shortly, the family will count Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tom Brady and his supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen, as their neighbors

One of President Donald Trump's closest advisors striding purposefully through the water

Jared led his sons, Joseph and Theodore, into the water to cool down from the Florida summer heat

Jared giving his son, Joseph, a break from the sun's glare as he lends him his sunglasses for a moment

In February 2022, a friend of Jared's told People Magazine: 'They're just settling into normal life and really enjoying it. Jared will say, 'The nice thing about Miami is the moment you stop working, you're on vacation.'

According to People, during one social occasion since moving to the town, Jared and Ivanka sat next to Pharrell Williams and have had dinner with Pitbull

Ivanka and Jared are said to travel to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's primary residence, every few weeks but are no long involved in advising the former president

In February 2022, a friend of Jared's told People Magazine: 'They're just settling into normal life and really enjoying it. Jared will say, 'The nice thing about Miami is the moment you stop working, you're on vacation.''

The friend continued: 'Jared's spending a lot more time with his family because over the last four years that was something neither of them could do as much as they wanted to. Jared will say, 'The nice thing about Miami is the moment you stop working, you're on vacation.''

He also said that the couple travels to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's primary residence, every few weeks but are no long involved in advising the former president.

According to People, during one social occasion since moving to the town, they sat next to Pharrell Williams and have had dinner with Pitbull.

The town's mayor, Charles Burkett, made reference to meeting the couple in Surfside in an interview with the Washingtonian in October 2021: 'They were like anybody else and blended in with the crowd.' Burkett is a supporter of Donald Trump.

Burkett added: 'They're not just here passing through. I believe they want to make this a big part of their life, this part of the state of Florida generally, specifically Surfside.'

Surfside town commissioner Eliana Salzhauer, a Democrat, was less welcoming who told the Washingtonian about her feelings when she found out the couple was coming to their town:

'It was, Oh, good, the town is getting recognition.' Then it was, Oh, no, the psychos are coming. The last thing Salzhauer wants is to become an enabler of the couples reinvention act in South Florida, which makes the whole situation rather frustrating. As she puts it, 'What are they doing in our town?''

Jared has been spending his time working on his White House memoir, and developing his private equity firm.

Jared has been spending his time working on his White House memoir, and developing his private equity firm

Jared's daughter Arabella wasn't pictured getting as deep in the water as her siblings

Arabella pulling her youngest brother along in the surf

A fellow beachgoer hands something to Arabella Kushner while her brother looks on

The couple has not done any interviews since Trump's presidency ended.

In the days before his beach day, the partner of Brian Sicknick, the United States Capitol Police Officer who was killed on January 6, 2021, Sandra Garza, made impassioned remarks for bother Jared and Ivanka.

Garza made the comments during an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN on Thursday.

She said: 'There were so many people that could have intervened and said, 'You know what? I'm going to go to the media. I'm going to go to the press. I'm going to scream from the rooftops and try and stop this.'

When asked who she felt could have done more, Garza said: 'Ivanka, in particular.'

She continued: 'I mean, families were decimated because of what happened on the 6th. People died because of what happened on the 6th.'

Joseph Kushner paddling in the Florida sun as temperatures soared passed 85 degrees

Arabella Kushner keeping watch over her brother Theodore

Garza addressed Ivanka and Jared directly saying: 'Jared, Ivanka ... yes, it's hard to stand up to a family member, a father, a father-in-law. But you could have done something. You could have avoided the bloodshed that took place  including the suicides that took place after.'

According to reports, on November 5, 2020, within 24 hours of Trump first publicly proclaiming he was the true winner, Kushner turned to Ivanka and told her: 'We're moving to Miami.'

The Miami Herald reported in 2021 that of the 53 registered voters on Indian Creek Island, 79% voted for Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Although the town of Surfside narrowly voted for Biden.

The claim was made in the book The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, by New York Times reporter Peter Baker and New Yorker reporter Susan Glasser.

'No matter how vociferously Mr. Trump claimed otherwise, neither Mr. Kushner nor Ivanka Trump believed then or later that the election had been stolen,' according to the book, which cites people close to them.

However a June 2022 Rolling Stone report accused Jared of being among the most active behind the scenes in trying to keep Trump in office following President Joe Biden's election.

The report says that Jared met with his father on multiple occasions on the issue. His plan was to launch 'multi-pronged legal battles and a scorched-earth messaging war against the victorious Biden campaign.'

A former Trump advisor told the magazine: 'Jared was directly involved.' Another source said: 'Jared helped create what then morphed into the Rudy clown show.' The article references Jared as seeing himself like Jim Baker, George W. Bush's primary lawyer during the 2000 Florida recount.

Ivanka said in her statement that she agreed with then-Attorney General William Barr's assertion that the election was not stolen.

She said: 'I respect Attorney General Barr. So I accepted what he said - was saying.'

Donald Trump condemned his daughter's remarks on his Truth Social platform saying that she only made them in order to be respectful towards William Barr.

The 45th president added: 'The Democrats hit pay dirt with Barr, he was stupid, ridiculously said there was no problem with the Election, & they left him alone. It worked for him, but not for our Country!'

In his statement, Jared was shown dismissing the threats of resignation from lawyers as 'whining'.

Jared was also asked about former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani claims about voter fraud. He told the former president that listening to Giuliani was 'Uh, basically, not the approach I would take if I was you.'

Comedian Seth Meyers joked about the pause that Jared took before answering the question saying: 'Thats definitely the length of the pause you take when someone asks you about a friend who was super drunk at a party, especially a friend you invited.'

When Jared questioned Giuliani, Trump responded: 'You know, I have confidence in Rudy.' Giuliani is said to have told Trump to declare victory on election night, something that other advisors said was a bad idea.

Trump and Ivanka, daughter with his first wife Ivana, were known for their close relationship and she was seen as his favorite child.

She served as an adviser in his White House and Trump often said she could be president one day.
Frontline workers and singles over 50 will receive 'a leg up' into the NSW property market, with the state government to introduce a shared equity housing scheme in this week's budget.

Premier Dominic Perrottet says housing affordability is becoming a challenge for families across the state.

'Whether you're in the city, or you're in the bush, we want to make sure you have that opportunity to get into the home to provide that stability, to provide that opportunity for you and your families,' he said from Tallawong on Sunday.

Frontline workers and singles over 50 are due to receive 'a leg up' into the NSW property market in a new $780million scheme (pictured, nurses at Bondi Beach in November, 2020)

Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured with his daughter Harriet on Thursday) says housing affordability is becoming a challenge for families across the state

'We are announcing a shared equity scheme which will provide an opportunity for our frontline workers, our teachers, our nurses, our police officers, to get a leg up and get into the property market.'

The $780.4 million scheme, announced ahead of Tuesday's 2022-23 state budget, will be open to 3000 frontline workers and single parents or singles over 50.

It will be open to singles earning up to $90,000 a year, or couples earning up to $120,000.

The government will contribute up to 40 per cent of the equity of a new home and up to 30 per cent on an existing home, and will require a two per cent deposit.

The scheme would tie in with the federal government's shared equity scheme, together doubling the amount of homes available for frontline workers and singles over 50, the premier said.

The $780.4 million scheme, announced ahead of Tuesday's state budget, will be open to 3000 frontline workers and single parents or singles over 50 (pictured, an auctioneer in Sydney)

Eligible properties will be capped at $950,000 in metropolitan Sydney and $600,000 in other parts of the state (pictured, a teacher in Melbourne in May, 2020)

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said the announcement was about helping people reach their goals and live their dreams.

'One of the particular cohorts that we're focused on is that cohort that is too often fallen through the cracks and that's older singles, particularly women who are divorced,' Mr Kean said.

'What we want to do is make it as easy as possible for that cohort to get back on their feet safely.'

Eligible properties will be capped at $950,000 in metropolitan Sydney and $600,000 in other parts of the state.

Greens housing spokeswoman Jenny Leong criticised the scheme, saying the people most desperate for housing would not be eligible.

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean (pictured on Friday) said the new property scheme was about helping people reach their goals and live their dreams

'This scheme is so limited in terms of who can access it that it will have no benefit to people who are eligible and work in the inner suburbs of Sydney, with virtually no properties for a family meeting the price cap.'

The government also announced the Aboriginal flag will have a permanent spot on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, making a $25 million commitment to install a third flagpole by the end of the year.

'Our Indigenous history should be celebrated and acknowledged so young Australians understand the rich and enduring culture that we have here with our past,' Mr Perrottet said in a pre-budget statement on Sunday.

The state government also committed $37.9 million to improve before and after school care services and $206 million towards a sustainable farming program.

Treasurer Matt Kean says the landmark program will reward farmers who voluntarily reduce carbon emissions and protect biodiversity.

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns (pictured in February) has called on the government to include urgent cost of living relief in its upcoming budget, due to be delivered on Tuesday

The NSW government also committed $56.4 million to the creation of a four-day walking track at the Dorrigo Escarpment through the Gondwana Rainforests on the NSW mid-north coast.

Some $28 million has also been committed to the state's farm forestry industry, to the support and education of farmers following the introduction of a new code of practice this year.

Women in small business will also gain free access to TAFE courses and professional advice thanks to $15 million over the next four years.

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns called on the government to include urgent cost of living relief in its upcoming budget, saying key measures including Dine and Discover Vouchers and $265 million in energy rebates had gone unused over the last year.

'Cost of living is quickly becoming the number one issue in New South Wales  the cost of everything is through the roof in New South Wales and people simply can't afford it,' Mr Minns said.
Scott Morrison's former energy minister spent Sunday morning desperately trying to distance himself and the last government from Australia's power crisis.

With parts of the country narrowly avoiding blackouts, Angus Taylor - now the Liberal treasury spokesman - and party leader Peter Dutton instead cast blame on Labor.

This was despite the Coalition having been in power for nine years until Labor took over after winning the federal election held four weeks ago.

Mr Taylor said the previous government managed power supply successfully 'in the lead-up to the election'.

A power supply and price crisis has engulfed Australia in recent weeks.

Then prime minister Scott Morrison (left) is pictured with then energy minister Angus Taylor (right) in Altona, Melbourne, Tuesday, November 9, 2021

The energy crisis deepened last week, with the National Electricity Market suspended, hospitals ordered to reduce electricity use, and millions of people urged not to use basic appliances, despite the freezing winter weather.

The potential for mass blackouts increased with about 1800MW of coal-fired power not operating in Queensland and 1200MW of capacity offline in the states of NSW, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania.

The Albanese Government blamed the former Morrison Government, while NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said an 'ideological war' over renewables was at fault.

Mr Taylor would not accept responsibility for the crisis, saying the challenges went beyond anything the former government could control.

'There is no doubt there has been upward pressure on energy prices around the world, there's no question about that  and that's a big challenge,' he told Sky News.

'The point I'm making is that there's sensible actions that can be taken to alleviate those pressures.'

Host Andrew Clennell interrupted, asking: 'Wait, do you take any responsibility?'

Workers are seen on a high tension electricity pylon in suburban Sydney. A power supply and price crisis has engulfed Australia in recent weeks

Poll Who is to blame for Australia's energy crisis? The Coalition Labor Both major parties Climate change doom-mongers Don't know Who is to blame for Australia's energy crisis? The Coalition 217 votes

Labor 88 votes

Both major parties 262 votes

Climate change doom-mongers 542 votes

Don't know 45 votes Now share your opinion





'We had managed this in the lead-up to the election successfully,' Mr Taylor replied.

'We had managed it successfully, we showed how you do that when you focus on supply and don't demonise traditional sources of fuel and we delivered the outcomes.'

Mr Dutton said the energy crisis belonged to the new Labor government, but did not lay the responsibility solely at its door - he also blamed the states.

'There is fault all around here Over a long period of time, people have been taking different positions, including state governments,' he told ABC.

Mr Dutton claimed Labor would make the crisis worse.

'We were agnostic in terms of the technology or energy source this is the point,' he said.

'Labor would have turned off coal years ago. (Energy Minister) Chris Bowen's argument still is this very day to exclude coal and gas.

'I think (Mr Bowen) is a bunny in the headlights.'

Mr Taylor said if he was still the energy minister, he would have ensured there was more supply in the market.

Of the renewable sources, solar makes up about 37 per cent and wind 36 per cent. Pictured: A wind farm in Tasmania

'If you focus on reliable supply, you don't get yourself in this position,' he said.

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke said Mr Taylor's interview was 'extraordinary'.

'There was no responsibility taken for anything,' Mr Burke told Sky News. 'And the big thing on how do they get supply going?

'His example was Kurri Kurri (in the NSW Hunter Valley), which they announced, but hasn't been built.'

The National Electricity Market was suspended for first time ever on Wednesday. Pictured is the Bayswater coal-fired power station cooling towers and electricity distribution wires in Muswellbrook, in the NSW Hunter Valley region

Mr Burke said the former government showed 'no sense of ownership of (the crisis) in the energy market right now'.

He said the Coalition was responsible for 'years of neglect'.

'There's work involved with being able to (fix) that,' he said.

'If Mr Taylor has plans to treat the Australian economy (as Shadow Treasurer) with the way he treated the national energy market, they're not going to come up with very many good ideas.'
Apple Store employees in a Baltimore suburb became the tech giant's first retail workers to voted to unionize by a nearly 2-to-1 margin Saturday.

Staff at the store in Towson, Maryland, now joining a growing push across U.S. retail, service and tech industries to organize for greater labor protections.

The team at the Towson store voted 65-33 to seek entry into the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union's announcement said.

They're seeking additional rights to those afforded by their existing contracts, with workers filmed cheering happily after the vote was counted.

The Machinists and the Apple employees who wanted to join said they had sent Apple CEO Tim Cook notice last month that they were seeking to organize a union, and that their driving motivation was to seek 'rights we do not currently have.'

'This is something we do not to go against or create conflict with our management,' they wrote.

Apple Store employees in a Baltimore suburb celebrate after they voted to unionize by a nearly 2-to-1 margin Saturday

Apple retail workers at a store (above) in Towson, Maryland, voted 65-33 to seek entry into the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

An Apple spokesperson said by email the company had 'nothing to add at this time.'

Union organizing in a variety of fields has gained momentum recently after decades of decline in U.S. union membership.

Organizers have worked to establish unions at companies including Amazon, Starbucks, outdoors retailer REI and Google parent company Alphabet.

Saturday's vote could not immediately be confirmed with the National Labor Relations Board, which would have to certify the outcome. An NLRB spokesperson referred initial queries about the vote to the board's regional office, which was closed late Saturday.

The vote in Towson comes after a group of employees called AppleCORE (Coalition of Organized Retail Employees) campaigned for unionization, demanding more input on wages, hours and safety measures.

'We did it Towson! We won our union vote! Thanks to all who worked so hard and all who supported! Now we celebrate... Tomorrow we keep organizing,' AppleCORE tweeted.

'I applaud the courage displayed by CORE members at the Apple store in Towson for achieving this historic victory,' said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. in the statement. 'They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election.'

Apple workers in Towson celebrate after the vote to unionize succeeded

Apple employees who wanted to join said they had sent Apple CEO Tim Cook (above) notice last month that they were seeking to organize a union

Martinez called on Apple to respect the election results and to let the unionizing employees fast-track efforts to secure a contract at the Towson location.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, praised the Apple workers for their vote, tweeting: 'What we are seeing right now is a historic uprising of working class Americans telling the corporate elite that they have to end their greed.'

It remained unclear what steps would follow the vote in Towson. Labor experts say it's common for employers to drag out the bargaining process in an effort to take the wind out of union campaigns.

The IAM bills itself as one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.

Apple workers in Atlanta who were seeking to unionize withdrew their request last month, claiming intimidation.

Some current and former Apple workers last year began criticizing the company's working conditions online, using the hashtag #AppleToo.

The Apple store unionization comes against a backdrop of other labor organizing nationwide - some of them rebuffed.

Amazon workers at a warehouse in New York City voted to unionize in April, the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giants history.

However, workers at another Amazon warehouse on Staten Island overwhelmingly rejected a union bid last month.

Meanwhile, Starbucks workers at dozens of U.S. stores have voted to unionize in recent months, after two of the coffee chain's stores in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize late last year.

Many unionization efforts have been led by young workers in their 20s and even in their teens.

A group of Google engineers and other workers formed the Alphabet Workers Union last year, which represents around 800 Google employees and is run by five people who are under 35.
Two people have been arrested after cops were surrounded and their vehicle damaged by a mob of protesters as they investigated a radical climate activist camp north-west of Sydney.

Police attended a Colo property, in the Blue Mountains, about 8.30am on Sunday to conduct investigations into 'planned unauthorised protest activity' when they were approached by a group of people.

An unmarked police vehicle rushed to the scene to help the officers, before they became surrounded by the crowd, who then damaged the car's tyres, preventing it from leaving the scene.

More police officers raced to the area and two people were arrested while the rest of the group fled into nearby bushland.

Police say they have made further arrests and expect more to follow.

Police attended a Blue Mountains property (pictured) on Sunday to investigate 'planned unauthorised protest activity'

Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said the group of around 30 people 'pushed, shoved and jostled' police as they made their way back to their vehicle, where they 'let down the tyres and prevent[ed] police from leaving the area'.

'Those police that were attacked by that group this morning feared for their lives,' he said.

'I can assure you that what I saw this morning was violence from this group.'

Blockade Australia has made headlines in recent months over a series of high-profile climate protests which have included blocking coal ports, bridges, and fossil fuel terminals.

In April, the NSW parliament ushered in a raft of new laws and penalties aimed at discouraging protesters who disrupt traffic on bridges and tunnels in response to the group's stunts.

The next protest is scheduled 'for Monday, June 27, when members plan to 'converge' on Sydney to 'blockade the streets of Australia's most important political and economic centre and cause disruption that cannot be ignored'.

Despite the disruptive nature of the demonstrations, climate activist Zelda Grimshaw said the police response was an 'insane overreach'.

'No actual crimes have been committed by the climate activists at the camp,' she said.

Police say one of their unmarked vehicles was damaged by protesters who emptied the tyres to prevent officers from leaving

Police say further arrests have been made and more are expected to follow

'This level of police repression of the climate movement is unprecedented.'

The group claimed 100 officers and helicopters, a dog squad, and 'fully militarised officers' surrounded the bush property and commenced search and seizure procedures.

'This footage [see above] looks pretty chill. Its not,' the group posted on Facebook.

'We were surrounded at dawn by men in cammo gear, hiding in the bush, with heaps of guns. Then helicopters started buzzing overhead. Police cars and buses came speeding through the neighbourhood, lights and sirens wailing.

'Police dogs and black clad men in body armour and full face helmets came barging into our space. This massive, costly police operation is aimed at preventing climate activists from taking action.

'It is unclear what the legal basis is for the raid no harm to other people has ever occurred during these climate protests.'
Anthony Albanese may visit Ukraine after he was invited by President Zelenskyy

The donation milestone comes almost four months after Russia invaded Ukraine

It has enabled the appeal to provide regular aid to those living in war-torn areas

The Ukraine Crisis Appeal said the money had come from almost 10,000 donors

Australians have given $5.1million to a fundraising appeal delivering emergency and humanitarian aid to Ukraine amidst the country's ongoing conflict with Russia.

The Ukraine Crisis Appeal revealed on Friday almost 10,000 Aussies had donated to the cause.

This enabled the appeal to deliver regular aid to Ukrainians including food packages, medicine, hygiene kits, bedding, humanitarian goods and support programs.

Volunteers have personally distributed the supplies and aid to those in war-torn regions.

The donation milestone marked almost four months since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

Aussies have donated more than $5.1million to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal, which has delivered regular aid to Ukraine four months after the country was invaded by Russia

The funds have provided food packages, medicine, hygiene kits, bedding, humanitarian goods and support programs to Ukrainians

The Ukraine Crisis Appeal is a collaboration between the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, Rotary Australia World Community Service and Caritas Ukraine.

It was formed in 2015 but increased efforts to provide aid to Ukraine following Russia's invasion.

Liz Paslawsky, who is the chair of the International Coordination of Medical Supplies to Ukraine on behalf of Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, said Australian donors had provided more than $2million worth of medical items.

'We are forever grateful for the generosity, support and kindness provided by so many individuals and organisations across Australia,' Ms Paslawsky said.

She has personally coordinated volunteers in Australia and Europe and overseen aid getting delivered from 60 donors including hospitals.

Ms Paslawsky claimed medical aid is a priority for Ukraine as an increasing number of citizens suffer wounds from the war or can't access basic medical items for diseases.

Medical supplies and resources such as ambulances have also diminished because of Russian attacks.

A report released by the United Kingdom Humanitarian Innovation Hub found humanitarian work by local groups such as Ms Paslawsky have been more effective in helping Ukrainians than global organisations.

The contributions from the Ukraine Crisis Appeal come as Sydney medical technology company Device Technologies also donated 140 medical kits to hospitals in Ukraine to treat up to 750 patients with severe injuries.

Volunteers have personally distributed supplies including medical items, food and water to those in war-torn regions

Medical aid is a priority for Ukraine as more citizens suffer injuries from Russian attacks or can't access basic medicine for diseases. Medical supplies in the country have diminished

Donations to Ukraine spiked at the beginning of the invasion, but that amount has dwindled as the war progressed over the coming months.

Volunteers claim there is a possible 'fatigue' amongst donors as the conflict between the two nations appears to be unending, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations co-chair Stefan Romaniw said: 'Australia has to be vigilant to ensure that Ukraine fatigue does not set in because the war continues and people continue to die.'

'At the end of the day, if Ukraine wins, the world wins. If Ukraine loses, we all lose. So we have to keep up the fight.'

Mr Romaniw expressed his hope that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would travel to Kyiv to support Ukraine after he received a formal invitation from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

'People don't quite appreciate the importance of Australia. If Albanese was in Kyiv it would be a huge statement - that someone from thousands of kilometres away had come to support us.'

Anthony Albanese (pictured) said 'security issues' would need to be considered before he visited Ukraine after he received a formal invitation from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The Australian government donated 20 Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine amongst other military aid. (Pictured: A Bushmaster vehicle being checked by technicians)

The Prime Minister said security issues will need to be considered before he accepted the invitation after his first national cabinet meeting on Friday.

'I will take appropriate advice and obviously there are security issues as well in terms of such a visit,' Mr Albanese said.

'I appreciate the spirit in which it has been offered. We will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine.'

The Australian government has provided 20 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles, six 155 mm howitzers and ammunition, 14 protected weapons systems, anti-armour weapons and ammunition, military equipment, combat rations and medical supplies to Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion.

Another 20 Bushmaster vehicles and 14 armoured personnel carriers are being sent over soon.

Australia's contribution to Ukraine has totalled more than $285million.
A review into leadership in the health service is claimed to have been commandeered by 'wholesale wokery'.

Former Thatcher cabinet minister Peter Lilley blasted the report into NHS management for mentioning woke strategy of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) 'three times as often as patients'.

He claimed that the report by Iraq General Sir Gordon Messenger also failed to look at 'clinical failures' and reducing inefficiency in the health service.

The health secretary Sajid Javid, who has vowed to stamp out 'waste or wokery' in the NHS and social care, accepted the report in full.

But Lord Lilley, writing in The Telegraph, said Mr Javid 'very sensibly' ignored the report's call for more equality and inclusion managers and instead will reduce 'woke' leaders in the NHS.

Former Thatcher cabinet minister Peter Lilley blasted the report for focusing mainly on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) but not on efficiency in the NHS

Lord Lilley also claimed that General Sir Gordon Messenger's (pictured in 2006 in Afghanistan) report - which he worked on with Department of Health and NHS officials - mentioned EDI 'three times as often as patients' and failed to look at 'clinical failures'

A source in Whitehall also claimed that the report had been 'watered down' by Number 10 and would have called for 'crazy anti-racism targets' and have created 'legions of diversity and inclusion experts'.

The Messenger Report found 'evidence of poor behaviours and attitudes such as discrimination, bullying and blame cultures' in certain parts of the NHS and social care system that has left some staff 'not feeling comfortable to speak up'.

Sir Gordon, formerly second in command of the British Armed Forces, worked with Dame Linda Pollard, chair of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to find ways of improving management standards, make jobs more attractive to talented bosses and delivering value for money.

To do this, he met 1,000s of NHS staff for the leadership review And he concluded: 'A well-led, motivated, valued, collaborative, inclusive, resilient workforce is the key to better patient and public health outcomes, and must be a priority.'

One recommendation says the NHS should 'embed inclusive leadership practice as the responsibility of all leaders'.

And it advocates 'a step-change in the way the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) are embedded as the personal responsibility of every leader and every member of staff'.

It says leaders should use EDI data to make recommendations and there should be more training and development on inclusion.

The health secretary Sajid Javid (pictured), who has vowed to stamp out 'waste or wokery' in the NHS and social care, accepted the report in full

The Messenger Report found 'evidence of poor behaviours and attitudes such as discrimination, bullying and blame cultures' in certain parts of the NHS and social care system that has left some staff 'not feeling comfortable to speak up'. Pictured: General Sir Gordon Messenger during a virtual Covid-19 press conference in 2020

The former Secretary of State, who led Work and Pensions and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy departments, and served John Major and Margaret Thatcher, in response said the report is 'totally obsessed with EDI'

And he added: 'There is no mention of waiting lists, whistleblowers, cover-ups or value for money, and only one reference to efficiency.'

A Department of Health spokesman told the Telegraph the report gave the general 'the freedom to follow the evidence', it is supposed to improve healthcare for patients and is 'only a small part of our reform agenda'.

A source at DHSC also stressed to MailOnline: 'The entire purpose of [the Messenger review] is to improve patient outcomes.

'The ways to improve management are the means and the improved patient outcomes are the ends.

'We gave the General the freedom to follow the evidence and come up with his recommendations independently.'

And he explained it was one step on the Government's reform agenda.

Lord Lilley added that the efforts for inclusion and focus on EDI are part of a move to push 'wokery' across government.

He is joined in this view by experts at the Centre for Brexit Policy who argued today in the Mail on Sunday today that civil servants are focusing on race and gender and identity politics to the detriment of government.

The paper, produced by specialists including Cambridge Professor Robert Tombs and former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, says the Whitehall 'blob' is in the grip of a 'liberal tyranny of guilt'.

The report, Defining Britains Role In The World After Brexit, says this view is based on a 'caricatured version of British history centred on slavery, violence and colonial oppression'.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has accused trade unions of 'bribing' workers to go on strike ahead of a 'summer of strike chaos'.

Millions of Britons are set to suffer transport misery next week due to the biggest rail strike in decades.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on 21st, 23rd, and 25th June with the action set to bring the train network to a standstill.

It is feared the rail strike could be just the start of a 'summer of discontent' of industrial action by unions across Britain, with further rail walkouts planned.

Strikes have also been threatened in local councils, on bus networks and in schools.

Mr Kwarteng has now accused union leaders of 'quietly amassing a war chest' to prepare for summer strikes.

It has been revealed how Unite has been offering 70 a day strike pay to staff.

Meanwhile, Unison have increased their strike pay from 25 a day to 50 from the very first day of action.

The union said this was to 'put itself and our members in the best possible position to win disputes'.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has accused union leaders of 'quietly amassing a war chest' to prepare for summer strikes

Unison, whose members took part in a demonstration in London yesterday, have increased their strike pay from 25 a day to 50 from the very first day of action

Unite has been offering 70 a day strike pay to staff ahead of what is feared to be a 'summer of discontent'

Both Unison and Unite have strike fund reserves of around 35million each.

Mr Kwarteng told the Sunday Telegraph the figures showed 'militant trade unions' had been amassing cash ahead of possible strike chaos this summer.

'Its clear theyve been plotting this for some time. Looking at the figures, this plan of theirs is designed to inflict maximum damage on millions of people for as long as possible,' the Business Secretary said.

'We are looking at every possible avenue to ensure public services can be maintained.'

He added: 'Its obvious that trade union chiefs have been quietly amassing a war chest to effectively bribe workers into unleashing a summer of strike chaos.'

But the unions hit back at 'fantasy' claims by ministers.

A Unite spokesman told the newspaper: 'We want to build the strength of the union to ensure that workers are not forced to pay the price of the pandemic.

'Unites strike fund has grown in recent years to ensure our members have adequate financial protection if, as a last resort, they are forced to take strike action.

'The idea that this is part of some massive, co-ordinated union plot is the stuff of fantasy.'

A Unison spokesman said: 'This is utter nonsense. Last year the Government was full of praise for key workers for their pandemic efforts, now ministers are trying to start a fight with the same low-paid health, care and council staff.'
Footage has emerged of Hollywood actor Ben Stiller in Ukraine after recently visiting refugees fleeing the war in Poland.

The Night At The Museum actor, 56, met with Ukrainian families afflicted by Russias war, according to the UNs refugee agency.

He was videoed in Lviv, in western Ukraine speaking with people wearing UN insignia. Stiller is a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

Earlier on Sunday Stiller, said he was at the Medyka border between Poland and Ukraine where he 'met families who fled the war in Ukraine, leaving loved ones behind, with no idea when they will be able to return home.'

The footage showed him speaking on the phone and then with what appeared to be resident's in Ukraine's western capital, in an unannounced visit.

'It's nice that people make this public and come to help on their own,' said the Ukrainian TikToker who spotted the celerity.

Footage reportedly taken in Lviv shows actor Ben Stiller speaking on the phone next to people wearing UN insignia

Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller visits Lypki, Irpin in Ukraine

Lviv is a 2.5 hour drive from Rzeszow, where Stiller was visiting on behalf of the UN refugee agency. Stiller said on Sunday he had arrived at the Polish-Ukrainian border, only an hour and a half away from Lviv

A Ukrainian resident uploaded the footage to TikTok, with locals reacting with enthusiasm to the actor's impromptu visit.

'Super, why do your heroes in peacetime during the war also turn out to be wonderful people?' said one TikTok commenter.

'I adore this actor,' said another, in Ukrainian.

On Saturday, Stiller stopping over in the large south-eastern city of Rzeszow, close to the border, speaking to aid workers in a storage facility before heading on to Ukraine.

Lviv is a 2.5 hour drive from Rzeszow, with news agency NEXTA reporting he had made the trip across the border.

More than 3.5 million people are thought to have crossed over into Poland since the war began in February.

Stiller is meeting families to help share 'stories of the human impact of war' and to 'amplify calls for solidarity'.

Actor Ben Stiller, 56, has arrived in Poland to meet refugees forced to flee the war in Ukraine

The actor took to Twitter to announce his arrival in Poland to meet with Ukrainian refugees

Stiller embraces children at a UNHCR Protection Hub providing psycho-social support, SGBV prevention and response and child protection and legal aid services in Medyka, Poland on June 18

Stiller visits a UNHCR Protection Hub providing psycho-social support, SGBV prevention and response and child protection and legal aid services in Medyka, Poland

Stiller meets children at the UNHCR Protection Hub in Medyka, Poland, on June 18

Stiller took to Twitter and posting a photograph of himself speaking with two aid workers, said: 'I've just arrived in Poland with UNHCR, to meet families whose lives have been torn apart by war and violence in Ukraine.

'Millions have been forced to flee their homes with over 90% being women and children.

'I'm here to learn, to share stories that illustrate the human impact of war and to amplify calls for solidarity.

'I hope you'll follow along and share your own messages of support, for people who have fled their homes in Ukraine and for people who have been forced to flee all over the world.

'Everyone has the right to seek safety. Whoever, wherever, whenever.'

Goodwill Ambassador actor Ben Stiller speaks to Silva Alkebeh, Chief of Supply Logistics, and other volunteer at Rzeszow UNHCR warehouse, in Rzeszow, Poland on June 18

Stiller and Silva Alkebeh, Chief of Supply Logistics, talk at Rzeszow UNHCR warehouse, in Rzeszow, Poland, on June 18

Goodwill Ambassador actor Ben Stiller visits a UNHCR Protection Hub providing psycho-social support, SGBV prevention and response and child protection and legal aid services in Medyka, Poland on June 18

Stiller, pictured earlier this week, is a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency

The Zoolander and Meet The Fockers star's presence in Ukraine and Poland comes ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20.

He started working with the UNHCR in 2016 and has travelled with the body to meet refugees in Germany, Jordan, Guatemala and Lebanon.

In 2019, he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the humanitarian crisis in Syria, where he pleaded with lawmakers.

He said: 'We must not look away, we cannot let Syrian families go deeper into destitution and we cannot let their children be part of a lost generation.'

Stiller is not the first celebrity to involve themselves in humanitarian work for Ukraine, with Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher raising 29million ($35m) for the country and David Beckham handing over his Instagram page to a Ukrainian doctor in Kharkiv for the day.

More than 3.5 million refugees are thought to have crossed over into Poland from Ukraine since the conflict began in February (file pic from March 2022)

The news comes as the grinding battle over Severodonetsk continues, with Russia making marginal gains but finding its forces whittled down to the bone due to the near four-month campaign.

The Institute said Russia will likely take control of Severodonetsk, but at the cost of concentrating its forces, making it vulnerable to attack in other areas.

If successful in Severodonetsk, the Russians will likely advance into Metolkine further into the country.

Just over an hour's drive away from Severodonetsk, Ukrainian artillery has been bombing railway lines used to supply Russian offensive operations toward Slovyansk.

Russia is trying to push the Ukrainian forces back, hoping to force the enemy artillery out of range of their supply lines.

But so far, Russia is struggling to capture Slovyansk and advance east of Bakhmut in the east of Ukraine.

Some of Russia's battalion tactical groups, initially made up of approximately 600800 officers and soldiers, now have as few as 10 to 15 troops remaining.

The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate said it intercepted phone calls on June 17 and 18 and overheard Russian soldiers complaining about frontline conditions, suggesting a worsening Russian moral.

They complained of poor equipment and an overall lack of personnel.

The cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, which are separated by a river, have been targeted for weeks as the last areas still under Ukrainian control in the eastern Lugansk region
Annastascia Palaszczuk has shot down claims she is a 'part-time premier' who spends too much time socialising while ironically attending a celebrity event with her boyfriend.

The Queensland Premier's dedication to her role came into question this week after insiders claimed the state's leader had 'checked out' from her job and appeared more interested in going to red carpet events.

But Ms Palaszczuk appeared unfazed by the accusations as she arrived at the TV Week Logie Awards in the Gold Coast with her partner Dr Reza Adib on Sunday night.

Grilled by reporters over the claims, Ms Palaszczuk insisted she was on top of her work load - and visiting high-profile events was 'part of her job'.

'I work seven days a week,' Ms Palaszczuk told 7News.

'I've got a budget coming down, I'm across that, and I'll be back at my desk first thing tomorrow morning.

'And most of these events are on weekends so, we could be at home watching television but we're out here doing the job Queenslanders expect me to be doing.'

Annastascia Palaszczuk hit back at critics as she attended the TV Week Logie Awards on Sunday with her boyfriend Dr Reza Adib

Ms Palaszczuk answered some questions before walking off while being quizzed over whether lobbyists influence her government

Ms Palaszczuk also responded to advice from Labor stalwart Peter Beattie, who urged her to start a new agenda and prove she still wants to be premier.

The premier claimed her government will 'always have fresh strategies' and is 'absolutely committed to Queensland and creating jobs'.

'When we hand the budget down on Tuesday, watch this space  it's all about health and families and Queensland,' she said.

The interview then abruptly ended when Ms Palaszczuk walked off in response to questions over whether lobbyists had an unfair influence on her government.

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Beattie, who was state premier between 1998 and 2007, warned voters would turn on Ms Palaszczuk if they believed her government had become 'stale'.

'You've got to keep renewing your vision, because if you don't, you get stale and people see you're stale and they will want someone else to have a go,' he told Courier Mail.

Ms Palaszczuk and her boyfriend Dr Reza Adib attended the premier of Baz Luhrmann's new film Elvis on June 4

Labor stalwart Peter Beattie has urged Annastacia Palaszczuk to start a new agenda and prove she still wants to act as premier as rumours swirl she has 'checked out'

'If you've been there a while it gets tougher because people want to see well what are you gonna do.'

Labor insiders claim Ms Palaszczuk has 'checked out' of her role and showed more interest in attending social events than running Queensland.

Ms Palaszczuk and her boyfriend attended the premiere of Baz Luhrmann's new film Elvis on June 4.

The Queensland premier was also spotted letting her hair down at the Strabroke Handicap race day at Eagle Farm last Saturday and will attend the Logie awards on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

'Every time they turn on the news there's another story about some atrocity in the health system,' an insider told The Australian.

'And there she is: out and about again with the doctor. It's not a good look.'

Mr Beattie suggested the premier capitalised on the upcoming 2032 Olympics to introduce an innovation strategy.

He said the jobs in the energy, mining, biotechnology, defence, space, and agriculture industries.

Labor insiders claim Ms Palaszczuk has 'checked out' of her role and showed more interest in attending social events than running Queensland (pictured, Reza Adib, Baz Luhrmann and Annastacia Palaszczuk at the Elvis premiere)

'You've got to have a vision and you've got to demonstrate it. And the answer to this is you've got to go out and share it with people and take them with you,' he said.

Ms Palaszczuk could become the longest-serving Labor premier in Queensland since World War II if she leads her party to victory at the next election in 2024.

She would beat the previous nine-year record set by Mr Beattie.

Labor insiders claim Ms Palaszczuk has given too much power to union boss Gary Bullock and won't make any decisions without first consulting him.
Teachers from Melbourne are being offered $700 a day to work in regional schools as principals struggle to fill key positions.

Soaring Covid and Influenza cases have sparked severe staff shortages across Victoria, with one principal saying the situation is the worst he has ever seen.

On top of unprecedented sickness leave, some schools are also grappling with structural issues that have left them unable to recruit enough staff.

Now, casual relief teachers are being offered around $300 above their typical daily rate to work in government schools in country Victoria.

Recruitment agency anzuk this month started advertising casual teaching roles for $700-a-day, which will remain in place for term two and will likely continue into term three.

Casual teachers based in Melbourne can almost double their daily earnings by working at a regional school as Victoria grapples with staff shortages

The financial incentive - which is almost double the ordinary rate of $400 - will be subsidised by the Victorian government.

'Education has been significantly impacted by the effects of the pandemic,' anzuk recruitment team leader Tenielle Henderson wrote.

'Whilst schools across the state have all been affected, schools in regional Victoria have been hit the hardest.

'To address this, the Department of Education has brought in a new financial incentive to help teachers from metro Melbourne to support schools in regional Victoria. The financial incentive will cover the costs incurred to travel plus some extra spending money.'

There are currently staff shortages across regional Victoria as well as in Melbourne's northern and western suburbs as sickness coupled with absenteeism hollows rosters.

The crisis is also affecting Catholic schools in regional areas, with some principals warning classes may need to be combined or students ordered to learn from home if the issue worsens.

Recruitment agency anzuk this month started advertising casual teaching roles for $700-a-day for schools in regional Victoria. Pictured: Marian College in Ararat, VIC

Principals say the teaching workforce appears to be declining, with applications for positions drastically dropping this year.

This has led to those in the field picking up more work to cover empty positions, and subsequently becoming burnt out.

'We are getting no applicants for positions we are advertising. English, humanities, usually wed get several applicants, and we have got none,' Anthony Rodaughan, principal of Kurnai College in Morwell, told The Age.

'The teachers that arent sick are taking extra classes, so their energy levels drop.

'The whole place becomes thinner and thinner, so some people need a mental health day, they just need to get out, and that leaves a hole someone else must fill, so it can spiral.'

Victorian Principals Association chief executive Andrew Dalgleish said more needed to be done to entice students into taking up teaching.

The shortages are mainly being driven by Covid and Influenza cases, which have exacerbated pre-existing roster issues. Pictured: A woman receives a Covid vaccine in Melbourne in August

He said those in the industry keep discussing ways of increasing the attractiveness of the profession but it does not appear to be happening as quickly as desired.

Melbourne-based teachers are already eligible for initial payments of up to $50,000 if they take up a long-term job at a regional government school.

As part of his pre-election promise, Anthony Albanese announced $150 million plan to get more high achievers into teaching and boost the numbers of science and mathematics teachers.

Under the plan, 5,000 students with an 80 or higher ATAR will be able to receive $10,000 a year to study teaching, plus an extra $2000 if they move to the bush.

The plan will also fund 1500 extra placements to retrain mathematicians and scientists and support them as they work part-time as teachers while getting their masters degree in education.

If the proposal goes ahead, it will mean students will be able to earn up to $40,000 for studying teaching and up to $48,000 if they are prepared to work in a regional area.
The heartbroken mother of a Los Angeles police officer killed earlier this week has condemned Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon's woke policies, claiming that her son would still be alive today if the suspect hadn't been back on the streets.

Olga Garcia, the mother of slain El Monte Police Officer Joseph Anthony Santana, 31, was speaking through tears at a news conference Friday outside LAPD police headquarters.

'I blame the death of my son and his partner on Gascon,' Garcia said, according to Spectrum1 News.

'Gascon will never know how I feel. Gascon will never know how he destroyed our families. He won't know how his [Santana's] children feel.'

Garcia's son Santana and his partner, Cpl. Michael Domingo Paredes, 42, were both shot dead on Tuesday afternoon in a motel shootout in suburban Los Angeles.

The officers were responding to a call of a stabbing at a motel in El Monte, California on Tuesday afternoon.

Shooter, Justin William Flores 35, a gang member was on probation for a prior gun charge at the time of the shooting. Flores shot himself dead during the shootout.

The illegal handgun sentence was handed to Flores in 2021, as part of a lenient plea deal made possible by lax prosecution laws from the local DA.

Olga Garcia, the mother of slain officer, Joseph Anthony Santana, spoke of her frustration with the system and claimed that her son and his partner would still be alive if the serial criminal killer wasn't back out on the streets

A photo of slain El Monte Police officer Joseph Anthony Santana, 31, a father of three, was killed when responding to a call of stabbing at a motel in a suburb in Los Angeles on Tuesday

During a FOX News interview, Garcia called out Gascon saying he has 'insane ideas about giving criminals a slap (on) the hand.'

'We need death row and three-strikes law to come back. We need to enforce our laws so more police officers don't die,' she said.

Garcia spoke of her frustration with the system and claimed that her son and his partner would still be alive and if the serial criminal killer wasn't back out on the streets.

'Gascon is just letting all these criminals out and they just keep doing one crime after the other,' Garcia said, in part. 'That guy should have been in jail.'

She added: 'Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon gives criminals more rights than police officers.'

Los Angeles DA George Gascon - who was sworn into office in late 2020 as part of a wave of woke prosecutors who vowed to seek alternatives to incarceration - he received the bare minimum sentence of two years probation, and 20 days' jail time. The plea deal also saw prosecutors drop drug charges against Flores, who was accused of possessing methamphetamine, as well as ammunition for the illegal handgun

El Monte Police officers Corporal Michael Paredes (pictured here) was also killed in a shootout along with the suspect while responding to a possible stabbing in a suburban Los Angeles motel on Tuesday

The illegal handgun sentence was handed to 35 year-old Justin William Flores in 2021, as part of a lenient plea deal made possible by lax prosecution laws from the local DA

Officer Santana pictured here with his wife and three children

Gascon's office told Fox News that Flores didn't have a 'documented history of violence' when he was sentenced.

According to sources from the DA's office, Flores would have likely been handed a sentence of up to three years in prison if he was prosecuted in February 2021, the news outlet reported.

'The sentence he received in the firearm case was consistent with case resolutions and the nature of the offense,' the statement said.

What happened next remains unclear, but a source familiar with the matter said the officers, El Monte Police Cpl. Paredes and Officer Santana, came under fire after knocking on a door to one of the motel's rooms.

El Monte Police Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana died in the shootout, which cops said occurred just after 4:30 pm local time.

It has since been revealed that Flores possessed a lengthy rap sheet for offenses stretching back more than a decade at the time of the shooting, and had been prohibited from carrying a gun since 2011.

The case has subsequently sparked outrage, with many criticizing Los Angeles' district attorney George Gascon for woke policies that saw Flores out of jail at the time of the shooting.

Last year, Flores - already on parole for pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, a felony charge that law enforcement sources said should have sent him back to prison for a minimum of three years.

However, because of Gascon - who was sworn into office in late 2020 as part of a wave of woke prosecutors who vowed to seek alternatives to incarceration - he received the bare minimum sentence of two years probation, and 20 days' jail time.

The plea deal also saw prosecutors drop drug charges against Flores, who was accused of possessing methamphetamine, as well as ammunition for the illegal handgun.

Flores served the 20 days in early 2021, and was out on the street by February of that year, court records reveal.

What's more, the day before the shooting, Flores was requested by his parole officer to appear in court due to a probation violation incurred after his girlfriend reported he had assaulted her last week,

Flores, however, was not taken into custody.

The hearing was set for June 27, court records show.

Asked why Flores wasn't arrested on the violation Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Probation Department told DailyMail.com the agency was 'currently investigating the matter further.'

The sentence is in accordance with the policies of Gascon, who has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation than incarceration, blasting 'tough on crime' policies as racist and a failure.

He was was recently taken to task by a state appeals court over his refusal to prosecute three-strike cases, a law that seeks to impose harsher sentences on individuals who have been convicted of certain felonies three times.

The law allowed Flores - who was facing his third strike - to plead no contest and receive a light sentence despite having a previous gun strike on his criminal record.

Flores' first strike stems from a conviction for burglarizing his grandparent's home more than a decade ago.

Sources in the district attorney's office told Fox News that if Flores had been prosecuted prior to Gascon's implementation of the policy in February 2021, he would likely have been hit with the full three years for the gun charge.

Flores was killed during the confrontation with the cops, which transpired after they responded to a call of a stabbing at the Scenic Motel (pictured) in El Monte, a suburb in LA

When asked about the sentence Wednesday, Gascon's office defended the decision not to hand Flores a harsher sentence.

'The sentence he received in the firearm case was consistent with case resolutions for this type of offense given his criminal history and the nature of the offense,' a spokesperson said in a statement.

'At the time the court sentenced him, Mr. Flores did not have a documented history of violence.'

Flores previously served two prison stints for burglary and car theft, and had been barred from carrying a gun since 2011.

Meanwhile, law enforcement sources told NBC that the Flores was so notorious in the neighborhood, that at least one of the two slain officers would have likely recognized Flores on sight and by name.

Gascon has since been slammed as 'radical' and 'soft on crime' by conservatives and fed-up liberals for the oversight.

A makeshift memorial for El Monte Police officers Corporal Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana is displayed in front of El Monte City Hall in El Monte, Calif., on Wednesday

Republican Senator Ted Cruz slammed Gascon, tweeting: 'Officers Paredes and Santana gave their lives in the service of their fellow citizens. It is outrageous the murderer was not in jail due to the reckless actions of George Gascon, a radical, soft-on-crime, Soros-backed DA.'

Lawyer Kurt Schlichter tweeted: 'Gascon flat out murdered those guys.'

In response to Gascon tweeting his 'heartfelt condolences' to the families of the murdered officers, a Twitter user wrote: 'Your condolences won't bring back the lives you're responsible for losing, nor will your condolences cover the payout these families will surely get from LA County. We, the tax payers, will be paying for that.'

One user tweeted: 'If I were you I would save this tweet as a template so you could just edit the police department name if you're going to keep dumping into our society these dangerous criminals. Sending condolences is part of the failure of your administration.'

Another tweeted: 'The killer was on probation after a plea deal with you for felon with a firearm. He went on to do this.'

It comes as Gascon faces a second recall effort in less than a year to remove him from office over his controversial policies.

Last May, Gascon's opponents organized the first, ill-fated recall effort to oust him from office.

Despite garnering more than 200,000 signatures from LA citizens in a matter of months, the campaign fell short in October, failing to amass the needed 580,000 LA County voters needed to remove Gascon.

A rash of 'flash mob'-style robberies, assaults and shootings since the have only made matters worse for Gascon, with a second recall effort launched against the DA on Monday.

The renewed recall attempt has been spurred by the string of smash-and-grab attacks and brazens shootouts, which have seen a variety of high-end retailers in the city relentlessly ransacked and hundreds dead this year.

People are being killed in the famously progressive county at a faster pace than 2021, when homicides hit a 15-year high.

So far this year, LA has seen 162 slayings - 9 more than the same time last year.

Assaults are also up nearly 5 percent from 2021, with police so far recording 8779 incidents.

Robberies, meanwhile, are up my a more marked 22 percent.

The case has sparked outrage, with many criticizing DA Gascon for being soft on criminals with his woke policies - and those policies meant Flores was not in jail at the time of the shooting

Flores' wife said her husband had previously attacked her and she warned Paredes and Santana that he had a gun inside a motel when they responded to a report of a stabbing.

Diana Flores said he had attacked her two days ago and she had moved into the motel to escape him but he tracked her down.

'I am so deeply sorry, my deepest condolences for saving me, I'm so, so, so sorry,' Diana tearfully told KCBS-TV. 'They didn't deserve that, or their families. They really didn't. They were trying to help me and I told them before they went in the room, 'Don't go in. He has a gun.''

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that flags at the state Capitol will be flown at half-staff in their honor.

Paredes and Santana - one on the force for more than two decades and the other for just months - were both were raised in and worked for the city of El Monte, a suburb of 107,000 people in the San Gabriel Valley.

They became only the third and fourth officers in the El Monte Police Department's history to die in the line of duty. A vigil is scheduled for Saturday.

Mourners on Wednesday left bouquets, wreaths of flowers and candles outside the El Monte police station to honor the fallen officers.

Family members of El Monte Police Officer Michael Paredes grieve at a makeshift memorial for him and Officer Joseph Santana at El Monte City Hall and police station on Wednesday

Family members of El Monte Police Officer Michael Paredes grieve at a makeshift memorial for him and Officer Joseph Santana at El Monte City Hall on Wednesday

A woman touches a picture of officer Joseph Santana at a makeshift memorial outside the El Monte City Hall and police station on Wednesday

The county's probation department declined to comment and Flores' attorney in the case did not return a request for comment on Wednesday. But the Los Angeles Times reported that Flores had violated his probation, triggering the return to court.

Few details have emerged about what occurred during Tuesday's violence. The officers went to the Siesta Inn in El Monte, east of Los Angeles, around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, for a welfare check where a woman had possibly been stabbed.

The officers 'confronted the suspect,' Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide Capt. Andrew Meyer said Tuesday.

Gunfire erupted inside a motel room and the gunman then fled into the parking lot, where more gunfire was exchanged, Meyer said.

Meyer said he didn't know whether the officers were shot inside the motel or outside. They died at a hospital. A gun was found at the scene.

Meyer said investigators were interviewing a woman from the hotel who they believe was the suspect's girlfriend. Diana Flores, who described herself as the suspect's wife and had his first name tattooed on her chest, told KCBS that officers must have been reacting to a 'false call' because she hadn't been stabbed on Tuesday.

'I got stabbed the day before that,' she told the TV station.

The incident will likely see more criticism directed at Gascon, who is currently facing a recall over his policies. On Wednesday, the recall campaign said they had collected the number of signatures needed to proceed with a vote to move forward with the recall.

Police and emergency responders on the scene at the Siesta Inn in El Monte, east LA at 4.45pm yesterday after two cops were shot and killed

Paredes started as a cadet in the department before becoming a full-time officer in 2000, according to a news release. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son.

Santana had been with the El Monte force for less than a year when he was killed. He previously served as a deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for three years, the news release stated.

This tragic loss hits close to home for us,' the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department wrote on Twitter. 'He was a great partner and loved by all who knew him.'

Santana also worked as a part-time public works employee for El Monte for six years before turning to law enforcement. He is survived by his wife, daughter and twin sons.

El Monte interim Police Chief Ben Lowry on Tuesday called the officers heroes.

'These two men were loved,' Lowry said. 'They were good men. They paid the ultimate sacrifice, serving their community trying to help somebody.'

'They were murdered by a coward and we are grieving, and that hurts,' he said.

El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona said the officers died 'while trying to keep a family safe.'

The killings came just one day after a California Highway Patrol officer was shot and critically wounded during a traffic stop in the Studio City area of Los Angeles.

The 27-year-old officer is expected to recover, authorities said. A bloodhound helped police track down the suspect, who surrendered to police Tuesday in a homeless encampment in the San Fernando Valley.
This is the moment a squad of Russian soldiers were filmed after they were allegedly captured by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield of Luhansk.

The clip was posted on Telegram messenger and taken during the intense fighting in the country's eastern region, as the city of Sievierodonetsk suffers under heavy bombardment.

The footage claims to show 14 captured Russian troops sat down and tied up, The Daily Express reports, as Russia continues to pour in more servicemen to keep up the fight for Eastern Ukraine.

Governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Gaidai earlier said that Vladimir Putin was piling in extra soldiers into his attempt to seize Sievierodonetsk.

He said: 'Today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, they will throw in all the reserves they have, because there are so many of them there already, they're at critical mass.'

A squad of Russian soldiers were filmed allegedly surrendering to Ukrainian forces on the battlefield of Luhansk

The footage, taken in the country's eastern region, claims to show 14 Russian troops lay down their arms in surrender to Ukraine

Ukrainian armed forces admitted today they had suffered a setback on the outskirts of Sievierodonetsk as they called for more military aid.

Ukrainian MP Ivanna Klympush-Tsintzadze told Sky News that the country was losing territory and at risk of defeat in its eastern battle unless more weapons arrived.

She added that Ukraine's military resources were outnumbered 10-1 by Russia.

Four months of brutal fighting in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers' orders, defense officials said today, while NATO's chief warned the war could drag on for 'years.'

Ukraine has urgently demanded more military aid in the fight for Luhansk and other eastern regions (Pictured: Footage of the Russians who allegedly surrendered in Luhansk)

'Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale,' Britain's defense ministry said in its daily assessment of the war.

'Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks,' the assessment said, but added that 'Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled.'

It said 'cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.'

Separately, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate released what it said were intercepted phone calls in which Russian soldiers complained about frontline conditions, poor equipment, and overall lack of personnel, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

In an interview published on Sunday in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that 'nobody knows' how long the war could last. 'We need to be prepared for it to last for years,' he said.

He also urged allies 'not to weaken support for Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military aid, but also because of the increase in energy and food goods prices.'

In recent days, Gazprom, the Russian gas company, has reduced supplies to two major European clients - Germany and Italy. In Italy's case, energy officials are expected to huddle this week about the situation.

The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through the coming winter, but he warned Italians that 'restrictions' affecting gas use might be necessary.
An Arizona drag queen has accused a Republican gubernatorial candidate of hypocrisy after she spoke out against children attending drag shows - but reportedly once had the drag queen perform at her home in front of her young daughter.

Kari Lake, a Trump-backed Republican candidate for governor, retweeted a video earlier this month showing a drag queen performing in front of kids in Texas, writing: 'This is grooming. This is child abuse. Maybe that's acceptable in Dallas, Texas. But it will not be tolerated in a @KariLake-led Arizona.'

Then on Saturday, she tweeted her dismay with schools hosting drag shows writing: 'They kicked God out of schools and welcomed the Drag Queens.

'They took down our flag and replaced it with a rainbow. They seek to disarm Americans and militarize our enemies.

'Let us bring back the basics: God, Guns and Glory.'

But soon after, Rick Stevens, one of the area's best known drag artists who goes by the name Barbra Seville at theaters, bars and parties, says he has held parties at Lake's home.

He posted photos to his social media of Lake posing with him and other drag performers - and similar pictures, dated 2012 and 2014, are posted to Lake's social media. They were captioned: 'Half of what I know about makeup, I learned from watching friends like @BarbraSeville.'

Stevens also told Arizona Central how Lake invited him to her central Phoenix home to perform as Marilyn Monroe at her birthday party about 10 to 12 years ago, and specifically remembers Lake's then elementary school-aged daughter in the audience because she was wearing glasses at the time.

He said he sympathized with her because he hated wearing glasses as a child.

'She's friends with drag queens,' Stevens said of Lake. 'She's had her kid in front of a drag queen. I've done drag in her home for her friends and family.

'She's not threatened by them,' he added. ' She would come to shows constantly.

'To make me the bogeyman for political gain, it was just too much.'

Still, Lake's campaign denied that her daughter ever attended a drag show.

'Richard's accusations were full of lies,' she said in a statement to Arizona Central.

'The event in question was a party at someone else's house and the performer was there as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. It wasn't a drag show, and the issue we're talking about isn't adults attending drag shows either.

'The issue is activists sexualizing young children, and that's got to stop.'

Rick Stevens, one of the best-known drag performers in the Phoenix, Arizona area, posted photos of Kari Lake posing with drag queens after she tweeted her dismay with drag performances. Lake is pictured left wearing a t-shirt advertising Stevens' drag show, with drag performer Celia Putty

Other photos of her with drag performers were posted to Lake's own Instagram account, writing: 'Half of what I know about makeup I learned from watching friends like @barbraseville'

She tweeted on Friday: 'They kicked God out of schools and welcomed the Drag Queens'

Stevens claims Lake was a regular at drag shows back in the 1990s, when she was an anchor on FOX 10 News, and she and some of her coworkers would come to the 307 Lounge, a downtown Phoenix gay bar that hosted drag shows.

'They would come down to the 307 Lounge, which was about a mile or two from the station, and they would hag out,' Stevens said, adding: 'She would come to the show pretty regularly. I wouldn't say every week, but it wasn't uncommon.'

Eventually, he said, they became friends, and he became her 'go-to gay person' for interviews on news stories related to LGBTQ issues.

'Kari contacted me after my parents died,' he told the Arizona Republic. 'It meant the world to me, it really meant the world to me.

'So to see her just throw me under the bus for a vote, that's why I had to say something.'

'I spoke up because her alarming rise to power under these new "views" are scary and can lead to real harm to me and other marginalized people,' he added to Business Insider.

And in a Facebook post, Stevens - as Seville - wrote: 'Kari was a friend of mine, and I stood by her when she turned to the right.

'I reached out (and she responded repeatedly) when she took a public drubbing.'

But Stevens now says Lake is just pretending to be a warrior for the far right.

'She supported Obama, and now I'm here to tell you that she supported drag queens, and had her kid in front of drag,' he told Arizona Central.

'So if I can do anything to expose the hypocrisy, and if I can do anything to keep someone like that a few votes away from power, I'm happy to do that.'

Meanwhile, Lake's campaign continues to deny these allegations, telling the Arizona Republic that she 'is pursuing legal action, and anyone that prints those lies should be prepared for a legal fight.'

Kari Lake, dressed as Elvis, posed with Barbra Seville, in a photo from 2012. Her campaign now claims that Seville's performance as Marilyn Monroe at one of her birthday parties was not a drag show, and there were no children present

Another photo on Kari Lake's Instagram shows her making a kissy face with two drag queens

In a Facebook post, Stevens - as Barbra Seville - wrote that he supported Lake when she turned to the right

The issues of drag queens performing in front of children has become contentious over the past few weeks as conservatives claim young children are being exposed to inappropriate content by their well-meaning family members and educators in the name of support for LGBTQ equality.

It came to a head earlier this month after video was posted online showing children and their parents clapping and dancing to an Ariana Grande song as drag queens passed by at the Mr. Misster club in Cedar Springs, Texas - a suburb of Dallas.

The event was dubbed 'Drag Your Kids to Pride,' and was advertised as a 'family friendly' edition of its weekly drag brunches.

In the wake of the video, a group of men allegedly part of the Proud Boys stormed a Drag Queen story time at a San Francisco library shouting homophobic and transphobic threats.

Several of the men wore shirts emblazoned with assault rifles as they barged into the library last week, hurling insults at the act Panda Dulce as he read to kids who were only in preschool and kindergarten during the controversial event.

Kyle Chu, who performs as Panda Dulce, who hosted the story hour, posted on Instagram that the group disrupted the event, shouting 'tranny' and 'pedophile.'

A group of men allegedly part of the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys barged into the San Francisco library last week as Bay Area drag queen Panda Dulce was reading to children during one of the library's Pride Month events

Kyle Chu, also known as drag queen Panda Dulce, who hosted the story hour, posted on Instagram that the group disrupted the event, shouting 'tranny' and 'pedophile'

Drag Queen Story Hour, a nonprofit, was started in San Francisco in 2015 by activist and author Michelle Tea. Chapters have since opened across the U.S. and elsewhere. Other organizations with readers in drag have also formed.

As part of Drag Queen Story Hour's programming, drag queens read to children and their parents at libraries, bookstores, fairs, parks and other public spaces to celebrate reading 'through the glamorous art of drag.'

In New York City, officials have spent more than $200,000 on Drag Queen Story Hours since 2018, and just last month, records show the city paid $46,000 to send Drag Story Hour NYC to public schools, libraries, and street festivals, according to the New York Post.

Some parents say the programs were booked without their consent, while city officials have responded with outrage, according to the Post.

The organization characterizes itself as promoting inclusivity, creativity, and acceptance of the self in children, by exposing them to drag queens reading similarly thematic books.

'Through fun and fabulous educational experiences, our programs celebrate gender diversity and all forms of difference to build empathy and give kids the confidence to express themselves however they feel comfortable,' the website reads.

Images from the site show people dressed in bedazzled dresses, shimmering wigs, and heavy eye shadow, reading to young children in classroom, and even helping the kids apply makeup themselves.

The company has received $207,000 from taxpayers since 2018, records show. $50,000 of that has come from the New York State Council on the Arts, and the other $157,000 from the NYC Department of Education, the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Department of Transportation, and Cultural Affairs.

The funds were provided by city council members, with $80,000 being allocated for drag programs in 2022 alone - over three times as much as was provided in 2020 for drag programs.
The former partner of billionaire Lord Ashcroft's son has claimed she is 'definitely not a murderer' after she shot dead a police chief in the tropical paradise of Belize.

Jasmine Hartin, 33, admitted she shot Superintendent Henry Jemmott when his gun went off by accident while she handled it as they had a late-night drink together on a pier in May last year.

The Canadian-born socialite claimed she 'doesn't remember touching the trigger of the weapon' and suggested the gun could have gone off because it was 'rusty'.

Hartin, who is charged with manslaughter by negligence, said: 'It don't ever remember touching the trigger of the weapon, But I was holding it when it went off.

'I'm not sure if it was a faulty weapon or not. I really can't tell you how it went off.'

In a sensational interview with TalkTV interview with Piers Morgan, set to air later today, Hartin emphatically denied rumours that she was having an affair with Supt Jemmott, insisting their relationship was one of friendship.

Jasmine Hartin, 33, (pictured) has claimed she is 'definitely not a murderer' after she shot dead a police chief in the tropical paradise of Belize

Hartin admitted she shot Superintendent Henry Jemmott (pictured) when his gun went off by accident while she handled it as they had a late-night drink together on a pier in May last year

Lord Ashcroft's son Andrew, 44, (left) and his former partner Jasmine Hartin (right) who has been charged with manslaughter in Belize

Ashcroft and Hartin jointly ran the luxurious Alaia Belize Hotel on the resort island of Ambergris Caye off Belize's Caribbean coast

She said the Belizean police chief had earlier shown her his Glock 17 pistol while advising her to get a gun to defend herself because he 'believed she needed protection'.

She claimed he wanted her to 'practise unloading and reloading' the weapon and told her to 'get familiar with it'.

Hartin said: 'I thought it was empty. The only time I handled the weapon was at the very end when Henry asked me to pass it to him.'

The mother-of-two claimed that Supt Jemmott had invited her and partner Andrew, 44, the son of the former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, for a drink.

But she went alone to meet up with him after Andrew opted for an early night in their apartment in San Pedro on the holiday island of Ambergris Caye off Belize.

The mother-of-two (pictured) claimed that Supt Jemmott had invited her and partner Andrew, 44, the son of the former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, for a drink

She said the Belizean police chief had earlier shown her his Glock 17 pistol while advising her to get a gun to defend herself because he 'believed she needed protection'

She said: 'Andrew was meant to come with us and join us for a cocktail that night. Last minute, he decided to stay in and not join us. So we weren't meant to be by ourselves.'

Hartin said before the incident occurred, Supt Jemmott asked her to rub his shoulder as it was sore after his day's fishing.

She emphatically denied rumours that she was having an affair with Supt Jemmott, and insisted their relationship was one of friendship.

Hartin alleges he was 'sitting a foot, or two away, to her left' before the gun went off and added: 'It was a loud bang. Then my ears were ringing, I was in shock.

'Henry fell on top of me. I could see blood and feel blood. Then I tried to wriggle out from under him. He started slipping into the water. I tried to catch him. He was a lot bigger than me, so I couldn't hold him up.

Hartin (left) insisted that she and Supt Jemmott were only friends rather than lovers, even though her relationship with Lord Ashcroft's son Andrew (right) was disintegrating at the time.

Hartin pictured under a blanket leaving Hattieville Prison in Belize last June

'It was a horrible night that changed everyone's lives. I have to live with that for the rest of my life.'

She also attacked other wild rumours swirling around Belize, adding: 'I'm perceived to be this wild cocaine addict party girl. It's just not true.'

During the interview, Piers also addressed an old video that had been taken of Hartin shooting a watermelon on a beach.

She added: 'I've never owned a gun in my life. I've never owned a firearm. I've fired them, you know, a few times  but I'm not an expert.

Hartin is seen in an old video carrying a pump-action shotgun, then pretending to blow smoke from the barrel

'And what that video doesn't show you is the ten times I tried to hit that watermelon and missed, and that video was shot by my ex.'

Former dental assistant Hartin was raised by a single mother in rural Canada before arriving in Belize in 2014 after a long-term relationship ended, and she landed up in the bustling holiday island of Ambergris Caye.

She became an estate agent in the island's main town, San Pedro, where she met businessman Andrew Ashcroft - whose father owned the Belize Bank

Hartin previously said she has been ready to return to Canada, but fell for Andrew's sense of humour and vowed to make Belize her home.

The couple became parents to twins in 2017, but never married although they referred to each other in public as being husband and wife.

She is now estranged from Andrew and is fighting a bitter custody battle with him over their twins. He has accused her of being an unfit mother.

Piers Morgan Uncensored: Death on the Dock, TalkTV at 8pm Monday (Sky 526, Virgin Media 627, Freeview 237, Freesat 217 and Sky Glass 508) and live and on demand on the TalkTV app and at Talk.TV
Trump has mocked CNN for putting a 'clamp' on calling his election fraud claims 'the Big Lie', saying the network is worried about the legal liability of using the catchphrase.

Speaking at his American Freedom Tour outside of Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday, Trump aimed at CNN's new president Chris Licht's order to stop using the phrase 'the Big Lie,' as it's a Democrat slogan.

Trump claimed the network realized the term, which has been used by staff at CNN at least 168 times, is legally liable.

'In fact, a big story from two days ago, that CNN has put a clamp on ever using the term The Big Lie,' Trump said to the enthusiastic audience cheering him.

'Because I think they're worried about the legal liability of using that term, because I think they realize it wasn't a big lie. They're not allowed to use the term the big lie on fake news CNN anymore.'

Far from Trump's suggestions, Licht only 'discouraged' staff from using the term in an attempt to avoid 'adopting branding' used by the left, Mediaite reported.

A source told the outlet that Licht believes the specific phrasing of 'the Big Lie' - a reference to Hitler's Nazi propaganda efforts during the Third Reich - is a Democratic Party talking point.

Licht has suggested 'Trump's election lie' or 'election lie' as possible replacements.

During his speech in Memphis, Trump also called Biden 'the worst president in the history of America,' and accused him of turning 'common to chaos, prosperity into poverty and security into catastrophe,' during his 17 months in office.

Trump went on to call the 2020 Presidential Election 'the worst thing that could have happened.'

'You ever see where they say the Big Lie? That was no lie. The Big Lie was what they were doing,' Trump said. 'That was the Big Lie.'

Speaking at his American Freedom Tour outside of Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday, Trump aimed at CNN's new president Chris Licht's order to stop using the phrase 'the Big Lie,' as it's a Democrat slogan

Far from Trump's suggestions, Licht only 'discouraged' staff from using the term in an attempt to avoid 'adopting branding' used by the left, Mediaite reported

Mediaite reported on Thursday that Licht allegedly said he preferred staff avoid the catchphrase, though was clear in saying that this was not mandatory.

CNN has come under fire for moving away from its well-respected news coverage towards dreary opinion programming, where hosts on seven and eight-figure salaries parrot woke talking points.

Licht issued the edict days after warning staff over their incessant use of 'BREAKING NEWS' graphics on stories, which he said was melodramatic, and ultimately diluted the power of big stories when they did break.

Licht is also said to be keen to move the well-resourced network back towards neutral news coverage, with CNN hailed over its coverage of the Ukraine war and other big international news stories.

CNN employees have suggested that the demand to stop saying the big lie was not met happily by people within the Atlanta-based network.

'It's worrisome that we're being told how to talk about one of the worst things that ever happened to American democracy,' a CNN insider said to Mediaite. 'We have to call lies, lies, whether they're small lies or big lies. Is there any lie bigger than that lie?'

That insider suggested that Discovery board member John Malone - now on the board of the network's parent company who has been critical of CNN under Zucker - is behind this.

'It seems to indicate where things are headed,' they added. 'We didn't have this problem until John Malone was sitting on the board of this company.'

An insider suggested that Discovery board member John Malone - now on the board of the network's parent company who has been critical of CNN under Zucker - is behind this

CNN employees have suggested that the news was not met happily by people within the Atlanta-based network

A former producer at MSNBC's Morning Joe and most recently with Stephen Colbert's Late Show, this is far from the first time Licht has tried to get the network to tone things down since he took the reins.

Licht, as part of his efforts to revamp the outlet, has been evaluating news personalities and programs that became polarizing during Donald Trump's presidency.

Those who fail to get on board with the network's new priority to become 'less partisan' could be terminated, CNN insiders told Axios.

Licht isn't reportedly looking to get rid of primetime personality programming, but he does want CNN's news staff to present information in a way that upholds the network's apparent values of unbiased reporting.

Analysts allege this could prove problematic for network correspondents Jim Acosta and Brian Stelter, among others, who have 'become the face of the network's liberal shift.'

Licht wants to give the controversial personalities a chance to 'prove they're willing to uphold the network's values' before casting anyone out, the insiders said.

Specifically, he wants on-air talent, producers and bookers to make programming decisions that are focused on 'nuance' and don't tarnish the CNN brand, which was once regarded as 'the most trusted name in news.'

He does not plan to change the tone of the network's primetime shows, but does want to ensure partisan voices don't 'dominate' programming in a harmful way.

This would be a shift from the way former CNN president Jeff Zucker ran the network, which many argue allowed for the furthering of an anti-Trump agenda.

Those who fail to get on board with the network's new priority to becomes 'less partisan' could be terminated, CNN insiders allege

Licht, who officially took over at CNN on May 2, also said in a recent memo that he agrees with criticism from 'people both inside and outside the organization' that the banners are overused on TV, Axios reported.

'It has become such a fixture on every channel and network that its impact has become lost on the audience,' he wrote. 'We are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers.'

Licht said that CNN bureau chief Sam Feist had led a review to determine best practices for use of the Breaking News label, and added new rules to the network's stylebook, or internal editorial guidelines.

'It certainly will need tweaks, so we are open to feedback, but this is a great starting point to try to make 'Breaking News' mean something BIG is happening,' said Licht of the new rules.
Bali is making a bid to become the top medical tourism destination for Aussies as the Indonesian government injects funds into boosting its cosmetics industry.

The holiday mecca felt the economic blow of its heavy reliance on tourism during the Covid pandemic as travel bans stymied its typically constant flow of international visitors.

Now, like many other countries, the island has taken those hard-learned lessons onboard and is seeking to expand its commercial interests by becoming the go-to place for plastic surgery.

Balinese authorities have invested in a new aesthetic, wellness and anti-ageing centre at Sanglah Hospital which is set to start in a few months time.

Bali has its eyes set on becoming the top medical tourism destination for Aussies

Dermatologist Dr Ekkers said the project will allow Aussies to go under the knife for more affordable rates than at home.

'Lips, eyes, breast. All the plastic surgery. Anything you want,' she told A Current Affair.

'We want our patients ageing beautifully. Healthy from the inside and outside.'

The six-floor building will feature specialist care for an array of services, including boob jobs, botox, and butt lifts.

While the tourist hotspot already has a cosmetics industry, authorities hope the investment will make the country a first choice destination, providing better treatments and procedures than those available in Thailand or Singapore.

Dermatologist Dr Ekkers said Aussies will be able to get 'any cosmetic procedure they want' when the new aesthetics centre opens

The new six-floor aesthetics and wellness centre (pictured) will give patients the chance to receive specialised treatments

However, Australians holidaying in Bali were divided over whether or not they would take up the offer to go under the knife.

'I come from a medical background and unless they are going to staff their hospitals with our trained staff - then no,' one woman said.

'They think water cleans everything here.'

Another woman said it 'would be great' if they can introduce greater aesthetics services on the island, while a third said it has 'got to be good' if they are increasing their standard.

'For the people here, I think it would be a great idea,' a man said.

Australians have been flocking back to Bali since March when the island reopened for the first time in almost two years.

Tourism accounts for more than 50 per cent of the Balinese economy, with official figures indicating 700,000 locals were out of work as a result of Covid-19.

More than 70 per cent of Balinese residents work in tourism, with the 6.3 million tourists who visited in 2019 contributing 7.8 billion USD ($11,253,785,400 AUD) to the economy.
Nicola Sturgeon has accused opponents of 'running scared' of a debate on Scotland's future - as she was claimed to be eyeing a 'legal wheeze' in order to bypass Boris Johnson and hold a second independence referendum.

The Scottish First Minister this week set out what she called a 'refreshed' case for independence, as she targets a second referendum in October next year.

The SNP leader, as she kicked off a new campaign for another vote, pledged her Scottish Government would 'forge a way forward' if the Prime Minister refuses to grant Edinburgh the powers to hold a fresh referendum.

Ahead of the 2014 referendum, in which Scottish voters rejected independence by 55 per cent to 45 per cent, former PM David Cameron granted a section 30 order to Holyrood to allow the vote to be held.

But Mr Johnson has shown no indication he is willing to do the same and repeatedly told Ms Sturgeon that an independence vote should be a 'once-in-a-generation' event.

It has now been claimed that Ms Sturgeon is preparing to hold a consultative or advisory referendum, in order to bypass Mr Johnson and the UK Government.

According to the Sunday Times, this could involve a vote on a different question to the straight Yes/No choice in 2014, in a bid to avoid a legal challenge to another referendum.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon this week set out what she called a 'refreshed' case for independence

Boris Johnson has repeatedly told Ms Sturgeon that an independence vote should be a 'once-in-a-generation' event

Ms Sturgeon's Scottish Government is targeting a second referendum in October next year - despite a possible legal challenge to another vote

Ciaran Martin, the UK Government's former constitution director who helped to agree the framework for the 2014 vote, told the newspaper: 'The talk in Edinburgh circles is of a clever legal wheeze where softer legislation is drafted.

'Perhaps instead of a 'referendum on independence', the bill is instead about something like asking the people of Scotland for a mandate to open independence negotiations with the UK.

'Something like this might stand a better chance in court, though experts are sceptical.'

In 2017, Spain's Catalonia region held an independence referendum despite the vote being declared illegal by the Spanish government.

Catalan separatist leaders were later put on trial in Madrid on a series of charges.

As she launched her refreshed bid for a second independence referendum this week, Ms Sturgeon published a paper comparing Britain with other nations which she claimed are 'wealthier, fairer and happier' than the UK.

She has accused opposition parties of 'running scared' of the facts on independence and the UK's 'abysmal' performance compared to other nations.

'The Tories and Labour have completely failed to engage with that point because they know it is true and because they can see how threadbare the case for continued Westminster rule over Scotland has become,' the First Minister said.

'They simply have no answer, so instead of engaging in that debate they prefer to engage in the politics of deflection, talking about issues of process when on the issues of substance the sands are shifting beneath their feet.

'No matter how hard the Westminster parties try and run away from the debate, they cannot dodge reality.

'The people of Scotland have secured a cast-iron democratic mandate to decide their own future  and neither Boris Johnson nor any other UK Prime Minister has the right to block that mandate.'

A UK Government spokesperson said: 'Now is not the time to be talking about another referendum.

'People across Scotland rightly want and expect to see both of their governments working together with a relentless focus on the issues that matter to them, their families and communities.

'That means tackling the cost of living, protecting our long-term energy security, leading the international response against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and growing our economy so that everyone has access to the opportunities, skills and jobs for the future.'
A former UK Supreme Court judge has today criticised the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over its eleventh-hour ruling on the UK Government's Rwanda immigration plan.

Lord Sumption today said it was 'very unsatisfactory' that the decision had been taken behind closed doors - and by an as-of-yet unnamed judge - in Strasbourg.

The experienced judge, who served on the UK's Supreme Court for six years from 2012 to 2018, said he believed there were 'grounds' to consider 'modifying' the operation of the European Convention on Human Rights.

But he said it was 'ridiculous' to do this off the back of last week's Rwanda intervention.

He also said it was not a reason to pull out entirely from the convention - which Britain helped to establish in the wake of the Second World War.

His comments come following a string of criticism from Conservative politicians and ministers over the court's decision to issue an eleventh hour injunction which effectively grounded the first Channel migrant deportation flight to Rwanda.

Today Attorney General Suella Braverman added her name to the list of those criticising the court.

Ms Braverman, a former practising barrister, said it should be down to 'British people to decide who can and cannot stay in our country'.

She also said she had 'significant reservations' about the UK's relationship with the ECHR - which is not linked to the European Union and which Britain remained a member of in the wake of Brexit.

But asked his view on the court's decision and the fact it was made behind closed doors, Lord Sumption told LBC: 'I think all of that is very unsatisfactory. But in itself it is not a reason for withdrawing from the human rights convention.

Lord Sumption (pictured speaking with LBC presenter Tom Swarbrick) today said it was 'very unsatisfactory' that the decision had been taken behind closed doors - and by as-of-yet unnamed judges - in Strasbourg. But he said it was 'ridiculous' to do this off the back of last week's Rwanda intervention

In the latest round of criticism, Attorney General Suella Braverman (pictured) said it was down to ' British people decide who can and cannot stay in our country'

'There are, I think, reasons for at least modifying the operation of the human rights convention, but it is ridiculous to do this simply on the back of one, provisional, decision because it is not a decision on the merits of the Rwanda scheme, but simply on how to hold the fort until it's properly decided in July.

'I don't really think that's a sensible basis on which to decide to revise the human rights convention but there are much larger problems that should be looked at over a much wider-range of issues over a much longer period than the last week.'

He said the power to issue temporary injunctions, such as the one issued by the court on Tuesday that effectively grounded the UK's Rwanda flight, was a power the court 'awarded themselves' rather than one put into the convention.

Asked if he felt there was a 'democratic deficit' in the system, he said: 'I think the problem is the human rights convention requires the court to decide whether it is desirable to depart from human rights law in the interest of some other important interests - for example the suppression of crime or the control of public finances or something like that.'

He said the convention allowed Governments to depart from these norms in the interest of wider society.

Lord Sumption added: 'These are classically politically issues - do we want more privacy and less effective crime prevention - people will differ about that - how do we resolve these differences in a democracy?

'We do that through our elected representatives - not by transferring to judges who are quite rightly not politically responsible to anyone.'

A spokesman for the ECHR - which was founded by the Council of Europe and bears no relation to the EU - previously told MailOnline they would not be naming the judge, claiming this was their policy on interim injunctions such as these

The so-far anonymous judge signed off an urgent 11th hour injunction from the ECHR to an asylum seeker set to be flown to Rwanda - despite UK courts saying the flight could go ahead. Pictured: Members of the staff board a plane reported by British media to be first to transport migrants to Rwanda, at MOD Boscombe Down base in Wiltshire

His comments come as Ms Braverman said it is 'time to complete Brexit and let the British people decide who can and cannot stay in our country' following Tuesday's ruling.

'This is still a topic being discussed in Government but I have significant reservations about our relationship with the European Court of Human Rights,' she said in comments carried by the Daily Express.

'In the EU referendum the British people voted to take back control of our laws.

'They are rightly baffled why our immigration controls can still be blocked by European judges.

'It's time to complete Brexit and let the British people decide who can and cannot stay in our country.'

Home Secretary Priti has previously described the court's decision as politically motivated, while Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said it was wrong for the injunction to be granted.

The row has led to calls from some Tory MPs to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the document interpreted by the court in Strasbourg - something which No 10 and Ms Braverman have not ruled out, although it appears unlikely the Government would want to take such a drastic step.

Mr Raab has said the UK would stay within the convention but new laws could ensure that interim measures from the Strasbourg court could effectively be ignored by the Government.

The Government plans to replace the Human Rights Act, which enshrines the ECHR in domestic law, with a new Bill of Rights.

Ongoing court battles have created uncertainty over when any further attempts to fly asylum seekers to the African country will be made, although Ms Patel has previously said the Government 'will not be deterred from doing the right thing, we will not be put off by the inevitable last-minute legal challenges'.
Texas taxpayers are paying the price for Governor Greg Abbott's plan to bus migrants who crossed into the U.S. illegally to Washington, D.C.

As of June 7, $2.9 million in taxpayer funds have sent only 1,778 immigrants to the nation's capital, according to Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) documents  and the figure is expected to rise as more buses have already been deployed and Abbott shows no signs of slowing the stunt.

More than $1 million of the total cost has gone toward security alone, while taxpayers are also footing the bill for drivers and GPS tracking, among other things.

To help curb the costs of the initiative, Abbott launched a crowdfunding page to bus migrants called the Border Transportation Funding Donations. As of May 27, 2022 the fund has raised just $112,842 toward the effort.

Abbott's office said Friday that more than 70 buses carrying 2,100 people have so far departed from the border in Texas, meaning that the taxpayer bill will continue to increase in future reports.

Texas taxpayers are footing the $2.9 million bill that as so far sent 1,778 immigrants to Washington, D.C.  as buses continue to arrive with asylum-seekers. Pictured: Migrants are dropped off in front of the U.S. Capitol in a bus that departed from Texas

Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott began the initiative to send migrants to D.C. in order to bring the border crisis to the steps of the U.S. Capitol. He also set up a crowdsourcing fund for donations to the plan, which has raised only $112,842 as of May 27

Hundreds of migrants wait in the shade for processing after illegally crossing into the U.S. and claiming asylum

An open records request from NBC 5 Investigates found that busing each migrant to D.C. costs $1,400. Some buses carry more passengers than others  one carried just nine people while another had 53 on board.

During a visit to Eagle Pass, Texas in late May, Abbott told reporters that he could send as many as 450 buses from his state to D.C. The first bus arrived in mid April carrying just 24 migrants.

The goal of transporting migrants northeast, according to the governor, is to put the border crisis in the faces of politicians in D.C. rather than continue to plague Texas communities with influxes of illegal immigrants.

Migration at the southern border continues to surge going into the summer months. The fourth straight month of migration increases saw 239,416 crossings in May, which is the highest so far of President Joe Biden's time in office and a new two-decade high.

Chief Patrol Agent for the del Rio Sector Jason D. Owens tweeted images on Saturday of hundreds of migrants apprehended by border patrol and awaiting processing for their asylum claims.

'As previously mentioned, the Del Rio Sector accounts for nearly 50% of all large groups apprehended by the US Border Patrol,' Owens tweeted along with three images.

'Groups of 100 are bad,' he added, 'now we are seeing groups over 200, 300, & even over 400!'

May saw the highest number of crossings since Joe Biden took office with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountering 239,416 migrants at the border last month

Chief Patrol Agent for the del Rio Sector Jason D. Owens said that groups of over 400 migrants are arriving daily in the Del Rio sector of the border

He posted images of migrants who were apprehended by CBP awaiting processing

'In the past 48 hours, agents encountered 8 groups totaling 1,780 migrants!' Owens wrote, which is very close to the number of migrants Abbott has sent to D.C. by bus.

The TDEM documents reveal information from bus trips spanning April 11 through June 7, which shows that 61 bus trips carried 1,778 people to D.C. from Texas for $2.9 million  the math equates to the cost of $1,600 per passenger.

First class one-way tickets from San Antonio to Washington, D.C. are in the $600 range for July and commercial bus and train tickets are even less.

The initiative was announced in early April, when Abbott said the 'unprecedented' state response to the migration crisis was to bring the issue to the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

'To help local officials whose communities are being overwhelmed by hordes of illegal immigrants who are being dropped off by the Biden administration, Texas is providing charter buses to send these illegal immigrants  to Washington, D.C.,' Abbott said at the time.

'We are sending them to the United States Capitol where the Biden administration will be able to more immediately address the immediate needs of people they are allowing to come across our border.'
The Metropolitan Police have admitted two questionnaires were not returned to them during their Partygate investigation into Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street.

Scotland Yard revealed, of a total of 204 questionnaires issued as part of their Operation Hillman probe, two were not responded to.

But the force insisted that officers were 'spurred on' rather than 'impeded' by the non-responses and that it did not prevent them from issuing fines.

Last month, the Met Police announced Operation Hillman had concluded with 126 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) given out for breaches of Coronavirus regulations in Government buildings.

Officers pored through 345 documents and 510 photographs as part of their work.

But a key part of their investigative process was also the issuing of questionnaires, which asked for an account and explanation of the recipient's participation in lockdown-busting events.

The questionnaires held formal legal status, with Scotland Yard having set a seven-day deadline for reply and warned they 'must be answered truthfully'.

Durham Police have similarly sent questionnaires to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner over the Beergate allegations.

Boris Johnson, pictured at a Partygate gathering in Number 10, was among those issued with a Met Police questionnaire

Scotland Yard revealed, of a total of 204 questionnaires issued as part of their Operation Hillman probe, two were not responded to

The admission from Scotland Yard came in reply to questions about Operation Hillman from Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain

Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak - who were all fined over Partygate - all filled in questionnaires and returned them to the Met Police.

But it has now been revealed how two questionnaires were never returned to Scotland Yard.

In reply to questions about Operation Hillman from Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain, Met Police deputy assistant commissioner Jane Conners wrote in a letter: 'We issued a total of 204 questionnaires. Only two questionnaires were not returned.

'The two individuals sent the questionnaires were still assessed against all the available evidence and, while I cannot give individual details, I can confirm that a "non-response" certainly did not prevent us from referring for an FPN to be issued if it was appropriate to do so.

'As the acting commissioner said at the London Assemblys police and crime committee, failure to return a questionnaire spurred the team on rather than impeded them.

'We understand the strong interest, feelings and opinions on this case given the pandemic affected so many people in so many ways.

'Therefore, I can assure you and the public once again that the small but skilled team investigating this matter have acted diligently, proportionately, carefully, and impartially.'

Ms Chamberlain had quizzed Scotland Yard about reports a number of higher ranking officials had not returned their questionnaires.

She said: 'Serious questions remain around the Met Polices investigation into Boris Johnsons law-breaking parties in Downing Street.

'Time and again Johnson has lied and tried to cover up his criminal behaviour. The public now deserves full transparency.

'Its important that we find out more about the two individuals who failed to return a questionnaire to the police, whether they were Conservative ministers or senior officials, and if one or both then received a fine.

'We also need urgent clarity over claims that some individuals failed to properly fill in their questionnaires.

'The public would be rightly angry if it turns out Johnson or his Downing Street evaded justice by failing to properly answer questions from the police.'
Police are searching for the scooter-riding gunman who opened fire on a group of people in the Bronx, leaving one person wounded.

Surveillance footage showed four men sitting near a stoop on Wales Ave. near E. 152nd St. in Woodstock in the Bronx, New York City, at around 7pm on Thursday when two men on a scooter rode by.

The one riding in the back of the scooter, suddenly stood up, pulled out a gun and began shooting.

The group quickly scattered, with two dropping to the floor and one man even rolling under the car.

A 28-year-old male, whose name was not released, was shot once in the left leg and was rushed to Jacobi Hospital. He has been treated and since released, The Daily News reported.

An NYPD police spokesperson told DailyMail.com they are looking at all avenues on why shooting occurred.

It is unclear at this time if it was gang related or a targeted shooting, the police spokesperson said. It is under investigation.

On Saturday, police released the surveillance footage and are seeking the public's help in locating the shooter. A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered.

Wanted for an Assault in front of 644 Wales Avenue in the Bronx. Two individuals riding on one motorized vehicle approached a 28-year-old male. One of the individuals displayed a firearm and discharged at the victim multiple times, striking him in the left leg. A reward up to $3,500 is being offered

In this picture one man is seen down on the sidewalk trying to get away from the shooter

The shooter was dressed in blue jeans, white sneakers and a white puffy jacket. He had his hood over his head as he stood up on the back of the motorbike and aimed his gun directly at the crowd.

The driver of the scooter was wearing jeans, black sneakers, a black helmet worn over a blue-hooded jacket. Both suspects appeared to be wearing some type of face covering.

Surveillance footage shows victims scrambling for cover, and hiding behind parked cars.

One man is scene crawling down the stoop on his stomach, while another is scene hiding underneath a car before the scooter disappears, the news outlet reported.

Officials said no arrests have been made.

The NYPD is asking anyone with information to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

One man is scene ducking for cover as two people are seen sitting on the nearby stoop

The gunman on scooter is seen aiming at the group of men as they all scatter. One male is seen squeezing his body underneath a grey truck
Sadiq Khan has joined tens of thousands of people on a bike ride from London to Brighton to raise money for research into heart and circulatory diseases.

The London Mayor, 51, was among 14,000 riders who took on the 54-mile challenge from Clapham Common to the south-east seafront on Sunday.

Money raised by the ride will go to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to help researchers understand how to better prevent, diagnose, and cure heart and circulatory diseases.

Heart and circulatory disease is responsible for around 150,000 deaths in the UK each year.

After arriving at the coast, Mr Khan said: 'I was delighted to join 14,000 other cyclists taking on the 54-mile route which took us from my south London home turf, to Brightons historic seafront where a fantastic crowd gave us riders a much-needed boost for the final push.

Sadiq Khan takes part in the British Heart Foundation's London to Brighton bike ride

British Heart Foundation Chief Executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths and Mr Khan ahead of the event

'Most importantly, all the money raised from todays ride will go towards BHFs lifesaving research, helping to support the 7.6 million around the country living with heart and circulatory disease.'

Mr Khan took to Twitter to share a photo at the event with several of his brothers, who were also taking part in the bike ride.

Alongside the snap, he wrote: 'And we're off! From south London to Brighton beach - the Khan brothers are on our way.'

The bike ride, which is in its 45th year, has raised more than 70 million for the BHFs research, despite a two-year break during the coronavirus pandemic.

The London Mayor, 51, was among 14,000 riders who took on the 54-mile challenge from Clapham Common to the south-east seafront on Sunday

Heart and circulatory disease is responsible for around 150,000 deaths in the UK each year

Mr Khan took to Twitter to share a photo at the event with several of his brothers, who were also taking part in the bike ride

Jason Cooper, the drummer of British rock band The Cure, was riding in memory of his former drum tech, Paul Ricky Welton, who died after suffering a heart attack in 2019.

He said: 'It was a fabulous day. The atmosphere was amazing, especially the crowds coming into Brighton cheering us on.

'I am proud to be raising money for the BHF in memory of my great friend Ricky.

'He was a fantastic drum technician, and we shared momentous times together. But more importantly, he was a just a lovely guy and we all miss him dearly.'
A new app has made sick leave simpler for ill workers needing a certificate from their GP.

The app, named 'Sicky', makes it easy for crook Sydneysiders requiring time off work to receive a sick note through the app after an online medical assessment from a pharmacist.

It comes as a surge of cold and flu cases grips the country during the winter season as flu and pain medication flies off supermarket shelves.

Sicky is a new app run by pharmacists that has provided a simpler way for crook Sydney residents to obtain a certificate

The app, which is run by pharmacists, can provide certificates to Sydney residents over the phone for a variety of illnesses including cold, flu, gut issues and Covid.

'The last thing we want is sick people having to go to work and spreading what they may have to others,' Sicky founder Avinsah Vazirani told 9News.

Those wanting to obtain a certificate need to download the app onto their phone, open it and apply for either a Sick Leave Certificate or Carers Leave Certificate.

Sicky then puts the user through to a virtual call with a pharmacist who conducts an assessment of their medical condition.

If the pharmacist deems the person to be sick, they can immediately issue a certificate to the user's phone.

Sicky founder Avinsah Vazirani (pictured) broke down the simple way to access and use his application in an interview with 9News

Sick Sydney residents need to download the app, open it and select which certificate they want. They will be assessed by a pharmacist who will issue the certificate

The certificate can be easily downloaded onto the user's phone. It can be saved as a document, attached to an email or printed off.

Mr Vazirani said medical assessments are thorough so those deliberately trying to 'chuck a sickie' will likely not receive a certificate.

Out of all the cases assessed through Sicky, Mr Vazirani revealed about 10% are rejected.

Pharmacists can already issue Sick Leave Certificates in person under workplace law but more seriously ill patients that can't be assessed will need to visit a doctor.
This is the moment a man pulled up next to a cop conducting a traffic stop in Chicago, pulled out a huge ax and charged at him before he was shot dead.

The officer was conducting a traffic stop at 11 a.m. on June 3 when an unrelated grey car pulled up next to a black Honda that the officer had pulled over, according to the Naperville Police Department.

'Who are you, dude?' the police officer asks on the video as the suspect, who has since been identified as 28-year-old Edward Samaan, opens the front door of his car before shutting it.

Seconds later, Samaan finally exits his vehicle to charge at the officer with an axe in his hand, footage shows.

The officer fired his gun several times, striking the suspect, police said.

'I've just been attacked, shots fired, shots fired!' the officer shouts in his radio. He then orders Samaan to stay on the ground and to not move while he he points his gun at him.

A Naperville police officer was conducting a traffic stop after he pulled over a driver in a black Honda when Edward Samaan, 28, pulled up on his grey Ford Fusion on June 3

'Who are you, dude?' the police officer could be heard saying in recorded police body camera footage, before Samaan dashes out of his car and charges at the 22-year police veteran with an axe

Samaan performed the attack on the veteran police officer while the driver of the other vehicle stayed in his car

The police officer shot down Samaan before he could reach him. Samaan was rushed to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead

'Oh, my God! Holy s***!' the officer further says in the recording of the attack, as he's in shock from what had just happened.

'Stay in your car, man! Don't move!' the cop then shouts to the driver who had been initially pulled over at the traffic stop. The individual obeyed the officer's command and stayed in his vehicle.

Samaan was then rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead, after the officer called for emergency medical services.

The officer, a 22-year-veteran of the Naperville Police Department, was not injured from the attack. He remains unidentified.

As of Sunday, a motive for the attack is unclear. Samaan's brother, who spoke to ABC7 Chicago, couldn't offer an explanation for the attack.

DailyMail.com has contacted the Naperville Police Department for comment.

Samaan is no stranger to police due to his extensive criminal background. He was previously booked on charges of aggravated assault and was recently out on bail. His criminal record suggest that he had previously assaulted another police officer, according to Mugshots Zone.

The DuPage County Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigative Team and the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office were notified of the June 3 incident and are conducting the independent investigation into this incident, police told Fox 32.

Authorities are also looking into potential ties between the driver who had been initially pulled over for a traffic stop and the suspect.

No motive for Samaan's attack has been revealed since the attack on June 3. Pictured: Samaan in an old mugshot picture

Crime rates across the board in Chicago are already above what they were at this time last year although levels for murder and shooting incidents are in fact down by a small amount, data from the Chicago Police Department's data up until June 12 shows.

There have been 268 murders in the Windy City so far this year, down by seven percent compared to last year when there were 289 murder in the same time period.

Sexual assaults are also also down by two percent from last year, as 895 incidents have been reported this year compared to 912 last year.

The largest increases, however, were to the number thefts, up 66 percent over the same time period last year with 7,354 reported compared with 4,436 last year.

Motor vehicle thefts are also up 39 percent compared to the same time last year, with 5,586 reported in 2022 and 4,033 reported in the same period in 2021.

Shooting incidents, meanwhile, are down 17 percent from last year - but there have already been a string of deadly shootings, with seven people at an intersection in the city's South Side in March and three minors killed in January.
A Texas meteorologist was stuck in Milwaukee and Chicago for two full days after his flights back home were canceled a total of six times as airports around the United States enter their fourth day of travel misery due to storms and pandemic era-related staff shortages.

In a series of tweets over the weekend, Shel Winkley, a meteorologist for KBTX News, shared how he struggled to arrive at - and later get home from - an American Meteorological Society Broadcast Conference in Milwaukee.

He shares his story as more than 700 flights were canceled coming into or departing from the United States on Sunday, according to Flight Aware, with over 1,000 were delayed.

Delta fared the worst of the American airlines, with six percent of its total flights canceled on Sunday, and United Airlines saw three percent of its flights canceled and four percent delayed. For American Airlines, which Winkley was dealing with over the weekend, five percent of its flights were delayed on Sunday.

Among the worst hit airports were Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta, Georgia; John F Kennedy Airport in New York City and the Chicago O'Hare airport.

The travel anguish comes after a total of 8,900 delays and 1,470 cancelation thwarted US travels on Friday and more than 1,700 were canceled on Thursday amid storms in the southeast and northeast.

Since then, there have been more than 4,000 flights canceled across the United States.

Winkley's saga began Monday when he first faced a four-hour delay from Dallas-Fort Worth to General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee.

In a series of tweets over the weekend, Shel Winkley (pictured napping at the airport) a meteorologist for KBTX News, shared how he struggled to arrive at - and later get home from - an American Meteorological Society Broadcast Conference in Milwaukee.

Massive flight delays and cancelations continued for a fourth day on Sunday

After he finally arrived in the area, he said, a large storm was slamming Milwaukee, and the captain had to circle around the tarmac several times - until eventually he announced: 'We don't have enough gas, we're heading for Madison.'

They then sat on the tarmac in Madison, Wisconsin for a while as they waited for the storms to pass, and he finally arrived at Milwaukee at 7pm, but once again had to wait because his luggage was put on a later flight.

Winkley was originally expected to arrive in the area at 12.40pm, he wrote.

That would have been enough for the traveling meteorologist, but as he tried to head home on Friday, his flight scheduled to leave at 5.30pm starts getting pushed back to 7pm.

Soon, the plane arrived on the tarmac, he said, and people started to deplane, but they are not allowed to get on.

The captain later explained: 'There's a malfunction, I don't feel comfortable flying the plane.'

His flight was then delayed until 8.30am, and Winkley got a hotel room, but at 12am he received a push notification that the flight is once again delayed until 11.45am.

So on Saturday morning, he tweeted that he saw the plane parked at the gate at the Milwaukee airport, but officials announced it would be another four to five hours to install a new part on the plane - a control valve, which he wrote 'controls how fast the plane goes.'

At that point, he said, American Airline officials offered the passengers a bus to the Chicago O'Hare airport - about an hour and a half away.

Two hours after arriving, Winkley wrote, the plane arrived - but was delayed further because of mechanical issues.

'Meanwhile, those that were left waiting at [Milwaukee] on the original flight are about to take off,' he wrote. '@AmericanAir: This isn't cute anymore.'

Winkley was finally able to get on the plane, he said, but maintenance crews soon returned to 'fix something in the cockpit.'

After about an hour, the maintenance crews were unable to fix the problem, and they were asked to deplane.

At the same time, though, Winkley wrote, those who waited it out at Milwaukee had reached Dallas-Fort Worth.

/21 Maintenance couldn't get the issues fixed (they worked hard for an hour...they truly did). Still working on the problem to try to get us out tonight.



We have been asked to deplane.



The time is now 10:08pm pic.twitter.com/xnoUcVqvqx  Shel Winkley (@KBTXShel) June 19, 2022

In a series of tweets, Shel Winkley, a meteorologist for KBTX News, shared how he struggled to arrive at - and later get home from - an American Meteorological Society Broadcast Conference in Milwaukee

By 11.09pm, another flight he was booked on was canceled by American Airlines 'once again leaving us stranded for the night,' and at that point he and his crew decided to just take a sunrise flight to Austin.

They finally arrived on Texas soil mid-Sunday morning, as passengers around the country continued to face massive delays and cancelations for Father's Day weekend.

So far in June, FOX 5 reports, more than 2.2 million travelers a day have gone through security checkpoints at US airports - up 22 percent from the same time one year ago, but still down 13 percent from the same time before the pandemic.

The delays are partially driven by on-going storms throughout the U.S. after a heat dome settled over the Midwest and South last week, creating the perfect conditions for surprise tornadoes and showers.

As of Sunday morning, more than 700 flights were canceled coming into or departing from the United States, according to Flight Aware , and over 1,000 flights coming into or out of the United States were delayed

A Transportation Security Administration checkpoint sign showed that it would take about an hour and a half to get through on Sunday

For disabled U.S. Army veteran Joe Reis told 11 Alive that the delays and cancellations have kept him from returning home from his honeymoon and accessing the charger for his hearing aids, which is in his hold bag.

'Instead of it being a happy honeymoon, it became a very miserable plane ride waiting for this hell hole to let us finally leave,' Reis said, adding that he had to sleep on the floor on Saturday. 'I have to rely on hearing aids, and so my charging port is actually in my bag in Omaha.'

New mother Brooke Osborne echoed the complaints, saying that she was running out of diapers and formula for her 11-month-old daughter, Carson.

'We've just been giving her more food throughout the day and less bottles since all of her formula is in our checked bag, which is in Omaha,' she told the local outlet.

Rachel England, another passenger who was stuck waiting for her flight to Omaha, said she had been stranded in Atlanta since Friday.

'We've been there since like 6:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., the night before,' England told 11 Alive on Saturday.

'I told [Delta], 'This is on you. You guys get me the reimbursement for the hotel,'' she added. 'I made sure to get flight insurance just in case something like this happens.'

In a statement about the delays and cancellations, Delta said: 'We apologize for any inconvenience and delay customers have experienced as a result of issues primarily driven by weather, ATC, and crew resources.

'Delta people continue working hard to deliver the operations customers have come to expect from us, and we are working quickly to resolve travel issues and get customers to their destination.'

U.S. Army veteran Joe Reis (left) and new mother Brook Osborne (right) said they were stuck at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport for 24 hours on Saturday, with their bags containing essential equipment waiting for them in Omaha, Nebraska

Osborne said she was running out of diapers and formula for her 11-month-old daughter

The ongoing trends of frustrated travelers and high number of cancellations pushed Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to tell airline executives to clean up their act and avoid another flying catastrophe before July 4.

Buttigieg, alongside millions of other travelers, are tired of what feels like constant cancellations without so much as an apology from the airlines.

The father-of-two has given airline executives a short two-week period to clean up the mess and guarantee travelers can enjoy a patriotic weekend and summer without the airport stress.

He's asked them to 'stress-test' operations ahead of the next big holiday - meaning travel firms could ultimately end up cutting more flights if they realize they'll have insufficient resources to operate them.

'At the end of the day, they've got to deliver,' Buttigieg told the Today Show. The Democrat met with top airlines executives on Thursday to warn them to avoid the Memorial Day disaster, where 2,700 flights were canceled.

On Friday, Buttigieg tweeted: 'Air travelers should be able to expect reliable service as demand returns to levels not seen since before the pandemic.'

Transportation Pete Buttigieg called on airlines to brace themselves and prepare for the hectic July 4 weekend and said travelers should expect more reliable service by then

The number of travelers is surging back to pre-pandemic levels. This chart shows the same week over the last three years

A recent survey by the US Travel Association found than one in ten can't afford to go on a road trip this year because of the increased cost and gas isn't the only thing that's more expensive

Travelers should expect to embrace a seemingly difficult travel season as not only are there less pilots in the cockpit, but less TSA agents screaming to take laptops out of backpacks.

Pre-pandemic, there were roughly 50,000 TSA agents employees, but in the last two years, that number has dipped to 46,000.

Many TSA checkpoints were closed during the height of the pandemic in 2020 - creating bottlenecks at already-crowded ports.

On top of that, TSA lost an abundance of workers due to the vaccine mandate last year. Official numbers have not been released for how many agents were lost to other jobs during the pandemic, but the agency is recruiting across the country.
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Firefighters in Spain and Germany struggled to contain wildfires on Sunday amid an unusual heat wave in Western Europe for this time of year.

Residents had to be evacuated after a forest fire blazed through Treuenbrietzen in the south-west of Berlin, as the country joined others seeing rising temperatures earlier in the year than normal.

Three districts around the fire have been evacuated, with a fourth also coming under threat as hundreds of residents leave their homes and apartments.

Approximately 620 people have evacuated their homes according to Andrea Metzler, spokeswoman for the district, who said that flying sparks had ignited a field - according to RBB24.

The site is a former blasting and training ground with ammunition and explosive ordnance in the ground, stopping the firefighters from getting directly to the fire.

The government has set up an emergency shelter in the Stadthalle Treuenbrietzen for evacuees.

In the early morning hours, another forest fire broke out in the Trecktal area of the Upper Harz mountain range, Lower Saxony, along with a forest fire in Potsdam-Mittelmark that also sparked up on Sunday.

Germany's national weather service predicted that the high temperatures would continue over the weekend, as the heat moves into central and Eastern Europe, approaching 30 degrees Celsius in some areas.

Approaching thunderstorms and shower-like rain are expected before the temperatures levels off.

The heatwave follows an unusually dry spring in Western Europe, with authorities ordering water to be rationed in northern Italy and parts of France and Germany.

A firefighter walks on burnt soil in Frohnsdorf near Treuenbrietzen, southwest of Berlin, eastern Germany after the forest fire amid an unusual heatwave

Firefighters in Spain and Germany struggled to contain wildfires on Sunday amid an unusual heat wave in Western Europe for this time of year. A firefighter is pictured working in the San Martin de Unx area in northern Spain on Sunday

Smoke emerges near Belascoain, Navarre, Spain, on Sunday. The temperature kept climbing amid a searing heatwave which exacerbated wildfires in Spain and prompted evacuations from several villages

Residents had to be evacuated after a forest fire blazed through Treuenbrietzen in the south-west of Berlin (fire brigades pictured on the scene on Sunday), as the country joined others seeing rising temperatures earlier in the year than normal

Spain was already heading towards its hottest early summer temperatures in decades this week, with forecasts of between 104-108F in northeast and northwest Spain, according to national weather agency AEMET. Local residents are pictured observing a forest fire in Belascoain, Navarre, Spain

Almost 20,000 hectares of land had been burned in the Sierra de la Culebra mountain range and the fire was 'still active', said a tweet Saturday from the regional government of Castile and Leon, where Zamora is located. The forest fire in Belascoain, Navarre, pictured

The baking heat combined with windy conditions has triggered wildfires in several areas, with Zamora, near the northwestern border with Portugal, among the worst hit. Smoke pictured rising from forest fires burning near Belascoin, Navarre, Spain

Elsewhere in Europe, the temperature kept climbing amid a searing heatwave which exacerbated wildfires in Spain and prompted evacuations from several villages.

Spain was already heading towards its hottest early summer temperatures in decades this week, with forecasts of between 104-108F in northeast and northwest Spain, according to national weather agency AEMET.

The baking heat combined with windy conditions has triggered wildfires in several areas, with Zamora, near the northwestern border with Portugal, among the worst hit.

Almost 20,000 hectares of land had been burned in the Sierra de la Culebra mountain range and the fire was 'still active', said a tweet Saturday from the regional government of Castile and Leon, where Zamora is located.

On Saturday afternoon, it said 11 villages had been evacuated and some 500 firefighters were battling to extinguish the terrifying blaze.

Members of a firefighting brigade stand next top their vehicle in Frohnsdorf near Treuenbrietzen, southwest of Berlin, eastern Germany, on June 19

A cloud of smoke can be seen from afar not far from the district of Frohnsdorf, Germany, the latest country to find itself fighting fires amid an unusual heatwave

A police water cannon is in action in a forest fire in Treuenbrietzen, Germany. In the early morning hours, a forest fire broke out in the Trecktal area of the Upper Harz in Trecktal, with temperatures forecast to top 30 degrees Celsius in the area

Air Force of the German Armed Forces Bundeswehr shows soldiers fixing a container on a CH-53 helicopter to draw water from a nearby lake in order to extinguish a wildfire around Treuenbrietzen

According to the administration of the municipality, residents of two local districts had to be evacuated on Sunday due to the fast spreading fire raised by strong wind

Firefighters operate at the site of a wildfire in Pumarejo de Tera near Zamora, northern Spain, on June 18, 2022

Firefighters continued to fight against multiple fires in Spain, one of which ravaged nearly 20,000 hectares of land, on the last day of an extreme heat wave which crushed the country, with peaks at 43 degrees

The largest of these forest fires was still out of control this afternoon in the Sierra de la Culebra, a mountain range in the region of Castile and Leon (northwest), near the border with Portugal

Members of the Military Emergencies Unit work to extinguish a wildfire near Artesa de Segre, Spain, June 16, 2022

Some 500 firefighters are battling to extinguish the terrifying blaze in Spain, whipped up by strong winds amid brutally hot temperatures

An AS-350 'Ecureuil' fire-fighting helicopter takes part in fire containment operations in Artesa de Segre, in Catalonia

A member of the Military Emergencies Unit looks on while he works to extinguish a wildfire near Artesa de Segre, Spain, June 16, 2022

This photograph taken on June 17, 2022 shows a pharmacy sign displaying the temperature of 42,5 Celsius degrees in Bordeaux, south-western France

People take a bath in the river Limmat at Letten, as a heat wave reaches the country, in Zurich, Switzerland, 18 June 2022

A woman passes her hand under the spray of a fountain in the city of Perpignan, southern France on June 17, 2022

The current heat wave in Europe started almost a week ago in Spain, where temperatures reached 43 C (109.4F). Spanish authorities hope the weather will begin to cool again Sunday.

The intense temperatures and a lack of rain has helped fuel wildfires across Spain, taxing firefighting capacity.

In Catalonia, firefighters who were trying to bring a fire under control in Baldomar said they expected Saturday to be 'complicated' by 'very high temperatures and a strong southerly wind'.

Flames crackled and raged high into the air on the outskirts of the village of Caudiel, in Castellon, eastern Spain.

Firefighters, wearing masks, goggles and helmets, struggled to bring the flames under control. They helped evacuate residents, some of whom dragged along their pet dogs and horses, as smoke wafted through the village.

'This is evidence of climate change,' Bernardo Funes, 63, a stallholder and organic farmer in Zaragoza, told Reuters. 'It's very worrying because... we've already had highs of 34, 35 degrees in May and now in June, it's something like 44 degrees.'

The northeastern Spanish city's farmers market is typically a hive of activity on Saturday afternoon, but the stall owners and visitors alike simply rested in the shade and tried their best to keep hydrated as the mercury reached 107.6F at 4pm.

Outside the city's grand cathedral, Marisa Gutierrez was sitting beneath a shaded canopy that displayed the lottery tickets she was selling.

'It's been very bad, with a hot wind that felt as if it was from the desert,' she told Reuters. 'This isn't normal... at this time of year there's usually a pleasant temperature but not this heat.'

Meanwhile at a stag do in the city centre, participants, dressed as Romans, said they were having to drink as much water as beer.

People walk past a street thermometer reading 46 degrees celsius as near record temperatures continue to affect the country, in Bilbao, Spain June 17, 2022

A man cools off in The Trocadero Fountains in front of The Eiffel Tower in Paris on June 18, 2022, amid record high temperatures sweeping across France and western Europe

A helicopter overflies a wildfire near Artesa de Segre, Spain, June 16, 2022. Many areas of Western Europe have been sweltering under unseasonably hot temperatures over the past few days, compounding climate change fears

Flames engulf a wood pile during a wildfire blaze in a forest in Genille, Central France. Emergency services battled wildfires as France remained in the grip of an exceptional heatwave that has seen temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius

In France, special measures have been taken in care homes for elderly people, still marked by the memory of a deadly 2003 heatwave. Pictured: A solitary plant grows on a dry bank of the Loire River, in Montjean-sur-Loire

It's not just Spain bearing the brunt of the brutal euro heatwave. Many areas of Western Europe have been sweltering under unseasonably hot temperatures over the past few days, compounding climate change fears.

Meteorologists say the unusually early heatwave is a sign of what's to come as global warming continues, moving up in the calendar the temperatures that Europe would previously have seen only in July and August.

'In some parts of Spain and France, temperatures are more than 10 degrees higher - that's huge - than the average for this time of year,' Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, said.

In France, some 18 million people woke to heat wave alerts affecting about a third of the country Friday, and forest fire warnings were issued from the Pyrenees in the south to the Paris region.

The southwestern French city of Bordeaux saw the mercury peak at 108.5 yesterday, while people as far north as Paris were seen dipping in the city's fountains to cool off. Temperatures in Montpellier even reached 114F this week.

On Friday, schoolchildren were allowed to skip classes in the 12 western and southwestern French regions that were under the highest alert. The government stepped up efforts to ensure nursing home residents and other vulnerable populations could stay hydrated.

Temperatures in France have mounted all week and passed 39 C (102.2 F) in the southwest Friday. Nighttime temperatures are also unusually high, and the heat is stretching to normally cooler regions in Brittany and Normandy on the Atlantic Coast.

Matthieu Sorel, a climatologist at national weather service Meteo France, told public broadcaster France-Info that temperatures are expected to break several records.

A man cools off in The Trocadero Fountains across from the Eiffel Tower in Paris on June 18, 2022

A woman refreshes at a fountain in Casa de Campo during a heatwave in Madrid, Spain

Women wearing hats to protect themselves from the sun stand near a public fountain in Nice as an early heatwave hits France, June 16, 2022

A man cools off in a fountain in the Lustgarten during hot summer weather temperatures on June 18, 2022 in Berlin, Germany

The German weather service issued a heat warning due to temperatures expected to reach 34 degrees Celsius, which is unseasonably hot for June

In Gironde, southwest of France, public events outdoors have been banned 'until the heatwave ends'. Indoor events at venues without air-conditioning have also prohibited.

Meanwhile schoolchildren in the 12 'red alert' areas were told to stay home, and care home residents were rotated through air-conditioned rooms.

'Everyone now faces a health risk,' local official Fabienne Buccio told France Bleu radio, while a climatologist at national weather service Meteo France told public broadcaster France-Info that temperatures are expected to break several records.

In the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, people boarded trains to the nearest North Sea beach early Friday afternoon while others took to boats and stand-up paddle boards on one of the city's historic ring of canals.

Nearly a third of Americans were under some form of heat advisory this week. During months of scorching temperatures, India and Pakistan saw the mercury scrape past 50 C (122 F) in some places

Authorities are also ordering citizens to ration water in northern Italy and parts of France and Germany.
A chemical leak in Cardiff left three people hospitalised and nearby residents were told to stay inside and keep their windows shut.

Emergency services including police, fire, and ambulance rushed to Queen Alexandra Docks, Butetown, Cardiff Bay shortly after 11am.

The ambulance service said it sent a rapid response car, ambulance, a duty operations manager and its hazardous area response team to the scene.

Residents near to Queen Alexandra Dock (pictured) in Cardiff have been told to keep their windows and doors shut after a chemical leak hospitalised three people this morning

Emergency services have attended the scene and asked that members of the public do not call in relation to the incident at Queen Alexandra Docks

A spokeswoman for South Wales Police said: 'South Wales Police were called to reports of a chemical leak on Queen Alexandra Dock, Butetown. The fire service have dealt with the incident.

'Three people have been taken to hospital as a precaution. Please avoid the area and keep windows and doors shut if you are in the Queen Alexandra Docks area.

'Please do not contact our control room in relation this incident.'

A spokesman for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: 'At approximately 1050 today, 19th June 2022 we responded to a report of a chemical incident at Queen Alexandra Dock, Cardiff.

'We mobilised a number of fire appliances and specialist crews from Cardiff Central, Whitchurch, Maindee, Pencoed,

'Penarth and New Inn. The incident was a small scale gas release, which was resolved with the assistance of an onsite engineer.

Three workers have been transferred to hospital for precautionary checks. South Wales Police and Welsh Ambulance Service were also on scene. There is no ongoing risk to members of the public in the area.'
Sir Lindsay Hoyle has been cheered after the death of his favourite pet by the arrival of a new kitten - named after ex-Labour prime minister Clement Attlee.

The animal-loving Speaker of the House of Commons has added four-month-old 'Attlee' to his wide array of pets.

He is a brown tabby Maine Coon - the same breed as Patrick, the 12-year-old cat the Hoyle family lost earlier this year when he died from a tumour.

Like all Sir Lindsay's animals, Patrick - the Speaker's 'favourite pet' - was also named after a key political figure; Tory peer Lord Patrick McComack, who was an MP for 36 years.

With the addition of Attlee, Sir Lindsay now has two pets named after Conservative politicians and two named after Labour figures.

He also owns a parrot named Boris, a Patterdale Terrier named Betty, and a tortoise named Maggie.

The animal-loving Speaker of the House of Commons has added four-month-old 'Attlee' to his wide array of pets

An Instagram account created for Attlee invites social media users to 'come follow me around the House of Commons'

Sir Lindsay Hoyle described his new four-month-old kitten as 'the boldest, craziest, life-force you can imagine'

The Instagram account describes brown tabby Maine Coon as 'the loveable and curious new kitten' of the Speaker

After serving as deputy PM under Winston Churchill during the wartime coalition in the early 1940s, Clement Attlee won the 1945 general election. As PM he introduced the National Health Service

After serving as deputy PM under Winston Churchill during the wartime coalition in the early 1940s, Clement Attlee won the 1945 general election.

As PM he introduced the National Health Service.

Speaking about his new pet, the Speaker said: 'Attlee is just the boldest, craziest, life-force you can imagine.

'He races around my office, much to the amusement of my team, and brings a smile to the face of doorkeepers, police officers, cleaners  and everyone who comes into contact with him.

'I still miss Patrick  who was my favourite pet  but Attlee, who we named after a former prime minister who created the NHS, has cheered us up no end.'

Patrick - the Speaker's 'favourite pet' - was also named after a key political figure; Tory peer Lord Patrick McComack, who was an MP for 36 years

Patrick's death in March came two years after he was crowned Westminster's top cat in Battersea Cats and Dogs Home's 'Purr Minster' competition

Sir Lindsay also owns a parrot named Boris, a Patterdale Terrier named Betty, and a tortoise named Maggie

Sir Lindsay also owns a parrot named Boris, a Patterdale Terrier named Betty, and a tortoise named Maggie. He also had Gordon the dog, who died

An Instagram account has been created for Attlee, which Sir Linsday said he hopes will help to engage animal lovers with democracy.

The account described Attlee as 'the loveable and curious new kitten' of the Speaker, with Instagram users invited to 'come follow me around the House of Commons'.

He is now set to rival Larry, the Downing Street chief mouser, as social media's favourite cat.

Patrick's death in March came two years after he was crowned Westminster's top cat in Battersea Cats and Dogs Home's 'Purr Minster' competition.

After three weeks of campaigning in the 2020 contest, Patrick beat nine others to be crowned the winner.

The competition saw nearly 5,000 members of the public vote for their winner, with each owner having to sumbit a 'manifursto' of 50 words, along with a photograph of their feline to express why they thought their pet should triumph.

Patrick's manifursto had pledged a better work/mouse balance, empawment for staff, purrfection for all, regular repawts, no fur flying in the chamber, impurrtiality and feline fine moments for everyone.
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Cambridge University students have taken part in the chaotic and boozy carboard box boat race on the River Cam for the first time since the pandemic after a scorching weekend heatwave came to an end.

Hundreds of students across 60 teams took part in the annual event to celebrate the end of their exams, with boats including a Boris Johnson masthead and a number participants drinking bottles of alcohol while sat upon what appeared to be a DIY dragon.

Around 2,000 spectators also gathered on the river's banks to watch the carnage unfold as the event took place for the first time since 2019.

Students spent the majority of the day constructing their makeshift rafts with cardboard, glue and gaffa tape before climbing inside and attempting to float along the water.

The vast majority of the boats, including another raft named Party Gate within which six students wore masks of Boris Johnson and wife Carrie, sank within minutes of taking to the river.

Those whose rafts quickly fell were then able to soak fellow students with a plethora of water pistols.

The event took place as this weekend's heatwave, which saw temperatures soar to as high as 32.7C (91F) on Friday, though it was far cooler yesterday with much of the UK experiencing rain.

Thousands of onlookers gathered along the River Cam in Cambridge today to watch the unusual annual boat race for the first time since pre-Covid

Among the 60 boats taking part in the race today was a raft with a Boris Johnson masthead above the name 'Tory Tears'

Students, armed with a plethora of water pistols, drank from bottles of alcohol on another boat that appeared to be shaped like a dragon

Thousands gathered along the river's banks to watch hundreds of students across 60 teams take part in the annual event today

Two students pictured as they made their way out of the River Cam following the sinking of their cardboard boat during today's festivities

More students clamber towards the river's banks after their DIY raft fails to stay afloat

Students taking part in the event were armed with a plethora of water pistols, while some onlookers jumped into the river to join in on the fun

Three students inside a duck-shaped boat begin to sink during the Cambridge Carboard Boat Race on Sunday

A group of students wearing masks depicting the faces of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie jump into the river as their Partygate boat begins to sink

The majority of the students ended up in the river just minutes into the race, having spent most of the morning constructing their boats

A group of students struggle to stay afloat as their cardboard raft begins to crumble as they try to row along the River Cam

Students fire water pistols at each other as they let off steam following a period of the academic year that is filled with exams

And parts of the UK were today hit with rain, with further showers forecast for this evening.

Today marked the 11th version of the unusual race, with the first race taking place back in 2010.

Many students downed wine, beer and shots as they struggled to stay on board their flimsy rafts - many deciding to purposely jump into the water as part of the fun.

Crowds clapped, cheered and laughed along the course, which runs from Jesus Green to Magdalene Bridge.

Earlier in the day thousands of students attended 'Suicide Sunday' parties around the city to celebrate the end of their exams.

The Sunday immediately after the end of the summer term at Cambridge is known as Suicide Sunday. By this date, most students have finished exams but most of the results have not been published, so it is traditionally a period of nerves and suspense.

Next week many of the students will attend the lavish May Ball parties at the university colleges.

A group of students try desperately to paddle along the River Cam as fellow participants do their utmost to splash them with water

A boat named Leo Lahjani on the River Cam today, before it inevitably sank alongside the 59 other teams taking part in the event

Another group of students hang onto their DIY raft after it sank minutes into today's race, the first since before the Covid pandemic

Students topple over each other as their boat, made of cardboard and gaffa tape, falls apart moments after entering the water for the race

More students clamber to stay afloat as the water plays havoc with their morning's constructions

Crowds along the river cheered as the vast majority of boats sank just minutes into the rather unusual annual event

A group of students in a boat mimicking ET paddle along the River Cam during today's Cambridge Cardboard Boat Race

A student dressed as a pirate is pictured rowing along the river moments before her boat becomes the latest in the event to capsize

The Partygate boat included a 'BYOB' message as the students poked fun at the Prime Minister's fine for breaching lockdown restrictions

Pictures from today's event showed students donning party hats and fancy dress as, for the most part, they became drenched.

It has become a much anticipated event at the university for students to let off steam following a stressful period of the year filled with exams.

But oars were of little help as the vast majority lasted a matter of minutes before succumbing to the river.
This is the moment a passenger jet carrying 185 suffered a bird strike on take off causing flames to shoot out the back of one of its engines.

The SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 was taking off from Patana, India when the port engine caught fire.

A passenger who was sitting just behind the wing showed flames shooting along the side of the aircraft.

The footage shows the aircraft racing down the runway and moments after it took off the engine ingests several birds.

The pilot and the first officer were forced to continue with the take off as they would not have had sufficient runway to safely land and stop.

A clip showed flames surging out of the back of the engine of the 15-year-old aircraft.

A passenger onboard a SpiceJet flight from Patana, India was filming out the port window when they saw the engine catch fire on take off

The pilot shut down the surging engine before returning to Patna airport without further incident. None of the 185 people on board were injured

Due to the engine problem the captain elected to return to Patna where the aircraft landed safely without any injuries to the passengers and crew.

The flight crew shut down the port engine due to the surging flames which could have caused further damage to the aircraft. However, a modern twin-engine passenger jet can happily fly on a single engine.

Investigators from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have launched a probe into the incident, though

The captain decided to return to Patna and passengers breathed a sigh of relief after the aircraft touched down, today (19).

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the plane was struck by a bird before the left engine was shut down.

A Spicejet spokesperson said the crew suspected a bird hit the engine after the take-off.

According to AvHerald: 'The crew levelled off at about 2,500 feet, shut the engine down and returned to Patna for a safe landing on runway 25 about 20 minutes after departure.

'India's DGCA reported an engine ingested a bird and was shut down.

'The airline reported during rotation for takeoff the #1 engine suffered what the crew suspected was a bird strike. The crew shut the engine down and returned to Patna. A replacement flight is being arranged.'
The January 6 select committee is considering subpoenaing 'hero' Mike Pence for his testimony after presenting the case on Thursday that there was an immense Trump-world pressure campaign on him to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College results.

'We're not taking anything off the table in terms of witnesses who have not yet testified,' panel member Adam Schiff told CNN's State of the Union on Sunday.

'We would still, I think, like to have several high-profile people come before our committee,' Schiff continued when asked about former Vice President Pence testifying. 'But, at the moment, I can't disclose what private conversations may or may not be going on with respect to certain individuals. But there are still key people we have not interviewed that we would like to.'

When further pressed by CNN host Dana Bash, the California Democrat said it's 'certainly a possibility' that the committee may subpoena Pence to appear before investigators.

'We're not excluding anyone or anything at this point,' he added.

January 6 committee member Adam Schiff said that it is 'certainly a possibility' that the panel subpoena former Vice President Mike Pence for hist testimony

The select committee made the case during the televised hearing on Thursday (pictured) that there was an intense pressure campaign on Pence to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election results

Rep. Jamie Raskin, also a member of the panel, said on Sunday that Pence was a 'hero' for not caving to the pressure of Trump and his allies

Much of Pence's former team has already testified regarding the events leading up to and transpiring on and after January 6, 2021. Some have appeared in videotaped questioning by investigators, while others have gone live before the panel this month in televised public hearings.

Testimony included that of Pence's administration-era chief of staff Marc Short as well as his former top counsel Greg Jacob.

The House select committee's third day of hearings on Thursday was focused on exhibiting the intense pressure campaign on Pence by Trump and his allies to go against the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and stop Congress from certifying the results on January 6, 2021.

Pence, with advice from his team saying it was not constitutional to reject the Electoral College votes, did not stop Congress that day and moved forward with certifying the results for Joe Biden's victory.

This resulted in Trump calling Pence a traitor and his supporters descending on the Capitol in the middle of the process last year to delay the count.

Schiff's fellow panel member Jamie Raskin told NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday that Pence was a 'hero' for ignoring Trump's push.

'Is Mike Pence a hero?' NBC host Chuck Todd questioned Raskin.

'In a time of absolutely scandalous betrayal of peoples' oaths of office and crimes being committed all over the place  somebody who does their job, and sticks to the law, will stand out as a hero on that day,' Raskin replied.

Pence is pictured on January 6, 2021 at the Capitol with his wife Karen on January 6, 2021  it was released by the select committee on Thursday, June 16, 2022

On the day of the Capitol rioters, Trump supporters called for Pence to be hung after he refused to cave to pressures to not certify the election results

The Maryland Democratic congressman added: 'I think on that day he was a hero for resisting all of the pressure campaigns and the coercive efforts to get him to play along with the continuation of the Big Lie  this big joke that he could somehow call off all the proceedings himself.'

It is not immediately clear what Pence's next steps are, but some suggest he could make a run for the White House himself in 2024.

The January 6 panel will hold its fourth hearing of eight on Tuesday and another on Thursday as the committee scrambles to conclude proceedings and move forward with recommendations before the 2022 midterms, which are likely to result in the House flipping red and the dissolution of the group.
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Embattled Aquaman star Amber Heard was spotted bargain shopping at a TJ Maxx in New York after Johnny Depp won his defamation trial against her - and awarded $15million against her.

The 36-year-old actress and her sister, Whitney Henriquez, indulged in an evening of bargain shopping at the Bridgehampton retail store, TMZ reported.

According to the outlet, the sisters were seen perusing racks for clothes and discussing white linen pants.

Heard was seen wearing her hair up in a bun, a white shirt and a pair of baggy jeans, a sharp contrast from her very elaborated court outfits and hairstyles.

At one point, Henriquez pulled her shopping car to the side so an older woman could see in the mirror if her potential purchase favored her.

Henriquez stood by Heard's side throughout the court proceedings, testifying against Depp and sharing a heartfelt message reiterating her support for Heard after the verdict.

It comes as the Hollywood star has publicly admitted she can't afford the $8.3 million in damages awarded to Depp on June 1.

It is unclear whether Depp will enforce the ruling and ask Heard to pay the high sum of money in its totality.

His lawyers have hinted that might not be the case, saying his motivation behind the lawsuit, which was to restore his reputation after Heard raised claims of domestic abuse in a 2016 Washington Op-ed, has already been achieved.

Speaking to NBC's Dateline last week, Heard chose to focus on the positives after the trial left her reputation severely bruised and her opportunities for work continue to decrease.

The actress said that a silver lining of not being busy with work at the moment is that she can enjoy being a full-time mom to one-year-old daughter Oonagh.

The 36-year-old actress and her sister indulged in an evening of bargain shopping at the Bridgehampton retail store

Heard was seen wearing her hair up in a bun, a white shirt and a pair of baggy jeans, a sharp contrast from her very elaborated court outfits and hairstyles

At one point, Henriquez pulled her shopping car to the side so an older woman could see in the mirror if her potential purchase favored her

It comes as the Hollywood star has publicly admitted she can't afford the $8.3 million in damages awarded to Depp on June 1

Depp's lawyers have hinted that might not be the case, saying his motivation behind the lawsuit, which was to restore his reputation after Heard raised claims of domestic abuse in a 2016 Washington Op-ed, has already been achieved

In a chat screened in its entirety for the first time Friday, Heard told Dateline's host Savannah Guthrie that she was 'terrified' of telling her side of the story.

Heard said she had been wounded by the 'hate and vitriol' directed at her, but did not regret bringing the case.

'I know the scariest, most intimidating thing for anybody talking about sexual violence is not being believed, being called a liar, or being humiliated,' she said.

Heard said she was not speaking out because she was 'vindictive'.

'This would be a really lousy way of getting vengeance,' she said.

'As silly as it is to say this out loud, my goal is - I just want people to see me as a human being.'

Heard's interview raised eyebrows, with her repeating her defamatory allegations that he beat her.

Despite continuing to air her allegations, Heard insists that she wants nothing more than to move on with her life, telling Guthrie: 'I look forward to living my life and I have a long one, I hope, in front of me. And I will continue to walk through this with my chin up.'

In the interview, Heard admits that she 'absolutely still loves' Depp - despite branding him a 'liar' who swayed the jury with his 'fantastic acting', as well as:

'I will [stand by my testimony] to my dying day. I know what happened to me. I'm here as a survivor,' she said.

'To my dying day I will stand by every word of my testimony.'

Amber Heard has released 'a binder' full of her therapist's notes, which she says prove her claims about the abuse she says she suffered at the hands of ex-husband Johnny Depp - days after she was found guilty of defaming him

The 36-year-old actress' legal team attempted to submit the notes as evidence in her case against 59-year-old Depp (pictured in court) however a judge ruled that they were 'hearsay' and banned them from the trial

Yet on Friday, shortly before the interview aired, Heard's team insisted they were unrepentant.

'If Mr Depp or his team have a problem with this, we recommend that Johnny himself sit down with Savannah Guthrie for an hour and answer all her questions,' a spokesperson told DailyMail.com, as Heard branded Depp, 59, a 'liar' and doubled down on claims that he beat her and sexually assaulted her during their relationship.

Heard also released a 'binder full' of notes from her therapist, which she claims is fresh evidence proving her allegations of physical and sexual abuse against her Depp - despite the notes already being dismissed by the judge.

Heard turned over 'years' worth' of notes taken by her therapist detailing instances when she says the actor 'hit her, threw her against a wall, and threatened to kill her'.

When asked whether she still 'loves' her ex-husband, the actress (seen with Depp in 2015) replied: 'Yes. Yes. Absolutely, absolutely I love him... I have no bad feelings or ill will towards him at all'

Heard has handed over the notes (pictured) to NBC's Dateline as part of a wide-ranging sit-down interview with Savannah Guthrie, which aired on Friday

According to Guthrie and Dateline, which was given access to the so-called 'binder', the notes contain descriptions of violence dating back to January 2012, when 'Heard told her therapist Depp 'hit her, threw her on the floor''

However, the judge in her trial against Depp had already dismissed the notes as 'hearsay' and barred her legal team from submitting the documents as evidence.

Nevertheless, the actress has now gone public with the binder, which 'dates back to 2011 from the very beginning of her relationship'.

The notes contain descriptions of violence dating back to January 2012, when 'Heard told her therapist Depp 'hit her, threw her on the floor''.

Eight months after that he 'ripped her nightgown, threw her on the bed' and then in 2013 'he threw her against a wall and threatened to kill her', the notes allege.

Earlier this month, a jury ruled that Heard defamed her ex-husband by publishing a piece about being a sexual assault survivor in the Washington Post.

She was ordered to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, although the second payment was reduced to $350,000 per Virginia law by the judge.

She was awarded a relatively paltry $2 million in compensatory damages, meaning that Depp walked away from the case with Heard owing him $8.35 million.
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Harrowing photos have emerged from the funerals of a pair of Ukrainian soldiers killed in bloody fighting against Putin's troops on the eastern front.

Inconsolable friends and family members were pictured breaking down beside the coffins of First Lieutenant Mikita Gapic and Lieutenant Andrey Basikov, both of whom were killed earlier this week in fighting near Ukraine's second city Kharkiv, just 30 miles from the Russian border.

Their visceral outpouring of grief brings into stark focus the loss experienced by thousands of Ukrainian families since Russian tanks rolled across the border on February 24, as the body count on both sides continues to climb amid brutal trench warfare and close quarter combat in and around Kharkiv, Izyum, Severodonetsk and scores of other urban centres in the Donbas.

Funeral proceedings saw dozens of people gather around the open caskets in which Gapic and Basikov were later laid to rest.

Grieving funeralgoers knelt beside the lifeless husks of their loved ones, laying colourful wreaths on their chests alongside framed photos and trinkets destined to accompany their bodies underground.

The proceedings in Kharkiv took place just one day after hundreds turned out for the Kyiv-based funeral of a prominent civic and environmental activist who like tens of thousands of his countrymen took up arms against the Russian invaders and died defending the sovereignty of his homeland.

Grieving family members are pictured at the funerals of First Lieutenant Mikita Gapic and Lieutenant Andrey Basikov who lost their lives on the front line, as Russian attacks continue, at the Military part of Cemetery 18 in Kharkiv, Ukraine on June 19, 2022

A man sobs beside the open casket of a Ukrainian soldier killed in battle near Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier clasped a framed picture of one of the two soldiers laid to rest at the Military section of Cemetery 18 in Kharkiv

A priest holds a shovel which was used to dig a pair of graves for First Lieutenant Mikita Gapic and Lieutenant Andrey Basikov

A Ukrainian soldier stands in front of a pair of wooden crosses acting as makeshift tombstones to fallen fighters in Kharkiv

A Ukrainian serviceman lays a bunch of blood red roses on the body of his fallen comrade as solemn funeralgoers watch on

The hundreds of mourners for Roman Ratushny, 24, included friends who had protested with him during months of demonstrations that toppled Ukraine's pro-Russia leader in 2014.

The arc of his shortened life symbolised that of Ukraine's post-independence generations that are sacrificing their best years to defend their freedom.

'Heroes never die!' friends, family and admirers shouted in Ukrainian as Ratushny's coffin was loaded aboard a hearse on a square in the Ukrainian capital now littered with destroyed Russian tanks and vehicles. Their charred hulks contrasted with the shiny gold domes of an adjacent cathedral where priests had earlier sung prayers for Ratushny, who was a prominent activist in Kyiv.

From the square, the mourners then walked in a long silent column behind his coffin to Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or 'Independence Square'. The vast plaza in central Kyiv gave its name to the three months of protests that overthrew then President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014 and which helped fuel the political and patriotic awakening of Ukrainians born after independence in 1991.

Ratushny had 'a heart full of love for Ukraine,' said Misha Reva, who traveled overnight in his soldier's uniform from front lines in the east to say goodbye to the friend he met for the first time on Maidan, in the midst of the protests.

Ratushny was then just 16; Reva was in his early 20s. It was Ratushny who introduced Reva to the woman who is now his wife, also on the square.

In Kyiv, the bells of St. Michael's cathedral tolled as four soldiers carried Ratushny's coffin to the memorial service Saturday morning, held outdoors in the church's sunlit courtyard. Poppies and a traditional loaf of bread were placed on the coffin covered with Ukraines blue and yellow flag.

During the Maidan protests, where riot police used batons and eventually bullets with deadly abandon, Ratushny and Reva had taken shelter together for one night inside the cathedral grounds, the friend recalled.

'He was such a solid and big personality,' Reva said. 'It's a great loss for Ukraine.'

A woman kneels at activist and soldier Roman Ratushny's coffin during his memorial service in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, June 18, 2022. Ratushny died in a battle near Izyum, where Russian and Ukrainian troops are fighting for control of the area

Ratushny's coffin is held aloft by Ukrainian soldiers near St. Michaels Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv

Ukrainian servicemen carry the coffin during the funeral ceremony of Ukrainian serviceman and activist Roman Ratushny

Relatives, friends and other mourners attend the funeral ceremony of Ukrainian serviceman and activist Roman Ratushny at Maidan Nezhalezhnosti Square

Soldiers hold flares as they attend the funeral of activist and soldier Roman Ratushny in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, June 18, 2022

Friends, family, fellow soldiers and others honor soldier Roman Ratushny, a well-known activist, during his burial service in Kyiv, Ukraine

The friends then signed up to fight on the very first day of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. After taking part in the defense of Kyiv in the assault's opening weeks, Ratushny then joined an army brigade, doing military intelligence work, Reva said. Reva said he's been fighting of late in positions away from where Ratushny was killed. Reva, 33, said two soldiers were killed and 15 wounded Thursday where he's been stationed.

'People get killed every day on the front line,' he said.

Ratushny was killed on June 9 around the town of Izyum on the war's eastern front, according to the environmental campaign group that he led in Kyiv. He fought for the preservation from development of a wooded park where people ski in winter.

'He was a symbol, a symbol of a new Ukraine, of freedom and a new generation that wants to fight for its rights,' said Serhli Sasyn, 21, before adding: 'The best people are dying now.'

The funerals of Gapic, Basikov and Ratushny come as NATO's chief warned that the war in Ukraine could last 'for years', while President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed his forces would not give up the south of the country to Russia after he visited the frontline there.

While Ukraine remained defiant, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that Western countries must be ready to offer long-term support to Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops in the Mykolaiv region

Ukraine has repeatedly urged Western countries to step up their deliveries of arms since the February 24 invasion, despite Russian warnings that it could trigger wider conflict

Ukraine said it had also repulsed fresh attacks by Russian forces on the eastern front, rocked by weeks of fierce battles as Moscow tries to seize the industrial Donbas region.

While Ukraine remained defiant, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Western countries must be ready to offer long-term military, political and economic support to Kyiv during a grinding war.

'We must be prepared for this to last for years,' Stoltenberg told German daily newspaper Bild.

'We must not weaken in our support of Ukraine, even if the costs are high - not only in terms of military support but also because of rising energy and food prices.'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a similar warning, urging Western leaders to commit sustained support for Kyiv or risk 'the greatest victory for aggression' since World War II.

'Time is now the vital factor,' Johnson wrote in an article for the Sunday Times after making his second visit to Kyiv, calling for the West to ensure Ukraine has the 'strategic endurance to survive and eventually prevail'.
The daughter of a Muslim man killed in a north London terror attack has given a moving and tearful tribute to him on the fifth anniversary of his death.

Makram Ali, 51, was killed in a terrorist attack near Finsbury Park Mosque five years ago

Speaking at Finsbury Park Mosque, close to where the attack happened, Ruzina Akhtar remembered her father, Makram Ali, as 'one of the most gentle human beings you could have met'.

Mr Ali, 51, died when Darren Osborne drove a hired van into worshippers outside the Muslim Welfare House shortly after evening Ramadan prayers on June 19 2017.

Ms Akhtar was joined by council and police officials including Matt Jukes, assistant commissioner for specialist operations in the Metropolitan Police, in remembering his life on Sunday.

Fighting back tears, Ms Akhtar told them: 'He has been tragically taken from us five years ago.

'Our dad was first and foremost one of the most gentle human beings you could have met, who always had a smile on his face and was cracking jokes at the most random of times to make others laugh.

'He was a compassionate husband, a loving father and doting grandfather who was adored by everyone.

'His death has left a black hole but, remembering his smile and laughter, we surround that hole with more love for one another, as he would have wanted.'

Ms Akhtar said that 'as a Muslim woman' she wanted everyone 'to voice any Islamophobic behaviour as it still exists so it is tackled right away'.

Mohammed Kozbar, chairman of Finsbury Park Mosque, told listeners that Islamophobia in the UK is 'much worse now than it was five years ago' and Muslims still do not feel safe.

Mr Kozbar said: 'The problem we are facing is that since this attack took place not much has changed in tackling Islamophobia.

A Metropolitan Police officer leaves flowers at an improvised mural near Finsbury Park, 2017

'I remember the prime minister at the time, Theresa May, sitting in this room and promising that steps and actions will be taken seriously to tackle this disease which causes Islamophobia.

'Even still we don't have a definition of Islamophobia.

Darren Osborne of Glyn Rhosyn, Cardiff ploughed headfirst into Muslim worshippers

'In fact, it is much worse now than it was five years ago, with the institutionalisation of Islamophobia by this Government and some sections of the media.

'We as Muslims are still feeling the effects of this attack and we won't feel safe until Islamophobia is taken seriously by the authorities and the police.'

Toufik Kacimi, chief executive of the Muslim Welfare House, where the terror attack took place, called for the 'root cause' of Islamophobia to be tackled.

Paying tribute to Mr Ali, he said: 'For over 20 years, he was praying always in the same place and many of us just can't forget that horrible night.

'The incident that claimed his life also left many horrible memories that we just can't forget.'

He added: 'This incident was trying to divide us but it actually brought us together as you can see five years on we're still coming together today.

'British Muslims still think that Islam is not compatible with Europe.

'We have to tell them, educate them, that Islam is part of the fabric of this society - it is not a foreign religion that is going to go somewhere else.'

In a statement on Saturday, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: 'On the fifth anniversary of the awful Finsbury Park terror attack, we remember Makram Ali, who tragically lost his life, and all the innocent Londoners who were injured after being deliberately targeted while leaving their mosque following Ramadan prayers.

'Our thoughts are with Makram's family and everyone who was impacted by this dreadful attack.

'London stands united against terrorism. We will always celebrate and cherish the incredible diversity of our city.

Ms Akhtar said: 'His death has left a black hole but, remembering his smile and laughter, we surround that hole with more love'

'That senseless attack five years ago was an assault on our shared values of openness, freedom and respect.

'But the solidarity shown by all communities in our city in the wake of the attack showed that we will never let terrorists win by dividing us.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson added on Twitter: 'Five years on from this cowardly act of terrorism my thoughts are with the family of Makram Ali and those affected by the Finsbury Park Mosque attack.

'Freedom of worship and tolerance for different faiths is fundamental to our values.

'Terrorists will never change our way of life.'

Osborne, from Cardiff, was found guilty of terrorism-related murder and jailed for life in February 2018.
Republicans on the House economic disparity subcommittee tore into their Democratic counterparts for traveling all the way to border town McAllen, Texas to talk about infrastructure without touring border operations.

The House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth traveled to South Texas for the first field hearing at the southern border of this Congress. The full committee heard from locals who live in 'colonias,' unincorporated communities that still often don't have basic amenities like running water, paved roads or concrete foundations under their homes.

DailyMail.com viewed the full committee hearing and participated a nighttime ride-along tour and a daytime boat tour of the Rio Grande with border agents and Republican members of the committee, but Democrats did not tour the facilities.

'We're here at the behest of the Democrats, they chose a select hearing in the field at the border, but they don't want to talk about the border. They want to talk about green energy and infrastructure,' Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., told DailyMail.com.

During the field hearing, Democrats and Republicans took time to hear from local residents of colonias in Texas Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez's district who talked about flooding issues faced by South Texas, where due to insufficient drainage structure residents said their own homes would often take on water and the streets outside would be flooded for three days even with mild storms.

The issues pose health hazards for local residents - one man said during a committee roundtable that his wife takes at least one of their three kids to the doctor for a sinus infection every week.

Making the case for further infrastructure funding, community leaders said they would need $600 million to resolve drainage issues.

Republicans on the House economic disparity subcommittee tore into their Democratic counterparts for traveling all the way to border town McAllen, Texas to talk about infrastructure without touring border operations

A congressional delegation of the U.S. House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth toured the Rio Grande river

The lawmakers were shown various landing points on the U.S. side where smugglers drop migrants after crossing the river

Republicans were hesitant to sign on to funding beyond last year's $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. 'If were going to go through infrastructure funding again we have a redo to go through hard work to target red-level projects,' Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said.

The State of Texas, meanwhile, has spent $2 billion of its own funds under Operation Lonestar on border security. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisc., argued that Texas could use that money for infrastructure if it did not have to use it for border protection.

'If the federal government was stepping up and securing the border, there'll be additional funds to address a lot of the needs we heard about they are real needs about internet connectivity, about flood control. we need to be far more thoughtful on how we're spending our money.'

DailyMail.com participated a nighttime ride-along tour and a daytime boat tour of the Rio Grande with border agents and Republican members of the committee, but Democrats did not tour the facilities

Border Patrol agents show a popular crossing spot, replete with discarded life jackets, rafts, clothes and water bottles

Gov. Greg Abbott announced Lonestar last year, and the program has been criticized as wasteful for deploying the National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), where they don't have much authority because border protection falls to the federal government.

Meanwhile, Republicans lambasted Democrats for focusing on infrastructure over border security after a record 239,000 apprehensions were made last month at the southern border.

'To our colleagues on the left, if you care about the kids the way that you claim that you care about the kids, and the suppose it kids in cages, you would be here,' Cammack said after a boat tour of the Rio Grande, where migrants cross in rafts from Mexico into the U.S. 'There are real people getting hurt.'

Cammack did not mince words on her thoughts about Biden: 'That is why I cannot call Biden commander-in-chief, he's the trafficker-in-chief. He is doing the job for the cartels, and it has to stop.'

One border agent told DailyMail.com that smugglers have gotten bolder, and he had recently started to see makeshift ferries where they float cars across the river.

One border agent told DailyMail.com that smugglers have gotten bolder, and he had recently started to see makeshift ferries where they float cars across the river.

Texas DPS provided DailyMail.com with a photo of the makeshift ferries for vehicles

Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez said that his agency estimates smugglers are making $100 million per week leading migrants to the border, oftentimes robbing and raping them along the way. He said that the pricetag per person varied - those from Latin America could pay $3-4,000 to be led to the border. Chinese nationals sometimes brought in $30,000 to $40,000 per person.

One 14-year-old girl, Amy, told DailyMail.com, border agents and GOP members of the House Economic Subcommittee as she was being detained by agents that her parents had sent her to travel for two months from El Salvador to get to the border. She spoke perfect English - she'd already spent five years in the U.S. until her family moved home due to 'visa problems.'

Seemingly unfazed by her treacherous journey, Amy said she'd been traveling with her cousin but the pair got separated along the way. No worry to her - they'd be reunited at her aunt's house in Tennessee after they were processed, she said.

Clutching her birth certificate, a phone and charger, Amy said she had not come along with a trafficker, but had found other migrants to walk with on the journey, showing up to agents in a group of about 12, mostly unaccompanied children and about 3 adults. 'Babies got lost along the way,' she said.

Border Patrol agents encounter a group of 'runners' who tried to evade detection before they were caught by authorities

A group of unaccompanied children are taken in by border authorities

A young unaccompanied boy from Honduras waits on as border authorities survey the documents he was clutching

Donalds tore into Biden after the tour for having never visited the border. 'I know he likes to go around the country and around the world saying that our border is secure. But that is a lie and everybody knows it. And the people that know it the best are the drug cartels.'

'[Rep. Cammack] this is her fifth trip, this is my fourth trip. We're freshman we just got here. The presidents been in office longer than I've been alive hes never been here. that speaks for itself.'

Biden claimed in an October 2021 town hall that he had been to the southern border, but no such record exists.

The Republicans argued that Biden needed to tighten up the asylum process, continue construction of the border wall and beef up funding to the Department of Homeland Security.

Meanwhile, hordes of migrants are camped out on the Mexican side of the border, either waiting for their shot to attempt a crossing, waiting for Title 42 to be lifted or waiting for their asylum claim to be processed through the 400,000 backlog of cases.

The Biden administration had planned to lift Title 42, the Center for Disease Control's public health order that allowed for immediate expulsion, on May 23, but that decision was struck down in a court case the day before.

Unaccompanied child migrants are allowed into the country. Families are often processed under Title 8 and allowed to claim asylum, where they are sometimes, released into the U.S. and told to go to their local jurisdiction for a court date, sometimes told to wait in Mexico.

Pastor Joshua Muse, who founded and runs the Kaleo shelter for families in Reynosa, Mexico this year after seeing a dire need of migrants there, told DailyMail.com the biggest thing he wants from the U.S. and Mexican governments is clarity.

'I think the people are just waiting for some kind of a clear answer, one way or the other,' he said. 'That's the most important thing that I would encourage anyone on either the Mexican side or the American side, just to be clear with the messaging. I think that's what people need.'
Police are growing concerned about the welfare of a 12-year-old girl who has been missing from her Southport home for more than 24 hours.

Brooklyn Nash was last seen in Southport at about 4pm on Saturday (18 June).

She was wearing a grey hoodie, black leggings and pink Air Jordan trainers.

Brooklyn Nash (pictured) has been missing for more than 24 hours. She is 5ft, 5, of medium build with straight brown and blonde hair. Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police on 101

She is described as a white female, around 5ft, 5in tall of medium build with long straight brown and blonde hair.

Brooklyn has links to the Manchester area and Liverpool City Centre area, including Williamson Square.

Anyone who sees Brooklyn is asked to contact Merseyside Police immediately on 101.
Oscar and Emmy-winning director Paul Haggis has been arrested in Italy on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman, local prosecutors said.

Haggis, 69, is pictured on a red carpet at the Rome Film Festival in 2015

The Canadian filmmaker, 69, is 'seriously suspected of the crimes of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated personal injury' against a non-Italian woman, prosecutors in Brindisi, southern Italy reported.

The prosecutor's office did not respond to after-hours requests for more information Sunday.

Haggis wrote and produced Best Picture Oscar-winner 'Crash' and wrote the script for Daniel Craig Bond flick 'Quantum of Solace'.

The alleged victim had been staying with Haggis ahead of the festival, prosecutors stated.

'The suspect allegedly forced the young woman, whom he met some time ago, to undergo sexual intercourse,' they added.

Following one encounter, the woman was 'forced to seek medical care'.

A voice message and email left with one of Haggis's attorneys was not immediately returned, AFP reported.

Variety confirmed with LA-based journalist Silvia Bisio, who was set to host a panel with Haggis, that he was arrested.

She said the festival is 'completely taking its distance' from Haggis and will be issuing a statement to that effect, the trade reported.
President Zelensky celebrated the 'heroes' defending Ukraine in an Instagram post to mark Father's Day.

The Kyiv leader, a father-of-two, posted a series of images of brave fathers taken during the war.

He wrote: 'Being a father is a great responsibility and a great happiness.

'It is strength, wisdom, motivation to go forward and not to give up.

Father-of-two Zelensky is pictured with wife Olena, both 44, at a funeral in May 2022

Mr Zelensky shared a series of images showing the valiance of Ukrainian fathers in the war

'And no matter how difficult it is  to protect and defend the most precious.'

The Ukrainian president and his wife Olena attend a state dinner hosted in Tokyo, 2019

Mr Zelensky added: 'The future of your family, your children, and therefore the whole of Ukraine.

'Thank you, our heroes.'

Twelve hours after it was published, the post had more than 435,000 likes.

Volodymyr and wife Olena Zelenska, both 44, have two a daughter, Oleksandra, 17, and a son Kyrylo, nine.

Ms Zelenska left Kyiv with their two children at the start of the war.

They fled to an undisclosed location in Ukraine away from the capital.

Last month Ms Zelenska said she was keeping them with her while her husband deals with the mountainous task of leading a country in the midst of a war.

'Luckily we were able to organize our lives in such a way that they didn't have to go anywhere, and I didn't have to go anywhere from them,' she said.

'Of course, [Oleksandra] is a school graduate, we are all worried.

One of the photos shows a father hold his child at a train station as he prepares to say goodbye

Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Olenska Zelenska (right) are pictured in Kiev on July 21, 2019

'This is an important milestone in her life and unfortunately it happens at such a difficult time in our family's life and in our country's life in general.

'There will be no prom. Nothing's going to happen. We are graduating from high school remotely. But she will be applying (to university) in Ukraine.'

She added her son Kyryo was 'like all children now' and studying at home.

The first lady said: 'I am engaged in this process. I really want our children to go back to school on the first of September.

'I'm just trying to get through this whole period... and the separation.

'Our family is separated. I see Volodymyr periodically here at the office. I might come in and see him, if he's not in some meeting today, I'll greet him.

'The children? They somehow understand that this period will end at some point, but the questions 'when?' are constantly existing in our family.'

Mrs Zelenska said earlier in May in her first interview since the war began: 'Nobody takes my husband away from me, not even war.

Another photo shared today shows a father waving goodbye to his departing children

'I cant say that Volodymyr has changed since the start of this war. He was a reliable husband and a reliable man before, and that he remains.'

'His point of view hasnt changed, the way hes wired hasnt changed.'

Zelensky's Father's Day post came as NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg urged for more heavy weapons to be sent to Ukraine.

One uniformed father holds his child in a Buzz Lightyear blanket in a Kyiv underground station

Stoltenberg said at The Hague: 'Ukraine should have more heavy weapons. And Nato allies and partners have provided heavy weapons for a long time, but they are also stepping up.'

Ukraine claims it has received just 10 per cent of the weapons promised by its Western allies.

Deputy defence minister Anna Maylar said: 'No matter how hard Ukraine tries, no matter how professional our army is, without the help of Western partners we will not be able to win this war.'
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At least 25 people were killed by lightning or landslides over the weekend in Bangladesh while millions were left marooned or homeless in low-lying northeastern parts hit by the worst monsoon floods in the country's recent history, officials said.

In the neighbouring Indian state of Assam, at least 17 people were killed during the wave of flooding that began this month, police officials said on Sunday.

Many of Bangladesh's rivers have risen to dangerous levels and the runoff from heavy rain from across Indian mountains exacerbated the situation, said Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, the head of the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.

At least 25 people were killed by lightning or landslides over the weekend in Bangladesh while millions were left marooned or homeless in low-lying northeastern parts hit by the worst monsoon floods in the country's recent history

The nation's rivers are unable to cope with water washing off nearby Indian mountains with many people evacuated

About 105,000 people have been evacuated so far but police officials estimated that over four million were still stranded

Police and army personnel have been deployed across the country to assist in the search and rescue operation

Local politicians claim that the entire region is facing a humanitarian crisis if proper rescue operations are not conducted

Thousands of policemen, army personnel have been deployed to parts of the country to help search and rescue efforts.

About 105,000 people have been evacuated so far but police officials estimated that over four million were still stranded.

Syed Rafiqul Haque, a former lawmaker and ruling party politician in Sunamganj district, said the country was facing a humanitarian crisis if proper rescue operations were not conducted.

'Almost the entire Sylhet-Sunamganj belt is under water and millions of people are stranded,' he said, adding victims have no food, drinking water and communication networks were down.

Regional officials said about 3.1 million people were displaced, 200,000 of whom are staying in government run makeshift shelters on raised embankments or on other highlands.

Bangladesh and India have experienced increasing extreme weather in recent years, causing large-scale damage.

Environmentalists warn climate change could lead to more disasters, especially in low-lying and densely populated Bangladesh.

Almost the entire Sylhet-Sunamganj region is underwater, wiping out food and water supplies for millions of people

Regional officials said about 3.1 million people were displaced, 200,000 of whom are staying in government run makeshift shelters on raised embankments or on other highlands

Bangladesh and India have experienced increasing extreme weather in recent years, causing large-scale damage

Environmentalists warn climate change could lead to more disasters, especially in low-lying and densely populated Bangladesh

About 105,000 people have been evacuated so far but police officials estimated that over four million were still stranded
A Florida mother thwarted an apparent kidnapping attempt last weekend after she saw a man follow two young girls on bikes and got a bad feeling.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office official say David Daniels, 37, of Brandon, began following two girls under the age of 12 as they were leaving Cherry's Bar and Grill in FishHawk Ranch's park square at around 6pm on June 12.

Daniels allegedly told the girls he would 'supervise' their way home.

'He did not know these children, and these children definitely did not know him,' Jessica Lang, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, told WFLA.

Soon after, she said, Daniels hit one of the girls over the head as he continues to follow behind them.

'Thankfully, thee children stuck together and rode their bikes to a nearby church and asked an adult for help,' Lang said of the mother who was standing outside the church that night.

Immediately, the woman said she felt something was wrong, according to FOX News.

'One of the little girls was mouthing to me "Please help me, this is not my dad."'

David Daniels, 37, of Brandon, Florida, was arrested on June 12 on two counts each of false imprisonment of a child and child abuse after he allegedly followed two girls under the age of 12 from a restaurant, hit one in the head and held one in a chokehold

At that point, the woman - who has not been named - said Daniels put one of the girls in a chokehold and whispered something in her ear.

He then reportedly turned his attention back to the churchgoing mother, and told her they had just moved into the area and were looking to help out.

The woman said she then decided to invite them into the church until she had a chance to call the police for help.

'I engaged in conversation with him,' she told FOX 13. 'I said, "Oh that's nice. Where did you move here from?"

'He said, "Oh, I am not really sure."'

By the time deputies arrived that night, they said they found him walking back to the downtown area and were able to arrest him on two counts each of false imprisonment of a child and child abuse.

Daniels is now being held at the Hillsborough County Jail on a $104,000 bond.

It is unclear whether he has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Meanwhile, the good Samaritan says she does not want any recognition for what she did.

Authorities say the girls pulled their bikes over to a nearby church (pictured) where a woman was standing outside, and they mouthed for help

The girls were reportedly leaving Cherry's Bar and Frill in FishHawk's park square when Daniels began following them

'I don't want to be a hero,' she said. 'I just did what I hope anybody would do for my own kids.'

'There are moms out there who are like me. They are going to recognize the signs, and they are going to know what to do,' she added, admitting: 'In that moment, I didn't know if I was going to have the right answer.

'But [the children] are fine, and they are home today.'
Three people and two dogs jumped out of a 72-foot yacht to save their lives after the vessel became engulfed in flames in New Hampshire.

The passengers, identified as Arthur Watson, 67, and Diane Watson, 57, both of New Canaan, Connecticut, and Jarrod Tubbs, 33, of Jupiter, Florida jumped overboard and were rescued by boats.

They were taken to Portsmouth Hospital, treated and discharged.

The vessel, the Elusive, was on the Piscataqua River heading toward a marina in New Castle around 4 p.m. Saturday when a passenger noticed black smoke below deck, the New Hampshire Department of Safety said in a statement.

Despite efforts to save the yacht, it drifted into Maine waters and eventually sank about two hours after the 911 initial call, authorities said.

The Coast Guard and the New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol posted photos of the flames and thick black smoke pouring from the vessel.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

This image provided by New Hampshire State Police shows a yacht burning on the Piscataqua River in New Castle, N.H., Saturday, June 18, 2022. (New Hampshire State Police via AP)

The cause of the fire is being investigated

Diane Watson, 57, (left) of New Canaan, Connecticut, and Jarrod Tubbs, 33, (right( of Jupiter, Florida jumped overboard and were rescued by boats.

Commander Arthur Watson and two family dogs also jumped overboard and were rescued by boats in the area

According to New Hampshire Police, reports were made about a boat on fire on the Piscataqua River, near Little Harbor in Newcastle, shortly after 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Within minutes the vessel became filled with smoke and the three passengers jumped out of the boat. They were rescued by nearby boats and taken to shore.

Attempts by the Coast Guard, Portsmouth Fire Department, Kittery Harbor Master, Newington Fire Department and other agencies to save the boat were unsuccessful.

According to the vessel's website, it usually departs from the Camden, Maine, sailing port every summer and cruises the coast of Maine, the Eastern Seaboard and beyond.

Within minutes the vessel became filled with smoke and the three passengers jumped out of the boat

A pictured taken afar from the fire shows the smoke produced after the vessel became engulfed in flames

This image provided by New Hampshire State Police shows a yacht burning on the Piscataqua River in New Castle, N.H., Saturday, June 18, 2022. (New Hampshire State Police via AP)

According to the vessel's website, Diane Watson handled crew accommodation and nourishment, while Arthur Watson commanded the vessel.

The Elusive was last refitted in 2013, and pictures of its now-burned inside showed lavish rooms and decks and luxury designs.

Diane Watson joined the team in 2007, according to the Too Elusive's website, as an active leader.

She handled crew accommodation and nourishment, while Arthur Watson commanded the vessel.

Watson is a member of the Cruising Club of America and has circumnavigated the world twice.
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New York City mayor Eric Adams has boldly claimed that residents in the Big Apple need to 'do better' in preserving historically black neighborhoods in the city in his first Juneteenth speech.

The 61-year-old Democrat said that forcing out black residents from historically black neighborhoods in not only New York City, but also throughout other cities in the U.S. is similar to slavery.

'When I was in Ghana last year, I saw how families were displaced, torn apart and brought over to America through slavery in the hulls of the ships, living in dungeons, spending months and months living in their human waste, having their babies taken from them, and saw them dispersed and displaced,' he said in his address on Sunday from Central Park.

'That's no different here,' the mayor added in front of a packed crowd celebrating the new federal holiday.

'We cannot look in the rear view mirror and say we should have done better when we are here right now,' Adams further said. 'Let's do better right now. Let's acknowledge the presence of people to be part of the community that they built.'

Mayor Eric Adams, 61, speaks during Juneteenth Celebration in Seneca Village at Central Park of New York City, where a black population of 200 people lived a little less than 100 years ago before being ousted by construction and city officials

A small crowd of people gathered at Central Park to hear the mayor's speech on Juneteenth as the city's celebrated the new federal holiday for the first time in its history

Not too far away from the mayor's location is Seneca Village, founded in 1825 in Central Park and previously home to more than 200 free black residents at the time. They were later evicted from the area in the 1950s as construction in New York City was on the rise.

'Imagine being displaced over and over and over again,' Adams said. 'When this village was torn apart to build this park, we displaced the energy of Seneca Village. It never came back.'

'Let's not commemorate Seneca Village when we're creating another destruction of a Seneca Village,' the mayor added.

'We should think about that as we jog through here as we watch this beautiful space that [Frederick] Olmsted built, as we look at how great this Central Park is in the center of Manhattan, we displaced some families here. We destroyed lives,' the mayor went on to say. 'There were families here long before Starbucks. They were here, and they provided a foundation.'

Many areas in the city that have a highly populated demographic of black residents are mostly in Harlem, Brooklyn, Queens. Adams said: 'And now what's happening now? We're displacing them again,' referring to skyrocketing rents in New York City since the end of the pandemic.

'No one wanted this land. This land was not attractive. No one wanted Manhattan,' Adams further said, claiming the Big Apple's rise within the last century forced minorities to settle elsewhere. 'These churches left here to have to go and build in other locations like Harlem, downtown Brooklyn.'

In the 19th century, New York City wrapped up construction of one of its most significant project through public service, the Croton Aqueduct system (pictured). The water system featured a large receiving reservoir built right across the community of Seneca Village in 1842

All Angels' Church on West End Avenue, between 80th and 81st streets, considered as one of the most symbolic structures in Seneca Village before it was demolished and built elsewhere

Adams (second from right) celebrating Juneteenth along with New York city residents and city officials

A crowd of people and live music performers gathered around Seneca Village to celebrate the city's first ever Juneteenth holiday

Dancers are performing as Mayor Eric Adams visits Seneca Village at Central Park as celebrations for Juneteenth were under way

The mayor claimed black residents in New York City aren't the only ones in the country feeling the realms of possibly being driven out from their neighborhoods. Cities such as Tulsa, Oklahoma; Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta have also undergone massive transformation of gentrification, where minority communities are being met with 'destruction.'

'Starting anew over and over again, and we wonder why we see some of the crises that we're facing in black in brown communities,' Adams said. 'Every time they were able to have a foothold, they were displaced again. As soon as you started to build something, it was torn apart.'

In April, Adams declared Juneteenth as a federal holiday in New York City and now wants to forever remember those who built the city's foundation.

'Let's educate our children so that they know that there were folks who were here that built this city that we call New York,' he said, signing off.

A year after President Joe Biden signed legislation making June 19 the nation's 12th federal holiday, Americans across the country gathered at events filled with music, food and fireworks, noticeably in Times Square.

Artists featuring on Broadway performing during a Juneteenth celebration in Times Square on Sunday

A massive crowd of attendees react during a performance at a Juneteenth celebration in Times Square on Sunday as they were entertained by Broadway performers

The crowd cheers on Juneteenth performers on a sunny Sunday as most residents enjoy their three-day week-end

US actor Ben Vereen gives a speech after receiving an award during a Juneteenth celebration in Times Square

Broadway celebrated Juneteenth in Times Square, hosting a free outdoor event featuring black Broadway performers.

The event had cast members from Broadway shows including: The Book of Mormon Company, Dear Evan Hansen, Funny Girl, The Minutes, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Mr. Saturday Night, Paradise Square, The Phantom of the Opera; and Tina  The Tina Turner Musical.

New York City Hall will also feature the Pan-African flag's colors (red, black and green) in the evening on Sunday in honor of the new holiday.

Celebrations also included an emphasis on learning about history and addressing racial disparities. Many people celebrated the day just as they did before any formal recognition.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to order freedom for the enslaved people of the state  two months after the Confederacy had surrendered in the Civil War.

'Great nations don't ignore their most painful moments,' Biden said in a statement Sunday. 'They confront them to grow stronger. And that is what this great nation must continue to do.'

Attendees look on during a Juneteenth celebration in Times Square during a warm Sunday in the Big Apple

Aisha Jackson reacts to a performance during a Juneteenth celebration in Times Square

US actor Myles Frost listens to a speech by US actor Ben Vereen during a Juneteenth celebration in Times Square

A Gallup Poll found that Americans are more familiar with Juneteenth than they were last year, with 59% saying they knew 'a lot' or 'some' about the holiday compared with 37% a year ago in May. The poll also found that support for making Juneteenth part of school history lessons increased from 49% to 63%.

Yet many states have been slow to designate it as an official holiday. Lawmakers in Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and elsewhere failed to advance proposals this year that would have closed state offices and given most of their public employees paid time off.

Celebrations in Texas included one at a Houston park created 150 years ago by a group of formerly enslaved men who bought the land. At times, it was the only public park available in the area to Blacks, according to the conservancy's website.

'They wanted a place that they could not only have their celebration, but they could do things other things during the year as a community,' said Jacqueline Bostic, vice chairwoman of the board for the Emancipation Park Conservancy and the great-granddaughter of one of the park's founders, the Rev. Jack Yates.

Participants included Robert Stanton, the first African American to serve as director of the National Park Service, and Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, who grew up in the historically Black neighborhood where the park is located and whose killing by a Minneapolis police officer two years ago sparked protests worldwide.
A retired top barrister is presumed dead after disappearing while hiking in the jungle in the Seychelles.

No trace has been found of Peter Clement, 57, in a three-week search with helicopters, boats and drones.

The police hunt on Silhouette Island for the former head of chambers at prestigious law firm 2 Harcourt Buildings has now been called off.

Mr Clement, on holiday to celebrate his retirement, set off on the 12-mile Grande Barbe trail, known for its poorly marked and slippery paths, on May 15.

Peter Clement (pictured), 57, is the former head of chambers at prestigious law firm 2 Harcourt Buildings

It runs from one side of the mountainous island to the other and he is thought to have run into difficulties when bad weather set in.

His chambers said he had an illustrious career at the criminal bar and was loved and respected.

Police, the coast guard and the army used helicopters, boats and drones to search for Mr Clement, who had been staying at the Labriz Hilton Hotel.

But he is now presumed dead after three weeks with no trace found of the barrister.

In a statement on its website, Mr Clements former chambers 2 Harcourt Buildings, which was set up by British prosecutors returning from the Nuremburg War Crime Trials, said: It is with deep shock and sadness that we must announce the loss of our dear friend, colleague and former head of chambers, Peter Clement.

He had recently retired after an illustrious career at the Criminal Bar, practising from 2 Harcourt Buildings for over 30 years.

The 12-mile Grande Barbe trail is known for its poorly marked and slippery paths

An aerial view of Silhouette Island, Seychelles

Before joining chambers he was a captain in the Army legal service and served in Northern Ireland.

He was much loved and respected by everyone in chambers and also among his many friends at the criminal bar. He will be deeply missed.

Four days into the search operation, the local Le Seychellois newspaper reported that the weather had been so severe it was unlikely Mr Clement would be found alive.

According to the police all his personal belongings and travel documents have been found intact in his hotel room, the paper reported.

In an unusual move, the police have admitted the persisting bad weather conditions we are experiencing the last few days, is diminishing their hope of finding the British man alive.

Matthew Scott, a barrister at Pump Court Chambers, described Mr Clement as a fine advocate and a man it was impossible not to like.

Author Robert Verkaik, who studied with Mr Clement, said: Extraordinary, funny man with no shortage of opinions, a student mature beyond his years. His Bar career was a credit to his hard work and intelligence.

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed the department was supporting the family of a British man missing in the Seychelles and it was liaising with the local authorities.

Experts warned that holidaymakers who walked the same trail should not do so alone and should be provided with waterproof GPS trackers that periodically share an exact location.

One guest cautioned on TripAdvisor: Take a guide from the hotel and you will thank me. The path to get there is not well marked, the part through the forest can be very slippery.

Another said that the trail is made up of unmarked slippery paths in the thick tropical rainforest.
Prince Andrew faced further woes yesterday after lawyers for an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein threatened to serve him with legal papers.

Representatives for Caroline Kaufman say Andrew was visiting Epsteins home in New York on the night she claims she was raped by the paedophile financier in December 2010.

They want the Duke of York to provide a statement as a potential witness to events in the Upper East Side townhouse during his visit, when he was pictured inside the building.

The civil lawsuit does not accuse the duke of any wrongdoing or allege that he was aware of any attack on Miss Kaufman, who was 17 at the time.

The Queens second son was stripped of his official duties this year as he paid a settlement, worth 12million to Virginia Roberts, who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was 17

But her lawyers comments come just a week after Andrew, 62, was reported to have lobbied the Queen to return his royal duties and ceremonial roles.

Spencer Kuvin, who represents Miss Kaufman, now 28, said he wanted Andrew to give a statement about his visit to the New York townhouse.

He told the Sunday Mirror: We are looking into serving Prince Andrew. Wed get a subpoena issued here in the States which is brought over to England and localised, then we would have to locate him and have him served. He should be a fairly easy target to locate.

In a claim filed at the Manhattan Federal Court against Epsteins $630million (515million) estate, Miss Kaufman said she was invited to his house for a modelling interview.

However she claims she was then taken to a massage room where she was allegedly raped by Epstein.

The duke has previously denied he witnessed any wrongdoing by Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

In his notorious Newsnight interview in 2019, Prince Andrew claimed he had travelled to the US to cut ties with Epstein, who had been convicted of procuring an underage girl for prostitution two years earlier.

The duke said it was wrong of him to have stayed at the house, but denied he had seen young girls there, saying: I never saw them.

The Queens second son was stripped of his official duties earlier this year as he prepared to pay a settlement, reportedly worth 12million, to Virginia Roberts, who had accused him of sexually abusing her when she was 17.

Representatives for Caroline Kaufman want the Duke of York to provide a statement as a potential witness to events in Jeffrey Epstein's Upper East Side townhouse during his visit, when he was pictured inside the building

Prince Andrew had always denied her claims, and said he had no memory of meeting her, but settled a civil case she brought in the US in February.

In a statement issued as the case was settled, he pledged to support the fight against the evils of sex-trafficking, and by supporting its victims. Miss Kaufmans lawyer Mr Kuvin said: If Prince Andrew wants to stay true to his word I urge him to provide a statement about what happened the night Caroline was attacked.

He should be volunteering, we shouldnt be looking into serving him to get his deposition.

Caroline wants to know what he has to say. She wants all witnesses to come forward.

A spokesman for the Duke of York declined to comment.
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The caller was posh, polite and unusually patient. But the benefits office operator had no idea he was also a future king.

Introducing himself simply as 'William', the stranger politely explained that he was ringing on behalf of a young homeless person to enquire about what financial help they were entitled to. He chatted amiably about forms, proof of ID and the many hoops that young homeless people have to jump through when trying to get back on their feet.

Each year the Duke of Cambridge makes up to half a dozen secret visits to accommodation services run by Centrepoint, the national charity for young people to which he was first introduced by his late mother.

'On one occasion, he spent a week with us, turned up and was presented as a locum staff. He even rang up the benefit office on behalf of one young person. That was an education for him!' laughs Seyi Obakin. The charity's CEO has known William since the second-in-line became patron in 2005 and has even slept rough with him on the streets for a night.

'When someone said to him he looked like someone famous, William just smiled and replied: 'I've heard people say that, but don't believe it!' And then he carried on working. He was so low-key, just turning up and doing his thing, that only the manager knew who he was.

'It is a measure of who he is that, by the time he got married, he had developed such a good relationship with that particular manager that he invited them to his wedding.'

In the first part of a landmark Daily Mail series ahead of his 40th birthday tomorrow, I explored William the man, husband, father, brother and son.

Today I look at William, Prince of Wales-in-waiting, and Britain's first 'millennial monarch'.

I have discovered that, far from being a passenger on his royal journey, he has his own distinct vision to 'reshape' the monarchy and won't be afraid to get his hands dirty  or speak his mind on the issues that matter.

Like his father, he also believes that a slimmed-down Royal Family is the best way to ensure its survival  and that his shamed uncle, Prince Andrew, should never have a part to play in it again.

Prince William, Prince Andrew and Prince Charles are pictured together at the funeral of Prince Philip. William is lobbying the Queen to have his uncle Andrew barred from public life

'[William] has strong views on the Duke of York and believes his insistence in trying to cling on to a public role is highly dangerous for the institution,' said a friend (pictured: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York (R) in 2018)

Prince Andrew is pictured driving alone at Windsor. He is reportedly being frozen out of public duties at the insistence of Prince William

A source told the Evening Standard of William's involvement in getting Andrew banned from public participation in the Order of the Garter service: 'The Duke of Cambridge was adamant. If York insisted on taking part publicly, he would withdraw'. It would have also meant that his wife Kate would also not have attended (William and Kate are pictured with their kids earlier this month)

'He feels very strongly about this and if it had been up to him he would have pushed for things to have happened a lot faster than they did,' remarks a friend.

There is no doubt that William passionately believes the Royal Family has an important part to play in national life, as long as it remains credible and relevant. But while he is never going to do anything to unsettle it, it is a mistake to assume he will follow his grandmother's 'never complain, never explain' mantra.

'People are simply not going to be happy with silence any more. The Queen's approach has worked very well for her during a more deferential age, with different forms of communication. But what William is working out is how to take the best of what his grandmother has done and make it relevant today,' says one former royal adviser.

'And he believes the monarchy needs to better explain its own thinking, particularly in terms of its place in the world.'

This was sharply demonstrated on the Cambridges' recent tour of the Caribbean which was beset  according to some of their critics  by controversy. Those on the ground, such as myself, have strongly argued that the trip was, in fact, largely well received.

Fascinatingly, many in his camp believe he and Kate were left open to unfair criticism of being blinkered and out of touch by the inaction of Buckingham Palace.

'The big problem was not with the specifics of the tour  although the duke himself acknowledges that it was not a good look to agree to get into that Land Rover [a vehicle previously used by the Queen in Jamaica that was derided for looking 'too colonial' against the backdrop of the island's republicanism]. They were pushed into it, but should have gone with their gut instincts, which are normally sound,' says one insider.

'The problem is actually an institutional one. The palace didn't do enough in advance to publicly recognise that the countries they were going to visit are going to become republics and that their decision to do so would be greeted by the monarchy in a spirit of friendship.

'These countries are not Canada, Australia or New Zealand: they are places with particular colonial histories. Slave labourers were taken to these islands and deposited there. The idea that they now feel confident enough to seize their own destinies is something that should be celebrated. But because the palace can be so unwieldy and didn't do that, it meant that every time anything didn't go quite to plan it looked negative and combative, rather than conciliatory. Buckingham Palace just sleepwalked into the problem.'

Another senior figure in William's circle agrees, but says the tour at least allowed the prince to 'set out his stall' by issuing a highly candid statement at the end of the trip without even consulting the palace hierarchy first.

Prince Andrew pictured taking a stroll through New York's Central Park with convicted paedophile and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge depart from Abaco on March 26, 2022 in Great Abaco, Bahamas

The Duchess of Cambridge waves at children during a visit Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae in Kingston, Jamaica

In it, he made clear that the future of the countries he and Kate had visited were for their own people to decide. He went so far as to suggest that the next head of the Commonwealth after his father should not automatically fall to the British Royal Family.

'The duke strongly felt it was something that needed to be said and [it] was definitely a turning point for him,' they said. 'He has a shared responsibility in the institution's future and wants to use his voice. He knew he had to draw a line in the sand, so he sat down with his team and said, 'This is what I want to say and I'm going to say it'. The duke's view is that the Royal Family will be around for as long as people want them and need to prove their value. He is listening and he is learning.'

William is equally clear in his vision when it comes to his campaigning zeal. Homelessness will be his biggest cause, aside from the environment, and he is not going to be afraid of jumping into the issue feet first. 'He thinks there is a big space outside of politics where he can play a role over issues such as homelessness and housing. Children are being raised in conditions in this country which are absolutely unacceptable. Where does homelessness end and housing affordability start? He really cares about this as an issue and it's where he wants to put his energy.'

Charlie Mayhew MBE, the chief executive of Tusk, the conservation charity with which the prince has a 17-year association, impresses that William is also becoming a powerful force on the international stage.

He credits William's trip to China in 2015, where he secured an unprecedented last-minute meeting with President Xi Jinping, as being directly responsible for the country introducing a domestic ban on ivory.

'He increasingly understands the convening power that he has and wields it carefully and to great effect,' says Mr Mayhew. 'I frequently get WhatsApp messages from him to discuss an issue that has occurred to him and I'm always impressed by his maturity.'

It's also fair to say that William is becoming less of an angry young man  and more of a diplomat.

'A decade ago, he was just as furious as Harry was with the media. But, unlike his brother, he wanted to work things through, particularly when it came to ring-fencing his children,' a friend explains.

'He did that in a level-headed and conciliatory way as he understands more than anyone the interest in them as a family. Once that was in place, he was much better equipped to cope with the levels of interest. It's why many think Harry and Meghan just didn't give it enough time [to work through].'

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean, in Kingston, Jamaica, March 24, 2022

(L-R) Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Louis of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 05, 2022

That is why, as livid as William was about the BBC's Martin Bashir scandal  when the Corporation was found to have covered up its journalist's faking of documents to persuade Princess Diana to give the explosive 1995 interview that hastened the end of her marriage  he has continued to work with Auntie on several high-profile projects.

'His anger was palpable,' says a friend, 'but he went away and did his research and placed the issues in their true historical context.

'While he is still furious about the way in which his mother was duped, he is not going to hold our national broadcaster to account for something that happened a quarter of a century ago.'

William also 'absolutely' shares his father's willingness to speak out about issues close to his heart, say insiders.

'Look at the way the Prince of Wales was ridiculed for some of the things he said about climate change, but is now seen as ahead of his time,' explains one.

'The lesson he has taken from his father is to be careful how you pursue these issues.

'But he's also learnt from the Prince of Wales that there are things he holds dear that will require the same kind of courage from him.

'If he thinks something is right, then he believes he has a responsibility to speak out because of the privilege that comes with his role.

'He will be careful and he doesn't like courting controversy, but he is also not afraid in taking risks.'

Speaking his mind is something that William is starting to do with increasingly regularity inside the family, as well.

He has always enjoyed a close relationship with his grandmother but he is now, at long last, being given a say in the 'big' decisions, whether that be Harry and Meghan's future within the Royal Family or his uncle Andrew's excommunication.

He visits his grandmother frequently and talks to her on the phone several times a week.

'Not just about the big decisions, but the little things as well. He's always checking in with her to make sure she understands why things are happening in a certain way because he and Catherine want to do something different to the traditional model. He never wants the Queen to be taken by surprise about anything,' one source explains, the words 'unlike his brother' hanging in the air.

They added: 'He and the duchess also spend a lot of time with her with the children.

'It's one of the things that has hastened their move to Berkshire this summer. Losing the Duke of Edinburgh has a left a big hole in all their lives. He was a great counsel to William and he feels very protective of his grandmother.'

When it comes to his future vision of the family, William is 'absolutely on the same page as his father, always has been, always will be', I am told. That means a slimmed-down monarchy.

'He is very close to his cousins, Beatrice and Eugenie, but these women have their own families and careers and he believes this is a very good thing. He is even closer to Zara (Tindall) and Peter (Phillips) and admires the lives they have built outside of the family. They will always all be included in family moments, but that's very different from having royal roles,' says one insider.

The Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Louis, Mike Tindall and Mia Tindall during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in front of Buckingham Palace, London, on day four of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations

Prince William and Kate are pictured alongside Zara and Mike Tindall

He is also a great champion of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, his uncle Prince Edward and his dependable wife, Sophie. The two families spend a lot of time together privately.

And for the perennial headache that is his Uncle Andrew?

'He has strong views on the Duke of York and believes his insistence in trying to cling on to a public role is highly dangerous for the institution. He would have cut him loose a long time ago if it had been up to him. He understands that when it comes to mother and son the situation is complicated, but honestly I think he just wishes he would vanish from public view,' says a friend.

William knows, with so many relatives unexpectedly dropping by the wayside, the future of the monarchy rests even more heavily now on the shoulders of his 'little family'. It's an expectation he once bridled against and while he naturally doesn't welcome it, he's now not afraid of it either.

'In truth he's not the natural person for the job. His grandmother wasn't either. But that's exactly why he is the right person to do it,' says a source.

'The last person you want stepping up is the one who rubs their hands and says 'I can't wait to be King'. You want someone who understands the significance and the pressure of what they have to do without hankering after any of the trappings.'

So, as he enters his fifth decade tomorrow, it is clear that the future King William V feels more ready than ever for the challenges ahead.

'Monarchy does have to evolve and that's its great strength,' says his former private secretary and mentor, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton. 'The interesting thing about this evolution is when the Queen goes it will, in effect, be the end of the last Imperial monarchy.

'The Empire was still there when the Queen acceded to the throne, and she was surrounded and supported by the great leviathans of the day like Churchill and Attlee. So, the Queen's style has been one of continuity, constant and really reassuring, but it might not necessarily work quite so well for others because, of course, times change.'

He adds: 'My own view is that the Princess of Wales and the Prince of Wales both recognised this. They saw that things were moving, and they moved with them in their own ways.

'In his own time, William will too.'

'Best dada!' Princess Eugenie posts loving tribute to husband Jack Brooksbank on Father's Day sharing snaps of family life with baby August - but doesn't mention Prince Andrew

Princess Eugenie, 32, wished Jack Brooksbank a Happy Father's Day on Insta

The Princess called her husband the 'best dada' as she posted photos of him playing with their one-year-old son August

Eugenie, who rarely shares photos of her son in public, offered an insight into their family life with the photos

Prince Andrew's eldest daughter didn't publicly wish her own father a Happy Father's Day after he settled a civil sexual assault lawsuit in the US this year

By JESSICA TAYLOR for MailOnline

Princess Eugenie posted a sweet tribute to her husband Jack Brooksbank on his second Father's Day after the birth of their baby son August.

Eugenie, daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, wished her beau a happy Father's Day, calling him 'the best dada'.

The princess, 32, who is 12th in line to the throne, shared a rare glimpse into her family life as she posted a photo of Jack pushing one-year-old August down a country path in the pram.

She also posted a heartwarming snap of the father and son walking side-by-side at The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations as little August tottered along in his blue knitted jumper embroidered with a Union Jack.

Another sweet photo she shared showed the pair playing together at home.

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Princess Eugenie, 32, wished Jack Brooksbank a Happy Father's Day on Insta, posting a series of sweet photos to her Instagram stories

The shots included the pair strolling at the recent Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and a shot of them playing with a toy at the family home

Eugenie failed to give a nod to her own father, Prince Andrew, who was stripped of several military titles amid a civil sexual assault case filed against him in the US earlier this year.

Andrew settled the lawsuit with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, in February after she accused him of sexual assault on three occasions when she was under the age of 18.

He has always strenuously denied the allegations. Since settling the lawsuit Andrew has kept a low profile in public - and couldn't attend Platinum Jubilee celebrations due to testing positive for Covid.

Eugenie largely kept August out of the limelight for his first year, but delighted fans when she shared a video of her son dancing during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The adorable posts follow a similarly heartfelt tribute posted to Jack last year on his first ever Father's Day.

Underneath a photo of Jack pushing August in the pram, she wrote: 'Happy Father's Day to you my love.. you are the ultimate father to our boy!'

In May this year, the princess posted another cute tribute to her husband as she shared two beaming selfies.

She wrote: 'Happy birthday to you my Jack. 36 years today. What a journey it's been so far. Can't wait for so many more.'

Eugenie, who tends to keep her family life private, first introduced baby August to the world in an Instagram post shortly after he was born.

Princess Eugenie, who rarely showed off baby August in public during the first year of his life, delighted royal fans when she celebrated with him at the Platinum Jubilee

Sharing a stunning family portrait taken by her midwife, she wrote: 'We wanted to introduce you to August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.

'Thank you for so many wonderful messages. Our hearts are full of love for this little human, words can't express.

After giving birth during the height of a national lockdown, the Princess also thanked the key workers who had helped deliver her son safely.

The princess, who is 12th in line to the throne, married wine merchant Jack in October 2018 in a stunning ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor.

The pair first began dating in 2011 and confirmed their relationship in an appearance at Royal Ascot that same year.

When Eugenie left London to work for an auction house in New York in 2013, the pair maintained a long distance relationship.

At the time, Jack told The Daily Mail: 'We spend a lot of time on Skype. It's great. We're still very much together.'

In 2015 the Princess returned to London where the pair grew ever closer - and they sparked engagement rumours the following year.

But it was two more years before Jack popped the question while the pair were away in Nicaragua in January 2018.
Migrants emboldened by European judges halting the plane to Rwanda are boasting we have won and being aided by charities on how to thwart future flights.

The Daily Mail yesterday found French police are despairing of ever stopping dangerous dinghy trips to the UK and a new jungle camp is growing.

Home Secretary Priti Patel wants to send irregular migrants to Rwanda to deter the crossings. But the first plane was stopped last week after the European Court of Human Rights intervened at the last minute. Yesterday there was evidence in northern France the message had got through that the way to England remains wide open.

Channel migrants are pictured on a Border Force vessel pulling into Dover yesterday morning

Nigerian migrant Adam, 26, a builder, said: The immigrants have won in the courts. Migrants went to a judge, and he said it is not possible to send people to Africa. He spoke at a new migrant camp at Loon Plage, a few miles from Dunkirk.

There, half a dozen charities were in evidence. Leaflets from Care4Calais say once in the UK, if migrants receive a legal letter mentioning Rwanda they should message a specific number on WhatsApp. The charity leaflet adds: We will help you.

A charity worker from Utopia, 56, said: There are about 350 people living here, we come and give out leaflets about crossing the Channel and how to get mental and dental help.

Near food stands, three competing cigarette vendors and a shack selling 3 baguettes, was Markawi, 32, from Eritrea. He said: I have little money, so me and friends are planning to buy our own boat. If they try to send us to Rwanda, I know I can call Care4Calais.

Airport staff board the Ministry of Defence 767 which had been set to take migrants to Rwanda

To claim my country is not suitable for those fleeing war and famine is ignorant and racist: JOSEPH RWAGATARE, Education Adviser to the President of Rwanda, hits out at backlash over Priti Patel's migrant plan

By Joseph Rwagatare for the Daily Mail

This week, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will represent the Queen in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting  after a European judge stalled the Home Offices flagship policy of sending asylum seekers to the east African nation.

Though Charles has privately criticised the Rwanda scheme as appalling, many Rwandans support the plans. Here Joseph Rwagatare, who writes regularly in one of his countrys leading daily newspapers The New Times, insists that the migrants can expect a safe and happy home.

Last week, the first group of migrants was set leave Britain and land in Kigali, our vibrant capital, to a rousing Rwandan welcome. But  as you know  it was not to be.

To the intense disappointment of all of us here ready to receive them, their plane never took off.

A cabal of activists and lawyers, ultimately supported by the European Court of Human Rights, grounded the flight.

A worker is pictured cleaning a display showing Commonwealth member flags, Kigali, Rwanda

But while campaigners are gloating at having thwarted the British Government, they should pause to consider whether they are really helping migrants by stopping them from coming here.

Indeed, accusations that my country is not a suitable destination for people escaping war and famine  let alone seeking to make a new life in a new country  smack of ignorance, if not straightforward racism.

Yes, Rwanda is not perfect. Few countries are. But, as an emerging nation, we are working hard to overcome our challenges and put our troubled past behind us to build a healthy, successful society.

Kigali, our capital, is a modern city with hotels and restaurants offering global cuisine, a large international community and businesses great and small, including our burgeoning film industry, nicknamed Hillywood  referring to Rwandas many hills.

We are a democratic, cosmopolitan country that welcomes both refugees and economic migrants.

Indeed, many Rwandans have themselves been refugees in the past  my early life was spent as a refugee in Kenya and Uganda  so we understand better than most what it is like to leave your home country. As such, we are all the more eager to embrace them. Instead of shunting arrivals to detention centres and treating them as aliens, any who come here will be a key part of our community. Some may not wish to stay long.

But when they eventually leave, they will not regret their time here. At the moment, to judge from British reports, they dont seem to see it that way. And who can blame them? They have been fed false information by scaremongering campaign groups.

In leaving a rich country like France, they are clearly prepared to go to any length and endure the most extreme conditions to reach Britain. But they should look forward to coming here instead. Take the question of safety, which Britains pro-migrant charities and lawyers have raised.

Rwanda has consistently been ranked very high on global safety and peace indices. Those who visit for tourism or business attest to this. Our crime rates are low and recognised as such. So that concern is false. As for worries about the wellbeing of members of the LGBT community, the suggestion that they will be denied basic services like medical care is unthinkable.

I do not know of any health facility in this country that requires patients to reveal their sexual orientation. That would be discrimination. So that smear can also be allayed.

As for human rights, what is better than giving people the chance at a better life?

So why do the British activists persist in terrifying migrants with alarmist tales about life in my benighted nation?

Maybe there is something in it for them. The groups range from climate change campaigners to charities, activists, religious groups and politically motivated lawyers.

Many do not like the current British Government  and have tried to make my country a scapegoat. This is unfair both to Rwandans and the migrants who are being denied a fresh start.

Other opponents are driven by self-interest. Some charities, for instance, depend on the presence of asylum seekers for donations. And, of course, the migrants misery must be emphasised as much as possible to elicit the maximum support.

There is also a cadre of social workers, charities, civil servants and lawyers whose livelihoods depend on refugees being in Britain.

The truth is we all want the same result: To help those in need. The difference is that in Rwanda we are not simply offering people a temporary home out of duty or pity: We would be delighted if they wished to settle here.

As a former teacher, I know how important education is. We teach in English here because, as a small country, we want to open up as many doors as possible. We will also offer those settling here training to join the workforce.

And so it is hurtful to proud Rwandans like me when well-meaning but patronising campaigners in Britain paint Rwanda as a dangerous place.

If the do-gooders really want to do good, they would stop spreading misinformation and let people discover the truth for themselves.
Germany is to burn more coal as it seeks to limit its use of Russian gas.

Economy minister Robert Habeck admitted it meant his country would be raising usage of a highly polluting fossil fuel to ensure its energy security.

Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, he insisted.

Russian gas company Gazprom announced last week that it was cutting supplies through the crucial Nord Stream 1 pipeline for technical reasons.

Germany is set to burn more coal - a highly polluting fossil fuel - as it seeks to limit its use of Russian gas. The move is expected to increase the country's energy security (STOCK)

Mr Habeck said he believed the move was politically motivated.

Last month the EU agreed to halt most Russian oil imports but an embargo on its gas is a long way off. Russia supplies about 27 per cent of the unions imported oil and 40 per cent of its natural gas.

Member states have been reluctant to rapidly reduce their reliance on Russian natural gas because it will drive up prices for European consumers.

Brussels has, however, set a target to wean itself off Russian energy completely by 2030 and Germany has halted the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project with Moscow.

The UK gets less than 4 per cent of its gas from Russia and intends to phase out supplies by the end of this year  or as soon as possible afterwards.

It comes as the new head of the British Army yesterday warned that its troops must prepare to fight Russias forces  and win.

Patrick Sanders said the brutal invasion of Ukraine might be the signal for more fighting across the rest of Europe.

There is now a burning imperative to forge an Army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle, the general wrote to his troops after taking the post on Monday.

We are the generation that must prepare the Army to fight in Europe once again.

Pictured: A coal-fired Power Station, North Rhine-Westphalia, in Germany. Russian gas company Gazprom announced last week that it was cutting supplies through the crucial Nord Stream 1 pipeline for technical reasons - a move considered to be 'politically motivated'

Sir Patrick said he was the first chief of the general staff since 1941 to take command of the Army in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a continental power.

In the letter, seen by The Sun, he added: Russias invasion of Ukraine underlines our core purpose to protect the UK by being ready to fight and win wars on land.

The head of Nato warned at the weekend that Russias brutal assault on Ukraine could go on for years  and urged allies to keep up their support.

Jens Stoltenberg said supplying state-of-the-art weaponry to Kyivs troops would boost the chance of freeing the eastern region of Donbas from Russian control.

We must prepare for the fact that it could take years, the Norwegian told a German newspaper. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine  even if the costs are high, not only for military support, but also because of rising energy and food prices.

The message was echoed by Boris Johnson, who urged Western leaders to prepare for a long war in Ukraine or risk the greatest victory for aggression in Europe since the Second World War.

The Prime Minister said Kyiv needed constant funding and technical help, which we should plan to sustain for years to come and increase as necessary.

Time is the vital factor, he wrote in The Sunday Times. Everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its ability to defend its soil faster than Russia can renew its capacity to attack.
Grant Shapps last night urged Keir Starmer to finally condemn the rail strikes that will cause chaos for millions of travellers tomorrow.

The Transport Secretary called on the Labour leader to issue a last-minute appeal for the unions to reopen their negotiations with bosses.

Sir Keir stopped short of denouncing the action yesterday, merely repeating his line that the strikes should not go ahead.

Services on the railways will be crippled from tomorrow in the biggest walkout for more than 30 years in a row over pay, jobs and conditions. Around 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will also strike on Thursday and Saturday. Travel on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday will be badly affected.

The Transport Secretary, pictured, highlighted revelations in The Mail on Sunday about how Sir Keir had effectively backed the strikes by opposing attempts to block them

The RMT and Unite are holding a 24-hour walkout on London Underground tomorrow, which will cause further disruption.

Mr Shapps yesterday accused the unions of resisting the modernisation of some very antiquated working practices.

And in a letter to Sir Keir, he wrote: This week, the RMT union will inflict huge disruption on families and businesses with the biggest rail strikes in Britain since 1989.

These strikes will hit millions of families in the pocket. They will harm the economy and damage businesses. They will disrupt operations on the NHS and jeopardise GCSE and A-level exams.

The public will not forgive the Labour Party for siding with those who are attempting to bring our country to a standstill.

Its time for Labour to stop backing these strikes, and urge your union paymasters to talk, not walk.

The Transport Secretary, pictured, highlighted revelations in The Mail on Sunday about how Sir Keir had effectively backed the strikes by opposing attempts to block them.

Minutes of a Labour Party meeting last month, stated: On possible action on the railways he [Keir] said it was wrong for the Government to restrict the right to strike.

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, yesterday warned of more rail strikes if workers were not given pay rises. Speaking on Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday, he vowed to continue our campaign if no pay settlement was reached. Mr Lynch claimed more rail unions were poised for industrial action over the summer because people cant take it any more.

Labour leader Sir Keir stopped short of denouncing the action yesterday, merely repeating his line that the strikes should not go ahead

On the same programme, Labour frontbencher Lisa Nandy said the railways were becoming less safe because of the removal of guards.

She said: Im not sure when Grant Shapps last got on a train but the railways are fast becoming no-go areas for many, many people. People with disabilities, older people, women particularly travelling late at night.

The Government should not be calling it efficiency savings to take skilled, experienced staff off the railways who help to keep us safe.

But a spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group said: We have the safest railway in Europe. Passengers can be assured that there will be no compromises on rail safety. This sort of charged rhetoric and language is not helpful, and wont bring a quicker conclusion to industrial action.

Tory MP Jake Berry broke ranks to say the Government should be negotiating with trade unions to resolve their pay dispute.

He told Times Radio: By training Im a lawyer and I can tell you that the only way out of a dispute is via negotiation.

I call on all parties including the Government to get around the table because its going to have a huge negative impact on lives.
Desperate women are being bombarded with Facebook adverts for costly and contentious menopause treatments during the HRT shortage crisis, the Daily Mail can reveal.

GPs say patients have been asking about vegan products promoted on their news feeds that are sold as a new way to tackle the menopause.

But experts warn women to be wary of exaggerated claims about items not as effective as HRT and sold at almost triple the price of an NHS prescription.

One advert seen by the Mail featured a product that is not approved by the UK medicines regulator and not recommended by the British Menopause Society owing to safety concerns.

The Mail is campaigning to end the HRT crisis and our manifesto calls for pharmacists to be allowed to dispense substitutes if prescribed HRT is out of stock.

An advert for MenoFriend, an 18.99 supplement made by plant-based firm Dr Vegan, features testimonies claiming it alleviated symptoms within a week.

A Facebook advert for a months supply of Feel Menopause at 26.35 describes the supplement as a new way to tackle the menopause. Both products contain plant-based compounds which show little value in combating symptoms, according to the British Menopause Society (BMS), the authority for menopause health in the UK.

Claims: A Feel Menopause advert on social media

Another ad features a cream made by Guernsey-based firm Wellsprings and sold for 24.99 that claims to relieve menopause symptoms without the side effects often experienced by common HRT treatments. It is a type of compounded bioidentical hormone replacement therapy not regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the UK.

The BMS does not recommend it due to doubts over efficacy and safety. BMS chairman Haitham Hamoda said: I would not go anywhere near this product.

A spokesman for Meta, Facebooks parent company, said it had removed the violating ads.

Wellsprings managing director Trevor Taylor denied that the firm was profiteering from the HRT shortage and said the firm had been active on social media for many years.

A Dr Vegan spokesman said that advertising of MenoFriend on social media has not increased since HRT shortages kicked in.

A spokesman for Feel said the company does not claim its product can cure menopausal symptoms or that it advises customers to forgo HRT. Both Feel and Dr Vegan said their adverts had not been removed from Facebook.
Stella Creasy last night condemned Sir Keir Starmers silence on Europe as the party continues to tie itself in knots over Brexit.

The senior backbencher said that failing to speak out on Brexit was playing into Boris Johnsons hands and hampering attempts to tackle urgent issues such as surging prices.

Meanwhile, David Miliband, the former Labour foreign secretary, made clear that it is not the time to reopen the question of re-joining the European Union.

Stella Creasy (pictured) condemned Sir Keir Starmers silence on Europe as the party continues to tie itself in knots over Brexit. She said that failing to speak out was hampering attempts to tackle urgent issues such as surging prices

Sir Keir has come under mounting pressure for avoiding the European issue, with the party split between those who believe the Red Wall views on Brexit should be accepted and those who do not. At the time of the 2016 referendum, he campaigned vigorously for Remain.

Writing for The Observer, Miss Creasy suggested Labours defensive approach amounts to a betrayal of those who voted to remain in the EU in 2016.

She said Labour must not wait until after the next general election to speak out about areas in which Brexit is clearly failing and the benefits of cooperating more closely with Europe.

Miss Creasy, who is chairman of the Labour Movement for Europe, wrote: Whether [it is] businesses overwhelmed with red tape, [or] care homes missing staff or rising food prices, the public are asking why such difficulties keep happening and finding MPs avoiding an honest answer, let alone a solution.

Keir Starmer, who at the time of the 2016 referendum campaigned vigorously to remain, has come under mounting pressure for avoiding the European issue because of the party's split views

To fix something, you first must name it. And that means getting over the myth that talking about Europe is code for re-running referendums.

Last night, Mr Miliband  speaking to Andrew Neil from his base in New York where he now runs the International Rescue Committee  said: Brexits happened and Labour cant promise to reverse Brexit. Were not going to reopen the question of a referendum on re-joining the EU. But Brexit isnt working. Brexit is costing us economically, socially, politically.

He added: There are wider sets of questions about regulatory standards, migration, refugees [and] politics.
Electronic implants could replace daily pills in the future and deliver drugs at the touch of a button.

Scientists have taken a step towards remote-controlled medications by inventing a material which uses electrical signals to release molecules.

It could be used to make futuristic implants which produce doses of a drug at regular intervals so patients no longer need to remember to take their pills.

Electronic implants could replace daily pills in the future and deliver drugs at the touch of a button, scientists say. This comes as evidence shows almost half of people fail to take their medication correctly (STOCK)

Evidence suggests around 50 per cent of people fail to take the medications they are prescribed correctly  risking their health because they are unwilling or unable to follow the dosage schedule.

An implant would be more targeted than a pill, delivering a drug to one precise part of the body. With tablets, other parts of the body can be affected by the drug which can lead to unpleasant side effects.

Researchers say a prototype could be available within a year. It could be smaller than a centimetre across and operated using a smartphone app.

The new material is a polymer surface which, triggered by a simple electrical pulse, switches from holding to releasing molecules.

Gustav Ferrand-Drake del Castillo, lead author of a study on the material, from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, said: You can imagine a doctor, or a computer programme, measuring the need for a new dose of medicine in a patient, and a remote-controlled signal activating the release of the drug from the implant located in the very tissue or organ where its needed.

The implant only requires a small amount of power, as the polymer on the surface of the electrode is very thin, so can react to a tiny electrochemical pulse.

An implant would be more targeted than a pill, delivering a drug to one precise part of the body. Researchers say a prototype could be available within a year, smaller than a centimetre and operated using a smartphone app (STOCK)

Researchers also say it can cope with changes in acidity, such as those found in the digestive system, if it were used there.

Many researchers are working on similar implantable drug delivery devices, which are hoped to work particularly well to target pain in specific areas, helping people with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Mr Ferrand-Drake del Castillo said: Being able to control the release and uptake of proteins in the body, with minimal surgical interventions and injections is a unique and useful property.

The study, published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, comes as a team at Stanford University are working on fingertip-sized robots which can crawl, spin and swim to enter narrow spaces in the body to dispense medicines.

Scientists have also looked at releasing drugs slowly through microchips, which can be controlled remotely by a doctor, and used for osteoporosis.
Jamie Carragher has hit out at the Manchester United fans who secretly filmed a remarkable discussion with the club's chief executive Richard Arnold at a Cheshire pub.

In a video shared on social media on Saturday night, Arnold was seen admitting United had 'burned through cash' with disastrous forays into the transfer market and described the last 12 months as a 'f***ing nightmare'.

It was the kind of transparency and honesty that the club's supporters have been crying out for, but Arnold was not aware he was being recorded and is likely to have viewed his comments as part of a private discussion.

Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold had a stunning face-to-face with fans on Saturday

Jamie Carragher has hit out at the United supporters who secretly filmed the frank discussion

Former Liverpool defender Carragher praised the 51-year-old for the admissions he made but believes that the group of fans were wrong to covertly film the frank exchange.

'Every fan moans about not getting access to people at the top of their club, this is the reason why they dont,' Carragher tweeted. 'Fair play to Richard Arnold.'

As reported by Sportsmail on Saturday night, it is understood a group of fans travelled to the area in which Arnold lives, with various reports claiming they were set to hold a protest outside his house against the controversial ownership of the Glazers.

Former Liverpool defender Carragher praised the Red Devils CEO for the admissions

Arnold made several remarkable admissions, including that United had 'burned through cash'

Arnold succeeded Ed Woodward as United's chief executive in February, having been the man behind the club's commercial deals since becoming group managing director in 2013.

His first major move was to appoint Erik ten Hag as manager and in the video he confirmed there would be money for the Dutchman to spend this summer.

In addition, in an honest appraisal of United's recent history, Arnold told the group of supporters: 'We spent a billion pounds on players, more than anyone in Europe.

'I'm not thrilled where we are. It doesn't sit easy with me and I worry how we get this sorted for the future. What's happened is we have f***ing burned through cash.

'You can't go to our training ground and say "show me where the 1billion is" because we haven't spent money well historically.

'Last year was a f***ing nightmare. There was hate at every game. We've blown through an enormous amount of money.'

In a statement on Sunday morning, a spokesperson for United said: 'Richard heard that a group of fans had gathered in a pub near his house.

'He went to meet them, bought them all a drink, listened to their views, and explained what the club is doing to deliver success on the pitch, improve the stadium, and strengthen engagement with fans.'
Make-up queen Charlotte Tilbury played a big part in some of the most sophisticated and high-end Platinum Jubilee events.

But her partying with pals Kate Moss and Bridgertons Phoebe Dynevor masked a family sadness, because behind the scenes her father was terribly ill and died just days later.

Artist Lance Tilbury died on June 9 after a two-year illness.

It marked the end of a long ordeal for multi-millionaire Charlotte, 49, who had been caring for him at her home in Notting Hill, West London, for months, ensuring he had the best care from specialists in nearby Harley Street.

A friend said Charlotte was willing to spend whatever it took to get him well again.

Shortly before his death, Lance is said to have planned to secretly marry Charlottes mother, Patsy.

Charlotte Tilbury, pictured with Phoebe Dynevor had a secret heartbreak ahead of the Queen's Jubilee as her father, Lance, was deteriorating following a two-year illness

It marked the end of a long ordeal for multi-millionaire Charlotte, 49, who had been caring for her father Lance, pictured left, at her home in Notting Hill, West London, for months, ensuring he had the best care from specialists in nearby Harley Street

Lance was one of the best-known residents on Ibiza  his ashes were scattered there last week with only family members present

A friend said: Patsy didnt believe in marriage, but once Lance became ill they began to plan a formal union as they needed to take care of the family legacy created from Charlottes cosmetic empire.

A family spokesman described Lance as Patsys husband, but sadly the couple didnt have time to officially marry.

Lance was one of the best-known residents on Ibiza  his ashes were scattered there last week with only family members present.

Socialite and family friend Tori Cook said on social media: A true legend. We will miss you terribly. His distinctive art is filled with swirling colours and mythical subjects, and his exhibition launch parties attracted stars such as Gillian Anderson and Jemma Kidd.

Charlotte says he inspired her to start Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, the firm that brought her fame and wealth. Calling him her guiding light, inspiration and North Star, she said: The greatest gift of all was having a magical father. He was a talented artist whose colour palettes, perfectionism, brush strokes and otherworldly ideas inspired me. The twinkle in his eye won the world over.
She can afford to eat at the worlds very best restaurants, so I was surprised to learn actress Scarlett Johansson has been spotted at a more modest sushi bar in leafy Winchester.

The Marvel star, 37, who is filming My Mothers Wedding in the Hampshire countryside with Sienna Miller and director Kristin Scott Thomas, told staff at the Kyoto Kitchen that she flew straight from LA to sample the 39-a-head menu after reading rave reviews online.

She can afford to eat at the worlds very best restaurants, so I was surprised to learn actress Scarlett Johansson has been spotted at a more modest sushi bar in leafy Winchester

The Marvel star, 37, who is filming My Mothers Wedding in the Hampshire countryside with Sienna Miller and director Kristin Scott Thomas, told staff at the Kyoto Kitchen that she flew straight from LA to sample the 39-a-head menu after reading rave reviews online.

The Marvel star, 37, who is filming My Mothers Wedding in the Hampshire countryside with Sienna Miller and director Kristin Scott Thomas, told staff at the Kyoto Kitchen that she flew straight from LA to sample the 39-a-head menu after reading rave reviews online.

Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham have welcomed a baby to the family. No, they are not yet parents but they can call themselves auntie and uncle after Nicolas sister Brittany gave birth to a girl, Indy Moon. However, the pair have said they want to start a family, so how long before Posh is a gran?

No rest for Tess

Tess Dalys green swimwear line Naia Beach has been established for only for a year but it is already in the black, making a modest 651 profit.

The Strictly host has been promoting it heavily to her followers on Instagram  posting this snap of herself in a Naia Beach aqua bikini and matching cover-up while on a recent break in Greece.

I cant help feeling sorry for the star  theres no rest even when shes on holiday!

Tess Dalys green swimwear line Naia Beach has been established for only for a year but it is already in the black, making a modest 651 profit

Model Kate Moss and celeb hairdresser James Brown are in no hurry to end their lockdown bubble. James moved into Kates Cotswolds bolthole in 2020 and is still regularly spotted mooching around nearby towns. The pair have been friends for decades, and in 1993 he styled her first Vogue cover. No wonder Kates keeping him close  who wouldnt want a live-in hairdresser?
One day after surprising fans with his seventh studio album Drake has spoken out in defense of its criticism.

The 35-year-old music artist appeared in a video posted to Twitter in which he said, 'Thats what we do. We wait for you to catch up.'

Fans had previously turned to social media to give mixed and shocked reviews at the dance-themed project.

Speaking out: One day after surprising fans with his seventh studio album Drake has spoken out in defense of its criticism

The twelve-second video clip was shared by the Twitter account Rap Alert and in it the musician was barely visible as he was in a dark room.

One of the songs from his 14-track release played in the background as he gave viewers his two cents.

At the top of the snippet he said, 'Its all good if you dont get it yet,' before finishing with, 'We caught up already. On to the next.'

Drake - real name Aubrey Graham - shocked followers by announcing he'd be dropping new music at midnight on Thursday with just a few hours notice.

Nevermind: Drake's new album, Honestly, Nevermind has been panned by fans after the rapper opted to go in a new musical direction

Yet after staying up to listen to the tracks, fans were not impressed, questioning why he'd opted for a creative change and released a house music album.

Taking to Twitter, fans penned: 'Honestly Nevermind is quite frankly what drake should have done before he decided to release whatever the fuck this album is.'; 'Drake is in his laziest era and it will impact his legacy in the long run, constantly choosing relevancy over creating high quality bodies of work.'

'Pretending to agree with people that Drakes surprise album is actually good is exhausting. Its whack.'; 'Drake dropped Scorpion and I really thought it was hands down his worst album ever, but NEVER did I think his next album would be worse and the NEXT album even WORSE than THAT. omg.'

Clapping back: The 35-year-old music artist appeared in a video posted to Twitter in which he defended his new music, saying, 'Thats what we do. We wait for you to catch up'

Living life! Graham took to Instagram on Saturday to share a carousel of new photos that proved further how unbothered he is by the bad reviews

Buddies of his appeared in the photos, dressed in the same shirt as him and decked out in flashy jewelry

Graham took to Instagram on Saturday to share a carousel of new photos that proved further how unbothered he is by the bad reviews.

He wrote in the caption 'Sympathetic 22,' which corresponded with his camouflaged shirt that said 'sympathy' on it in capital orange lettering.

The father-of-one sipped from a wine glass and flashed his middle finger in one photo.

Private flight: The media figure busied himself with his phone as a display of silver balloons that read his album title floated nearby on a private jet

Peace! The chart topper couldn't wipe the huge smile off his face after sharing his seventh full album

The hitmaker shared outtakes with a slew of various friends, including DJ Khaled in one.

Other buddies of his appeared as well, with some dressed in the same shirt as him and decked out in flashy jewelry.

Another snapshot showed the successful media figure enjoying a flight on a private jet.

He busied himself with his phone as a display of silver balloons that read his album title floated against a nearby wall.

Squad: Drake and his friends coordinated as they celebrated his new album release

Summer album: The Canadian rapper, 35, posted the cover art for the project on Thursday which is his seventh studio album, following last years release of Certified Lover Boy

While plenty of listeners were displeased, some were happy with the new music, however, who tweeted: 'Drake did a ting though. Cant even hate. Respect the artist and the boundaries he pushed on this one'; 'Is Drake new album good or did it just catch me in a great mood this morning.'

It came after Drake sent fans into a frenzy when he posted the cover art for the project, which is his seventh studio album, following last years release of Certified Lover Boy.

'7th studio album "HONESTLY, NEVERMIND" out at midnight,' the Canadian hitmaker captioned the photo, simply featuring the name of the new album.

Panned: After staying up to listen to the tracks, fans were not impressed, questioning why he'd opted for a creative change and released a house music album

Drake then released the tracklist for the project, which was comprised of 14 titles including Falling Back, Calling My Name, and Jimmy Cooks - a reference to Jimmy Brooks, the popular character he played on the Canadian teen series Degrassi.

The album came as a complete surprise, with the musician doing no prior promotion for it.

The exciting announcement was liked by nearly 2 million of his followers within the first two hours, including former rap rival Kanye West, 45.

The swiftness of the new project might be partly due to the God's Plan star's reported recent singing of a $400 million recording contract earlier this year.

Tracklist: Drake also released the tracklist for the project, which was comprised of 14 titles including Jimmy Cooks- a reference to Jimmy Brooks, the popular character he played on the Canadian teen series Degrassi

On May 3 Sir Lucian Grainge - head of Universal Music Group - confirmed that Drake signed a massive 'expansive, multi-faceted deal' with the label, as reported by Variety.

The deal 'encompasses recordings, publishing, merchandise and visual media projects.'

Drake's Certified Lover Boy, was released via his own imprint OVO Sound under license to Republic Records (owned by UMG).

The album landed him a nomination for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

However, the artist - who's won four Grammys in the past - withdrew himself from running for the awards.

The chart-topper has been known to be critical of the Grammys, and in a response to a Grammy snub of The Weeknd in 2020, he wrote on Instagram urging for a new platform.

'I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after.'

He added, 'This is a great time for somebody to start something new that we can build up over time and pass on to the generations to come.'
Married At First Sight star Susie Bradley has finally confirmed her split from her NRL star fiance Todd Carney.

Posting to Instagram on Saturday, the cosmetic nurse uploaded photos of herself posing and smiling in a tight grey mini-dress with a wine glass in hand.

Looking anything but heartbroken, Susie wrote n in her caption: 'Officially a member of the Hot Single Girl's Club! What's good to do?'

Married At First Sight star Susie Bradley (pictured) has finally confirmed her split from her NRL star fiance Todd Carney. Posting to Instagram on Saturday, the cosmetic nurse uploaded photos of herself posing and smiling in a tight grey mini-dress with a wine glass in hand

The mother-of-two completed her post with the hashtag #ifyoucantlaughyoullcry.

Susie has been sharing cryptic clues about her relationship status for days.

On Wednesday night, she posted a sombre photo of herself sitting next to a swimming pool, and simply added a broken-heart emoji.

Looking anything but heartbroken, Susie wrote n in her caption: 'Officially a member of the Hot Single Girl's Club! What's good to do?'

Susie has been sharing cryptic clues about her relationship status for days. Pictured with Todd

She also raised eyebrows on Tuesday by uploading a cryptic post about her mental health, as well as deleting all traces of Todd from Instagram.

One was a picture of the ocean, which she captioned: 'Numb.'

The ex-reality star also posted a stony-faced selfie alongside the words: 'You never know when life is going to completely f**k you.'

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday night, she posted this sombre photo of herself sitting next to a swimming pool, and simply added a broken-heart emoji

Meanwhile, Todd has deleted his Instagram account.

The on-off couple were last pictured together on Valentine's Day in a loved-up Instagram post.

Alongside a gallery of images of the pair taken over their three-year romance, Susie wrote: 'Love isn't always perfect. It isn't a fairytale or storybook.

The cosmetic nurse had sparked concern on Tuesday by uploading a series of cryptic posts about her mental health. One was a picture of the ocean, which she captioned: 'Numb'

Susie also uploaded a stony-faced selfie alongside the words: 'You never know when life is going to completely f**k you'

'And it doesn't always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, holding on and never letting go. It is a short word, easy to spell, difficult to define and impossible to live without.'

'Love is work but most of all, love is realising that every hour, every minute and every second was worth it because you did it together. We are real,' Susie continued.

She also hinted at a wedding date for the pair, who got engaged in December 2020, writing, 'Bring on December 3, 2022.'

The pair started dating in 2019, with Todd stepping into the role of stepfather to Susie's eight-year-old daughter, Baby.

They welcomed their first child, a boy named Lion Daryl, in April last year.

Susie and Todd were last pictured together on Valentine's Day in a loved-up Instagram post

The couple started dating in 2019, with Todd stepping into the role of stepfather to Susie's eight-year-old daughter, Baby. (Pictured: Todd and Susie with Baby and son Lion)

Susie rose to fame on the fifth season of Married At First Sight, which was filmed in late 2018 and aired the following year.

She was partnered with barista Billy Vincent, but they split before their final vows.

Todd infamously had his $3million contract with the Cronulla Sharks torn up in 2014 after he was pictured urinating in his own mouth at a Sydney pub.

He now works as a concreter.

If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
An interview with Margot Robbie about her boozy Logies experience has resurfaced on the eve of the 2022 TV Week Logie Awards.

While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2019, the Australian actress, 31, revealed she once got so drunk at the Logies she 'passed out in one of the toilet stalls'.

'When I was 18 and it was the first one I went to, I mean it is like the Wild West. The second year I went, I got so drunk I passed out,' Robbie told Kimmel.

Scroll down to see the video

A hilarious interview with Margot Robbie, 31, (pictured) has resurfaced on the eve of the latest Logies awards. Pictured in 2022

She was referring to the 2010 Logies ceremony.

'I passed out in one of the toilet stalls and I woke up and I came out and it happened to be the one hour that the (venue) closes to be cleaned.'

'Eventually I found someone who was cleaning and they were like, "What are you doing in here?" I was like, 'What time is it? I have to be at work.'"

While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2019, the Australian actress revealed she once got so drunk at the Logies she 'passed out in one of the toilet stalls' Pictured here at the 2010 Logie awards in question

The Wolf of Wall Street actress revealed she went directly to the Neighbours set while still wearing her evening gown.

'The nurse at work gave me some oxygen and I felt great after that,' she said.

Robbie recently paid sweet tribute to the show that launched her career.

'When I was 18 and it was the first one I went to, I mean it is like the Wild West. The second year I went, I got so drunk I passed out,' Robbie told Kimmel. Pictured at the 2009 awards

It comes after Margot sent champagne to the Neighbours cast and crew as production wrapped for the final time in 37 years last week.

The show's executive producer Jason Herbison announced Robbie had sent a gift of pricey bubbles.

The cast raised a toast following the end of filming on the show's final ever day of production.

Margot recently gifted the cast and crew of long-running soap stacks of pricey champagne as they wrapped production on the show after 37 years

Alan Fletcher, April Rose Pengilly and Emerald Chan were among the cast to thank Robbie on Instagram for the thoughtful gift.

Robbie shot to fame in the Australian soap when she appeared as aspiring fashion designer Donna Freedman from 2008 to 2011, before swapping Melbourne for Hollywood.

She previously credited the show and said it was 'brilliant training' for her Hollywood career and admitted that she could never learn lines at the speed she used to during her soap days.

The cast raised a toast following the end of filming on the show's final ever day of production

Robbie says Neighbours was 'brilliant training' for her Hollywood career and admits she could never learn lines at the speed to she used to during her soap days. Pictured here in 2009 with co-star Jackie Woodburne

But she cannot believe how quickly she used to get through her scripts during her time in the serial drama.

She said: 'I always said after walking off a soap everything would be easy after that.'

'It was a brilliant training ground. I used to sit down with 60 pages in my lap in a morning and just fly through it, read it once. Got it. I don't think I could do that now.'

The Birds of Prey star is also grateful for working on a soap because that time has made her more 'aware' of other departments when she is on a movie or a TV set.

She said: 'I think the biggest thing about working on a soap and working with a multi-camera scenario was being so aware of every other department, and working within the bigger machine.'
Hollywood star Orlando Bloom recently arrived in Australia with fiancee Katy Perry to film his new movie.

And on Saturday, the 45-year-old took a break from filming to hit a local gym in Port Douglas.

Orlando's muscular frame was hard to miss underneath his tight grey T-shirt and sporty black shorts.

Orlando Bloom was spotted leaving the gym in Australia's Port Douglas on Saturday

The Lord of the Rings star looked incredibly fit as he made his way from the gym to his car.

His long hair was pinned back with a wire headband and he used a black crossbody bag to hold his phone.

After working out at the gym, the English actor stopped at a nearby market to grab a few items.

Orlando's muscular frame was hard to miss underneath his tight grey T-shirt and sporty black shorts

The actor's fit and toned legs were on full display in the black shorts as he strolled back to his car

Orlando and pop star Katy made a low-key arrival at Sydney Airport on Wednesday morning.

The couple are believed to be staying in Australia for three months while Orlando shoots the film Wizards.

He'll join Pete Davidson, Naomi Scott, Franz Rogowski and Sean Harris in the comedy, a new film by Australian writer-director David Michod.

After working out at the gym, the English actor stopped at a nearby market to grab a few items

Orlando appeared to be browsing various items at the market before leaving

The A-list actor didn't appear to be recognised as he walked around the market

The production will inject an estimated $14.7million into Queensland's economy.

Wizards! will follow two hapless pothead beach-bar operators, played by Davidson and Rogowski, who run into trouble when they stumble across stolen loot that they really should have just left alone, reports Deadline.

Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B, is behind the film.

Katy and Orlando first started dating in early 2016, but split in February 2017.

Orlando carried a few items under one arm as he walked back to the car

His long hair was pinned back with a wire headband and he used a black crossbody bag to hold his phone

They reconciled in April 2018, and Orlando popped the question in a romantic Valentine's Day proposal the following year.

Orlando wed Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr in 2010, divorcing in 2013 and now sharing custody of their son Flynn, 11.

Katy was married to English comedian Russell Brand back in 2010, but split just a year later.

Orlando and his pop star fiancee Katy made a low-key arrival at Sydney Airport on Wednesday morning

Orlando is in Australia to shoot the new comedy film Wizards with Pete Davidson

Orlando previously revealed on Sunday Today with Willie Geist that he doesn't want to get divorced a second time.

'It's important to me that we are aligned. I've been married and divorced and I don't want to do it again,' he said. 'And we're both fully aware of that.'

'She's remarkable and so I'm always impressed with that and I'm encouraged,' Orlando added.
Peter Sawkins has revealed his same-sex relationship during Pride Month, taking to his Instagram Story on Saturday to make the announcement.

The Great British Bake Off winner, 21, was inundated with messages of support after sharing snaps of himself and his partner during their sun-soaked Morocco holiday.

He appeared to be in high spirits while holding hands with the mystery man, against the track I Found You by Stephen Sanchez.

Happy: Peter Sawkins has revealed his same-sex relationship during Pride Month, taking to his Instagram Story on Saturday to make the announcement

In his caption, Peter wrote: 'Wanderlust | wunderlust (n.) a strong desire for or impulse to wonder or travel the world. Collect memories not things.

'You only live once, and when you do it right, once it enough. Live for the moments you can't put into words. If not now, when?'

'Directed, shot, produced, edited, captioned and coerced by @claudiaa_chan.'

While the Edinburgh-native won the 2020 series, his fellow-finalist Laura Adlington, penned: 'Love this and love you!'

Cute: The GBBO winner, 21, appeared to be in high spirits while holding hands with the mystery man, against the track I Found You by Stephen Sanchez

Wow! He was inundated with messages of support after sharing snaps of himself and his partner during their sun-soaked Morocco holiday

2018 Bake Off winner Rahul Mandal wrote: 'Love this!' with other fans adding, 'Happy for you Peter,' and, 'Congrats!'

Tragically, 'homosexual activity' is illegal in Morocco and can be punished with up to five years' imprisonment, as well as a fine of 1,200 dirhams (267 pounds).

Peter appeared on Lorraine following his victory, where he revealed the challenge of keeping his win a secret, after filming wrapped months before the finale of the Channel 4 show actually aired.

Big news: In his caption, Peter wrote: 'Wanderlust | wunderlust (n.) a strong desire for or impulse to wonder or travel the world. Collect memories not things'

Peter, who is Bake Off's youngest ever winner at 20, admitted he relished teasing his flatmates as to his fate in the competition.

He is an accounting and finance student at the University of Edinburgh and lives with three housemates in the city.

He explained to Lorraine that as per the rules of the show he had to keep his win secret until the final aired in November, after shooting the series over the summer.

'I kept it schtum I kept it quiet, I think two of my flatmates, we decided to keep it a secret from them, so it was quite fun torturing them and watching them cower on the sofa seeing if I'm going to stay in or get kicked out,' he laughed.

And as for the big final, there was plenty of celebrations when his pals eventually discovered he had won.

Keeping schtum: Peter appeared on Lorraine following his victory, where he revealed the challenge of keeping his win a secret, after filming wrapped months before the finale

'I watched it with them it was just a huge celebration, they didn't know right until the end, it was just big cheers up in the flats I think we disturbed the flats above and below us,' he said.

Peter has also made friends for life in his GBBO co-stars, revealing the group, who lived together in a covid-secure bubble during filming, still speak all the time.

'We've got the baking bubble Whatsapp group, we're staying in touch all the contestants .'

'We had a Zoom last week it is really nice to keep up with each other, we just became such great friends while we were there it was so nice to stay in touch with these friends we've got.'

Peter was also asked by Lorraine about his technique of 'listening' to his cakes while on the show.

'You've got to use all your senses when you're in the kitchen,' he explained. 'It was a technique I picked up from series three of the show, you can tell if it's the moist the cake if you listen to it.'

As for his post-GBBO plans, Peter says his concentrating on his degree, which is continuing online during the pandemic, and hoping for more success with his baking in the future.

'I'm just seeing what comes of it, I'm trying to do as much of this as I can while keeping up my studies at the same time, and I'm doing things like Lorraine!' he gushed.
They're arguably one of Australia's most successful celebrity power couples.

And Zoe Foster and husband Hamish Blake were certainly hard to miss at The 62nd Annual TV Week Logie Awards on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

Go-To skincare mogul Zoe, 41, went for a daring look in a nude satin frock with black lace trim and detailing.

Zoe Foster and husband Hamish Blake (pictured together) were hard to miss at The 62nd Annual TV Week Logie Awards on the Gold Coast on Sunday

She added long black lace gloves, and the frock contained an exposed lace bra.

Zoe tied her brunette locks back into a tight ponytail and kept her accessories simple with a pair of Gucci earrings.

Her makeup was simple and natural, and her skin was glowing thanks to the Go-To products she used prior to the event.

Zoe, 41, went for a daring look in a nude satin frock with black lace trim and detailing

Posting to Instagram, Zoe revealed that she did a double cleanse using Go-To's Properly Clean cleanser and Fancy Face oil cleanser, followed by the Transformazing sheet mask, the Much Plumper Skin serum, the Very Lightweight Moisturiser, and finished off with the brand's Face Hero oil.

Her husband Hamish, who is nominated for a Gold Logie this year, went for a much simpler look in a basic black tuxedo with a double breasted blazer.

The day before the ceremony, Zoe had a facial and skin treatment from celebrity facialist Melanie Grant.

Zoe tied her brunette locks back into a tight ponytail and kept her accessories simple with a pair of Gucci earrings

The mother of two shared a picture of herself after having had a treatment, which included the use of a LED lamp, saying she wanted to get a 'glow' before the big awards ceremony.

LED lights used in facials and skin treatments are believed to help the skin and stimulate collagen, depending on the colour of light used.

It comes after Foster Blake sold off a 50.1 per cent controlling stake of Go-To skincare to beauty giant BWX for $89million in August last year.

The ASX-listed company is also behind Aussie skincare brand Sukin, and has a lucrative five-year supplier deal with Chemist Warehouse.

Hamish, who is nominated for a Gold Logie this year, went for a much simpler look in a basic black tuxedo with a double breasted blazer

BWX praised Go-To for providing its consumers with 'simple, trusted and effective skincare products for the masstige market'.

The term 'masstige' refers to mass-produced, inexpensive goods that are marketed as luxurious.

Go-To was established by former magazine journalist in 2012 Zoe, and generated $36.8million in revenue in 2020 alone.

That same year, her net worth was estimated to be about $36million, earning her a spot on the AFR's Young Rich List.
Irish TV presenter Aideen Kennedy, known for her career at UTV, has died aged 43 following a terminal illness.

Her passing comes after she asked fans to 'say prayers' for her in a Tuesday Twitter post, where she told her 16,600 followers she had been in hospital.

Revealing she was 'bleeding in her stomach', she shared photos of herself receiving one of 12 blood transfusions before claiming she was 'going home to die' three days later.

Tragic: Irish TV presenter Aideen Kennedy, known for her career at UTV, has died aged 43 following a terminal illness

The journalist had written in full: 'So life has not gone well and I am as sick as I was as when I went in to hospital so essentially going home to die but getting palliative care.

'The kids know. If you ever come across them, will you an eye out for them, they are the kindest, sweetest most thoughtful kiddies.'

Alongside, Aideen shared selfies alongside her young children Jacob And Eva, whose exact ages are unknown.

They had made a card for her saying, 'To mummy, I hope you get well soon. Love you loads.'

Awful: Her passing comes after she asked fans to 'say prayers' for her in a Tuesday Twitter post, where she told her 16,600 followers she had been in hospital

The exact cause of her death has not been disclosed.

Former UTV colleague Rita Fitzgerald said: 'Darling Aideen, I'm so desperately sorry to hear this. My heart is breaking for you.'

Her friend Emma Little-Pengally, who confirmed Aideen's death on Saturday night, wrote: 'Absolutely devastated. My beautiful, funny, kind friend Aideen has passed away.

'I will miss her terribly. We met 22 years ago when we shared a room for the summer in DC and became firm friends. Goodbye beautiful girl.'

Family: Alongside, Aideen shared selfies alongside her children Jacob And Eva

Sweet: They had made a card for her saying, 'To mummy, I hope you get well soon. Love you loads.

Open: The journalist had written in full: 'So life has not gone well and I am as sick as I was as when I went in to hospital so essentially going home to die but getting palliative care'

She later added: 'Our time here on Earth is done. I grieve for that. No more pain, or illness for you now. No more sorrow or trauma.

'The most beautiful, kind soul that life gave me the privilege of knowing. Our walks and talks, craic and fun. I hope we will meet again. Goodbye my friend.'

Former political editor at UTV, Ken Reid, tweeted: 'Tonight the thought Aideen is no longer with us is just heart breaking.

'A decent soul who suffered too much. The news has stunned many of us. We all need to take care. God bless her. RIP.'

Appeal: Aiden wrote on Twitter on June 14: 'Day 19 in hospital - say a wee prayer for me. Bleeding in stomach'

Aideen is survived by her two children and parents Noel and Maura.

Her brother Dara died aged 35 with a brain tumour in 2016, while her sister Fiona passed away aged 44 in the same year with cancer.

She also told the Belfast Telegraph in 2018 that her older brother Rory had been killed in a road accident, some time after his first birthday.

Upset: Her friend Emma Little-Pengally, who confirmed Aideen's death on Saturday night, wrote: 'Absolutely devastated. My beautiful, funny, kind friend Aideen has passed away'

Emotional: Former political editor at UTV, Ken Reid, tweeted: 'Tonight the thought Aideen is no longer with us is just heart breaking'
Bryce Dallas Howard admitted she is 'more in love than ever' as she took to Instagram to celebrate her wedding anniversary with Seth Gabel on Saturday.

The Jurassic World actress, 41, couldn't contain her happiness as she praised her husband, 40, on her social media page.

The star beamed as she looked at Seth wearing a glamorous patterned maxi dress which she cinched in at the waist with a matching material belt.

Amazing: Bryce Dallas Howard is 'more in love than ever' as she took to Instagram to celebrate her wedding anniversary with Seth Gabel on Saturday

The American actress put on a loving display as she placed her hand on the actors lap.

Bryce cut a stylish figure as she waved her stunning red tresses as they cascaded past her shoulders.

She opted for a radiant palette of makeup including a smoky eyeshadow and a stunning pink lipstick.

Loved up: The Jurassic World actress, 41, couldn't contain her happiness as she gushed over her husband, 40, on her social media page

Anniversary: Howard met her future husband while the two were attending New York University. They dated for five years before marrying in 2006

Seth looked dapper in a beige jacket over a blue patterned shirt which he teamed with dark blue jeans.

She captioned the snap to her 2.4million followers: 'Seth Gabel, we celebrate 16 years of marriage today and I am more in love with you now than ever. Happy Anniversary. Love, Your Wife.'

Howard met her future husband while the two were attending New York University. They dated for five years before marrying in 2006.

Working mom: Howard shares two children with Gabel: Theodore Howard-Gabel, 15, and Beatrice Howard-Gabel, 10 (pictured 2019)

The couple have two children together: Theodore Howard-Gabel, 15, and Beatrice Howard-Gabel, 10.

Despite her busy personal life, the star has still been hard at work on her career in recent years.

She's completed filming on Jurassic World Dominion, the third installment in the Jurassic World trilogy.

Howard will reprise her role as Claire Dearing, the former park operations manager of Jurassic World.

Her other upcoming film, titled Argylle is currently in post-production. Argylle centers around a spy of the same name as he travels all over the world on a mission.

Howard will star in the film alongside Henry Cavill, John Cena and Samuel L. Jackson.
Sonia Kruger knows how to put on a show.

The television host ensured all eyes were on her as she attended the TV Week Logie Awards on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

The 56-year-old left younger stars in the dust as she showed off her incredible figure in a daring gown.

Sonia Kruger (pictured) knows how to put on a show. The television host ensured all eyes were on her as she attended the TV Week Logie Awards on the Gold Coast on Sunday

Sonia's long-sleeved dress included a sheer fabric and large glittering embellishments throughout.

It cinched in at the waist before flaring out to white feathered skirting, which was short on one side, flaunting her shapely pins.

The other side of the skirt was long and featured a train that added a lot of drama to the outfit.

The 56-year-old left younger stars in the dust as she showed off her incredible figure in a daring gown

Sonia's long-sleeved dress included a sheer fabric and large glittering embellishments throughout. It cinched in at the waist before flaring out to white feathered skirting

For makeup, Sonia opted for a warm palette with smoky eyes and lots of highlighter, plus a nude lipstick.

She added glittering diamond cuffs to both her wrists and had on sparkling drop earrings, and added a pair of clear heels.

The Big Brother Australia host wore her blonde hair down and dead straight around her face.

For makeup, Sonia opted for a warm palette with smoky eyes and lots of highlighter, plus a nude lipstick

She added glittering diamond cuffs to both her wrists and had on sparkling drop earrings

Back in 2019, Sonia told the Daily Telegraph her colleagues were often 'shocked' by her natural appearance.

The TV presenter explained she rarely wears makeup when she's not working, adding that she has 'forgotten' how to put it on herself.

'I have seen people when I've had to run out and get something and they have a look of absolute shock and horror on their face when they see me,' she said.
Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic were vying for best-dressed couple as they arrived at the Logie Awards on the Gold Coast on Sunday night.

The Today host, 47, looked delightfully dapper in a tuxedo while his shoe designer wife, 38, kept things classic in a figure-hugging black dress.

Jasmine, who recently retired her footwear brand Mara & Mine to focus on other projects, accessorised with glitzy stilettos, a silver bracelet and a small handbag.

Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic were vying for best-dressed couple as they arrived at the Logie Awards on the Gold Coast on Sunday night

The mother of one slicked back her blonde hair into a bun, drawing attention to her elegant features and impeccably applied makeup.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Jasmine's outfit was the large white bow detail on the front of her strapless frock.

The Logies are back for the first time since 2019, with seven TV personalities vying for the coveted Gold Logie, including comedian Tom Gleeson.

The Today host, 47, looked delightfully dapper in a tuxedo while his shoe designer wife, 38, kept things classic in a figure-hugging black dress

Jasmine, who recently retired her footwear brand Mara & Mine to focus on other projects, accessorised with glitzy stilettos, a silver bracelet and a small handbag

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Jasmine's outfit was the large white bow detail on the front of her strapless frock

The Hard Quiz host famously won three years ago after launching a campaign ridiculing the award as well as his competition.

Gleeson has tried this strategy again in 2022, posting on Twitter that he would be embarrassed to win more than once.

"I'm not campaigning this year for the Gold Logie. Do not vote for me," he said.

The ABC presenter is up against some big names from commercial television: Karl, Hamish Blake, Julia Morris, Melissa Leong, Ray Meagher and Sonia Kruger.

The mother of one slicked back her blonde hair into a bun, drawing attention to her elegant features and impeccably applied makeup. She also wore glittering diamond earrings

The awards are being held on the the Gold Coast on Sunday night after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19.

While Gold Logie campaign antics are a feature again, there have been some changes since the last time the awards were staged.

The Silver Logie for most popular presenter will be renamed the Bert Newton Award in honour of the late presenter, who died in October.

Old Moonface, as he was affectionately known, hosted the Logies 19 times and won the coveted Gold Logie in 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1984.

Karl is nominated for a Gold Logie this year, going up against the likes of Tom Gleeson, Hamish Blake, Julia Morris, Melissa Leong and Sonia Kruger

A new Silver Logie will also be awarded for the most popular actor in an international program.

The night will also feature a tribute to the long-running soapie Neighbours, a week after the show filmed its final scenes.

First broadcast in 1985, it was cancelled in March after nearly 9000 episodes.

The Logies will be broadcast on Channel Nine with red carpet coverage from 7pm AEST and awards presented from 7.30pm.
Charlize Theron appeared to be in high spirits on the set of the long-awaited superhero film sequel The Old Guard 2 in Rome on Sunday.

The actress, 46, who played Andy in the 2020 picture, put on a leggy display in a pair of black hot pants which she wore with a matching vest top and sandals.

She soon changed into a dapper grey three-piece suit as she filmed scenes for the upcoming blockbuster, while clutching a brief case and donning sunglasses.

Hot stuff: Charlize Theron put on a leggy display in a pair of black hot pants while shooting superhero film sequel The Old Guard 2 in Rome on Sunday

The South African star accessorised with a charcoal choker and a necklace with a pendant while beaming from ear-to-ear towards onlookers.

Earlier this year Uma Thurman and Henry Golding were confirmed to star in the action sequel The Old Guard 2.

The two stars will be joining an A-list cast, including Charlize Theron who starred in the original 2020 film.

Although details of the Thurman's and Golding's characters have yet to be revealed, both actors have a lot of experience under their belt, including working in the action genre.

Suave: She soon changed into a dapper grey three-piece suit as she filmed scenes for the upcoming blockbuster, while clutching a brief case and donning sunglasses

Chic: The South African star accessorised with a charcoal choker and a necklace with a pendant

The 52-year-old starred in the Kill Bill franchise where she was seen doing countless action sequences.

The Crazy Rich Asians actor also jumped into the action field, tackling a role in Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.

Netflix uploaded a post on the company's official twitter account, stating at the very top, 'The Old Guard just got some new blood.'

The sequel will be directed by Victoria Mahoney, and other cast members returning are Kiki Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Marwan Kenzari, according to Variety.

Exciting: Earlier this year Uma Thurman and Henry Golding were confirmed to star in the action sequel The Old Guard 2

Mahoney has worked on notable action and drama projects, such as Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and HBO series, Lovecraft Country.

The 2020 Netflix film from Skydance Media did incredibly well when the movie was officially launched on the streaming site.

The Old Guard became one of Netflix's most popular and most watched action films, with 186 million hours viewed in less than a month, Variety reported.

The premise of the film follows a group of mercenaries who are secretly immortals with the ability to heal themselves.

New addition: Both talented actors will have a chance to show off some action skills in the sequel, The Old Guard 2 (Henry, left, pictured in May 2022, Uma, right, in 2003)

However, when they are exposed, they have to fight to keep their identity a secret.

In a joint interview with Esquire upon the release of the first film, Theron discussed what made her interested in the project.

'The first thing that got me excited, was the world,' the Mad Max: Fury Road actress stated. 'I loved this juxtaposition of big sci-fi with intimate emotion.'

The Netflix hit is based off of a comic series written by Greg Rucka, and he also weighed in about his inspiration to create the series.

'The Old Guard came from the idea of ghost stories about soldiers who don't want to die,' Rucka told Esquire.

The writer also talked about how he was more than thrilled when he got the news that his comic book would be turned into a Netflix film.

'Netflix has made it possible to make this movie that, I am sincerely, very proud of.'

The sequel is currently in the production stages, with no official release date as of yet.
Bert Newton was a quadruple Gold Logie award-winning entertainer who hosted the show a staggering 19 times.

And Patti Newton, 77, honoured her late husband at the awards show he dominated for so many years by hitting the Logies red carpet with a necklace spelling out 'Bert'.

The diamond-encrusted jewellery hung from a thin silver chain.

Patti Newton, 77, honoured her late husband Bert Newton at the awards show he dominated for so many years by hitting the Logies red carpet with a necklace spelling out 'Bert'

The mother-of-two was joined on the red carpet by her daughter, Lauren.

During Sunday night's awards Patti will present the inaugural award named in honour of her late husband.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the showbiz legend will honour Bert by presenting the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter at the star-studded ceremony.

The diamond-encrusted jewellery hung from a thin silver chain

The mother-of-two was joined on the red carpet by her daughter, Lauren

The trophy was recently renamed to honour the late TV veteran, who died age 81 last year following a health battle.

The ceremony will be filled with countless Aussie A-listers, including Karl Stefanovic, Julia Morris, Sophie Monk, Hamish Blake, Waleed Aly, Dylan Alcott and more.

Patti gave a moving tribute to her late husband during a Mother's Day concert in May.

During Sunday night's awards Patti will present the inaugural award named in honour of her late husband

She joined the Aussie Pops Orchestra event, held at Melbourne's Hamer Hall, and sang a trio of songs devoted to Bert.

Photos of the late TV legend Bert were projected above the stage as Patti made her tender salute in song.

One of the numbers was a special tune simply called For Bert.

Patti gave a moving tribute to her late husband during a Mother's Day concert in May

The trophy was recently renamed to honour the late TV veteran, who died age 81 last year following a health battle

She also delivered a touching version of Unforgettable which, according to reports, did not leave a dry eye left in the house.

Patti - who was married to Bert for 47 years - laid her husband to rest in November.

Bert had his leg amputated last year after a toe infection that led to another range of complications.
He recently became a first time dad.

And Alex Bowen celebrated his first Father's Day by taking to Instagram to share an adorable snap with his newborn son Abel on Sunday.

The former Love Island star, 31, welcomed his bundle of joy with former co-star Olivia, 28, last week.

Adorable: Alex Bowen celebrated his first Father's Day by taking to Instagram to share an adorable snap with his newborn son Abel on Sunday

Heartwarming: Captioning the touching photo, Alex simply wrote: 'Thank you son', while Olivia couldn't hold back her emotions at the sweet post, writing: 'My heart' in the comments section

In the shot, Abel wore a sweet onesie, emblazoned with the words 'Our 1st Father's Day. Abel and Daddy'.

Alex wore a black T-shirt and gently cradled the little tot in his arms as he gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Captioning the touching photo, Alex simply wrote: 'Thank you son.'

Post of her own: She then took to her own Instagram grid, to share a slew of snaps of Alex and Abel

Caption: She wrote alongside them: 'Happy 1st ever Fathers Day to my favourite man, you are everything to me & are going to be everything to our favourite boy'

Olivia couldn't hold back her emotions at the sweet post, writing: 'My heart' in the comments section.

She then took to her own Instagram grid, to share a slew of snaps of Alex and Abel and wrote alongside them: 'Happy 1st ever Fathers Day to my favourite man, you are everything to me & are going to be everything to our favourite boy'.

Olivia announced the happy news she had given birth last Sunday as she shared a picture alongside her partner and their bundle of joy.

In the caption of her post where she breastfeeds the tot, she gushed: 'Abel Jacob Bowen. You are everything. 10/06/22.'

Congrats! Olivia announced the happy news last Sunday as she shared a picture alongside her partner, 30, and their bundle of joy

Happy: In the caption of her post, she gushed: Abel Jacob Bowen. You are everything. 10/06/22'

Taking to his own profile on the social media platform, the former scaffolder shared a similar snap along with a sweet message.

He penned: 'Abel Jacob Bowen, but you can call him AJ The day our lives changed for the better 10/06/22.'

Marnie Simpson, Frankie Bridge, Danielle Armstrong, Helen Flanagan, Samira Mighty, Fran Parman, Charlotte Crosby, Amy Childs, Faye Winter and Chloe Crowhurst showed their support in the comments section.

New addition: Taking to his own profile on the social media platform, the former scaffolder shared a similar snap along with a sweet message

In their element: He penned: 'Abel Jacob Bowen, but you can call him AJ The day our lives changed for the better 10/06/22'

Earlier this year, Olivia told MailOnline of her pregnancy: 'I'm so excited to become a Mum. It feels very surreal still to even say it, but we both can't wait for the next part of our lives. Alex is going to be the best dad - he's so caring, kind and a big kid at heart.

'My pregnancy is going really fast; We still both can't quite believe it's happening. We're having to stop ourselves buying all the baby clothes at the moment, we just get too excited.

'Our family and friends were so shocked when we told them, but I just knew very early on, you know your body. We're not going to find out what we're having, I think the surprise will make it extra special.'

Olivia and Alex, formerly a sales executive and scaffolder respectively, soared to fame in 2016 when they appeared on the ITV2 reality show, where she was an original star and he, a late and extremely popular entrant.

After leaving the villa their romance soon when from strength to strength and Alex popped the question in New York in 2016.

Loved-up couple Olivia and Alex tied the knot in a luxurious Essex ceremony two years after meeting on Love Island during series two.
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan stepped out on Saturday to enjoy a pre-Father's Day lunch with their son Jack.

The married couple and their 35-year-old son made a rare public appearance together as they dined out at a French restaurant in North London.

Judy, 74, looked stunning in a pale blue dress with a floral pattern, while carrying a matching blue coat over one arm.

Outing: Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan stepped out on Saturday to enjoy lunch with their son Jack

She toted her belongings in a cream handbag, and wore her blonde locks poker straight, while walking in a pair of pink ballet flats.

Husband Richard, 65, cut a casual figure in a white shirt paired with blue jeans and brown shoes.

Meanwhile, Jack looked effortlessly stylish in a blue baggy shirt teamed with shorts and white trainers.

Eating out: The married couple and their 35-year-old son dined out at a French restaurant in North London.

He shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun behind a pair of black sunglasses as he followed his mother into the restaurant.

Their outing comes after Richard revealed the due date of his pregnant daughter Chloe, telling how the date has moved from the original.

His fitness guru daughter, 34, announced in February that she's expecting her first child - a baby girl - with husband James Haskell.

Looking lovely: Judy, 74, looked stunning in a pale blue dress with a floral pattern

Stylish: She carried a matching blue coat over one arm, and wore a silver cross round her neck

Smiles all around: She toted her belongings in a cream handbag, and wore her blonde locks poker straight

On trend: She walked into the restaurant wearing a pair of pink ballet flats adorned with a bow

And speaking during an interview on Friday's Loose Women, Richard told how his daughter is due in early August, while he also shared his excitement at being a grandad again.

He told the panel: 'Chloe was due on 5th august and theyve moved it to 7th, theyre in France right now, coming up to 34 weeks - shes having a little girl.'

Meanwhile, Richard, explained how special it is for his daughter to be having a girl, as he expressed his excitement at welcoming another grandchild into the family. He and wife Judy have three other grandchildren.

Casual: Husband Richard, 65, cut a casual figure in a white shirt paired with blue jeans and brown shoes

He said: 'There's something about your daughter having a little girl, it sort of does make a difference.

'I didnt have any expectations of being a grandad but I do enjoy it. I used to think it cant be that good.

'Its like having an extension on your house, we adore it and then you can give them back.'

Fashion forward: Meanwhile, Jack looked effortlessly stylish in a blue baggy shirt teamed with shorts and white trainers
Bangladesh suffers worst-ever floods in century

11:30, June 19, 2022 By Naim-Ul-Karim ( Xinhua

DHAKA, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Almost half of Bangladesh remained in the grip of devastating floods on Saturday, as millions of people were marooned or left homeless in low-lying northeastern parts of the country.

Md Kamrul Hasan, secretary of Bangladesh's Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, told Xinhua Saturday that tens of thousands of policemen, Bangladesh Army soldiers and emergency service staff members have been deployed in parts of the country to assist search and rescue efforts.

"Bangladesh Army soldiers have already been deployed as floods devastated the northeastern districts of Sunamganj and Sylhet," he said, adding there are no known injuries nor deaths to have occurred in the country so far as a result of the ongoing floods.

Officials said thousands of homes in Sylhet and Sunamganj have been inundated and electricity has been cut.

The key Surma river running through Sylhet and Sunamganj districts burst its banks, flowing at a record rate of over 100 cubic meters a second on Saturday.

"The ongoing floods have been reported in 28 (out of 64) districts in Bangladesh since last week," Dalil Uddin, a spokesperson for the country's National Disaster Response Coordination Center (NDRCC) under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, told Xinhua.

Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, head of the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Center, said that many major Bangladeshi rivers have risen to dangerous levels.

He said the overall trend continues to indicate deterioration in the flooding situation in the coming days, particularly alarming for the areas around the Brahmaputra and Ganges basins in the country.

Floods reportedly caused widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast swathes of the country.

TV reports showed wide areas of land are underwater in parts of Bangladesh, especially in the northeastern Sylhet region as major rivers have been overflowing since last week.

Officials said the onrush of water from hills across the Indian borders has virtually worsened the situation in the northeastern Sylhet region.

At least 4 million people are marooned and 300,000 are reportedly facing electricity outages in the districts of Sunamganj and Sylhet, Bangladesh national news agency BSS reported.

There is also the risk of mud and rock slides in the country as the flood waters run off.

Also, the monsoon rain on Saturday swept the capital Dhaka, forcing millions of city residents to stay indoors most of the day.

Due to incessant rainfall and flowing hill water, at least seven northern Bangladeshi districts have been inundated during the last two to three days.

Bangladeshi State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman told journalists Saturday that both the government and private agencies of the country are working together in the Sylhet region which has been facing floods worst in 122 years.

He said they had rushed teams of army, navy, coast guard and disaster response forces to carry out the rescue, distribute relief materials and supervise centers where the flood-affected families have taken shelter.

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
Youngsters sit on railway tracks to protest against the 'Agnipath' scheme, in Buxar, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Centre, Tuesday announced the short-term recruitment plan to enlist young citizens into the armed forces. (PTI)

New Delhi: Asserting that there will be no rollback of the Agnipath scheme for recruitment into the defence forces despite the agitation by young aspirants, the department of military affairs (DMA) additional secretary Lt Gen. Anil Puri said on Sunday said that those protestors who will be named in FIRs for arson will not be able to join the military.

The DMA is the prime mover of the Agnipath scheme. Lt Gen. Puri said that the Agnipath scheme was brought to make the defence forces younger and more technology-oriented.

He said that the aspirants planning to join defence forces will have to give a certificate that they were not a part of the protest or vandalism. If discipline is our basis, then there is no place for indiscipline. The aspirants will have to write a pledge in the enrolment form that they were not involved in arson. The police verification will be done. If an FIR is lodged, they simply can't join," he said during a joint press briefing with the officers from Indian Army, Indian Navy and Air Force.

"Coming to the rollback of the scheme, no. Why should it be rolled back? It is the only progressive step to making the country young," said Lt Gen. Puri.

He said around 17,600 people are taking premature retirement from the three services every year. "No one ever tried to ask them what they will do after retirement," he stated. He pointed that Agniveers would get the same allowance in areas like Siachen and other areas which are applicable to the regular soldiers.

Lt Gen. Puri that the idea of reducing the average age of the troops came up in 1984. However, he said, the average age jumped to 32 years against 30 years in 1984. He said that Agnipath would bring down the average age in the Army to 26 from 32 years. Khuda (God) and nature gave us an opportunity in the form of Covid. We were trying it from 1984, "he said.

The joint press conference was held on a day when defence minister Rajnath Singh met the three service chiefs amid escalating protests against the Agnipath scheme in several parts of the country. This was Singh's second meeting with the Army, Navy and the Air Force cheifs for the second straight day on the issue. It is learnt that the focus of the deliberations was on pacifying the protesters.

Indian Air Forces personnel in-charge Air Marshal Suraj Jha said that the registration process to recruit Agniveers into the IAF would start on June 24 and phase one of the online exam will commence on July 24. He said that training will start by December 30.

It was clarified that those who had cleared entrance exam but were waiting for their medicals would have to again reappear through the Agnipath scheme. These previous tests will not be considered.

Indian Navys Chief of Personnel Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said that Indian Navy would be inducting women sailors through the Agnipath scheme.

"From November 21 this year, the first naval 'Agniveers' will start reaching the training establishment INS Chilka, Odisha. Both female and male Agniveers are allowed for this," he said.

Indian Armys Adjutant General Lt Gen Bansi Ponappa said that Army will start holding rallies by middle of August and some 83 rallies will be held across the country. He said that 25,000 Agniveers will join in the first batch in first week of December for training and second batch will join in February 2023.

Lt Gen. Puri said that the Centre will start with the recruitment of 46,000 aspirants to 'analyse' the scheme.

"In next 4-5 years, our intake (of soldiers) will be 50,000-60,000 and will increase to 90,000-1 lakh subsequently. We've started small at 46,000 to analyse the scheme... and to build up infra capacity," said Lt Gen. Puri.

He said, "Our intake of 'Agniveers' will go up to 1.25 lakhs in near future and will not remain at 46,000 which is the present figure."
Jackass alum Bam Margera reportedly hadn't heard from his second wife Nikki Boyd or their four-year-old son Phoenix Wolf for over a week before he chose to flee his court-ordered rehab in Florida last Monday.

'She has not responded to any of Bam's calls or texts, and has been absent from his recovery process,' a source told TMZ on Sunday.

'Due to the separation, Bam was staying at a sober living home when he made his unauthorized exit from rehab.'

Last family sighting: Jackass alum Bam Margera reportedly hadn't heard from his second wife Nikki Boyd or their four-year-old son Phoenix Wolf for over a week before he chose to flee his court-ordered rehab in Florida last Monday (pictured June 4)

The Pennsylvania-born 42-year-old - who's back in treatment after going MIA for two days - had originally planned on moving back to Southern California with his family to buy a new home before the split.

Back on September 15, Nikki had filed legal documents in Los Angeles in order to gain full custody of little Phoenix, which would allow Bam (born Brandon) monitored visitation.

Magera's marriage to Boyd lasted three more years than his prior one to childhood friend Melissa 'Missy' Rothstein, which ended in 2012.

It's unclear if the former pro skateboarder fell off the wagon after celebrating 'one year of treatment' for drug and alcohol abuse at a Boca Raton facility on May 16.

'She has not responded to any of Bam's calls or texts': The Pennsylvania-born 42-year-old - who's back in treatment after going MIA for two days - had originally planned on moving back to Southern California with his family to buy a new home before the split (pictured May 28)

Eight years strong: Back on September 15, Nikki had filed legal documents in Los Angeles in order to gain full custody of little Phoenix, which would allow Bam monitored visitation (pictured May 20)

In April, Bam privately settled his wrongful termination lawsuit against the Jackass creators over his firing (due to testing positive for Adderall) from the the successful fourth film, Jackass Forever.

Margera previously appeared in MTV's Jackass, Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, Jackass 2.5, Jackass 3D and Jackass 3.5.

Paramount+ is currently developing a reboot of the Jackass series, but it's unclear if the stunt performer - who currently commands $100 on Cameo - will be involved.

'One year!' It's unclear if Margera fell off the wagon after celebrating 'one year of treatment' for drug and alcohol abuse at a Boca Raton facility on May 16
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Emily Ratajkowski looked like she was ready to walk the runway in a revealing bikini as she was spotted on the coast of Porto Ercole, Italy.

The London-born beauty, 31, was pictured enjoying the summer weather with close friends and her husband, Sebastian Bear-McClard.

The model was seen soaking up the sun and also threw out a few Vogue poses by the glistening water.

Stunning: Emily Ratajkowski looked effortlessly beautiful as she spent a day in the water while vacationing in Italy

The beauty donned a simple, yet fashionable black bikini that showed off her toned abs and long legs.

She wore her hair up in a loose up do, but after jumping in the water, the model let her hair fall down in loose waves.

The model added a pair of rectangular-shaped sunglasses to finish off the simplified look for a day at the beach.

Soaking up the sun: The star lounged with her husband, Sebastian, and close friend while relaxing on Porto Ercole beach in Italy

Vacation pose: The model can be seen posing for the camera during their time on the beach

Stunning: She looked in incredible shape

Vibes: Emily tried all kinds of poses as a female pal snapped her

Wow factor: Emily put on her best poses as Sebastian snapped some shots

The mom of one seemed to be in high spirits, and even did a quick spontaneous photo shoot, striking a few professional poses.

In between swimming and capturing the fun day with pictures, the star rested on a lounge chair to soak up the sun and fully enter vacation mode.

It appears the group also were sipping on a refreshing glass of wine to stay hydrated on the relaxing outing.

Outfit addition: The mom of one threw on a sheer, white coverup as the day slowly came to an end

Wonder in white: She juggled her cell phone as she walked down some steps

Cute: Emily can be spotted posing for a closeup photo as her close friend holds a camera to take a couple pictures

Support system: Emily returned the favor by snapping photos of her pal

Devoted: Emily even sat down on the deck to get all the proper angles

Later in the day as the sun slowly disappeared, Emily donned a sheer, white coverup to keep herself a little warm.

The coverup was a one-piece with strings that could be tied at the front to secure the outfit. The fabric was made of a light material, and fell down past her ankles.

The coverup was sleeveless, and the star had a large, black tote bag slung over her shoulder carrying necessary items she needed for the day.

Cheers: She handed a glass of wine to her pal

Sweet: Emily shared a kiss with her man

Relaxed: Sebastian sported a pair of teal board shorts

Making a splash: He even took a dip

Summer fun! The group was spotted taking a dip in the water to stay cool in the summer heat

In an interview with InStyle, Emily opened up about her fitness routine in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and fit physique.

Although she does go to the gym, sometimes she finds it hard to motivate herself if she goes alone.

'I'm one of those people who, if I go to the gym by myself, there's a 50/50 chance of me actually working out and really pushing myself,' the model stated.

Emily added that she prefers taking group activities or classes instead. 'So the class environment works really, really well for me.'

She also stated that focusing not just on fitness, but also mental health, are both very vital and important to her.

'I'm all about the balance of that stuff and I really, as cheesy as this sounds, truly believe that mental and physical are really aligned, so taking care of yourself physically will help you mentally and vice versa.'

Squad: Emily had a laugh with her pal
David Hasselhoff's wife Hayley Roberts went braless in a plunging mini dress as she joined the actor for the 61st Monte-Carlo Television Festival on Sunday.

The beauty, 42, looked sensational as she flashed the flesh in the skimpy floral number whilst David, 69, opted for a suave navy suit.

Stepping out for the Ze Network photo call, in which David take son the lead role, the couple looked as loved-up as ever as they held hands on the blue carpet at The Grimaldi Forum.

Stylish: Hayley Roberts, 42, went braless in a plunging mini dress whilst David Hasselhoff, 69, looked suave in a navy suit during the 61st Monte-Carlo Television Festival on Sunday

Hayley, who hails from the town of Glynneath in Wales, teamed the pretty sage green number with a pair of gold strappy heels.

Her blonde locks fell to her shoulders in a voluminous blow dry and she kept her makeup subtle to showcase her natural beauty.

David paired his slick suit with a pale pink shirt and patent black shoes, shielding his eyes with some aviator sunglasses.

Adorable: Stepping out for the Ze Network photo call, the couple looked as loved-up as ever as they held hands on the blue carpet at The Grimaldi Forum

Hayley and David have been married since 2018, when they had a romantic and lavish ceremony in Puglia, Italy.

Speaking to OK! magazine at the time, David said: 'For the longest time I didnt think it was right to marry Hayley as I was so much older and I didnt want to take away the fun and the youth and the excitement of growing old together and having children.

'Weve been together for about seven years and weve had such a great time. Ive realised how much I love Hayley and how much weve become part of each others life.'

Dapper: David paired his slick suit with a pale pink shirt and patent black shoes

Stunning: Hayley, who hails from the town of Glynneath in Wales, teamed the pretty sage green number with a pair of gold strappy heels

The couple met back in 2011, when David was working as a judge on Britain's Got Talent.

While in Cardiff, Wales for auditions, the actor strolled into a store and was approached for a picture by Hayley, who was working as a shop assistant at the time.

The former Knight Rider star has two daughters from his marriage to second wife Pamela Bach: Taylor Ann Hasselhoff, 32, and Hayley Hasselhoff, 29.
Paris Hilton showed off her glamorous sense of style as she attended the Vogue x Snapchat Redefining the Body private view in Cannes, France on Sunday.

The DJ, 41, wore a blue pleated sheer dress with the material giving a metallic sheen as she posed under the bright lights of a photo booth at the event.

Socialite Paris wore a white beaded necklace and her decolletage was left on show due to the plunging neckline of the garment.

In style: Paris Hilton, 41, looked glamorous in a pleated sheer blue dress as she attended the Vogue x Snapchat Redefining the Body private view in Cannes, France on Sunday

The sleeveless design left her naked arms on show and the shoulders were made up of three different tiers.

Her dress was cinched in at the waist and she added a few inches to her stature by wearing a pair of pointed white heels.

Paris wore a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses as she posed and accessorised with a pair of dazzling earrings.

Strike a pose: The material of the DJ's dress gave a metallic sheen as she posed under the bright lights of a photo booth at the event

Chic: The sleeveless design left her naked arms on show and the shoulders were made up of three different tiers

Striking: Paris posed up a storm at the event

Keeping her cool: Paris was later seen with a portable fan as she combatted the heat

Reality star Paris was joined at the event by actress Charithra Chandran, 25, who looked stylish in a black and white patterned dress.

The Bridgerton cast member's garment featured a zigzag pattern on the upper section and a paisley design on the hem.

Charithra's naked arms and shoulders were left exposed to the air and the dress was cinched in at the waist to give her an hourglass look.

Stepping out: Reality star Paris was joined at the event by actress Charithra Chandran, 25, who looked stylish in a black and white patterned dress

Out and about: Meanwhile, British Vogue's editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, 50, who curated the Redefining the Body exhibition, showed off his smart but casual style in a blue suit

She wore a pair of open-toed black heels and carried a small black handbag with her.

Meanwhile, British Vogue's editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, 50, who curated the Redefining the Body exhibition, showed off his smart but casual style in a blue suit.

He opted for a black T-shirt with a snarling dog on the front and he wore a pair of black shoes.
Disgraced Daytime Emmy winner Shia LaBeouf spent Father's Day weekend with his registered sex offender dad Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf, and the pair were spotted at a used car dealership in Pasadena on Saturday.

The 'canceled' 36-year-old used to attend 12-step Alano Club meetings with the 'law-breaking, alcohol-abusing, heroin-addicted' 74-year-old - who was 15 years sober as of 2019.

'That was my daycare center. Then I'd go to work. That was my whole life,' Shia recalled to Esquire in 2018.

Family bonding: Disgraced Daytime Emmy winner Shia LaBeouf spent Father's Day weekend with his registered sex offender dad Jeffrey Craig LaBeouf, and the pair were spotted at a used car dealership in Pasadena on Saturday

'A lot of my s*** has to do with my relationship with my dad. That dude is my gasoline...He's the whole reason I became an actor.'

Jeffrey - who served three tours of duty during the Vietnam War - earned 10% of his son's paychecks between 2000-2005 while working as a clown and hot dog vendor in Echo Park.

'He's my honey boy, my money honey! [Laughs.] You betcha. He's been a light in my life,' the senior LaBeouf gushed to Gen in 2019.

'Shia can be a bada**. He has that ability. But he is the sweetest, kindest soul. He's a wonderful person who went through some s***. I mean, he went through some s***. And now he's stepping into some amazing s***.'

'A lot of my s*** has to do with my relationship with my dad': The 'canceled' 36-year-old used to attend 12-step Alano Club meetings with the 'law-breaking, alcohol-abusing, heroin-addicted' 74-year-old - who was 15 years sober as of 2019

'He's been a light in my life': Jeffrey - who served three tours of duty during the Vietnam War - earned 10% of his son's paychecks between 2000-2005 while working as a clown and hot dog vendor in Echo Park

Art imitating life: Shia famously portrayed James Lort, a thinly-veiled version of his dad, in Alma Har'el's 2019 critically-acclaimed indie drama Honey Boy, which he wrote during his 10-week court-ordered rehab stint

LaBeouf scoffed: '[Critics will say] "Oh, here he is not trying to own his s***. He's trying to put it on his father." My dad handed me a lot, and his legacy was an emotional one. And it wasn't scarring. He handed me texture. My dad blessed me that way'

The former Disney Channel star famously portrayed James Lort, a thinly-veiled version of his dad, in Alma Har'el's 2019 critically-acclaimed indie drama Honey Boy, which he wrote during his 10-week court-ordered rehab stint.

'[Critics will say] "Oh, here he is not trying to own his s***. He's trying to put it on his father,"' Shia scoffed.

'My dad handed me a lot, and his legacy was an emotional one. And it wasn't scarring. He handed me texture. My dad blessed me that way.'

LaBeouf - who welcomed his first child with Mia Goth in March - successfully completed a year-long judicial diversion program in May stemming from 2020 misdemeanor battery and petty theft charges.

Congrats! The former Disney Channel star - who welcomed his first child with Mia Goth (L, pictured in 2014) in March - successfully completed a year-long judicial diversion program in May stemming from 2020 misdemeanor battery and petty theft charges

Legal war: Shia will next face his ex-girlfriend - Grammy nominee FKA twigs (R, pictured in 2018) - in a civil trial over sexual battery allegations, which is scheduled for April 17, 2023

Seeking justice: The British 34-year-old also accused LaBeouf of assault, infliction of emotional distress, and infecting her with a sexually-transmitted disease during their turbulent 11-month relationship in a lawsuit she filed in LA in 2020 (pictured Saturday)

The seven-time arrested star will next face his ex-girlfriend - Grammy nominee FKA twigs - in a civil trial over sexual battery allegations, which is scheduled for April 17, 2023 - according to Rolling Stone.

The British 34-year-old also accused Shia of assault, infliction of emotional distress, and infecting her with a sexually-transmitted disease during their turbulent 11-month relationship in a lawsuit she filed in LA in 2020.

Acting-wise, LaBeouf will next portray the Italian monk-turned-saint Padre Pio in Abel Ferrara's untitled biopic, which he shot in November-December in Puglia.
Lara Saget posted a loving Father's Day tribute on her Instagram earlier Sunday in honor of her late dad.

The Full House alum had three daughters with his first wife, Sherri Kramer, Aubrey, Lara, and Jennifer. Lara was the second-born child and had a very close bond with her father.

The actor had an untimely death earlier this year in January 2022 at age 65, sending shockwaves through his family and fans. He passed away in a hotel in Florida after suffering from head trauma due to a fall.

Father-daughter tribute: Lara Saget uploaded a Father's Day post in honor of her late father and famed actor, Bog Saget

Lara shared an adorable photo of herself and her father from when she was a little girl. The two are pictured smiling and looking happily at the camera.

His daughter typed out an emotionally moving caption for her late father.

She began to type out the sentimental post by stating, 'My dad wasn't just my dad, he was my best friend. He wore his heart. He didn't hide it; he wasn't afraid of love. My dad simply wanted to share laughter and love with this world.'

Very moving: Bob Saget's daughter shared words of love in a tribute for her late father on Father's Day

The artist also expressed how important love is and how her father was never deterred from the emotion.

'My dad taught me that it doesn't matter what life throws, how hard, how painful, how seemingly impossible. It doesn't stop that love. He chose love, always.'

The 32-year-old ended the caption by writing, 'I love you infinitely, dad. Happy Father's Day.'

His daughter believes her father had a big heart and that he was always sharing and giving love. Shortly after he passed away, Lara shared a post describing that love and how it was one of the biggest lessons she learned.

Family love: A photo captured the cute moment when Bob put his forehead on his daughter's for a quick embrace.

'My dad loved with everything he had. He had so many reasons to be scared to love. So many loved ones kept dropping the body,' she wrote. 'Instead of being scared, he loved more. I am beyond grateful to receive and to give that love.'

In her Father's Day tribute, Lara reiterated that powerful love that Bob carried with him.

Only months before his death, the TV star was a guest star on the Til This Day With Radio Rahim podcast.

Like father like daughter: Lara looks strikingly like her father, Bob Saget, as they stand next to each other on the Grammys red carpet

According to People, he opened up about his life and brought up the topic of mortality during the show.

The America's Funniest Home Videos host stated how dealing with deaths as he was growing up has changed him for the better and in a positive way.

'I guess therapy, having three kids, watching people pass away in the past few years, mortality, all that stuff has fortunately changed me,' the famed actor explained.

'My kids tell me, 'Dad, you're different. It's so nice to watch you grow,' he added.
Pregnant Charlotte Crosby flashed her bottom in very daring single-legged jumpsuit as she enlisted the help of a skywriter to announce she's expecting baby girl on Sunday.

The former Geordie Shore star, 32, and her boyfriend Jake Ankers, 31, both opted for orange ensembles to attend their baby's lavish gender reveal at the Vermont Hotel's rooftop bar in Newcastle.

Television personality Charlotte was seen cradling her growing baby bump as she displayed her whole left leg and bare behind before a plane drew the letter 'G' in the sky above her party to reveal the gender of her unborn child.

Bold style: Pregnant Charlotte Crosby, 32, wore a very daring single-legged jumpsuit as she enlisted the help of a skywriter to announce she's expecting baby girl on Sunday

Charlotte's revealing outfit was made of a glittered orange material with her right shoe being attached to the leg of the ensemble.

She wore a clear left high-heeled shoe while her leg was left totally exposed to the air.

The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate carried a dazzling bejewelled Alexander Wang handbag and went for a glamorous look with her make-up.

Daring fashion: Television personality Charlotte showed off her growing baby bump as she displayed her whole left leg

She wore a single long glove on one arm to match her outfit and gave a glimpse at her peachy behind as she headed inside the venue.

Charlotte took to Instagram to share a clip of the moment the gender of her unborn baby was revealed.

In the video, a plane could be circling in the sky above the rooftop bar, first drawing a heart.

Loved-up: The former Geordie Shore star and boyfriend Jake Ankers, 31, both opted for orange ensembles for their baby's gender reveal at the Vermont Hotel in Newcastle

Pucker up: The couple kissed outside the venue as they packed on the PDA at the party

Fashion forward: The former Celebrity Big Brother housemate carried a dazzling bejewelled Alexander Wang handbag and went for a glamorous look with her make-up

It later flew back round to draw the letter 'G' in water vapour in the clear blue sky.

As the letter became clear, pink confetti was launched from a cannon above Charlotte, Jake and their friends.

The moment was captured for Charlotte's upcoming BBC Three and iPlayer series, Charlotte in Sunderland.

She said of her new show: 'I am beyond excited to be bringing my crazy life, my business ventures, much loved family, future hubby and my precious bump to the BBC.

Grand: Charlotte took to Instagram to share a clip of the moment the gender of her unborn baby was revealed having enlisted the help of a skywriter

Statement: The plane flew round to draw the letter 'G' in water vapour in the clear blue sky to announce that Charlotte is expecting a girl

Boom! As the letter became clear, pink confetti was launched from a cannon above Charlotte, Jake and their friends

Screen star: Charlotte was seen addressing her friends while being filmed by a camera crew at the event

They were joined by Charlotte's former Geordie Shore co-star Holly Hagan, 29, who made her first public outing as a married woman at the event.

The newlywed stepped out with husband Jacob Blythe for the first time since they tied the knot in Ibiza last week.

Putting her incredible figure on display, Holly looked fantastic in an orange sequinned crop top.

She teamed the garment with a pair of figure-hugging hot pink trousers and donned a white Yves Saint Laurent handbag.

Newlyweds: Holly Hagan made her first public outing as a married woman as she attended the party alongside her new husband Jacob Blythe

Top of the crops: Putting her incredible figure on display, Holly looked fantastic in an orange sequinned crop top

Strike a pose: Charlotte was also joined by her fellow former Geordie Shore stars, including Jay (right) Gardner who wore a colourful pink, blue and black shirt with jeans (Jay pictured with former co-star Ricci Guarnaccio)

Out on the town: Meanwhile, James Tindale wore a white vest top beneath a cream shirt and a pair of black trousers

Out and about: The group were seen heading inside the venue to learn of Charlotte's happy news

Charlotte was also joined by her fellow former Geordie Shore stars, including Jay Gardner who wore a colourful pink, blue and black shirt with jeans.

He stood alongside Ricci Guarnaccio who wore a turquoise vest top and white ripped jeans.

Meanwhile, James Tindale wore a white vest top beneath a cream shirt and a pair of black trousers.

Famous friends: Meanwhile, former X Factor star Amelia Lily, who now appears on Geordie Shore, wore a royal blue mini dress with a paisley pattern and black platform heels

Meanwhile, former X Factor star Amelia Lily, who now appears on Geordie Shore, wore a royal blue mini dress with a paisley pattern and black platform heels.

Charlotte's parents posed together outside the venue with her mother Letitia wearing a green satin blouse with sequinned silver trousers.

Her father Gary wore a lightweight mint jacket with a white T-shirt and jeans.
Josh Waring, the son of former Real Housewives of Orange County personality Lauri Peterson, has been charged with possessing and selling fentanyl, about five months after he was arrested in Orange County, California.

Waring is accused of felony possession and the sale of fentanyl; and misdemeanor methamphetamine possession, TMZ reported after reviewing court docs.

Sources with the Orange County Sheriff's Dept. that in the January 10, 2022 arrest, a deputy recognized Waring as he was a passenger in a vehicle, and knew he was on parole in connection with an assault.

The latest: Josh Waring, the son of former RHOC star Lauri Peterson, has been charged with possessing and selling fentanyl, about five months after he was arrested in Orange County, California. He was snapped in 2020 in court in Santa Ana, California

The deputy then searched Waring and found narcotics on Waring's lap, and witnessed him brushing the contraband - later identified as fentanyl and methamphetamine - into the floorboard of the vehicle, sources told the outlet.

Waring was subsequently taken into custody and charged with selling fentanyl, based off of the amount he had on him, sources told the outlet.

The charges are the latest in a series of legal troubles for Waring.

Authorities issued a warrant for Waring's arrest last fall when he did not show up to a court hearing, according to CBSLA.

Waring is the son of former RHOC star Lauri Peterson, who spoke about her son's legal issues in August of 2018 in Santa Ana, California

Waring was seen in a mugshot in 2016 in Costa Mesa, California. That year, he was charged with three attempted murder counts in connection with a June 20, 2016 shooting of a man outside of a Costa Mesa, California home

Waring has been involved in a number of legal troubles over the past six years

In March of 2020, Waring entered a guilty plea to four felonies - assault with a firearm and leading police on a chase, in addition to double counts of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, the outlet reported. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor property damage and battery.

Waring also entered guilty pleas to felony methamphetamine possession and false personation stemming from a separate incident, the outlet reported.

Waring had been taken into custody in June of 2020 in Huntington Beach, California and was subsequently charged with three misdemeanors - possession of a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia and misrepresenting himself to police.

Less than a year later, Waring was arrested in May of 2021 in Lake Forest, California after he was riding in a rental car that had been reported stolen from John Wayne Airport, Orange County sheriff's Sgt. Todd Hylton said, according to CBSLA. Waring was accused of possessing fentanyl, methamphetamine and paraphernalia that was recovered from the glove compartment in the vehicle, according to Hylton.

Waring was previously charged with three attempted murder counts in connection with a June 20, 2016 shooting of a man outside of a Costa Mesa, California home.

Waring - who faced a prison sentence of 65 years to life - had agreed to a plea deal in which he received a time served sentence. During his time in jail, he was assaulted by an inmate armed with razors wrapped in towels, and later released on parole.
The Congress is on its last legs. It has only history but no future," he remarked. He said under Narendra Modi's regime, the price of domestic cylinders increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1,000, KTR (in picture) said.  Twitter

HYDERABAD: IT minister K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the reports of Indian funds in Swiss banks rising 50 per cent to a 14-year high on the back of a surge in institutional holdings. Rama Rao reminded Modi that this was a golden opportunity for him to fulfil his 2014 election promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in each Indian account by getting back black money from Swiss banks.

Rama Rao tweeted, "Golden opportunity for you to do a double engine trick & deposit Rs 30 lakh (15 X 2) to each Indian account. Reminding you of your commitment. (sic)

He shared the tweets posted by Modi in 2009 and 2015 on bringing back Indian black money deposited in Swiss banks.

Meanwhile, Rama Rao on Saturday addressed a public meeting in Kollapur after inaugurating various development works worth Rs 170 crore in the constituency. He appealed to the people not to get carried away by the caste politics being promoted by the Congress and not get provoked by communal differences being fuelled by the BJP.

Referring to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to Telangana to release the Warangal Declaration, Rao said the Congress leader should bear in mind that people had already given the Congress 10 chances till 2014 and in turn it ruined the state and entire country. "The Congress is on its last legs. It has only history but no future," he remarked.

He said under Narendra Modi's regime, the price of domestic cylinders increased from

Rs 400 to Rs 1,000. "Do not get carried away by the false assurances of the BJP. We need a Chief Minister like K. Chandrashekar Rao, whose only agenda is people's welfare and state's development," he added.

Rama Rao sanctioned construction of a bridge across River Krishna at Somasila and a national highway worth Rs 1,200 crore. These works would transform Kollapur as a junction between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, he said.
Pawan was addressing a large gathering at Parchuru constituency in Prakasam district during his tour of the district to console the families of 80 odd lease farmers who committed suicide. (Photo: Twitter)

Nellore: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan on Sunday called upon the people to extend their support to his party to protect the interest of the state.

He was addressing a large gathering at Parchuru constituency in Prakasam district during his tour of the district to console the families of 80 odd lease farmers who committed suicide, unable to repay the loans they took under a programme named Lease Farmers Rythu Bharosa.

He said that his alliance is with the people and he will not change his policies for money. He said he had differed with the TD for the sake of people. Expressing disgust over the adverse comments from YSR Congress leaders against him and the Jana Sena, he said he would tolerate them till Dasara and then take a tour of the state to give a suitable reply.

Reacting to the utterances of ruling party leaders that he was the adopted child of Chandrababu Naidu, he said, rather, Jagan is adopted son of CBI.

Pawan promised to take care of the education of Maheswari and Karthik, children of a lease farmer Ravikumar, who ended his life because of a failure to repay debts in Degaramudi village in combined Prakasam district. He gave Rs 1 lakh to the family.

Pawan also took the responsibility of educating Vaishnavi and Srilakshmi, children of Polavarapu Venkateswarlu, another farmer who committed suicide in Yanamadala village in Parchur segment.

The farmer had borrowed nearly Rs 16 lakh to raise crops and repeatedly suffered huge losses. He handed over Rs 1 lakh to his wife Anusha on behalf of Jana Sena.

Pawan received a rousing reception when he entered Chilakaluripeta town enroute to the combined Prakasam district. He thanked the huge turnout for their affection while promising the people that he would come back again as part of a state-wide tour.
The Agnipath scheme has probably upset that comfort level. The youth and many others are perceiving the scheme with limited imagination and unable to perceive the positives for them in the scheme. (Representational Photo:AFP)

There is anger in the streets of India, almost as intense as during the caste-based agitation in 2015. That agitation too was about rozi-roti (daily bread) and this too is the same; the question of jobs. With pragmatic intent, the Central government has assumed responsibility for the creation of additional jobs in the country. One of the ways is by changing the terms and conditions for recruitment in the armed forces. The aim is financial saving by reducing the pension outflow, achieving a younger age profile of service personnel, compensating enhanced technological footprint by optimising manpower, bringing terms and conditions in sync with international norms and understanding, and giving more young people a chance to serve the nation.

All this needs to be explained properly. It is a complex issue as are most human resource management issues concerning the Armed Forces.

When a system existing for 75 years is suddenly altered and that too drastically, there is bound to be consternation, bewilderment and disappointment if the new initiatives are not clearly understood. We need to be clear that there is no cleaner and more motivating job in the country than the profession of soldiering. Thus far all those selected to be soldiers followed a career path which lasted at least 15 years and could take them up to 30 years with a pension to boot (for life), with ownership of welfare and medical treatment also taken by the Armed Forces. Both the comfort level of those selected and the aspirations of those seeking to join the Armed Forces were extremely high. The Agnipath scheme has probably upset that comfort level. The youth and many others are perceiving the scheme with limited imagination and unable to perceive the positives for them in the scheme. Before explaining that, its also important to mention an important observation. The Agnipath recruitment scheme was probably supposed to be initiated in 2020 or so. The Covid-19 pandemic prevented that happening for two years and created a set of youth who probably have got left behind due to becoming overage. The government has been quick to respond when this was probably pointed out and has shown a proclivity towards flexibility and reason by enhancing the upper limit of the entry age from 21 to 23 years.

That should rest some of the angst although it will increase the number of aspirants for the 46,000 recruitment slots that have been announced.

The average age of the soldier at the level of other ranks is being reported as 32, which many concede is way too high and must be reduced. This was one of the factors which probably influenced the terms and conditions to make it contractual for four years, including a 24- weeks period for entry level basic training (down from 36 weeks).

We will in due course hear more about specialised training for the technical and equipment-intensive components in the case of the Army. If that too is kept at anything between 12-24 weeks, the availability of an Agniveer soldier to his unit will be reduced to about three years. In those three years count the leave period, and effectively a trained soldier in which the government is investing a fair amount would be available for physical duty for just about two years and six months. The question being asked by many is whether this is sufficient bang for the buck being invested. In the spirit of feedback and flexibility with which the government has correctly responded, it could reconsider the period of engagement. Seven years would be a workable duration; it would mean a little less than half the current contractual period for colour service, of course minus the pension and medical benefits. The latter are linked to the financial aspects for which this scheme has evolved in the first place. The impact would be that the intended reduction in average age would not take place. The latter could be acceptable to the armed forces even if it came down marginally below 30 years.

Another factor being pointed out is that the scheme is being rolled out without a trial, a pilot project or a test bed, which is the usual system to optimise the proposal by taking full feedback from the ground and bringing to light the glitches. Perhaps its the two-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that there was no recruitment for that period which has triggered the decision to go ahead without a testbed trial. This issue can be overcome simply by ensuring that the first two years of the implementation are treated as a pilot scheme, with various formations and units serving in different operational environments nominated to give focused feedback with recommendations. The flexibility shown in amending the age limit for 2022 gives a lot of hope that feedback from the ground will be given a serious look.

It is battle effectiveness that we are most concerned about. Any decision on the management of the Armed Forces has ultimately to weigh all innovations and changes against the overall impact on operational effectiveness or the ability to achieve victory in the battlefield for the nation. That is what the analyses of the Agnipath scheme should be looking at in great detail.

Different forms of modelling should be used, factoring awareness, skill and technological proficiency, training and motivation to determine whether any compromise will take place. While on this, some observers are pointing out that the Armed Forces may have bitten off too much in terms of the changes that are being attempted, from HR-related complete change in the recruitment policy to atma nirbharta in terms of weapons and equipment and many doctrines needing organisational restructuring, changes in order of battle and redeployment, and finally theatrisation there is a sea change afoot in Indias security domain. All this is happening in the face of live and developing threats from both China and Pakistan and the continuing internal security issues. However, when cumulative threats are building against the nation, it is perhaps best to assume a transformational approach to national security. Transformation always means wholescale uprooting of the old and planting of the new. Agnipath is a subset of the transformational approach.

A progressive feedback-induced system to implement it will perhaps meet the requirements, but first, the angst among Indias youth population should be doused through a more comprehensive information campaign to convince them to give the new scheme a chance.
The story of the Gupta brothers, arrested in Dubai earlier this month, has all the ingredients of a Bollywood blockbuster.

Hailing from Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh, where they had a small family business, the brothers became instrumental in toppling a government and creating an unprecedented political controversy in an alien land.

According to a former neighbour of the Gupta family in Saharanpur, the brothers were determined to make it big.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to IANS, the septuagenarian neighbour said: "When the brothers went to South Africa, no one knew they would strike gold there. It was only after the 2013 wedding that we realised how big they had become. They were cautious enough not to flaunt their wealth in Saharanpur or ruffle any feathers."

He said that the Gupta family was like any other middle-class business family, easy-going, friendly and social.

The eldest of the brothers, Atul Gupta, is said to have gone to South Africa in 1993 when the country was opening up to the world after the end of apartheid. The other brothers -- Ajay and Rajesh -- followed suit.

According to sources, the Guptas initially sold shoes from their car in South Africa but soon set up a company called Sahara Computers. They discovered that South Africa had surprisingly no red tape in the bureaucracy.

Their business flourished and they developed political connections. They expanded their business network from computers to air travel, energy, mining, technology and media.

The Gupta brothers became close to Jacob Zuma, then President of South Africa, in 2015 and their bond grew stronger by the day.

The friendship became so well known that they were referred to as 'Zupta'.

Zuma's son Duduzane was a director of Gupta-owned Sahara Computers, named after their hometown of Saharanpur, and has been involved with several of the family's other companies.

While the Gupta brothers became financially strong and grew in stature, thanks mainly to the political clout they enjoyed, they also took care to ensure that political leaders back home in Uttar Pradesh were also "well looked after".

A wedding in the Gupta family in 2013 created ripples when a plane carrying the guests for their daughter's wedding was allowed to land at a military airbase reserved only for the head of state -- Waterkloof Air Force base, outside Pretoria.

Several top politicians from Uttar Pradesh attended the wedding.

It appeared that Zuma had tacitly approved the decision, which breached air force, customs and immigration rules. The guests were also accorded a police 'blue light' escort.

In 2016, South Africa saw a major political controversy over allegations that the Gupta brothers had promised the then deputy finance minister an elevation to the post of the finance minister if he advanced their business interests.

The brothers allegedly also promised to pay 600 million rands.

Around the same time, former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan alleged that it was the Gupta brothers who had got him fired from the Jacob Zuma government.

The Gupta business empire was repeatedly accused of securing deals with South Africa's giant state-owned companies on wildly favourable terms.

South Africa's ethics watchdog, the Public Protector, published a damning report in October 2016, finding that the state-owned electricity monopoly had awarded a massive coal order to a Gupta-linked business at well above market prices.

On the watchdog's recommendation, a judicial inquiry was opened, gathered testimonies for four years and is releasing serialised reports containing damning details.

In 2017, about 1 lakh emails were leaked, establishing how deeply the Gupta brothers influenced the Jacob Zuma government and this marked the beginning of the downfall of the Zupta empire.

Protests were also taking place in the aftermath of the electoral setbacks that the African National Congress (ANC) suffered in the local body polls in 2016. The ANC feared that it would suffer in the next national polls.

In February 2018, the Opposition brought a no-confidence motion against Jacob Zuma. The ANC had suffered enough humiliation. So, it forced Jacob Zuma to step down as South Africa's president.

The Gupta brothers, soon enough, fled to Dubai.

Pretoria had penned treaties to enable the two countries to help each other in the investigation and prosecution of crimes and the extradition of fugitives.

The extradition treaty was concluded in June 2021. The following month Interpol issued a red notice alert enabling law enforcement to arrest a person sought for prosecution or to serve a custodial sentence and hold them pending extradition.

Less than a year later, the brothers, Atul and Rajesh, were arrested earlier this month. Ajay is still absconding.
Police have arrested five persons for allegedly instigating youth to stage protest against Centre's Agnipath military recruitment scheme.

The accused are said to be members of various political parties, police said.

Read | Protests against Agnipath continue in UP; protesters torch vehicles, ransack railway station

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Saharanpur Akash Tomar said, "We have arrested five persons in connection with the Agnipath protest. All are above 25 years of age and are connected with different political parties. Posed as army aspirants they were involved in instigating youth to protest against the Agnipath scheme."

Those arrested have been identified as Parag Pawar (26), Sandeep (34), Saurabh Kumar (28), Mohit Chaudhary (26) and Uday (26).

While Parag is a member of National Student's Union of India (NSUI), student wing of the Indian National Congress (INC), Sandeep is linked with Samajwadi Party (SP), the SSP said.

All the accused are residents of different villages under Rampur Maniharan police station limits.
The Centre on Sunday doubled down on the contentious Agnipath scheme and said youth aspiring to become Agniveers should give an undertaking that they never took part in any form of violence.

With protests still continuing in several parts of the country, senior officials of the Army, Navy and Air Force made public the schedules for implementing the scheme, brushing aside demands for its withdrawal.

Their remarks came after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had another round of meeting with the three service chiefs.

Also Read | Armed forces defend Agnipath scheme, ask youth to end protest

Lt Gen Anil Puri, additional secretary at the Department of Military Affairs in the Ministry of Defence, told journalists that any candidate aspiring to become an Agniveer would have to state in the enrolment form that he/she had never taken part in any violent protest.

There is no place for arson, vandalism or indiscipline in the armed forces. If there is any FIR against any candidate, she or he cannot be an Agniveer, Lt Gen Puri said, adding that aspiring soldiers would have to go through a police verification process.

He said the intake of Agniveers would go up from the initial 46,000 to 1,25,000 in near future.

The Army will issue a draft notification for recruitment through Agnipath on Monday, followed by subsequent notifications issued by various recruitment units from July 1 next.

The recruitment rallies will take take place across the country in August, September and October, and first batch of 25,000 Agniveers would join the training programme in the first and second week of December, Lt Gen C Bansi Ponnappa, adjutant general of the Indian Army, said.

The Indian Navy will come out with a broad recruitment guideline by June 25. The first batch of recruits  both men and women  will join the training programme by November 21, Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi, the chief of personnel of the Indian Navy, said.

The IAF will start the registration process on June 24 and the process for online examination for phase one of the recruitment will begin on July 24. We are planning to start the training for the first batch of recruits by December 30, Air Marshall S K Jha, air officer-in-charge (personnel), said.

We had lengthy discussions on how to make our forces young. We studied foreign forces too. We want young people. Youths are risk takers, they have passion. In them, josh (enthusiasm) and hosh (experience) are in equal proportions, Lt General Puri said.

Regarding the sops, Lt Gen Puri said they had been planned well before the announcement of the Agnipath and not were not a reaction to the protests.
Alarmed by the Islamic States attack on a gurdwara in Kabul in response to a comment by two leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, New Delhi has decided to issue visas to over 100 Sikh and Hindu citizens of Afghanistan on priority to facilitate their early travel to India.

New Delhi decided to issue e-visas to Afghan Sikhs and Hindus on priority soon after Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for the terror attack on the gurdwara at Karte Parwan in Kabul on Saturday.

A large number of minority Sikhs and Hindus of Afghanistan left the country after the Talibans return to power in Kabul in August 2021. Most of the Afghan Hindus and Sikhs escaped to India. A source in New Delhi said that about 200 Hindus and Sikhs were still living in Afghanistan and many of them had applied for visas to travel to India.

Also Read: Islamic State terror group claims attack on Sikh gurdwara in Kabul

An Afghan Sikh was killed in the attack on the gurdwara on Saturday. A soldier of the security force of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was also killed in the exchange of fire with the attackers, who all were gunned down eventually.

The Islamic States regional affiliate stated on its website that the attack on the gurdwara in the capital of Afghanistan was carried out in response to the insulting comments about Prophet Muhammad made by the politicians in India.

It apparently referred to the comments made by Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, the two leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of India about the Prophet last month. The comments had triggered outrage across West, South and South-East Asia earlier this month, with the governments of the many nations formally condemning the comments and conveying displeasure to New Delhi, which, however, had made it clear that the remarks made by the fringe elements had not reflected the views of the Government of India. The BJP had also suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal.

Also Read: India expresses deep concern over 'cowardly' attack on gurdwara in Kabul

Al Qaeda and the Islamic State had recently threatened terror attacks to avenge the insulting remarks made by Sharma and Jindal.

The shrines of the minority Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan are seen as symbols of Indias historic links with the war-torn country.

The ISKP had in 2020 carried out an attack on another gurdwara in Kabul, killing 20 Sikhs.

New Delhi had evacuated some Afghan Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan after the Taliban in August 2021 returned to power in the conflict-ravaged country, taking advantage of the withdrawal of the US-led NATO forces.

A group of Afghan Sikhs also brought the holy scripture Guru Granth Sahib from a gurdwara in Afghanistan to India in August 2021.

The attack on the gurdwara came just about a fortnight after New Delhi sent a delegation to Kabul for its first formal engagement with the Talibans government in the war-torn country.
Opposition leaders will meet on Tuesday afternoon to finalise their candidate for the Presidential elections with Gopalkrishna Gandhi emerging as the only name in contention after National Conference patriarch Farooq Abdullah announced that he will not contest as several urged him to fight.

Sources said the meeting will be held at the Parliament Annexe at 2:30 pm and will be attended by senior leaders Sharad Pawar, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sitaram Yechury and D Raja among others. Seventeen parties had attended the first Opposition meeting on Presidential polls last Wednesday when they decided to field a common candidate.

After NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and later Abdullah declined to contest, sources said leaders may now look at Gandhi, who is Mahatma Gandhis grandson and former Governor, in the electoral battle, which the Opposition wants to make it an ideological battle of Gandhi versus Godse.

As Abdullah refused to be a candidate citing his reluctance to leave Kashmir politics, sources said the Opposition has left an unambiguous message that by actively considering his name that they are not going to play by the agenda of Islamophobia being set by the RSS-BJP.

Also Read: Overseas Congress wants Sam Pitroda as Opposition candidate for Presidential polls

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, who convened the first meeting on Presidential polls on Wednesday, will not be attending the meeting due to prior engagements, sources said. She had on Wednesday indicated that she may not come for the second meeting.

Chief Ministers M K Stalin and Uddhav Thackeray are also unlikely to attend but will send representatives of DMK and Shiv Sena respectively like the Trinamool. It is to be seen whether TRS and AAP attend it though it skipped the first deliberations. Leaders also do not have hopes about YSR Congress, Akali Dal and BJD joining the discussions.

A section in the Opposition believe that there is no point in waiting for the BJP to announce the ruling combines candidate and then strategise. Whoever they choose will be a BJP person. Why should we fall into that? Speak about our ideology. Why should we fall into their narrative? We should set the narrative, a senior leader said.

In 2017, Gandhi was the frontrunner as the Opposition candidate but as the NDA announced the name of Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit, the Opposition recaliberated its strategy and fielded Meira Kumar, the daughter of towering Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram and a former Lok Sabha Speaker. Gandhi was later fielded as Vice Presidential candidate.
A group of Indian Overseas Congress chapters has urged the Congress and Opposition leadership to consider technocrat Sam Pitroda as their presidential candidate.

A joint letter has been sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi by the Overseas Congress chapters in Spain, Australia, Austria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Turkey, Ireland, South Korea, Bahrain, Europe and the Middle East.

The joint letter said Pitroda, who is also the Chairman of the Overseas Congress, said its "absolutely delighted" to suggest Pitroda for the Presidential election as it believes that such a nominee would be accepted by all Opposition parties, as he is well-known globally for his contributions to the telecommunications sector.

Also Read: Presidential poll: Mamata unlikely to attend Oppn meet convened by Sharad Pawar on Jun 21,

"One of the most inspiring aspects of Mr Pitroda is that he is an ardent Gandhian, adhering to Mahatma Gandhis strict and disciplined way of life. In addition to this, it is noteworthy that while Mr. Pitroda served the country in various roles throughout his life, he has never charged a single rupee as salary for his services to the nation. We humbly request you to take all the necessary steps and procedures in this regard for a fruitful outcome," the letter said.

Overseas Congress Media Coordinator Vishakh Cherian said the chapters have unanimously urged the Congress leadership to take all steps to ensure Pitroda's candidature during a digital meeting.

The Overseas Congress' demand comes even as the Congress has made it clear in a meeting of Opposition leaders that it has no candidate in mind for the Presidential elections and would work towards a consensus Opposition candidate.

During a meeting recently, the Opposition parties decided to field a common candidate. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and later National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah informed leaders that they are not keen to contest the Presidential polls. Mahatma Gandhis grandson and former Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the front runner for the candidature from the Opposition ranks at present.
Senior Congress leaders and MPs on Sunday sat on a 'Satyagraha' here in solidarity with youths protesting against the controversial 'Agnipath' scheme of contractual hiring in the military with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urging people to recognise "fake nationalists".

Congress Working Committee members, lawmakers, General Secretaries and other leaders, including K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Sachin Pilot and Salman Khurshid, were present at the protest in Jantar Mantar where vociferous demands for the scheme's rollback were voiced.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "By repeatedly giving false hope of jobs, the Prime Minister has forced the youth of the country to walk on the 'Agnipath' (fire path) of unemployment. In the last eight years, 16 crore jobs were promised but the youth only got to learn how to fry pakoras. The Prime Minister alone is responsible for this condition of the country."

-      ,                 8  , 16                        Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 19, 2022

Addressing the gathering, Priyanka said the government was not working for the poor or the youth but big industrialists.

Assuring Congress' full support to those peacefully protesting against the scheme, she said, "There is no bigger patriot than you. I want to tell you, open your eyes and recognise the fake nationalists and fake patriots. The entire country and the Congress are with you in your struggle."

Reciting Harivansh Rai Bachchan's Hindi poem 'Agnipath' while urging the youth to keep fighting peacefully and not cow down, she said, "The name of the poem has been given to a scheme that will destroy the youth. This scheme will destroy the Army. Recognise this government's intentions."

She urged the youth to bring the government down in a democratic way. "Your objective should be that such a government is formed in the country which shows real patriotism," she added. Pilot and other leaders appealed to the youth to be non-violent in their protests.

Also Read: No space for arson, vandalism: Armed forces on Agnipath protests

Separately, CPI(M)-backed DYFI and SFI staged a 'Parliament Chalo' protest against the Agnipath scheme here during which the leaders and other workers were forcefully removed from the protest site.

Rajya Sabha MP and DYFI president AA Rahim, DYFI General Secretary Himagnaraj Bhattararchya, SFI General Secretary Mayukh Biswas and JNU Students Union president Aishe Ghosh were among those detained. The DYFI and SFI activists alleged that they were assaulted by police personnel.

In a statement, the DYFI and SFI said that the new recruitment policy is a disaster for the aspiring youth and it would only result in generating more than 35,000 jobless recruits looking for work each year.

"As of 2021 the Indian Army had a shortage of 104,653 personnel. Moreover now the central government has decided to recruit through short-tenure conscription of four years, after which three-fourth of the soldiers will be retired without pension or gratuity. The policy is a direct threat to the sovereignty of our nation. The neo-liberal agenda of the central government aims for contractualisation of every job in the country. The latest threat to the military recruitment is another attempt to dilute and privatise the public assets of the country," it added.
There cannot be "double standards" on religiophobia and combating it should not be a "selective exercise" involving only one or two religions but also apply equally to phobias against non-Abrahamic religions, India has said at the United Nations.

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said on Friday that India has been the greatest victim of terrorism, especially cross-border terrorism.

He called on countries to develop an education system that truly contributes to combating terrorism by promoting the principles of pluralism and democracy.

"As we have emphasised time and again, combating religiophobia should not be a selective exercise involving only one or two religions but should apply equally to phobias against non-Abrahamic religions as well. Till this is done, such international days will never achieve their objectives. There cannot be double standards on religiophobia, he said.

Tirumurti was speaking at a high-level event to make the celebration of the 1st anniversary of the International Day on Countering Hate Speech titled Role of education to address the root causes of hate speech and advance inclusion, non-discrimination, and peace.

The strong statement came just hours before blasts in the Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul's Bagh-e Bala area on Saturday in which two persons, including a Sikh, were killed and seven others were injured.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in a tweet that the cowardly attack on Gurdwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms by all.

India has consistently called, including at various UN platforms, for concerted efforts by the international community to combat hate and violence not just against Abrahamic religions but against all religions, including Sikhism, Buddhism and Hinduism.

On several occasions in the UN, Tirumurti has pointed out that contemporary forms of religiophobia can be witnessed in the increase in attacks on religious places of worship like gurdwaras, monasteries and temples or in the spreading of hatred and disinformation against non-Abrahamic religions in many countries.

India has said that the shattering of the iconic Bamiyan Buddha by fundamentalists, the terrorist bombing of the Sikh gurdwara in Afghanistan where 25 Sikh worshippers were killed in March 2020 and the destruction of Hindu and Buddhist temples call for condemning such acts and religions also.

The emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias is a matter of serious concern and needs the attention of the UN and all Member States to address this threat. It is only then can we bring greater balance into our discussion on such topics, Tirumurti had said earlier this year.

Speaking at the high-level event Friday organised by the Permanent Mission of Morocco and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and Responsibility to Protect, Tirumurti underlined that Indias multicultural edifice has, over centuries, made it a safe haven for all those who seek refuge in India, whether the Jewish community or Zoroastrians or Tibetans or from its own neighbourhood.

It is this underlying strength of our nation that has withstood radicalisation and terrorism over time, he said.

It is with this sense of history that India has continued to play a defining role to combat radicalisation and terrorism, and promote tolerance and inclusion, Tirumurti said.

Aberrations are dealt with within our legal framework and we do not need selective outrage from outsiders, especially when they are self-serving - even communal in nature, and pursuing a divisive agenda, he said.

He emphasised that education has an important role to play in combating radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism.

India has been the greatest victim of terrorism, especially cross-border terrorism. We call on countries to develop an education system that truly contributes to combating them by promoting the principles of pluralism and democracy, Tirumurti said.

He said that the greatest bulwark against intolerance and hatred is embracing the principles of democracy, where there are necessary checks and balances and where any aberration is addressed within the confines of the rule of law.

"A society based on pluralism, where every religion is respected, is a sine qua non of tolerance and harmony, Tirumurti said, adding that pluralistic tradition is recognised in the resolution piloted by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the International Day of Human Fraternity.

"India has embraced both these principles - democracy and pluralism. And we call on all countries to adhere to these principles to ensure that intolerance is addressed within a Constitutional framework, the Indian envoy said.

As the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution early this year to proclaim March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia, India expressed concern over phobia against one religion being elevated to the level of an international day, saying there are growing contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias.

Reacting to the adoption of the resolution, introduced by Pakistan, Tirumurti had said in the UN General Assembly that India hoped the resolution adopted does not set a precedent which will lead to multiple resolutions on phobias based on selective religions and divide the United Nations into religious camps.

Hinduism has more than 1.2 billion followers, Buddhism more than 535 million and Sikhism more than 30 million spread out around the world. It is time that we acknowledged the prevalence of religiophobia, rather than single out just one, he had said.
At least 14 people were detained in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city on Sunday after they assembled without permission to protest against the Centre's Agnipath scheme announced for the recruitment of youth in the armed forces, police said.

Some of the protesters claimed they had gathered to protest against the scheme in a peaceful "Gandhian" manner. Around 100 people, mostly locals, assembled at a spot in the city's Meghaninagar area to protest against Agnipath, the scheme announced by the Centre for the recruitment of youth in the defence forces for a four-year tenure. "We detained 14 of them as they had gathered without permission," Meghaninagar police station's inspector J P Chauhan said.

However, one of the agitators said, "We were protesting in the Gandhian way, but we were not allowed to sit even for a few minutes as the police arrived and detained us. We want permission to protest as long as our demands are not met and the scheme is not taken back."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday met the three service chiefs amid escalating protests against the scheme in several parts of the country. It is learnt that the focus of the deliberations was on pacifying the protesters.

As the protests intensified in various parts of the country, the defence minister on Saturday approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the jobs in various organisations under the ministry for recruits under the Agnipath scheme if they meet the requisite eligibility criteria. Gujarat has so far not reported any violent protest against the scheme.
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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Question Time

Where in Dundalk was 'Bullock's Hotel'?

This was an old hotel that was located in No 1, Earl Street, two doors down from the old Dundalk Democrat building.

The proprietor in the late nineteenth century was an Edward Bullock and he was succeeded by his son a J. Bullock.

It was unusual in that it was a Temperance hotel where no intoxicating liquor was served, although there were a number of other such establishments in Dundalk of the period.

In fact, it was mainly a place where hot meals were served to country folk on market and fair days.

I recall that Peader Roe, son of the owner of the Democrat in that period once told me that he was fascinated, as a child, watching farmers and their wives eating soup and bread in a long dining room on such occasions.

I do not think any overnight guests were accommodated in it!

Where was 'Arthur's Hotel'?

This was the name of the hotel at the top of Crowe Street that later became one of Dundalk's busiest hotels of the nineteenth century.

It was established in 1772 on the site of an older hotel called 'Dransfields' which had been built where of one of Dundalk's oldest inns, originally called 'The King's Arms', is mentioned in the 16th century.

Where was 'Sibthorp's Hotel'?

This was one of Dundalk's most famous hotels of the 19th century where it is said that the teachers who formed the I.N.T.O. in 1868 held their very first meetings in Ireland.

The late Seamus Tiernan told me that the Founder of the Dundalk Democrat, Joseph Cartan, was a supporter of the movement and Sir Vere Foster from Glyde Court, Ardee, the famous early Irish educationalist, was elected its first President.

Sibthorp's was also the place where traditional musicians met.

The famous blind harpist Frank Byrne took ill there in April 1863 and died shortly afterwards in the Louth Infirmary at the Crescent.

It was later taken over by the leading Dundalk business man Henry O'Connell who opened his famous 'Golden Cannister' grocery business at 14, Earl Street!

Where was 'London's Hotel'?

This was another old Dundalk hotel which Tempest's Annual of 1897 says was in Park Street but does not give an address.

From this entry I suspect that it may have been what was to become the Imperial Hotel, taken over about this time by a Mr. Connolly, founder of the Emmett Band, who had previously been the proprietor of the Lorne Hotel in Clanbrassil Street but some reader may have different information about it?

Questions for next week:

Where was the Polo Field in Dundalk?

Where is Ship Street and what is unusual about it?

Where was the Engineer's Hall?

Where was the Labourers Hall?
An appeal to help a family get a life saving heart transplant for their little girl has been made by the friends of Dundalk woman, Laura Holland, whose one year old daughter Nina, has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.

Nina's parents are to find out today (Tuesday) if she will be placed on the waiting list at the Cardiothoracic Unit at Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle in the United Kingdom.

Colleagues at Dundalk Institute of Technology, where Laura works, set up a GoFundMe appeal to help raise funds to go towards care of the brave young tot, as well as help support her parents, Laura and Johnny, who have had to relocate from Dundalk to Dublin, to be with their baby who is in Crumlin Children's Hospital.Laura told the Dundalk Democrat that they first found out that Nina had a problem with her heart at the 20 week scan.

They transferred her to the Rotunda [Hospital] for the delivery because they knew she was going to need a pacemaker, Laura explained. She was born in the Rotunda and they took her over to Crumlin [Children's Hopsital] and she had a temporary pacemaker fitted on day one, and then on day five they put in the permanent one.

Laura explained that Nina was in Crumlin Children's Hospital for about four or five weeks and was then able to go home and was alright for a couple of weeks, but then she started getting sick and refusing to drink her bottle. She was brought back to the hospital where an EMG tube was put down her nose. Courageous little Nina continued to get sick however and had to return to hosptial.

We were in and out of the hospital said Laura, as Nina kept vomiting. You couldn't leave the house. We were housebound.

In January, Laura goes on to say, they decided they were going to try this tube, it goes in through the duodunem, so it bypasses the stomach. But it didn't take. She got very sick after that and they had to take it out and they put in a peg in her stomach. She was grand for about three weeks, there was no vomiting, and we thought, 'this is great now, she's cured. And then she got Covid. Don't know where Covid came from, and she was sick with Covid for about three weeks and then the vomiting just came back with a vengeance and she just kept vomiting.

Laura said that a fundoplication was then carried out on Nina's stomach to stop the vomiting. Its like they put a little knot in the top of the stomach so you can't physically get sick. She adds however that Nina just deteriorated after that and ended up in ICU, her heart just gave out basically. She's been in ICU since then.

Testing was carried out on Nina to try and find out why her heart gave out, Laura explained, and it was found that the cause was genetic. They were told that even if she didn't have the pacemaker fitted at birth, something would have happened to her heart at some point and the only treatment is [a heart] transplant.

We're waiting now, tomorrow we have the talk with the UK transplant team to see if they're going to take her on the list.

While talking to the Dundalk Democrat, Laura explained that we're sitting in the [Dublin] city centre, we're waiting on the passport office to do her up a passport. They could tell her to come over tomorrow or next week. We're waiting on them to decide if they're going to put her on the transplant list. I don't know what the plan is going to be  if they're going to take her over there or if we're going to be waiting in Dublin for the transplant. But sure you don't know how long the transplant is going to take.

They're telling us they had one child up in the ward waiting for four years for a transplant. We could be here for the long haul if we get her well enough. Brave little Nina had just gone through a wobbly weekend, Laura adds, where she suffered an infection. They thought it was her heart but luckily enough it's not.

Nina has two young brothers who are missing their sister and their parents. The two boys are missing us now. We were in the Ronald McDonald House and we thought we were going to be able to take them up, and then the Infection Control Team said she had a bug in her stool sample and we were put out of Ronald McDonald's. I don't think we can get back in there. She continues, the parent's accommodation, they have a couple of houses up here and they've offered us one, so we'll hopefully be getting the key to that this week and we'll be able to take the boys up. I haven't told the boys about it because they told us this past week and we're still waiting.

So we're waiting for that, we're going to be getting called over to the UK  it's all up in the air, I don't know, we're just playing the waiting game to see what's going to happen. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the big decision from the UK. Hopefully they'll say they'll put her on the transplant list. They reckon their waiting list could be six to 12 months for a new heart, but sure we know that there's people waiting years. We just have to try and keep her right. If a transplant becomes available and she has an infection, they can't do it, she'd be put back on the list again. So they have to find out what the infection is and treat her with the right stuff.

Nina's bravery through the ordeal is plain to see. She's not giving up, says Laura, she's not giving up. They have her sedated there and she's still bouncing around the bed, she wants out of that bed. She wants that ventilator out. If she gets a chance she's grabbing at it.

Laura says she is very grateful for the support they have received. I would like to say thanks to all those who donated she says. We've had a lot of support, a lot of very generous family members and [from the] public. And thanks to the girls for setting it up for me. They had mentioned it to me a couple of months back, and I said 'no no, these gofundme's are for people that are really sick'  little did I know I'd be needing them to set one up.

You can support the fundraiser for Nina and her family by visiting https://gofund.me/41aa02b9
Dundalk Brownies tried out cooking outside rustling up some tasty dishes in the park.

The girls headed to St Helena's Park in town for a bit of al fresco cooking, which was a great success.

They had a great time on a recent evening cooking outside  and all enjoyed the yummy food they made!

Dundalk Brownies are a brand new unit of Irish Girl Guides who have had a very busy first six months despite Covid.

The Dundalk Brownies enjoyed their trip to Fossett's Circus in April.

They especially enjoyed getting to meet and take pictures with their favorite clown!

And their recent adventure cooking outside was a great success too.

They are always looking for new members, girls between the ages of seven and nine as well as adult helpers. If you are interested please call Chris on 085 838 3875.
I started to feel like my mother all those years ago who bought bargains not because she needed them but because it was a bargain.

When it comes to buying a car we are, I hope, a little more responsible and do our homework in terms of finance and fit for purpose.

After all it is the second most expensive purchase in our lives after our houses which in these failed economic times, means that for a lot of people it is the most expensive purchase because home ownership is becoming increasingly impossible for an awful lot of our citizens.

When our government lectures us on our energy use, the damage we are doing to the environment and the adherence to their rules why do we listen to them at all when it cant even provide a path to home ownership for its citizens.

They have failed us, and we put up with it! Maybe we deserve it? Rant over.

Whats all this to do with the MG? Well, if a car company can deliver an SUV, well maybe a crossover, for a family, thats all electric and slap a price sticker of 34,995 on the windscreen for the Exclusive trim, well, thats a bargain.

An even more jaw dropping figure is 31,995 for the only other trim available, Excite.

And a bargain in the motoring world is as rare as a young married couple getting hold of the keys to a home.

And here is the most important bit. It is not in any way a bargain basement offering.

This car is finished as good as any from the mainstream manufacturers. No working your way up through the quality ranks for MG.

Ah ah, they can mix it up with any of their competitors. MG is owned by SAIC Motor Corp. who also sell Maxus commercial vehicles here in Ireland.

They collaborate and make cars with all the big players too so using the MG name was a clever move to buy recognition to deliver their product.

MG got a pot and threw in a Kuga, an IX35 and a Qashqai and the ZS is the result.

It looks like how a crossover should look and wont grate with the majority of prospective buyers.

The giveaway to it being all electric is the solid front grille but other than that it looks totally normal.

The front grille doubles as the charge flap, a good use for it and eliminates a flap ruining the side look.

The ZS EV isnt an EV from the outset, so it is a car adapted to use electric motors and take the 72.6kW battery.

That battery is good for 440 kms, MG claim. The maximum speed it can be charged at is 50kW/hr thatll take 64 mins to get the battery to 80% charged.

Driving the ZS reminds me of the IX35.

Its quiet and has that easy to drive feel to it.

Visibility is excellent and there wasnt any I dont like that moments about it.

Its responsive and as with all electric cars the acceleration is rapid and even.

It can accelerate to 100km/hr in 8.4 seconds.

On the motorway it held its own without quibble and on the back roads body roll was not that noticeable, if at all, especially considering its shape.

It has an energy recovery system that like all electric cars when you crack it, you try to get it to bringing the car to a stop without touching the brakes.

When you make the change to electric you also adopt a different style of driving because you become aware of energy use and energy replenishment.

Inside theres space for 5 but best for 4 adults wholl be able to carry 440ltrs in the boot.

The infotainment is easy to use and much better that I was expecting in a car at this price.

You get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and to show just what incredible value this car is you also get, keyless entry, blind spot detection, a wireless phone charger, heated front seats, auto headlights, parking sensors with a rear camera and a panoramic sunroof.

Serious specification indeed. MG provides a 7-Year / 150,000kms warranty for maximum peace of mind.

MG are to be commended on producing a knockout electric car at a knockout price.

Where Chinese manufacturers were once, and rightly, accused of copying European and Japanese designs I wish there was some reverse copying of their prices and analyse how they can do it.

I would say this is currently my second favourite electric car when all factors are included.




French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is one of his priorities for a ceasefire. But he stressed that Moscow must meet some conditions since he values diplomacy to iron out problems compared to some leaders.

Russia's Relevance to Europe

President Emmanuel Macron has stated that he would not rule out planning to visit Russia and meet with President Vladimir Putin, but if certain criteria are met, reported RT.

Paris supports Ukraine, and although measures should be taken to lessen the conflict's tension, he spoke to TF1 TV on Friday while visiting Kyiv. He also asserted that he intends to keep talking to the Russian president about combating human trafficking like food security, citing The Press United.

The French leader's policy of keeping in contact with Russia has been questioned, but he considers diplomacy the best way to deal with Putin.

Macron would meet his Russian counterpart, but it will be dependent on how the Kremlin acts on it first. There is no expectation of how Moscow will take certain ideas, but a meeting should carry weight for the EU. Macron stressed that flustering Putin should not be done, especially his attitude towards Ukraine.

French leader Macron indicated that France made the same mistake as Germany after WWI, adding that he did not want these hostilities to spread out further.

Read Also: Volodymyr Zelensky Children: Does the Ukraine President Have Kids?

Kyiv was asked to return to the bargaining table and restart talks with Moscow earlier this week. The president proposed that France act as a facilitator and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has no choice but to negotiate with Russia.

Conflict Effect on Economic Security

Any conflict with Russia will not be good for the long-term security of Europe. Last Friday, gas and food prices in France were getting expensive due to the Ukraine conflict. Macron added the need to make exceptional decisions in such challenging times.

Macron visited Ukraine last Thursday together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on an official visit. During the visit, he mentioned that he was for Ukraine's EU candidacy status, per Hi India.

Moscow said the four leaders should tell Kyiv to stop the fighting, declaring that Ukraine could not prevail and would pay with people's misery and destruction.

Russia launched an attack on Ukraine in late February in reaction to Kyiv's failure to enforce the conditions of the 2014 Minsk agreements and Moscow's ultimate acknowledgment of the Donbas republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Since then, the Kremlin has kept demanding that Ukraine proclaim itself a neutral country that will never participate in the US-led NATO defense pact.

Ukraine maintains that the Russian offensive was unprovoked and tries to deny that it meant to take back the two republics by force.

President Emmanuel Macron believes he can get through to President Vladimir Putin, but he's only one of a few EU leaders inclined to end the conflict, which is not enough.

Related Article: Serbia Criticizes West for Pushing Russian Sanctions Which Is Against Its Interests

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
If youve ever dreamed of running away from your responsibilities to start a life on a peaceful homestead, youre not alone. While unfortunately this might not be an option for many at this time, you can still get a glimpse of this lifestyle on your next vacation by booking a farm stay.

What is a Farm Stay?

Organic Farm Stays in the U.S.

From experiencing a vineyard up-close-and-personal in California to breathing in fresh lavender at a lavender farm in New Mexico, theres a farm stay for everybody to explore. Here are some stand-out options in the U.S.

Naylors Organic Family Farm Stay

California has some incredible stone fruits in late spring and throughout summer, so if you love peaches, plums, apricots, and everything in between, a stay at Naylors in Dinuba, California is in order.

While you cant work on this farm, you can enjoy a U-pick experience of over 30 varieties of fresh, organic stone fruits that you can eat during your stay or take home to eat, cook, or preserve.

The friendly owners, Mike and Nori, are also open to sharing their experiences as owners of a small, organic farm and are happy to discuss the logistics for anyone interested in making their cottagecore dreams a reality.

Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm

Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Los Poblanos offers a place to rest your head among fields of lavender. The best time to visit is June and July, when the flowers are really blooming.

Aside from the iconic lavender fields, the farm also includes space to grow produce for the on-site restaurant. Quaint rooms welcome weary travelers who just need some space to slow down and breathe. But if a cushy bed and the calming, ever-present scent of lavender isnt enough, theres also a spa for messages and skin care treatments.

Taos Goji Farm and Eco Lodge

Whats not to love about waking up to views of mountains and the sounds of sweet farm animals? Based in San Cristobal, New Mexico, the Taos Goji Farm grows organic gojis along with vegetables and flowers.

Guests will take in sweeping views of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains from their rustic cabins that also feature plenty of southwestern charm.

Farmhouse Inn

Wine-lovers are familiar with Sonoma County in California, where vineyards are abundant. Now, you can stay among the grapes at the Farmhouse Inn, which also includes a Michelin-star restaurant that uses produce grown on the farm. You can also take in plenty of nature with a hike at the nearby Armstrong Redwoods or a beach picnic on the coast.

If the coastal breezes, long hikes, and flowing wine gets too overwhelming, you can pop by the spa in the on-site Wellness Barn for a little R&R.

The White Pig

Those following a vegan lifestyle have to plan a visit to The White Pig in central Virginia. This property includes a bed-and-breakfast as well as an animal sanctuary. Stay in a Victorian farmhouse or a pet-friendly cottage on the Briar Creek Farm, much of which is preserved as wildlife habitat.

Meals are vegan- and vegetarian-friendly. Once youve fueled up, you can experience wine tastings, nature trails, bird-watching, or spa treatments on the property.

Willow-Witt Ranch

The owners of Willow-Witt Ranch in southern Oregon have lovingly restored local wetlands and a forest alongside the small farm and ranch, where lucky visitors can stay in a house, private studio, or even tents on the property for a more off-the-grid experience.

Aside from tours of the properties, guests can enjoy birding, picking farm produce and even hiking with goats. A bonus? The entire property is powered by solar energy.

Fat Sheep Farm & Cabins

Vermont is a beautiful place for a farm stay, and at the Fat Sheep Farm in Hartland, it hardly gets more idyllic. As the name suggests, this farm stay is full of well-loved sheep. This family-friendly working farm allows guests to join in on the farm chores, from feeding animals to walking goats. You can also visit with the animals, purchase goods at the on-site Farm Stand, or go for field or forest walks.

Kids can enjoy the natural playground, and warmer weather welcomes stargazers. The owners also offer sourdough and cheesemaking workshops for foodies.

Mountain Goat Lodge

For those who love goats, youll enjoy a peaceful stay at the Mountain Goat Lodge in Salida, Colorado. Goats roam the meadows, located at the foot of majestic mountains, and youll also find chickens, ducks, and a llama on the property.

The lodgings here are pet-friendly, so Fido or Fluffy are welcome to come along on your adventure. Guests can learn how to care for goats and chickens or participate in cheese-making classes. Theres also plenty of outdoor recreational activities nearby, whether you prefer to adventure on land or water.

How to Find a Farm Stay Near You

There are thousands of farm stays around the world to consider visiting. Whether youre looking for a local spot for a weekend getaway or a long-term trip on the other side of the world, there are some great resources to find a farm stay to meet your needs.

Farm Stay USA allows you to find farm stays around the U.S. You can even sort options by what you are looking to get out of the experience, from helping with chores to harvesting food to riding horses to taking classes.

Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is another resource that helps travelers book farm stays all over the globe. Youll need to join the membership, $40 for one person or $65 for a couple per year, to be able to search for lodgings and contact farm stay hosts. But the data base is comprehensive with accommodations in over 130 countries.

For additional options, consider reviewing state or country tourist pages, which often specify any farm stays or other unique accommodation options. Vacation rental apps, like Airbnb and VRBO, may also list farm stay options on their maps.
Originally based in Seattle, WA, queer environmental organization Out for Sustainability aims to shed a light on how environmental issues affect the LGBTQIA+ community.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization is in a bit of a transformation. When it was founded in 2008, there were ten board members who came from a variety of professional backgrounds, from sustainability to tech industries. Its now a board of four who are working to reimagine Out for Sustainabilitys role in the queer and environmental movements.

The pandemic allowed us to think about what we really wanted to do and how we really wanted to reset, said Lindi von Mutius, a board member of Out for Sustainability, director of Board Operations and Strategies at the Trust for Public Land, and adjunct Harvard professor. We really like took a step back and reflected on what was happening at the moment, in the pandemic, and we recognize that where all of us really wanted to work was in supporting organizations that were helping the queer community with COVID relief.

The organization sent out a blast email to their 8,000 newsletter recipients and made their social media followers aware of the initiative. They raised $5,000 that went equally to 12 different organizations that provided financial relief for queer people affected by COVID-19.

Before the pandemic, Out for Sustainability was active in bringing together queer people to talk about environmental issues with LGBTQIA+ issues.

Its not an either or, you know, ecology or social justice, said Vanessa Raditz, a board member of Out for Sustainability and Ph.D. student in geography at the University of Georgia. They are intimately tied together.

Vicki Carberry, board member and emergency manager, said where the two movements intersect follows along with Dr. Martin Luther Kings quote, No one is free until we are all free.

The LGBTQ community is a vulnerable community, Von Mutius said. And like all vulnerable communities in this country, its a community that suffers environmental injustice and harm as a result of its inherent vulnerability.

Carberry pointed to the impending destruction from natural disasters due to climate change.

I obviously believe in climate change and things are just going to continue to worsen, Carberry said. People are going to be disproportionately impacted.

Her opinion is that the most pressing environmental issue is climate change, and she worries about the impact it will have on marginalized communities.

I was in the Peace Corps for three years out of undergrad and I was there during the largest ever recorded typhoon in history to make landfall, Carberry said. Ill just never forget that  it was such a marker of my time there.

She was referring to the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Super Typhoon Yolanda that affected the Philippines, Palau, Vietnam and China in the fall of 2013. The worst-hit region was the Philippines where thousands were killed. Many consider it to be the countrys worst natural disaster.

Carberry isnt the only board member who has experienced a natural disaster. Raditz is in the midst of creating a film Fire and Flood based on their experience with the Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County in the fall of 2017.

Raditz said they are no strangers to fire, living in California. But when they were attending a permaculture convergence in 2017, they experienced the destructiveness of wildfires firsthand.

I woke up in the middle of Hopland to the news of 13 fires surrounding us and three of the four evacuation routes were shut down, Raditz said. They [the firefighters] had only cleared enough of the fire to hold open this highway for evacuees, as we were driving through we could see the fire on either side of the road.

The film will also touch on Hurricane Maria which took place in Puerto Rico the same year as the Tubbs fire. It explores the devastation of both natural disasters, but also the relationship between resource extraction and the creation of the gender binary.

[The film] shows how in these moments of disaster, queer and trans communities are enacting resilience practices that are not just trying to get through the fire and flood at the moment, Raditz said. Its a resilience that imagines a 500-year bounce back to a time when queer and trans people were celebrated and held in sacred roles and community, and in which the Earth itself, that we are as humans a part of, was held in that similar reverence and sacredness.

The films sponsor is Out for Sustainability and its raising funds for the completion of the project. Von Mutius said that half of the donated money goes toward completing the film, and the second half goes to organizations that are doing disaster relief work for queer communities.

Weve been very intentional about trying to use our organization as a mouthpiece, a loudspeaker and an amplifier in helping to relocate capital to places where its needed, she said.

Out for Sustainability sponsors a conference called Fab Planet. Its a conference to intersect and discuss the unique role of the LGBTQ+ community in social and environmental justice and sustainability, according to its website.

Von Mutius was first introduced to the organization in 2016 when she was invited to speak. For her, speaking at a conference for queer environmental professionals was her coming out to her colleagues.

It really was Fab Planet, that made me sort of like come out to my colleagues, and start to come out to the world a little more, Von Mutius said. I would say Im very fully out I talk and write about it, and Im not shy about it its something that feels really good for me.

She said that shes privileged to be accepted by her friends and her boss and she wanted to pay that forward.

It always felt like I have a responsibility to be visible because there arent enough of us  and those of us who are, are hiding or hidden or invisible in these organizations and in the environmental movement, Von Mutius said.

Another initiative of Out for Sustainability is Greener Pride. The project aims to address sustainable practices within LGBTQIA+ businesses and events. Greener Pride aims to encourage the queer community to move toward zero waste and carbon neutral pride events across the globe.

Not to rain on anyones Pride Parade we kind of say, wed love it if you could celebrate responsibly and sustainably, Von Mutius said.

Some businesses capitalize on pride month, creating rainbow products and relaying claims of support to the gay community mostly during June. Interestingly, a slew of businesses promoting gay rights during the month of June has contrarily donated to anti-trans lawmakers, according to VICE.

Another piece of Pride Month is like all the rainbow capitalism, which is so problematic for so many reasons, Carberry said. It feels like every big corporation is capitalizing off of the month of June and beyond; I think if were not having conversations about sustainability and capitalism, I dont really know what it is were doing.

Carberrys fellow board member expressed similar sentiments on the corporatization of Pride.

I think that Marsha and Sylvia would be appalled that we have police and banks, and major pharmaceutical companies, marching in the name of pride when Stonewall Riots were an uprising against state-sanctioned violence, and the violence of capitalism, Raditz said. I think that for me, thats the heart of greener pride there are some easier messages for some folks which is just, theres no pride on a dead planet, people.

Carberry said that at any large event its easiest to use convenient and disposable products. She said that a part of the greener pride initiative is helping folks to understand that there are things out there little things that can be done in terms of lessening waste, especially during big events that can be cost-effective.

Carberry said if she could change pride, she would want to see BIPOC Black Indigenous people of color to the front. She said that as a white woman, she is incredibly privileged and that creating a space for people with intersecting identities is important not only in the month of June but all the time.

I think celebrating history is definitely important, but also remembering who led those movements and lifting up particularly Black trans women, Carberry said. I think often things get so whitewashed, and I would like to see the community doing more of that work, dismantling, or looking at systemic racism.

Sophia Paul, board secretary for Out for Sustainability, said that during Pride month, the organization has focused on getting queer people outside to enjoy nature.

The outdoors can be a really empowering place for a lot of queer and trans folks but it can also sometimes feel uniquely intimidating or stressful, Paul said. You can be out there alone and you dont necessarily know who else is out there or depending on your background, you might not feel a lot of fluency.

She said that Out for Sustainability has been able to see the community claim a space in the outdoors for queer and trans folks through social media.

With the pandemic, I have been getting outdoors more and really just feeling very grateful for the green spaces that I have access to, Paul said.

Another national initiative supported by Out for Sustainability is Earth Gay, a play on Earth Day, for the LGBTQIA+ community. It started in the Seattle area where queer people and allies would clean parks or help with Seattle Parks and Rec work, Von Mutius said.

Now, Earth Gay is a national program that supports volunteerism throughout the year.

As vaccines roll out, and people are able to gather again, Out for Sustainability is revving up to reimagine its mission and role in the environmental and LGBTQIA+ communities as an organization. What remains true for the organization is that it continues to highlight where and how environmental and queer issues intersect.

I always say environmental issues are queer issues, and vice versa, Von Mutius said. We cant really fix the environmental injustices in this country without fixing the systems that cause disparities in health, in wealth, in education, in the first place.

Audrey Nakagawa is the content creator intern at EcoWatch. She is a senior at James Madison University studying Media, Art, and Design, with a concentration in journalism. Shes a reporter for The Breeze in the culture section and writes features on Harrisonburg artists, album reviews, and topics related to mental health and the environment. She was also a contributor for Virginia Reports where she reported on the impact that COVID-19 had on college students.
United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced on Saturday.

According to a senior administration official who spoke on the requested anonymity, Sullivan has constant interaction with US President Joe Biden, but the last time they spoke was early this week. The source added Sullivan had been keeping his distance from Biden after "a couple" of people with whom he had been in close contact had tested positive for the virus.

National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson noted that Sullivan is "asymptomatic and he has not been in close contact with the president."

On Thursday, the White House announced that Biden had tested negative that day. A request for comment from the White House on whether Biden had been tested more recently was not returned immediately.

President Joe Biden's COVID-19 Testing Schedule Questioned

According to Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sparred with NBC reporter Peter Alexander during a briefing about the period of Biden's most recent COVID-19 test.

When the journalist asked Jean-Pierre about Biden's recent testing schedule, she said: "It's a regular cadence. That's what we do. We will share, per CDC, when he was a close contact, and he has not been a close contact. If he was a close contact, we will let you know."

As Alexander persisted in inquiring about the precise date, Jean-Pierre said that the weekly testing is a routine protocol for Biden, as prescribed by his physician, and only close contacts are affected.

Before the announcement of Sullivan's condition, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the President's Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, tested positive for COVID-19 via a rapid antigen test on June 15, per the Hill.

Read Also: US Capitol Police Arrests Colbert Show Crew After Democrat Party Members Allegedly Allowed Entry

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the 81-year-old employee had not been in close communication with US President Joe Biden and other senior government officials.

Fauci is suffering from minor COVID-19 symptoms and is now on Paxlovid, a Pfizer antiviral drug.

The National Institutes of Health said that Fauci "is fully vaccinated and has been boosted twice." He will also undergo necessary pandemic protocols and treatment.

US Rolls Out COVID-19 Vaccines for Children

Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months old on Saturday, paving the way for a nationwide distribution next week.

The CDC took action after its panel of experts voted earlier on Saturday to recommend COVID-19 immunizations for those youngsters, as per a report from Channel News Asia.

Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, in a statement, said: "We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today's decision, they can."

Moderna's vaccine for children aged six months to five years and Pfizer vaccine BioNTech's for children aged six months to four years were both approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday. The vaccine from Pfizer is already approved for children more than five years old.

Related Article: Scientists Devise Largest Family Tree for Primates That Shows How Living, Extinct Animals Are Accounted For

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Outdoor retailer Patagonia is giving away the $10 million it made as the result of the irresponsible Republican tax cut.

Based on last years irresponsible tax cut, Patagonia will owe less in taxes this year$10 million less, in fact. Instead of putting the money back into our business, were responding by putting $10 million back into the planet. Our home planet needs it more than we do, CEO Rose Marcario wrote in a LinkedIn blog post published Wednesday.

The tax cut provided billions of dollars in tax savings for the oil and gas industry. A 40-year drilling ban on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was also lifted after the bill was approved in December.

Taxes protect the most vulnerable in our society, our public lands and other life-giving resources. In spite of this, the Trump administration initiated a corporate tax cut, threatening these services at the expense of our planet, Marcario wrote.

Patagonias unexpected windfall will go to conservation organizations protecting our air, land, water and climate. The funds will also help support the regenerative organic agriculture movement, which we think will not only slow the climate crisis but could begin to reverse it, the company said in an emailed press release.

We're giving our $10 million tax cut back to the planet.https://t.co/3mB5NQYCB6 pic.twitter.com/WAjpkMImOq  Patagonia (@patagonia) November 28, 2018

Citing Fridays National Climate Assessment report compiled by 13 federal agencies and more than 300 scientists, Marcario said climate change is impacting people around the world and will cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars.

Mega-fires. Toxic algae blooms. Deadly heat waves and deadly hurricanes. Far too many have suffered the consequences of global warming in recent months, and the political response has so far been woefully inadequateand the denial is just evil, she wrote.

Trump, meanwhile, continues to deny science and responded to the U.S. climate report by saying, I dont believe it.

Our government continues to ignore the seriousness and causes of the climate crisis. It is pure evil, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard said in an emailed statement. We need to double down on renewable energy solutions. We need an agriculture system that supports small family farms and ranches, not one that rewards chemical companies intent on destroying our planet and poisoning our food. And we need to protect our public lands and waters because they are all we have left.

Patagonia has long been a champion of grassroots environmental efforts and is an outspoken critic of the Trump administration. The company sued the president last year over his controversial decision to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, and it famously declared on its website, The President Stole Your Land.

In September, the civic-minded retailer endorsed two Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, Jon Tester of Montana and Jacky Rosen of Nevada. They both won.

In this season of giving, we are giving away this tax cut to the planet, our only home, which needs it now more than ever, Marcario concluded.
Human civilization is a dynamic one, thanks to the intellect we humans have. With it, we were able to make the impossible possible. Whenever we are faced with a problem, we find ways or invent something to overcome it.

We invented the wheel to help us transport people and objects from one place to another. We invented saddles to help us ride horses better, and we invented the internet to help people stay connected no matter where they are.

Genius doesn't come based on the color of their skin or their financial and educational status. It comes from someone willing to go to great lengths to overcome the difficulties in front of them.

African Americans are no different in this regard.

In the spirit of Juneteenth, here are five inventions you didn't know were invented by African Americans:

Three-Light Traffic Signal

Traffic lights are a common sight to see on roads today, but back in the 1920s, they looked vastly different, with them having only two lights - green and red, according to the History Channel's official website.

It wasn't until Garett Augustus Morgan, an African American with only elementary school education, invented the three-light traffic light that driving became safer thanks to Morgan's idea to add a "yield" component that warned drivers of an impending stop. This component is more commonly known as the yellow light.

Morgan's three-light traffic system was one of the first of its kind that was invented, thanks to his invention, three-light traffic lights were widely adopted and eventually became the traffic we take for granted today.

Home Security System (CCTV)

Closed-circuit televisions or CCTVs became an essential tool in terms of home and business security, as well as keeping tabs on our elderly loved ones.

As such, we owe our thanks to one Marie Van Brittan Brown, who first invented the CCTV in 1969, per the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Back then, she was afraid of being alone and vulnerable at home while her husband was at work due to the high crime rate in their neighborhood and the slow response of NYPD officers at the time.

She then invented the first CCTV, which involves four peepholes, a sliding camera, television monitors, and two-way microphones. This contraption allowed her to communicate with people on the other side of the door and capture their images regardless of their height.

Her invention was recognized in New York, and she received a reward from the National Scientists Committee for it.

Multiplex Telegraph

Train stations wouldn't work the way they did without a form of communication between them. However, Granville T. Woods, the first African American mechanical and electrical engineer after the American Civil War, invented the multiplex telegraph that allowed train dispatchers to communicate with moving trains and other dispatchers via the telegraph, per How Stuff Works.

Read More: SpaceX Employees Say That Elon Musk's Behavior has Been a 'Source of Distraction and Embarassment'

The invention of the multiplex telegraph solved the problem of train collisions, which were hugely common at the time.

Thomas Edison sued Woods for claiming that he, not Edison, was the inventor of the multiplex telegraph, but Woods eventually won the lawsuit in the end.

Automatic Elevator Doors

Elevators are a convenient way of going up buildings. It eliminates the footwork and the resulting tiredness that comes from climbing flights of stairs to get to a floor of a building that is stories high.

However, riding one was complicated and risky, with people needing to manually open and close them before riding. Failure to do so usually results in an accident, with the occasional fatalities.

When Alexander Miles' daughter almost fell down an elevator shaft to her death, he quickly developed a solution to avoid such accidents again. The result of his efforts is a patent for a mechanism that automatically opens and closes elevator shaft doors, which we enjoy to this day.

Protective Mailbox

The US during the mid-1800s is one of the worst times to be sending and receiving mail. Back then, public mailboxes were semi-open, making them easy prey for thieves to steal mail.

Another problem with semi-open public mailboxes is that the mail stored inside isn't that protected from the elements. Rain and snow can still get in the boxes and dampen the mail inside, damaging them, per Face 2 Face Africa.

However, in 1891, Philip B. Downing saw the problem and invented a device he called the "street letterbox," which took the form of a tall metal box with a secured, hinged door to drop letters into.

Downing's invention allowed for drop-off near a sender's home and easy pick-up by a letter carrier. The hinged door in Downing's letterbox, meanwhile, prevented rain and snow from entering the box and damaging the mail.

Related Article: Steve Jobs Net Worth Before His Death, Interesting Inventions and 5 Wild Facts You Didn't Know About Appler Co-Founder
Atherton and Bowden Retain Parish Titles



Paul Atherton just after he crossed the finish line (2022)

Paul Atherton has retained his Parish Walk crown taking victory again for the second time.

Atherton crossed the finish line in 15 hours, 27 minutes and 15 seconds, not quite beating his 2021 performance of 15 hours 23 minutes 40 seconds.

During the latter phases of the race, Atherton was under pressure from the 2019 Champion Liam Parker who was in second place, with Richard Gerrard in third.

After Lonan, Gerrard was putting serious pressure on Parker and was closing the gap. It was on the final mile of Douglas Prom that Gerrard made his move and took Parker. He crossed the finish line 28 seconds ahead, relegating Parker to third.

The Ladies Winner was once again Samantha Bowden, coming home at 1:20am, a time of 17 hours 20 minutes 26 seconds.

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Paul Atherton
Hello and welcome to yet another This Week on iTP rundown, where we list the top stories from the past week. Before we get started, we just want to which all the daddies, dads, papas, fathers, and pops out there a Happy Father's Day! We hope you are having a great one.

Now let us move on to this past week's top five stories. Space stories have always been popular here on iTech Post and it has never been more evident until now. Why? Three of the five top stories in this list are all related to the outer space.

Coming in at number five is the first of two stories to make it to the list that are not related to the outer space. However, it still falls under another category that is rather popular here on iTech Post and it is none other than malware.

Specifically, this story talks about the increase in activity of the Hello XD ransomware. What makes this increase in activity even worse is that the creator of this malware even developed an encryptor that helps it avoid being detected.

The first of the four space stories to make it to this rundown talks about a wandering black hole that scientists have discovered. Yes, wandering.

What makes this discovery even more special is that scientists think that this wandering black hole may be the smallest one ever discovered thus far. If you are wondering which of the observatories has helped with this discovery, it is none other than the Hubble Space Telescope.

Related Article: #ThisWeekOnITP: Canon Pixma Printer Reboot Loop, Hubble's Photo of Grand Design Spiral, and More!

The Transiting Exoplanet Satellite Survey, otherwise known as TESS, may not be as popular as the Hubble, but it has helped scientists learn more about other worlds out there in space.

Recently, TESS has helped researcher discover a multiplanet system that is located only 33 light-years away from our own planet. For reference, one light-year is equal to around six trillion miles.

We did say our readers love reading about malware and this story is another proof of it.

Coming in at number two is a story warning Android users about particular Google Play Store apps that have unfortunately been spreading malware. Among the apps listed in this article are Magnifier Flashlight, PIP Pic Camera 2022, and Wild & Exotic Animal Wallpaper.

Some of these apps have trojan malware in them, while one, Magnifier Flashlight, is actually an adware app.

Occupying the top spot for the week's top five stories is a story that is all abou a photo taken by none other than the Perseverance rover.

In particular, this photo features a particular landscape that the rover has seen on Mars that features a lot of rocks, sand, and even a layered cliff. The photo was taken using the Perseverance's mast-mounted camera.

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Apple Store employees at the companys Towson Town Center location in Maryland have voted to unionize. According to the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, the group that led the unionization effort, workers voted "overwhelming" in favor of joining the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). With the historic vote, the store is now on track to become the first unionized Apple retail location in the US.

We did it Towson! We won our union vote! Thanks to all who worked so hard and all who supported! Now we celebrate with @machinistsunion. Tomorrow we keep organizing.



#unionizeapple #1u  acoreunion (@acoreunion) June 19, 2022

Towson Town Center became the first Apple Store in the US to hold a union election after workers at another retail location in Atlanta withdrew their petition to hold a union vote last month. While Apple hasnt explicitly come out against its frontline workers organizing, the company has been broadly accused of employing union-busting tactics. It reportedly hired the same anti-union law firm employed by Starbucks and subjected workers to so-called "captive audience meetings." In Georgia, organizers called off a union vote at the company's Cumberland Mall location over intimidation claims. Ahead of today's vote, AppleCore said it was organizing out of a "deep love of our role as workers within the company and out of care for the company itself."

That feeling when you form the first union at Apple in America. Congrats, @acoreunion!



Welcome to the Machinists Union! #1u pic.twitter.com/U7JzwXcoz7  Machinists Union (@MachinistsUnion) June 19, 2022

Apple declined to comment.

I applaud the courage displayed by CORE members at the Apple store in Towson for achieving this historic victory, said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. in a statement following the vote. They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election. I ask Apple CEO Tim Cook to respect the election results and fast-track a first contract for the dedicated IAM CORE Apple employees in Towson. This victory shows the growing demand for unions at Apple stores and different industries across our nation.

In the immediate future, today's vote is likely to bolster ongoing unionization efforts at two Apple Stores in New York and Kentucky, but if recent history shows anything, it's that a domino effect isn't guaranteed. After the Amazon Labor Union led workers at Amazon's JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island to a historic labor win in April, the group failed to achieve the same result one month later a facility across the street.
Petr David Josek/AP

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP)  A Slovak court has dismissed a lawsuit by former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis against allegations that he collaborated with Czechoslovakias communist-era secret police.

The Slovak-born Babis was suing Slovakias Institute of the Nations Memory, which holds parts of his secret police files following the division of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.
People stand in line to be tested for COVID-19 at a screening center in Seocho District, Seoul, June 17. Yonhap



Gov't decides to extend quarantine mandate for 4 more weeks



By Lee Hyo-jin



The government has decided to extend the self-isolation mandate for COVID-19 patients for another four weeks, but medical experts pointed out that it is premature to remove the restriction next month.



The Central Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters said Friday the seven-day self-quarantine mandate for COVID-19 virus carriers will be extended through July 20, due to concerns over a possible resurgence of infections if the rule is removed.



The decision came as the government has been reviewing the possibility of scrapping the self-quarantine rule over the past two months. After downgrading the infectious disease classification of the coronavirus to Level 2 in late April, the health ministry said it will decide whether to ease the self-isolation rule on May 20, after a four-week interim period. But the plan was delayed for another four weeks due to the unstable virus situation.



Announcing its latest decision, the Korea Disease Control and Prevent Agency (KDCA) warned that scrapping the quarantine rule could cause the number of infection cases to surge in late August at up to 8.3 times levels while under existing rules.



The KDCA noted that it will reassess the virus situation after four weeks, based on several criteria, such as the number of deaths, fatality rate, emergence of new variants and the government's medical response capability.



Medical experts, however, viewed that the country may not be ready to lift the self-isolation mandate even after another four weeks.



The experts urged that, rather than engaging in what they called "premature" discussions on lifting the quarantine mandate, the government's top priority should be the improvement of the pandemic response scheme so that every COVID-19 patient can receive face-to-face treatment.



"The best way to bring down the number of COVID-19 deaths is the provision of face-to-face medical care, which should ensure timely diagnosis and treatment. "Discussions on whether to scrap the self-quarantine rules should come after establishing such a system," said Chon Eun-mi, a professor of respiratory diseases at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.





A notice attached at a local clinic in Eunpyeong District, Seoul, reads that COVID-19 patients can receive face-to-face treatment from April 4. Yonhap
GALVESTON  Island natives dont have to be told that their hometown has lost Black residents. Sharon Batiste Gillins sees it every time she goes to church. Leon Phillips feels it when he drives down Church Street and sees vacant lots where Black-owned businesses used to be.

Galveston is the birthplace of Juneteenth, and reminders of that special distinction are scattered at historical sites along the citys Freedom Walk, which traces the steps of Union soldiers who walked through the city on June 19, 1865, announcing that slavery had been abolished. But, over the years, the citys Black population, which made up part of the islands vibrant and unique culture, has gradually dwindled due to recent storms, industrial innovations and gentrification.

Gillins, 71, attends Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was founded in 1867. Like so much in Galveston, it holds a distinguished place in Texas history as the states first AME church. When Gillins grew up it had a thriving congregation, but in recent years its numbers have tapered off to a few dozen.

I do worry about it, and I worry about the fact that there are fewer children in our congregations, because without children who is the future? Gillins said.

As Galveston continues to see its Black population fan out to other areas, residents uphold the citys Black history through public art, new museums and Juneteenth celebrations. But some say it feels like Black residents are being pushed out by forces beyond their control, without help from institutions that dont care whether they stay or go.

This city is drowning, and I swear Id stop it if I could, said Sue Johnson, executive director of the Nia Cultural Center, an educational organization focusing on Galvestons Black youth. She said that conditions for Blacks are so dire that there needs to be focused and intensive care for the community.

Until I see commitment from city government that lends itself to that, I feel compelled to keep working, Johnson said. The mayor and city council members did not immediately return requests for comment Friday.

Standing on our own two feet

Even after it was ravaged by hurricanes in 1900 and 1915, Galveston, the oldest port in Texas, became an important shipping hub that formed the basis for the regions economy in the early 20th century. Decades after Gen. Gordon Granger and thousands of Union troops, many of them free Black men, marched through the streets of Galveston announcing the end of slavery, Black people began flocking to the island for jobs.

Dock work was a reliable way for men to earn a steady income during the first half of century, and many people in Galveston can trace their familys presence on the island to ancestors who came there to work as longshoremen, laborers who load and unload ships. Between 1890 and 1940, Galvestons population more than doubled, from 29,084 people to 60,862. At its peak in 1960, when the citys population reached 67,175, about 27 percent of residents, 18,282 people, were Black, according to U.S. Census data.

The abundance of middle-class jobs, coupled with restrictive housing covenants that limited where Black people could live, resulted in a vibrant Black community centralized on the islands northern end. Black-owned businesses abounded and children behaved with caution on the streets, because they knew the watchful eyes of caring neighbors were looking out for them.

We were never the dominant population in town, but it was my whole world, Gillins said. It was our village in more ways than one, not just physically but emotionally, in the ways we supported each other and the way that children were raised communally. We could go through the neighborhood and any mama on any porch could discipline you.

Local activist Leon Phillips, 74, remembers attending balls at the International Longshoremens Association building at 29th and Market streets, and visiting his mothers beauty shop on the second floor of the long-since-demolished T.D. Armstrong building on 31st Street and Avenue L, where she shared space with a drug store, a dentists office and a night club, among other businesses.

If you bought a new car, youd go drive it down Ball Street (now called Avenue H), then circle back to Church Street  where Black-owned restaurants, cab stands and hotels lined the road  to make sure everyone saw you in it, Phillips said.

You couldnt find a better place to live than Galveston, Texas, Phillips said. Being segregated meant we had to stand on our own two feet.

The islands population gradually declined after its peak in 1960, as innovations in container shipping made many dock workers jobs redundant. By the turn of the century, the islands population had fallen by 15 percent, to 57,186 people. The Black population fell by about 21 percent, to 14,456 people, census data shows.

The work that hundreds could do could now be done by one or two men driving a crane, so that changed the dynamic. It changed the number of people who were literate but maybe not college-educated  middle-income Black people who could get good jobs and support their families, said Gillins, who is a retired college professor and genealogist.

As the shipping industry was being revolutionized, Texas began its slow journey toward racial integration. But what should have been a step toward equality had the unintended effect of destabilizing Black communities across the state, including in Galveston, residents say. By the 1990s, rampant disinvestment had turned the once bustling thoroughfare of Church Street into a haven for drug users, said Anthony Griffin, a local attorney who owns property on the street.

On Wednesday, Griffin, 68, stood outside the former site of the Gus Allen Hotel, once a trusted stop for Black travelers, in nearly 100-degree heat raking lawn trimmings off the now vacant lot, like he does every day. Hes purchased several lots in the area over the past couple decades, and hopes to scoop up a majority of the properties between Postoffice and Broadway streets, from 27th to 29th Street.

Griffin dreams of building a mixed-use development that will bring grocery stores and other businesses back to the area where the descendants of formerly enslaved people still live. He said its important to confront the demons in this countys past.

First, I want to appreciate the history, and secondly Im mean-spirited, in the sense that I dont think they can continue to tell us no, Griffin said as to why hes pursuing this plan. We have to recognize everybodys contribution to this country." African Americans were subjected to genocide, he said, "and we act like its a shame and we shouldnt speak about it.

Forced out in wake of Hurricane Ike

If industry and integration gradually pushed Black residents out of Galveston, Hurricane Ike and the years of rebuilding, or lack thereof, did so with relative swiftness. The city demolished three public housing developments  where many of the citys Black residents lived in the aftermath of the 2008 storm  with promises to rebuild them with federal money earmarked just for that purpose.

Wealthy, mostly white Galvestonians, however, questioned whether the developments were worth rebuilding at all, arguing at public meetings that rebuilding affordable housing units would invite drug use and crime. In 2012, retired businessman Lewis Rosen, a vocal public housing opponent, unseated incumbent Joe Jaworski in the citys mayoral election.

Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer Retired attorney Anthony Griffin talks about his lands at the corner of Church and 27th Streets Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in Galveston. Older Black Galvestonians described this section as the Black business district when they were growing up in the 1950s. They said there are only a handful of Black-owned businesses on the island now. Griffin, who has been living in Galveston since late 1970s, is hoping to redevelop this section back to a business district. Behind him, there used to be a Black-owned hotel. (Yi-Chin Lee, Staff photographer/Houston Chronicle) Retired attorney Anthony Griffin talks about his lands at the corner of Church and 27th Streets Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in Galveston. Older Black Galvestonians described this section as the Black business district when they were growing up in the 1950s. They said there are only a handful of Black-owned businesses on the island now. Griffin, who has been living in Galveston since late 1970s, is hoping to redevelop this section back to a business district. Behind him, there used to be a Black-owned hotel. (Yi-Chin Lee, Staff photographer/Houston Chronicle)

The racial undertones of the debate were all too apparent for those most directly affected.

They didnt say it so boldly, and it wasnt that we had looked at (public housing) and figured out it doesnt work. It was we dont want it back, and when they said it, it had a face. And that face looked like mine, Phillips said.

Federal housing authorities eventually forced the city of Galveston to rebuild public housing in some form, though city officials argued they lacked the land and financial capital to manage and maintain the kind of housing that activists wanted. Eventually, the city landed on a plan that included two new mixed-income developments and assorted single-family homes and duplexes scattered throughout the island.

But the damage was done. In 2020, Galvestons Black population had fallen to 9,030 people from 14,456 in 2000  a drop of about 38 percent, according to U.S. Census data. The islands total population, by comparison, only fell by about 6 percent.

In that same time period, the proportion of Black people in Galvestons population plummeted from 25 percent to 17 percent, census data shows.

Its a disheartening reality for the citys longtime Black residents, many of whom trace their roots on the island back several generations, but local historians and activists have also taken steps to ensure their history in Galveston is preserved: The Nia Cultural Center has run a summer literacy camp called Freedom School, where children learn how to advocate for themselves and how to take action, since the 1990s, says their executive director, Sue Johnson.

More recently, local historian Sam Collins III spearheaded a campaign to open the Juneteenth Legacy Project, an art museum and historical center, on the site where Gen. Granger read the order announcing slavery had been abolished. On the side of the building, which opened last year, is a 5,000-square-foot mural called Absolute Equality, painted by Houston artist Reginald Adams, depicting the story of Juneteenth.

When Juneteenth arrives on Sunday, Reedy Chapel Church will host a daylong festival to celebrate the holiday, complete with a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on the courthouse steps. And Galvestons Black residents will celebrate like theyve always done, long before the rest of the country caught on.

sam.kelly@chron.com
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Flaco Jimenez, the five-time Grammy Award winner who helped introduce Tejano music to a wider audience, is being honored by the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists during its 24th annual scholarship and awards gala this summer.

He is just legendary, SAAHJ President Laura Garcia said. We thought its time that we honor someone like that.

The SAAHJ Annual Scholarship and Awards Gala recognizes individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the community in some way, shape or form.

On ExpressNews.com: Flaco Jimenez album Partners added to National Recording Registry at Library of Congress

This years event, sponsored by health care company WellMed, will be held at 6 p.m. July 23 at the St. Anthony Hotel on East Travis Street. There, the association will distribute $40,000 in scholarships to 11 area students studying journalism and mass communications.

The scholarships include $5,000 for an outstanding Latino student interested in pursuing a career as a reporter or author, according to the SAAHJ. That scholarship is funded by Shea Serrano, a San Antonio native and New York Times bestselling author known for writing about sports, movies and music.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio's Shea Serrano and his 'Good Energy Gang' donations

The students were aiming to help are, at many times, economically disadvantaged, and they really rely on things like scholarships and financial aid to help get through college, Garcia, herself a former scholarship recipient, said, noting the association will be giving out more per student than we ever have this year. Its so important for us to help our students, especially students of color, graduate and get their foot in the door to work in newsrooms.

In addition to scholarships, SAAHJ also will be presenting its annual awards.

Jimenez will receive the Corazon de Oro Award, which honors individuals and groups that have made significant contributions to the U.S. Latino landscape throughout their work and careers, according to the SAAHJ. He was born on the South Side in 1939 and rose to fame for his mastery of the accordion.

Music journalist Ramon Hernandez will receive the Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Journalism for his coverage of Tejano music over more than three decades.

On ExpressNews.com: S.A. garage a treasure trove of Hispanic music history

Hernandez, a former freelancer for the Express-News, also built an enormous trove of Tejano music memorabilia, including instruments owned by famous names such as Isidro Lopez, Little Joe Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna and Selena, in that time. The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University acquired his collection in 2018.

Hernandez and Jimenez are so deserving, Garcia said.

Also being recognized is the San Antonio Food Bank, which will receive the Community Service Award for its inspiring response to the coronavirus pandemic and its work addressing hunger and poverty in the predominantly Mexican American seventh-largest city in the nation, according to a news release from SAAHJ.

Everybody knows that the food bank is amazing, but I think they really shone during the pandemic, when COVID-19 exposed these economic disparities in San Antonio, Garcia said.

The gala is open to the public, though only a limited number of individual tickets will be sold. Tables are available at prices ranging from $2,000 to $10,000.

Garcia said she expects about 250 people to attend.

caroline.tien@hearst.com
A grand jury has formally charged a San Antonio man with intoxicated manslaughter charges in connection with a deadly drunken driving crash in March.

Court documents show the indictment was filed Friday in Bexar County against Christopher Del Toro.

On ExpressNews.com: 'Im even looking into a second job': Soaring CPS Energy bills jarring to San Antonio customers

Del Toro was intoxicated when he drove his vehicle into another vehicle occupied by Jessica Brill on March 27, according to the BexarCounty District Attorneys office. The indictment alleges that Del Toro failed to take necessary and proper evasive action to avoid driving his vehicle into Brills.

The case is being prosecuted in the 226th District Court in Bexar County. If convicted, Del Toro could face up to 20 years in prison and a possible fine of up to $10,000.

This week, Bexar County grand juries handed down 197 felony indictments.

timothy.fanning@express-news.net
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Surveillance footage shows that police never tried to open a door to two classrooms at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in the 77 minutes between the time a gunman entered the rooms and massacred 21 people and officers finally stormed in and killed him, according to a law enforcement source close to the investigation.

Investigators believe the 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at the school on May 24 could not have locked the door to the connected classrooms from the inside, according to the source.

On ExpressNews.com: Minute-by-minute reconstruction of Uvalde school shooting

All classroom doors at Robb Elementary are designed to lock automatically when they are closed so that the only way to enter from the outside is with a key, the source said. Police might have assumed the door was locked, but the latest evidence suggests it may have been open the whole time, possibly due to a malfunction, the source said.

The surveillance footage indicates gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, was able to open the door to classroom 111 and enter with an assault-style rifle, the source said.

Another door led to classroom 112.

On ExpressNews.com: Remember the lives lost in Uvalde school massacre

Ramos entered Robb Elementary at 11:33 a.m. that day through an exterior door that a teacher had pulled shut but that didnt lock automatically as it was supposed to, indicating another malfunction in door locks at the school.

Police finally opened the door to classroom 111 and killed Ramos at 12:50 p.m. Whether the door was unlocked all along remains under investigation.

Regardless, officers had access the entire time to a halligan  a crowbar-like tool that could have opened the door to the classrooms even if it was locked, the source said.

On ExpressNews.com: At a cemetery in Uvalde, an everlasting grief

Two minutes after Ramos entered the building, three Uvalde police officers chased him inside. Footage shows that Ramos fired rounds inside classrooms 111 and 112, briefly exited into the hallway and then re-entered through the door, the source said.

Ramos then shot at the officers through the closed door, grazing two of them with shrapnel. The officers retreated to wait for backup and heavy tactical equipment rather than force their way into the classrooms.

Pedro Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde school district police chief and the on-scene incident commander, has said he spent more than an hour in the hallway of the school. He told the Texas Tribune that he called for tactical gear, a sniper and keys to get inside. He said he held officers back from the door to the classrooms for 40 minutes to avoid gunfire.

When a custodian brought a large key ring, Arredondo said he tried dozens of the keys but none worked.

But Arredondo was not trying those keys in the door to classrooms 111 and 112, where Ramos was holed up, according to the law enforcement source. Rather, he was trying to locate a master key by using the various keys on doors to other classrooms nearby, the source at the Texas Tribune article said.

While Arredondo waited for a tactical team to arrive, children and teachers inside the classrooms called 911 at least seven times with desperate pleas for help. One of the two teachers who died, Eva Mireles, called her husband by cellphone after she was wounded and lay dying.

The massacre occurred two days before the start of summer break, on the same day as a just-completed awards ceremony for the 3rd and 4th-graders at Robb Elementary.

Days after the massacre, Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a news conference that each door can lock from the inside and that when Ramos went in, he locked the door. That information was preliminary, the source said, and further investigation by the Texas Rangers has yielded new revelations about the door.

As the investigation has unfolded, law enforcement has changed the story of the massacre several times, adding to public confusion over how police responded to the mass shooting.

Days after the shooting, DPS said the exterior door that Ramos entered had been left propped open by a teacher. It wasnt. She had closed it. And the agency also corrected early misinformation that school police shot at Ramos before he entered the school. No school police officers confronted him outside the school.

DPS and Uvalde city officials have refused to provide further details, citing an ongoing criminal investigation into the massacre by Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee.

The Texas Rangers, with assistance from the FBI, are investigating the police response. Separately, the Justice Department is conducting a critical incident review of the police response.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said he was upset by the new details.

As more of the story comes out, Im shocked like the rest of the country at the incompetence and dereliction of duty by multiple law enforcement agencies who failed to save those kids, Castro said. Im also increasingly disturbed by what looks like an attempt to cover up the truth by state officials and the local police department who have refused to comply with requests to release information to the public.

State Rep. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, whose district encompasses Uvalde, said he was unaware of the revelations about the door. If the door was unlocked the entire time  or if police could have forced their way in regardless  then people likely died unnecessarily, he said.

If thats true, we probably could have saved three or four extra children, Gutierrez said. The teacher possibly could have been saved. We know two kids had gunshot wounds that they bled out from. We know that one teacher was alive when they pulled her out and she died on the way to the hospital.

Any law enforcement agency whose officers waited in the hallway for more than an hour committed negligence, he said, if the door could have easily been breached the entire time.

Gutierrez added that investigators should immediately clarify exactly how police responded  or failed to respond  to the massacre.

What were the failures? Gutierrez continued. Were they communication failures? Were they human error failures? Were they system failures? Or was it simply something as simple as not turning a doorknob? We need to know that. And the fact that they are hiding all of this information from the public and community in Uvalde is just a tragedy.
Juneteenth is officially a Bexar County holiday.

It commemorates the end of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in June, when President Joe Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.

On ExpressNews.com: Alamo holds its first Juneteenth event

The city of San Antonio observed Juneteenth as an official holiday for the first time this year.

Now, Bexar County is on board. County commissioners, acting on a proposal by Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores, voted unanimously last week to make Juneteenth a county holiday.

Clay-Flores said the recognition was just a beginning, a gesture that had to be backed up with substance and action.

We need to continue to advocate for educational access, political representation, voting rights, health equity and bridging the wealth gap for people of color in Bexar County and beyond, she said.

On ExpressNews.com: Alamos ties to slavery stir debate

On June 19, 1865, Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston to announce that the estimated quarter-million slaves in Texas had been freed by President Abraham Lincoln. That was more than two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Celebrations began immediately and have been occurring annually ever since. Though the holiday is rooted in Texas, Juneteenth long since has spread to other states. The drive to make it a national holiday gained momentum after the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020 sparked racial justice protests across the country.

shuddleston@express-news.net
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The political winds are at the backs of Texas Republicans as they head to the midterm elections later this year, but some of the biggest names in GOP politics are warning that trouble is looming on the horizon if they cannot iron out their internal divisions.

For most of the six-day state Republican Party convention that closed in Houston on Saturday, the GOP faithful heard pep rally-like optimism in speeches from politicians about how, thanks to President Joe Bidens poor approval ratings, they are going to take back the majorities in the U.S. House and Senate and send liberal politicians packing.

While Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had some of the same feel in his speech, the Houston Republican spent a large portion of his address to the more than 8,000 delegates imploring them to get over past political divisions  particularly in the governors race  because infighting could hand a win to Democrat Beto ORourke.

We cannot take November for granted in Texas, he said.

RELATED: With gun talks wavering, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn returns home to boos from Texas GOP

More specifically, Patrick addressed a pervasive concern in the party that some of the base, upset with the primary results, might skip the election or not vote at all, giving ORourke a chance to capitalize in the governors race.

We have to beat the Democrats and we cant stay home because our candidate that we voted for didnt win, Patrick said. We can not have Beto ORourke win.

Although Abbott won his primary with 66 percent of the vote, hes had trouble with some of the leadership within the GOP for how hes handled the pandemic and other legislative issues. Allen West, the former chairman of the party, ran against him in the Republican primary in March. Matt Rinaldi, the current chair who was elected to a two-year term during the convention this week, had endorsed former state Sen. Don Huffines over Abbott in the primary initially before later rescinding that to appear neutral in the race.

It led to an odd dynamic this week, with Abbott skipping out on speaking at the official convention meetings for the first time during his two terms as governor. The governor held an informal reception nearby and hasnt had advertising around the convention like he did at past conventions.

Huffines, who was more of a presence at the convention, is adding to the concern among Republicans that some could skip the race. In an interview, he refused to say hes voting for Abbott in the fall.

Were tired of having to hold our nose to vote for people who dont do what we want, Huffines said.

In the Republican primary, Huffines and West each got about 12 percent of the vote.

During his speech, Patrick warned that if ORourke wins, it has a down-ballot effect that could knock out other statewide Republicans on the ballot.

If he were to win, every statewide Republican would lose, Patrick predicted. Every (Texas) Supreme Court justice would lose.

That fear is based on recent election data. In 2018, when ORourke came within 3 percentage points of defeating U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, nearly every statewide Republican had the closest re-election of their career, even against dramatically underfunded Democratic opponents with little name recognition.

Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller all won their re-elections with just 51 percent of the vote in 2018, when four years earlier without ORourke at the top of the ticket they were all near 60 percent.

State Comptroller Glenn Hegar and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn also used portions of their convention speeches to push the party faithful to unify to assure victory in November.

If were going to build on President (Donald) Trumps momentum and continue to make inroads in places like the Rio Grande Valley and all across Texas, we need to work together in November, Cornyn said.

Texas Take: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

But in some ways, Cornyn, who has been a senator for 20 years, illustrates the division in the party better than anyone. He was heavily booed during his appearance for his work on gun safety legislation in Congress, even as he called for unity. Many delegates are convinced Cornyn is compromising too much with Democrats, even though he said he would do nothing to infringe on their Second Amendment rights.

But booing and frustration with fellow Republicans doesnt mean the rank-and-file members for the GOP want to see it lead to Democrats getting elected, said Michael Walton, a delegate from Spring. He said if Cornyn is the nominee again in 2026  the next time hes on the ballot  hed vote for him to ensure Democrats dont take the seat.

If hes the nominee, were voting for him, Walton said. But he needed to hear what he heard yesterday.

Walton said the delegates at conventions always fight among themselves over differing issues in such a big state.

Sometimes you want to send a message, but not voting at his point is not an option, Walton said. When you dont vote, you end up getting a Democrat.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
UPDATE, JUNE 19 AT 10:36 AM:

The Missing Endangered Person Advisory for Nevaeh Kern has been canceled as she has been located and is safe.

WEST YELLOWSTONE - A missing and endangered person advisory has been issued for a 15-year-old Native American girl last seen on June 17.

According to the advisory, Nevaeh Kern left her foster home in West Yellowstone during the night on June 17.

Nevaeh reportedly took her foster moms vehicle, a 2014 White Subaru Outback, with Montana license plate CMC967.

She is described as being five feet four inches tall and weighs 200 pounds with glasses.

Nevaeh left her cellphone and medication at home and there is concern for her safety.

Possible directions of travel include Kalispell, Livingston, or Idaho.

If you have any information about Nevaeh Kern, you are asked to call the West Yellowstone Police Department at 406-646-7600 or dial 911.
Egypt-EU-Israel gas deal "model for joint cooperation": analysts

Xinhua) 11:30, June 19, 2022

CAIRO, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Egypt, Israel and the European Union (EU)'s agreement on the transport and export of natural gas is a model for cooperation between gas consumers and producers, and enhances joint regional cooperation, according to Egyptian experts.

On Wednesday, Egypt, the EU, and Israel signed a gas deal to allow more Israeli gas to be liquefied in Egypt and then transported to the EU, as the bloc tries to limit dependence on Russian energy imports.

The deal was signed as Egypt hosted the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EastMed), a grouping established in 2019 that aims to boost gas trade between regional countries including Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Jordan, and during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Cairo.

Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla said on Friday that the trilateral deal would contribute to encouraging global companies to speed up the production and development of infrastructure and natural gas resources in the Middle East.

"The move is a benchmark that opens the road for concluding more deals in the future," El-Molla said.

Egyptian economist Karim Al-Omda described the agreement as an important model for boosting cooperation between gas consumers and producers and enhancing cooperation among energy powers in the region.

"This comes as the EU seeks to wean itself off Russian gas after the measures taken by Russia to reduce gas pumped to European countries," Al-Omda told Xinhua.

The huge explorations of natural gas in the Middle East could benefit regional countries through cooperation with the EU, which is one of the most prominent and important consumers of natural gas in the world, the expert said.

He said that Egypt owns the largest natural gas liquefaction stations in the region which is not operating at full capacity. The agreement is a good instrument to ensure their maximum use, he said.

The economist pointed out that Egypt is also a gas producer, but its exports have been limited by rising domestic demand. Egypt produces 7.2 billion cubic meters daily but consumes about 6 billion cubic meters domestically, while most of Israel's gas production is unrestricted for export.

Based on an agreement signed between Egypt and Israel in 2020, Israel exports about 20 million cubic meters of gas per day from an offshore field to Egypt, where it is liquefied and shipped to European countries, Al-Omda said.

"Liquefaction and passage into the Egyptian natural gas network mean income to Egypt," the economist said.

But a significant increase in gas exports from Israel via Egypt would require major long-term infrastructure investments, he said, adding that the deal is just a beginning and several countries could join it.

Egypt will rehabilitate the gas fields in Palestine, and countries such as Syria, Jordan, and other members of the EastMed can join and use Egyptian liquefaction facilities and transport gas to Europe, Al-Omda said.

After the signing of the agreement, von der Leyen said "this is a big step forward in the energy supply to Europe, but also for Egypt to become a regional energy hub."

She said the agreement was part of Europe's efforts to diversify energy sources away from Russia and import hydrocarbons from "other trustworthy suppliers," naming Israel and Egypt who have emerged as gas exporters in recent years following major offshore discoveries.

"This will contribute to our EU energy security, and we are building infrastructure fit for renewables -- the energy of the future," she tweeted.

Meanwhile, Saeed Sadiq, professor of political sociology with the American University in Cairo, said "the deal is an investment in Egypt's proactive vision of establishing a strong infrastructure for natural gas liquefaction stations, whether in Damietta or in Idku."

He added the deal is an important outcome of the EastMed and emphasizes the close strategic relations between Egypt and its partners in the energy fields.

However, Sadiq noted that this gas will not be a substitute for Russian gas but only "mitigate the harmful effects of the current international changes," adding that the agreement also helps Egypt to realise its ambition to become a regional energy hub.

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)




South Korea's new COVID-19 cases stayed below 10,000 for the 10th straight day Sunday, with fewer tests conducted over the weekend amid the slowing spread of the virus.







The country added 6,071 infections, including 83 cases from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 18,276,552, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said.







Of the locally transmitted cases, Seoul accounted for 1,107 cases, with the surrounding Gyeonggi Province reporting 1,399 cases. Busan, the country's second largest city, reported 343 more infections.







The tally marked a fall from 7,198 on Friday and 6,842 on Saturday. Sunday's count was also the lowest in 22 weeks since Jan. 16.







The KDCA reported 14 more deaths, raising the death toll to 24,441. The fatality rate stood at 0.13 percent.







The number of critically ill patients came to 70, down from 71 the previous day, the agency added.







As of 9 p.m., the country had reported 3,376 new infections, down 2,384 from the same time a day earlier, according to local governments and health authorities. Daily infections are counted until midnight and announced the following morning.







The nation's coronavirus cases have been trending downward since peaking at an all-time high of over 620,000 in mid-March.







In mid-April, the government lifted most social distancing restrictions, except the mask mandate, in a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life.







Last Friday, however, it announced a decision to extend the seven-day quarantine mandate for COVID-19 patients for four more weeks, as concerns of a resurgence of infections persist.







The mandate can be lifted when weekly deaths stay under 100 and the fatality rate falls below 0.1 percent, according to health authorities.







As of Saturday, two-dose vaccinations had been administered to 44.6 million people, or 86.9 percent of the total population, and 33.4 million, or 65 percent, had received their first booster shots. More than 4.33 million people, or 8.4 percent of the population, had their second booster shots, the KDCA said. (Yonhap)


Its 2022 and self-love is not just a catchphrase anymore. It has catapulted into the need of the hour and intent behind every conscious decision that we make. Embracing yourself as you are is something that doesnt come easy to many people, even today, especially when we live in a world where there is an Instagram and Snapchat filter for every flaw  be it pimples, blemishes and zits on your skin. But do we want to live in a world that finds comfort in absurd filters that propagate the idea of delusory beauty standards?

While a bigger pout and fluttery lashes float in the list of ideal beauty standards (and thereby filters), airbrushed skin tops the list. Why? Primarily to conceal and camouflage all the so-called imperfections  pimples, texture, pores, dark spots, blemishes and give the skin a finish that the society deems perfect. Be it the next-door aunty who casually recommends anti-pimple DIY tips or the friend who casually passes comments, this negative perception towards pimples has pushed young girls and women into a dungeon of self-doubt. Oftentimes these casual remarks not only affect the way you perceive yourself, but also cast a larger impact on your ideas of beauty  something that we need to normalize. A pimple or a zit cannot have this quantum of power over us that it changes the way we behave, act and feel beautiful. Something our digital cover stars  Prableen Kaur Bhomrah, Tarini Shah, Himadri Patel, Diksha Rawat and Ritvi Shah  have been advocating actively on social media and off of it to normalize pimples and to promote the idea that every skin  with or without pimples, fair or dusky, with moles or scars  is as real as we are and we do not need to cover up or change the way we are to fit into a box that society terms beautiful. Weve said enough and so should you, after all #PimpleHiToHai





Meet our digital cover stars  Prableen Kaur Bhomrah, Tarini Shah, Himadri Patel, Diksha Rawat and Ritvi Shah  who spill the beans on why saying #PimpleHiTohHai more often is important.

What inspired you to embrace your pimples on social media?





Prableen Kaur Bhomrah: It was more of a personal experience, where I was going through the lowest point in my life  I had PCOS, a massive pimple breakout. Whatever I would try, nothing would work for me. I was looking for inspiration on social media but couldnt find any. So, I thought I really needed to commence the pimple positivity movement on social media in India.











Tarini Shah: When growing up in the times of social media where everyone has this flawless skin or is indulging in procedures to achieve that, you end up comparing your normal self to everything you see. Everyone wonders why they dont have such skin. Thats when you start making all the changes to reach the socially acceptable skin. I didnt want anyone to take that toxic route, which is why Im happy to embrace my pimples on social media.











Himadri Patel: Over the years, Ive built that confidence where I like to embrace my skin the way it is. Despite being a beauty creator, Ive stopped glamming up and using full-coverage foundations. Hence, Ive been so comfortable with the way my skin looks.











Diksha Rawat: I dont conceal my pimples when sharing my content. However, funnily enough, the reason why I got into makeup was to cover up my pimples because I was so conscious about it, and everyone would point it out. As a silly teenager, that made me feel ugly  which makes me very sad now. So now, I accept my skin the way it is. Pimples come and go; if I have one  let it show, its not the end of the world. Ultimately, even if one follower thinks that she can pull it off because I can, then my job is done.











Ritvi Shah: I think growing up I used to see makeup as a means to cover my bare skin. Thats what I also learned from my mother, movies, etc. Only very recently, when I started creating content did I develop the confidence and courage to embrace my bare skin. Makeup as a cover-up has been normalized more than bare skin, thats where weve gone wrong. Its okay to idealize clear skin if you wish to, but not at the cost of someones mental health.











Why according to you, is it important to have positive conversations about pimples

PKB: It is so important for us to talk about something that is so normal. And, I wanted to break the stereotype, break the stigma around people having an issue with someone having scars and pimples. I dont have a problem with filters at all until it leads you to feel bad about your natural skin. This is the reason why I started the #NoFilterWithPKB movement  I wanted people to talk about real skin and feel normal. A recent video that I posted embracing my pimples, texture and pores crossed a million views. That only goes to show that this conversation needs to continue. My goal is to see people with pimples on posters, social media, and television.

TS: Pimples are not a problem to solve, its something natural that is bound to happen. And, contrary to what we think and feel, no one really cares about the zit on our faces.

HP: Being comfortable in your skin is important and Ive arrived at that feeling over time, and its wonderful.

DR: I am really glad that these discussions are happening  its a cultural movement about acceptance in every form  not just skin, bodies too. I have been through so much and so I want to protect as many people as possible from that trauma because it is unnecessary.

RS: The reality needs to be seen and heard more in the public eye, for it to be normalized. We, as a society, need to put more models and people with pimples on magazine covers, in movies, etc. to normalize real skin. The conversation can start at home too, but it must start somewhere.





Caring for your pimples is an integral part of accepting your skin. So, whats your skincare routine like?

PKB: My skincare routine starts with a face wash, then a hydrating toner, serum, and moisturizer.

TS: I swear by staying hydrated and following a skincare routine that works for you  doesnt need to be a 10-step elaborate one. A basic one with effective ingredients works just as well. My mother encourages me to use multani mitti, haldi and dahi and other such homemade packs to care for my skin.

HP: Skincare is everything when it comes to beauty. If your skin is prepped well, your makeup looks good. I have very sensitive skin, for which I like to use a mild cleanser and lots of moisturizer. A good cleanser that doesnt strip off the natural moisture is very important to care for the skin. And SPF, I mean I cannot emphasize enough on the importance of it.

DR: For my skin, I make sure to wash it religiously. I make sure to use a good cleanser and never skip sunblock.

RS: I dont do much for my skincare routine. I have tried products here and there, but I advise going to a dermatologist if needed. Thats a stigma as well, that needs to be broken. I use a cleanser and sunscreen in the morning. At night, I double cleanse with micellar water and the same gentle cleanser followed up by a moisturizer.









Being a content creator, you frequently indulge in makeup to give character to your look. How do you then give your skin that much-needed TLC?

PKB: When I am breaking out, I include salicylic acid in my routine. On days when my skin feels dehydrated, I use hyaluronic acid. I treat my skin on the basis of how its feeling.

TS: My skin suffered a lot of backlash from the excessive makeup I used initially. Ive realized my skin isnt made of cement and that it needs a break; it needs to breathe. It needs time away from all kinds of chemicals. So, a day with no makeup is also something that Ive done recently  a skin detox. IRL, I avoid makeup as much as I can.

HP: If your skincare game is on point, it will automatically make you feel confident about your skin being bare. On days when I have pimples, I use products to treat the skin, otherwise, I use products that have been working for my skin for years.

DR: The downside of creating so much content and trying so many products is that it may or may not suit me. Even makeup, at times, doesn't suit me. But Ive learned and understood better now. In the last two years (okay, I might be exaggerating now) no matter how tired I am or whatever the situation may be, I double cleanse.

RS: As I said, I dont do much for my skin anyway. So just keep up with the cleanser and SPF.







Whats your mantra that you want every follower of yours to know?

PKB: Theres no way to skip pimples, its important to care for it though. Keep your skin hydrated and healthy. Eat well and care for your body, dont stress  that can cause more trouble.

TS: Dont let the way your skin is or looks affect you or your confidence adversely. Start telling yourself #PimpleHiTohHai every day and that it doesnt define you or your life. Dont stress about the pimple or conceal it, let it heal.

HP: Embrace your skin and use the right products.

DR: Because Ive been through a phase of self-doubt, I would like to say that dont let other peoples opinions of you seep into your brain. That doesnt matter. You are what you make of yourself. If people comment on your physical appearance, or how your skin looks, that tells something about them, not you. You have you at the end of the day and nobody else matters. I wish somebody had told me that when I was young, it wouldve meant the world to me.

RS: We must change the way pimples are perceived. We must not look at pimples with a sense of pity, but simply as something normal. We see someone with pimples and are quick to think that theyre not beautiful. We must normalize pimples in a way that no one ever points it out.





Clean & Clears #PimpleHiTohHai campaign is all about putting the stereotypical narrative around perfect skin to rest. This obsession with stressing over pimples and imperfections adversely affects teenagers and young adults more than anyone else. The campaign also further underlines that the world around them doesnt really care about pimples as much as they think they do. We, too, believe that naturally occurring pimples, texture and other so-called imperfections are normal for your skin and shouldnt come in the way of your self-love and self-acceptance journey, nor should they be given the power to shatter your confidence.. Just like other aspects of life, pimples will come and go. The key is to learn to embrace your skin at all times and not dwell on something as inconsequential as pimples!





This article is sponsored by Clean and Clear India.
Image: Instagram Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra created history on Saturday by winning the gold medal at the ongoing Kuortane Games in Finland. The sportsman took the top spot with a best throw of 86.69m as he finished ahead of Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago and world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada.Neeraj's throw of 86.69m in his first attempt remained unrivalled, despite harsh weather conditions in Finland. After a foul in the second attempt, he went all in for his third, but ended up slipping on the wet track. Fortunately, he wasnt injured.Image: Instagram Earlier this week, in his first competitive event since winning a historic gold in Tokyo, Neeraj set a new national record of 89.30m while taking part at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland. While talking to a leading daily about his victory, he shared, This was my first competition since the Tokyo Olympics and it went really well, as in the first competition itself, I hit my personal best throw and also won the Silver Medal. Now I am aiming for the next few events which will be bigger than this and of course, the Commonwealth Games, where I will face a lot of competition. He also added that the event boosted his confidence and he is now aiming to improve upon what he learned at the Paavo Nurmi Games.Chopra's is next scheduled to compete in the Diamond League meet in Stockholm on June 30.
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Bollywood celebrities take over Instagram to share their fondest memories with their fathers on Fathers Day. These celebrities have been wishing all the fathers in their lives, be it their husbands who have been great fathers or their own fathers.Sara Ali Khan shared a picture that shows her father Saif Ali Khan posing with Ibrahim and Sara. She wrote, Happy Fathers Day Abba Jaan with heart emojis.Esha Gupta took to Instagram to share a picture of her father as the duo poses with their dogs. She captioned the picture, This is us.. happy Fathers Day to my everything, I love you so much papa.Rakul Preet Singh shared a reel that features images of her father from the Maldives trip they took together. The picture is captioned, People ask me whats your biggest fear .. I say none cos my dad taught my to be fearless happy Fathers Day to my biggest strength .. love you so muchhhh dad.Abhishek Bachchan also shared a picture with Amitabh Bachchan where the duo looks suave as they pose for the cameras. He captioned the picture, Main man!!! Happy Fathers Day, Pa. Love you. @amitabhbachchan.Sushmita Sen shared a video with her father and her two daughters as they jetted off to Maldives to celebrate Fathers Day. She captioned the post, Happpppyyyyyy Fathers Day!!!! #duggadugga I love you guys!!! #yourstruly #Alisah @reneesen47 & Baba #takingoff #Maldives.Sanjay Dutt also shared a collage with his father Sunil Dutt, his wife and his children. He captioned the post, I love you, Dad! Thank you for every little thoughtful thing you did for me, for us... for our family! You will always be my great source of strength, pride and inspiration. I was blessed and lucky to have been your son for you were the best role model I could ask for! I hope and pray to be as good as a parent as you have been. #HappyFathersDay to mine and to all fathers out there.Anushka Sharma also shared a picture of her father Ajay Kumar Sharma on her Instagram stories. She added a big heart emoji to the picture.




The remains of a Canadian veteran of the 1950-53 Korean War will be laid to rest in the U.N. cemetery in South Korea's southeastern city of Busan later this week in line with his dying wish, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs said Sunday.







The ministry plans to hold a ceremony marking the return of the remains of John Robert Cormier at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, at 6 p.m. Monday, officials said. The following day, his remains will be interred at the U.N. Memorial Cemetery.







Cormier participated in the war in defense of South Korea at age 19 in April 1952. He passed away after living at a nursing home for military retirees in Canada for some 25 years, Nov. 24 last year.







Cormier had told his family that he wanted to be buried in South Korea, according to the ministry.







"It is our natural duty to show appreciation and courtesy over the sacrifices and contributions of the veterans who helped defend the Republic of Korea," Veterans Minister Park Min-shik was quoted by his office as saying.







Since 2015, the ministry has helped foreign Korean War veterans be buried at the U.N. cemetery in line with their wishes or those of their bereaved families. A total of 13 former U.N. troops, excluding Cormier, have been laid to rest in the cemetery.






In picturesque Brownsville, which long ago successfully transitioned from mill town to Mayberry, a controversy with constitutional implications is brewing: The City Council is not happy with its coverage in the weekly newspaper.

Rather than picking up the phone, penning a letter to the editor or posting on other channels to get their message out, council members have formed an ad hoc committee to address what they see as biased articles based on rumors.

After meeting among themselves  in two groupings because so many councilors wanted to participate they would have violated open meetings laws to have come together  they formulated a recommendation. They would write their own articles to be published in The Times, a weekly covering mid-Linn County and circulating since 1888, but so tiny it doesnt have an online version.

Over the course of a 12-minute discussion during the May meeting, City Council members outlined the merits of the proposal, with nearly all in agreement. They would take turns writing articles after the monthly meeting, to, as Councilor Adam Craven puts it, benefit the community positively by providing an unbiased straightforward recount of city business.

Not once did councilors wonder aloud whether publisher and editor Vance Parrish would reject the articles. They just assumed he would run them.

He wont.

Ethically, to me, it would be irresponsible to lean entirely on their press releases to report on whats going on in the city, he said.

Parrish would, he wanted to make clear, treat them like any other release and mine them for news he hadnt covered yet.

How did we get here?

Parrish and his wife Holly bought the newspaper in 2011 from Mayor Don Ware. The potential conflict of a politician owning the paper in which he was regularly featured did not escape scrutiny, with the Associated Press and journalism-focused nonprofit Poynter Institute picking up a 2006 story from the Register-Guard questioning the ethics of such ownership.

At the time, Ware said he viewed the paper as "more of a community promoter than a community watchdog."

Parrish, who does not have formal journalism training, has nonetheless wanted to raise the bar with The Times content, he said.

A graphics arts major from Linn-Benton Community College whos taken writing classes, Parrish does everything, from reporting to selling the ads to laying out the paper to delivering them in his car to the few retail outlets that sell them. That includes the town pharmacy and a combination liquor-video rental store.

Because the paper is not a big moneymaker, he cant even afford recently graduated journalism students. So Parrish hires the inexperienced, knowing there will be teachable moments along the way.

While he understands there will be mistakes and possible misinterpretations, especially coming out of bureaucratese-laden government meetings, he endeavors to correct any errors in the next edition and wants to hear from anyone who finds one.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

Parrish said he has mentored several reporters, most lasting a couple of years before moving on. His current reporter is his daughter, and shes the only employee. Its a family business these days.

To hear the council members tell it, the paper gets everything wrong.

He is more interested in rushing to publish rumors, Councilor Adam Craven said at the May 24 meeting, peppering in words such as gossip and speculation.

In an interview, Parrish said he doesnt know where that inflammatory verbiage comes from, as the last correction  an honest mistake as he characterized it  came out of a Central Linn School District meeting earlier this year in which the reporter took the phrase our friends in Brownsville to mean public officials. He quickly corrected that error, and hasnt had any complaints since.

Then during the April City Council meeting, as part of the council comments portion of the agenda, the official minutes indicate Craven said he had several lengthy conversations with constituents about The Times and suggested forming an ad hoc committee to have a discussion with the local paper in regard to recent editorials and articles covering city business.

Parrish responded with an editorial in the May 11 edition, questioning the true purpose of the committee and reminding his readers that the First Amendment protects freedom of the press. He did say he was willing to meet, though he wanted that meeting open to the public and recorded.

Between the April and May council meetings, neither side picked up the phone. Both put the onus on the other. Parrish said he cant respond to any accusations if theyre not specific, and Craven said reactionary editorials prove theres no point to a dialogue.

I would like to formally rescind my request to meet with Mr. Parrish because the point is moot, he said from the dais in May.

Formal action?

What happened next is disputed by City Administrator Scott McDowell, the top employee at City Hall. He said the council took no formal action, which is why he didnt submit anything for publication last month.

He walked away believing that he would be the one writing news releases, posting them on the city Facebook page and the city website  and that these summaries would be part of a city messaging campaign.

But the actual conversation during the meeting, according to audio recorded by The Times and posted on the newspapers new YouTube channel, makes no reference to social media or the city website. Theres no wider strategy discussed, just a plan to share reporting duties among the councilors after meetings, to devise writing guidelines for volunteer authors to follow and to open a line of communication with The Times.

We have a lot of moving parts coming, with the canal coming, with renovation of the rec center, right, some of the things were doing with the utilities, McDowell said before asking the council members to crystallize their action. We're going to make sure we get some really good articles out there because those are going to be a gigantic discussion for our community.

Craven made a motion to develop procedures and guidelines for a monthly summary of council meetings. It was seconded and passed, with one abstention, Mayor Ware, who said he declined to vote because of his past ties to the paper.

Reached by phone, Ware said he cast the wrong vote.

I shouldve voted no. I misunderstood what the goal was. I still dont understand what the goal is, he said without further comment.

Craven, who spearheaded the ad hoc committee, could not be reached for comment. Speaking from a prepared statement at the May meeting, he described the purpose as this:

I would like to request that this council authorize a monthly report of council meetings to The Times so the citizens of this community can have access to the factual content of city business.  Also, I would like to spearhead an effort to author and submit articles highlighting the citys recent events, projects and accomplishments which benefit all citizens of this community.

The First Amendment

Of course, city officials enjoy their own First Amendment rights to lobby a newspaper for what they believe is better coverage, said David Loy, legal director for the First Amendment Coalition, a California-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing free speech rights. But theres a difference between lobbying and demanding.

The government should never be in the business of dictating coverage to the press, he said.

When do officials cross that line? Loy said it is when they either explicitly or implicitly threaten the media with retaliation. For government, that can take many forms, whether it is pulling legal advertising, demanding new fees or permits or sending in a code enforcement officer to look for violations.

Asked if the city would be considering pulling its legal ads from The Times, McDowell  whos been with the city for more than two decades and likes to use the phrase anyhoo  said, Gosh, no.

The question is in the details, Loy said. What are they really trying to accomplish?

In Brownsville, a town so quaint it was the location shoot for the classic coming-of-age film "Stand by Me," the council seems close to the line.

The tone is certainly off-putting, Loy said of the May 24 council discussion. On the other hand, he prefers to assume the councilors were just being inartful about devising a new public relations strategy.

No one is entitled to be covered by the press the way they want, Loy said. Newspapers have full autonomy to publish  or not publish  items as they see fit. The press works for itself, not the government.

Its the only nongovernmental body enshrined in the constitution, giving the press unique stature, Loy added, quoting Thomas Jefferson who once said, if given a choice between a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.

The quote has more heft when put into context, Loy added, because during the founding years newspapers were far from unbiased.

At the very least, the conversation at the May meeting does call into question the councilors understanding of freedom of the press, Loy said.

As the discussion about The Times at the May 24 meeting came to a close, Council President Dave Hansen said he wanted to make clear no one wanted to infringe upon the papers freedom of the press. Thats not what this is about, he said.

Later, by phone, McDowell called the entire affair a comedy of errors.

Or a tragedy of errors, as Shakespeare might say it.

Editor's note: This article has been edited to correct the attribution of a quote from the audio-only recording of the May 24 City Council meeting.

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May 23, 1967 - March 7, 2021

Merry (Smallwood) Rath, 53, tragically passed away in her home March 7, 2021.

She worked as a hair stylist at Northwest Hairlines for 30 years, and was a member of Living Faith Community Church.

Merry was known by friends and family for her bright, welcoming smile and her love of music, movies, and cooking.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Mac and Marcia Smallwood, and is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Andi and Jacob Pruett; son Tony Smallwood, and sister, Lesli Kramer.

A memorial services will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at the Philomath Methodist Church in Philomath, Oregon at 2:00 p.m.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
By Kang Seung-woo



Whether to pick a new chief of the nation's arms procurement agency is posing a dilemma for President Yoon Suk-yeol, as its current leader from the previous administration is leading the domestic defense industry, which is expected to see a boom following robust exports.





Kang Eun-ho / Newsis

Although there has been some talk about candidates for the minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the president has yet to come up with a replacement for the current chief, Kang Eun-ho, who was appointed by former President Moon Jae-in in December 2020.



According to military sources, Yoon's struggle to pick a new DAPA minister is mainly due to a shortage of eligible candidates.



"As far as I know, the candidates who were recommended failed to make the cut," a source said.



Traditionally, DAPA chiefs have found themselves in the hot seat over whether the agency's number of contracts was appropriate. For example, earlier this year, Korea inked a contract to sell K-9 self-propelled howitzers to Egypt in a deal worth over 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion), but the government was under fire for its agreement to grant a loan so that the African country could purchase the weapon.



According to Shin Jong-woo, a senior researcher at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, the government's plan to scale down the DAPA may have affected the delay as well.



"The Yoon administration is anticipated to streamline the bulky organization, with no one refusing to play a bad role in reducing its authority," Shin said, adding that DAPA has sought to gain more power beyond procurement.



The military source also said, "The post has been filled by senior military or defense firm officials, but they seem to believe that the job is not appealing enough for them to run the risk."



The delay comes as there are some good news for the local defense industry, as evidenced by Poland's growing interest in Korea Aerospace Industries' FA-50 light attacker and Hyundai Rotem's K2 tank.



In addition, Yoon and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to strengthen their partnership in the area of defense during their summit, May 21, including beginning discussions on a Reciprocal Defense Procurement agreement, which is expected to help Korean companies export weapons to the U.S.



Yoon plans to attend the NATO leaders' meeting in Spain later this month, which the DAPA minister is also expected to attend amid expectations that a deal with Poland may be struck. Poland belongs to NATO.





Jeon Hyun-heui / Korea Times photo
New study suggests mystery still surrounds what happened to the bodies of Waterloo militaries

Were the bones of fallen Battle of Waterloo soldiers sold as fertiliser?

Thousands of soldiers died on the Belgium battlefield yet very few human remains have been found.

Now a new study by the University of Glasgow's Professor Tony Pollard suggests it is the most probable outcome of such a bloodied affair, but the archaeologist says it isn't quite a situation of 'case closed'.

In his findings published today  exactly 207 years since the historic conflict  in the peer-reviewed Journal of Conflict Archaeology, lead expert Professor Pollard, the Director of the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at the University of Glasgow, demonstrates original data comprising of newly found battlefield descriptions and drawings, made by people who visited in the days and weeks following Napoleons defeat.

These included letters and personal memoirs from a Scottish merchant living in Brussels at the time of the battle, James Ker, who visited in the days following the battle and describes men dying in his arms.

Together the visitor accounts describe the exact locations of three mass graves containing up to 13,000 bodies. But will these new data lead to a mass grave discovery of the long-lost bones of those who gave their lives in this battle, which finally concluded a 23-year long war?

Professor Pollard, said that this is unlikely adding: Artistic licence and hyperbole over the number of bodies in mass graves notwithstanding, the bodies of the dead were clearly disposed of at numerous locations across the battlefield, so it is somewhat surprising that there is no reliable record of a mass grave ever being encountered.

At least three newspaper articles from the 1820s onwards reference the importing of human bones from European battlefields for the purpose of producing fertiliser.

European battlefields may have provided a convenient source of bone that could be ground down into bone-meal, an effective form of fertiliser. One of the main markets for this raw material was the British Isles.

Professor Pollard, who is based at the University's Scottish Centre for War Studies and Conflict Archaeology, said: Waterloo attracted visitors almost as soon as the gun smoke cleared.

Many came to steal the belongings of the dead, some even stole teeth to make into dentures, while others came to simply observe what had happened. Its likely that an agent of a purveyor of bones would arrive at the battlefield with high expectations of securing their prize. Primary targets would be mass graves, as they would have enough bodies in them to merit the effort of digging the bones.

Local people would have been able to point these agents to the locations of the mass graves, as many of them would have vivid memories of the burials taking place, or may even have helped with the digging.

Professor Pollard added: Its also possible that the various guidebooks and travelogues that described the nature and location of the graves could have served essentially as treasure maps complete with an X to mark the spot.

On the basis of these accounts, backed up by the well attested importance of bone meal in the practice of agriculture, the emptying of mass graves at Waterloo in order to obtain bones seems feasible, and the likely conclusion is that.

But, to determine once and for all, as part of his role as the Lead Academic and an Archaeological Director at the charity Waterloo Uncovered, Professor Pollard will help to lead an ambitious, several years-long geophysical survey, involving veterans who will join the dig to provide insight to world-class archaeologists. In turn they receive care and recovery.

Professor Pollard added: The next stage is to head back out to Waterloo, to attempt to plot grave sites resulting from the analysis of early visitor accounts reported here.

If human remains have been removed on the scale proposed then there should be, at least in some cases, archaeological evidence of the pits from which they were taken, however truncated and poorly defined these might be.

Covering large areas of the battlefield over the coming years, we will look to identify areas of previous ground disturbance to test the results of the source review and distribution map, and in conjunction with further documentary research and some excavation will provide a much more definitive picture of the fate of the dead of Waterloo.

If the team was to find anything, it would be an extremely rare discovery. In 2015 a human skeleton was uncovered during the building of a new museum and car park at the site.

Then in 2019, amputated human leg bones were unearthed by the Waterloo Uncovered team in an excavation of the main allied field hospital. There is also a skeleton of uncertain provenance in the museum in Waterloo. No other significant remains have ever been found.

The article is freely available here - "These spots of excavation tell: using early visitor accounts to map the missing graves of Waterloo"

Waterloo Uncovered

Waterloo Uncovered is an archaeology project involving military veterans and serving personnel who have been injured or are suffering from PTSD.

Working in partnership with some of Europes top universities, and through the unique perspective of a team comprised of archaeologists, veterans, and serving soldiers, Waterloo Uncovered aims to understand war and its impact on people - and to educate the public about it
President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, walk by an honor guard at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan District, Seoul, Friday, before attending a luncheon with family members of patriots and veterans at the memorial museum. Yonhap



Presidential office will not set up office for Kim



By Nam Hyun-woo



President Yoon Suk-yeol's wife, Kim Keon-hee, is amplifying her political presence, meeting former first ladies and attending ceremonies to commemorate patriots last week. Her actions, however, appear to be raising unnecessary controversy, as she has been taking "unofficial" approaches to such official events. This situation comes as pressure to the president because the interest she has stirred up has been overshadowing Yoon's political messages, pundits said.



According to the presidential office, Sunday, Kim attended six events as the first lady from Monday to Saturday. Appearing at six public events in a week is rare compared to her predecessors.



She paid a visit to Kwon Yang-sook, the widow of former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun on Monday, and had a luncheon with ruling party lawmakers' wives on Tuesday. On Thursday, Kim visited Lee Soon-ja, the widow of former authoritarian leader Chun Doo-hwan, and met previous first lady Kim Jung-sook, the wife of Moon Jae-in, in Seoul on Friday.



Also on Friday, she accompanied Yoon to a luncheon with the family members of patriots, followed by attending a commemorative concert for a deceased jet fighter pilot on Saturday.



The presidential office said Kim did not attend Yoon's meeting with residents near the presidential office, because she had "separate work to do." The office did not specify what work that was.





President Yoon Suk-yeol's wife, Kim Keon-hee, left, poses for a photo with Lee Soon-ja, the widow of authoritarian former leader Chun Doo-hwan, during Kim's visit to Lee's residence in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of the presidential office




NEW YORK, June 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Manning & Napier, Inc. (NYSE: MN)

Lifshitz Law PLLC announces investigation into possible breach of fiduciary duties in connection with the sale of MN to Callodine Group, LLC for $12.85 in cash per share of MN owned.

If you are an investor, and would like additional information about our investigation, please complete the Information Request Form or contact Joshua Lifshitz, Esq. by telephone at (516)493-9780 or e-mail at info@jlclasslaw.com .

PS Business Parks, Inc. (NYSE: PSB)

Lifshitz Law PLLC announces investigation into possible breach of fiduciary duties in connection with the sale of PSB to affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate for $187.50 in cash per share of PSB owned.

If you are an investor, and would like additional information about our investigation, please complete the Information Request Form or contact Joshua Lifshitz, Esq. by telephone at (516)493-9780 or e-mail at info@jlclasslaw.com .

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW)

Lifshitz Law PLLC announces investigation into possible breach of fiduciary duties in connection with the sale of VMW to Broadcom Inc. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, shareholders of VMW will elect to receive either $142.50 in cash or 0.2520 shares of Broadcom common stock for each share of VMW they own.

If you are an investor, and would like additional information about our investigation, please complete the Information Request Form or contact Joshua Lifshitz, Esq. by telephone at (516)493-9780 or e-mail at info@jlclasslaw.com .

StoneMor (NYSE: STON)

Lifshitz Law PLLC announces investigation into possible breach of fiduciary duties in connection with the definitive merger agreement under which a subsidiary of Axar Capital Management, LP (Axar) will be merged with and into STON and all outstanding shares of STON common stock not owned by Axar as to which dissenters rights are not perfected will be converted into the right to receive $3.50 in cash per share. Axar currently owns approximately 75% of the outstanding shares of StoneMor common stock.

If you are an investor, and would like additional information about our investigation, please complete the Information Request Form or contact Joshua Lifshitz, Esq. by telephone at (516)493-9780 or e-mail at info@jlclasslaw.com .

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2022 Lifshitz Law PLLC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Lifshitz Law PLLC, 1190 Broadway, Hewlett, New York 11557, Tel: (516)493-9780. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

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Santiago, Chile, June 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LATAM Airlines Group and its subsidiaries in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the United States announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved the group's Plan of Reorganization filed by LATAM in the context of its Chapter 11 reorganization proceeding. Backed by nearly all of LATAM's creditors, the Plan is the result of months of negotiations among major stakeholders, which included an extensive mediation period. The Plan complies with U.S. and Chilean legal requirements. The confirmation order issued today by the U.S. Court represents the latest milestone in the U.S. Chapter 11 process initiated by LATAM to ensure its long-term sustainability.

We are very satisfied with the judge's confirmation of our restructuring plan. This is a very important step in the process to emerge from Chapter 11, and we will continue working hard to complete the remaining steps in the coming months, said Roberto Alvo, CEO of LATAM Airlines Group S.A.

LATAM is now focused on the implementation of the corporate actions necessary to complete the exit from the Chapter 11 reorganization process in the coming months. This includes approval at the Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting of the new capital structure contemplated in the Plan, the registration of shares and bonds in the securities registry of the Financial Market Commission (CMF) and the implementation of the respective preferential offering periods of the convertible shares and bonds in favor of LATAM's current shareholders.

Once effective, the LATAM Plan will inject approximately US$8 billion through a combination of a capital increase, the issuance of convertible bonds and new debt. This includes US$5.4 billion of financing backed by major shareholders (Delta Air Lines, Qatar Airways and Grupo Cueto) and LATAM's major creditors (i.e., the Parent Ad Hoc Group creditors and certain local bondholders). LATAM's exit from the Chapter 11 process is expected during the second half of 2022.

ABOUT LATAM AIRLINES GROUP

LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and its affiliates are the main group of airlines in Latin America with presence in five domestic markets in the region: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, in addition to international operations inside Latin America and between it and Europe, Oceania, the United States, and the Caribbean. The group has a fleet of Boeing 767, 777, 787, Airbus A321, A320, A320neo and A319 aircraft.

LATAM Cargo Chile, LATAM Cargo Colombia, and LATAM Cargo Brazil are the LATAM Airlines freight subsidiaries. In addition to having access to the passenger cargo holds of LATAM Airlines Group, they have a fleet of 14 freighters, which will gradually increase to a total of up to 21 freighters by 2023. They operate on the LATAM Airlines Group network, as well as international routes that are solely used for shipping. They offer modern Infrastructure, a wide variety of services and protection options to meet all customer needs.

For LATAM press inquiries, write to comunicaciones.externas@latam.com. More financial information is available at www.latamairlinesgroup.net.

Attachment
The Canadian Grand Prix promises to be a spectacular race. The wet conditions on Saturday have caused the starting field to be fairly shaken up. The lights will go green at 19:00 BST.

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Liveblog

Max Verstappen remained calm in the wet conditions and with a drying track during qualifying at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The Dutchman grabbed the pole position and seemed to have to put almost no effort into it. The first surprise we find directly behind Verstappen, as Fernando Alonso will attack the Red Bull Racing driver from P2.

Overtaking by Perez and Leclerc

From Verstappen's competitors, we can expect some nice overtaking races. Sergio Perez will hope for a podium finish from the thirteenth spot and Charles Leclerc will have to come from even further down, namely the nineteenth spot after a hefty grid penalty.

For drivers like Kevin Magnussen, Mick Schumacher and Guanyu Zhou it will be defending. All three will start in the top ten and hope for points. Alpine showed a lot of speed over the whole weekend, so Esteban Ocon will only look up from P7.

Weather forecast

On Sunday, unlike Saturday, no rain is expected in Montreal. In fact, a sunny race is expected with pleasant temperatures of around 21 degrees Celsius at the start of the Grand Prix.
Toto Wolff accuses "pathetic" rivals of "insincerity and political games. The FIA announced on Thursday that they want to intervene to address the porpoising problem, but the idea seems to be facing increasing opposition from Formula One teams.

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The ground effect is back in Formula 1 in 2022 for the first time since the 1980s and with it come the porpoising problems. Mercedes seems to have been hit hardest by the problems of a bouncing car, to the dismay of team boss Wolff. The FIA has indicated it will intervene to curb the problems, but this idea is receiving increasing opposition from several teams. Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko and AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost, for example, have already made it known that they are against FIA intervention.

Wolff against the rest

According to The Race Wolff expressed his displeasure towards his fellow team bosses in a meeting about porpoising. According to the Austrian, the situation is getting out of hand. "All drivers, at least one in every team, have said that they were in pain after Baku, that they had difficulty in keeping the car on track."

"And team principals trying to manipulate what is being said in order to keep the competitive advantage," says Wolff. According to the 50-year-old team boss, 'political games' are being played now that the FIA wants to come up with a quick solution. Wolff says his competitors are being 'disingenuous'.
Toto Wolff would not have been happy with the attitude of the other teams in Formula 1 regarding the resolution of the porpoising problem. The Mercedes team boss accuses the competition of "insincerity and political games". It even seems to have come to a small quarrel between Wolff and competitor Mattia Binotto.

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Ferrari and Mercedes team bosses clash

Earlier this weekend in Canada all the team bosses spoke to the FIA and Liberty Media about the porpoising of the cars. Wolff didn't like the way the conversation was conducted, so it seems to have had a tail end afterwards.

The journalist Adam Cooper, who was present in Montreal, announced on his Twitter account that Wolff and Binotto had collided in a not very friendly manner. Subsequently, Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing's team boss, was also said to have intervened in the discussion.

Cooper: "Hearing more and more about an angry exchange between Toto Wolff and Mattia Binotto re the porpoising technical directive at yesterday's meeting. Christian Horner joined in too... and all of this in front of Netflix camera." So in the new season of Drive to Survive, we may be able to start enjoying what was discussed.

Wolff not happy with rivals

Mercedes complained bitterly after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix about the level of porpoising. It pointed to the safety of the drivers and therefore the FIA decided to intervene. However, the 'technical directive' only seems to be to the disadvantage of Mercedes, while a team like Red Bull Racing (which doesn't bounce much anyway with its RB18) could potentially only walk away further. According to Wolff,"team bosses are trying tomanipulate what is said in order to maintain a competitive advantage.
President Yoon Suk-yeol poses with Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover last year during an event to mark the relocation of the presidential office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan District in central Seoul, Sunday. Yoon invited about 400 people, including Yongsan residents, salaried workers, small business owners and children to the event that took place at the courtyard of the presidential compound after it was moved from Jongno District on Yoon's May 10 inauguration. Yonhap



President Yoon Suk-yeol hosted a "housewarming" event in the front yard of the presidential office in central Seoul on Sunday, inviting some 400 neighbors and others to celebrate the relocation of the office.



Living up to his campaign pledge, Yoon has moved the presidential office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan from Cheong Wa Dae in line with his campaign pledge to connect better with people.



About 400 residents of Yongsan, young Afghan refugees and small business owners were invited to the event held in time for the completion of remodeling work at the defense ministry building, according to officials.





President Yoon Suk-yeol poses in the courtyard with 100 children who were invited to a party on Sunday to mark the relocation of the presidential office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan District in central Seoul. Yonhap





President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks on stage at the presidential office during a party on Sunday to mark its relocation to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan District in central Seoul. He thanked the people for welcoming him and presidential staff to the new presidential compound since his May 10 inauguration. Yonhap



"I thank you for allowing me and the presidential office staff into Yongsan and giving us a warm welcome," Yoon said. "I will work harder."



"I think South Korea and the whole world will be able to become happier when South Koreans, currently in a difficult situation, and people across the world have the sense of becoming one and unite," the president noted.





President Yoon Suk-yeol holds up a drawing he received as a gift from Afghan children during a party Sunday to mark the relocation of the presidential office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan District in central Seoul. The children were among nearly 400 Afghans and their family members who came to Korea in August 2021 as "persons of special merit" for supporting Korea's operation before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Yonhap





President Yoon Suk-yeol poses with children before a wallboard displaying drawings, themed "A Republic of Korea that children dream of," during a party on Sunday at the courtyard of the presidential office to mark its relocation to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan District in central Seoul. The exhibition was part of events, including a flea market and snack bar, welcoming about 400 guests. Yonhap





President Yoon Suk-yeol holds a wrapped cookie while looking around a snack booth during a party on Sunday to mark the relocation of the presidential office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan District in central Seoul. Yonhap
TOWSON, Md. (AP)  Apple store employees in a Baltimore suburb voted to unionize by a nearly 2-to-1 margin Saturday, a union said, joining a growing push across U.S. retail, service and tech industries to organize for greater workplace protections.

The Apple retail workers in Towson, Maryland, voted 65-33 to seek entry into the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union's announcement said. The vote could not immediately be confirmed with the National Labor Relations Board, which would have to certify the outcome. An NLRB spokesperson referred initial queries about the vote to the board's regional office, which was closed late Saturday.

Apple declined to comment on Saturdays development, company spokesperson Josh Lipton told The Associated Press by phone.

Union organizing in a variety of fields has gained momentum recently after decades of decline in U.S. union membership. Organizers have worked to establish unions at companies including Amazon, Starbucks, outdoors retailer REI and Google parent company Alphabet.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the Apple employees who wanted to join said they had sent Apple CEO Tim Cook notice last month that they were seeking to organize a union. The statement said their driving motivation was to seek rights we do not currently have. It added that the workers had recently organized in the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, or CORE.

I applaud the courage displayed by CORE members at the Apple store in Towson for achieving this historic victory, said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. in the statement. They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election."

Martinez called on Apple to respect the election results and to let the unionizing employees fast-track efforts to secure a contract at the Towson location.

It remained unclear what steps would follow the vote in Towson. Labor experts say its common for employers to drag out the bargaining process in an effort to take the wind out of union campaigns.

The IAM bills itself as one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.

The Apple store unionization comes against a backdrop of other labor organizing nationwide  some of them rebuffed.

Amazon workers at a warehouse in New York City voted to unionize in April, the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giants history. However, workers at another Amazon warehouse on Staten Island overwhelmingly rejected a union bid last month. Meanwhile, Starbucks workers at dozens of U.S. stores have voted to unionize in recent months, after two of the coffee chain's stores in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize late last year.

Many unionization efforts have been led by young workers in their 20s and even in their teens. A group of Google engineers and other workers formed the Alphabet Workers Union last year, which represents around 800 Google employees and is run by five people who are under 35.
Vic Eng / Hearst Connecticut Media Group Vic Eng / Hearst Connecticut Media Group Vic Eng / Hearst Connecticut Media Group Vic Eng / Hearst Connecticut Media Group Vic Eng / Hearst Connecticut Media Group

Two Roads Brewing Company hosted its Road Jam Music Festival on June 17 and June 18, 2022. The sixth annual event featured music from live jam bands and beer. Were you SEEN?
An Air Force master sergeant is paying tribute to his Guam ties, namely the wife he met and married on island and their now 1-year-old son, by flying the Guam flag in military aircraft as they support missions in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Joshua Hull most recently flew the flag on June 14, 2022, Flag Day, and sent the PDN his photos via Instagram.

On behalf of my wife, Christine Arce Hull (formerly of Mangilao) and our son, Matua, our U.S. and Guam flags proudly flew, in direct support of operations, for my family and all CHamorus, the airman wrote in his message. It was an honor to fly our Stars and Stripes and the beautiful Seal of Guam into the wild blue yonder.

Born and raised in Arizona, Joshua Hull met Christine Arce after being assigned in 2019 to Anderson Air Force Base as an aircraft production superintendent.

I lived in Paradise Estates where the most beautiful woman Ive ever seen moved into the house next door and we began dating shortly after.

On March 19, 2020, after hearing island stores were closing early, I rushed to Vince Jewelers and purchased her engagement ring minutes before the store would ultimately close due to COVID-19. On March 29th, we watched the sun rise over Pago Bay and then asked her to be my wife, YES!

We became husband and wife on July 5, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency Guam and had our marriage blessed with a cultural dance performed by Guma Mahiga and has been a wonderful journey ever since.

They moved in December 2020 to his next duty station in Kansas, where their son, Matua, was born. Joshua Hull first flew the flags on Matuas first birthday in March 2021.

Joshua Hull is currently on deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, an international campaign working in Iraq and Syria against threats from the Islamic State group, as well as Operation Enduring Sentinel, a mission to contain terrorism coming from Afghanistan.
Three years after University of Guam professor Evelyn Flores unveiled Indigenous Literatures from Micronesia, an anthology of works by 65 Micronesian authors, shes embarking on a similar project, this time focused on representing voices from the Marianas.

The Nahuyong CHamoru Anthology Project is accepting works in a variety of genres, including poetry, short stories, one-act plays, creative nonfiction, and excerpts from novels or memoirs.

The first anthology of its kind will be published by the University of Guam Press and will feature creative writing by CHamoru authors from Guahan, the Northern Marianas, and across the diaspora. The work is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2024 and launched in early 2025.

Flores, a poet in her own right as well as a professor of CHamoru studies and English, was inspired to undertake the project after completing the Micronesian anthology with Pohnpeian poet Emelihter Kihleng.

During that process of going through submissions, I realized that theres a geyser here on Guam for CHamoru literature, and we have the critical mass to build an anthology of our own because CHamorus are writing not just here on Guam, theyre writing in the diaspora, wherever they are, said Flores said.

She envisions the anthology as occupying an important position in the regions literary space, but in the classrooms as well, particularly as an educator who 100% believes that the biggest way to make a difference in culture is through education, and legislation.

To help her with the project, she has assembled a dream team of brilliant people who are engaged in the community, she said. The literary review board consists of:

Michael Bevacqua, curator at the Guam Museum who also writes a regular column for the PDN as well as CHamoru language publications under his imprint, The Guam Bus.

Anne Hattori, a CHamoru author and UOG professor of history and Micronesian and CHamoru studies.

Craig Santos Perez, a CHamoru author and University of Hawaii at Manoa professor who was awarded the gold medal Nautilus Book Award for his 2020 book, Habitat Threshold.

Teresita Perez, UOG English instructor and author of Legends of Guam, published by UOG Press.

Andrew Roberto, Saipan writer and program coordinator at the Northern Marianas Humanities Council.

There are two groups of material that will be coming in, Flores said. One group will be from invited writers, so writers who have produced influential work for our area, and thats going to be a tough one because weve had a lot of writers  not just poets, but story writers and essay writers and speech writers  because our literature really is firmly grounded in oral literature.

In this area, she said, the board members will all bring their expertise to the task because theyll be the ones to say, Yeah, this writer really is influential, theyll make a big difference in the classroom, because were thinking again about the students  which essays will they read and go, Wow, that really opens my mind up.

The second group of material will come from writers who submit works based on the call for submissions, which just opened. So this would be like the budding writers, right, the ones who are trying their skill out  theres lots of them because we see them at the university, just beautiful writers, Flores said.

The second set of submissions will undergo a blind review process through the board, she added.

Were not looking for (Western standards of writing)  you know, in an English class, its like your English has to be perfect, right? You have to have your commas and your periods (in the right places). Thats not the kind of thing were looking at. Were looking for a certain voice, and maybe a rawness in the emotion thats being put down.

Were even having workshops through UOG Press for people who feel like, Yeah, I got this down. You know, Ive got this in my heart in my mind. I got it down. But Im not sure that it will go. And so they can take this to the workshop and have others in the workshop  experts, writers, experienced writers, but also just others in their group  help them kind of help it get ready for submission.

As she looks forward to several years of work ahead, she is grateful to the board members who are undertaking the project.

This is a labor love. Theres no pay involved. But were all doing it because we feel that the time has come and its an important work to do for our people and for our culture.
Twin brothers Brandon Aydlett and Landon Aydlett definitely put a new spin on the phrase go big or go home as they beat not just one but two world records while helping raise funds to build more homes.

Pending official confirmation from the Guinness World Records, the twins have broken the records for the tallest structure built with toy timber logs, along with the record for most pieces used.

The current world record is 18 feet. On Sunday, the Aydlett brothers tower, modeled after Chicagos Willis Tower, stands over 22 feet tall  higher than their original goal of just 20 feet.

Its quite a relief. This has been a long week. Its been a good half year of extensive planning for this project and working all the different angles of approach for this megaproject, said Landon Aydlett. Its just a very exciting time that all these things have culminated into this massive project all at once and its been running quite smoothly for the last week.

The brothers also partnered with Habitat for Humanity of Guam and used their lifelong childhood goal to raise funds for the nonprofit.

Based on what they have tracked so far, the brothers have collected more than $5,000 through online donations and through their Sponsor-A-Block fundraiser.

With their childhood dream now turned into reality, Landon Aydlett encourages others to never give up on their goals.

Really, we want to inspire people, especially people that may be struggling through lifes difficulties right now, he said. Keep dreaming, keep striving to do your best.  Harness it and go big. Anything can happen.
By Yi Woo-won





It was in June about two decades ago. At long last, I found time to visit a Buddhist temple hidden in the lofty mountains of Hwaso-myeon, Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, the remotest back country in the province.



I was attracted by the charming name, Geuknak Jeongsa or Temple of Paradise, a place inhabited only by celibate nuns who had just graduated from a Buddhist college. With the long rainy season just ahead, I couldn't postpone it to another day. I was fairly sprightly then and thought I could climb the mountains.



Uplifted and enthusiastic, I left home shortly after daybreak. I was by myself as always. It was one of my idiosyncrasies to enjoy the trip my way, stopping, viewing and resting as I wish. The bus took about two hours to get to Sangju, the nearest town to the temple. Then I took another local bus to take me to the foot of the mountain.



The old bus rattled along the hilly rural road, stopping anywhere to pick up or let off passengers. An elderly lady sitting in front of me promised that she would let me know where to get off. But she must have dozed off for a moment and let me off at the wrong place. I had to walk back about two kilometers to find the crossroad. The landscape there was really beautiful, untainted and verdant. It was a haven of serenity away from the bustle of the city.



The uphill path topped with concrete rose quickly from the entry. Then it zigzagged all the way up to the top. I didn't walk for more than 15 minutes and was already tired and short of breath. Besides, the blazing midday sun was merciless. My walking time was getting shorter and shorter. Then I walked for only a few minutes before slumping down on my knees. I craned my neck, hoping the next corner would be the last one, but each turn and curve led to another and another and another. I was completely beaten and dispirited.



Trying to keep my spirits up, I thought of Siddhartha Gautama who practiced extreme asceticism for six years to find the cause of human suffering. I rose to my feet again and kept walking determinedly, little by little, finally arriving at the end of the grueling climb and I was stunned by the most beautiful temple I had ever seen at such a high altitude. I was so glad I came and made it to the top.



There was no one in the quiet temple. I cleared my throat to get someone's attention but there was no answer. I could only hear the faint tinkling of a wind-bell under the eaves. I saw across the yard a building that appeared to be a "Seon" (Zen) hall. A straw rope was hung loosely over the stone steps to keep the outsiders out. The wooden sign leaning against the rope said: Meditation in Progress. I walked away from the Seon hall and walked towards the main temple.



The rhododendrons up here were now in full bloom, about two months later than those on the flatland below. Through the partly opened door of the main hall, I could see the shiny gilded statue of Buddha on the altar and his ageless, all-embracing compassionate smile. No one was here either. A gray priestess's robe, neatly folded and a wooden gong and a clapper were on her cushion, suggesting that she wouldn't be gone too long and wasn't too far away. I went in and sat before the Buddha, thanking him for lifting me to here.



When I came out of the main hall, the seon hall still remained hushed and closed. I had been in the temple for over an hour and no one saw me except the Buddha. But I had no regrets. I thought I would keep it that way and eternally in my memory of this sublimely charming temple named Paradise.



Walking downhill was so effortless. I was going home, the hustle and bustle of the city down below, the world I came from, thinking about those unseen nuns in the Seon hall: Why, at such a naive age, had they renounced their family and friends and chosen to live a forlorn and sequestered life in the mountains?





Yi Woo-won (yiwoowon1988@gmail.com) lives in Waegwan, North Gyeongsang Province, and has been writing since 1986.




A man who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud in 2019 was denied request for compassionate release by District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood.

Clifford Shoemake, the former owner of a Guam-based medical transport company, was sentenced in 2020 to almost six years in prison for his role in one of the biggest Medicare fraud cases, according to Pacific Daily News files.

Shoemake, along with Kimberly Clyde Casey Conner, were charged for their roles in a health care fraud and money laundering scheme after their company billed Medicare and TriCare for fraudulent non-emergency ambulance transportation services on Guam.

Documents released by the U.S. District Court show that Shoemakes request for compassionate release cites various health conditions such as hypertension, in addition to the deteriorating health condition of Shoemakes mother.

However, District Court documents state that the defendant pled guilty to a serious and complex white-collar criminal offense. Defendant and his co-conspirators fraudulently collected over $10 million of federal taxpayer funds and laundered that money for personal expenditure. Moreover, defendant had a leadership role in the offense.

Court documents released Friday state a permanent release wouldnt reflect the seriousness of the offense nor promote respect for the law.

PDN news files state Shoemake and Conner admitted they were aware that Guam Medical Transport was transporting people who didnt qualify for ambulance transportation under Medicare and Tricare rules.

Specifically, the defendants admitted they were aware that many of GMTs patients were not bed-confined and did not have acute medical conditions that would otherwise qualify them for ambulance transportation, the U.S. Attorneys Office stated.

Their company, Guam Medical Transport, submitted Medicare claims totaling $32 million over the course of the scheme, according to court documents.
The Guam Department of Education will be able to do its part to support the Period Poverty Act with funding set aside for feminine hygiene products, with items ready for students in public schools next school year.

The Period Poverty Act became public law this year. It requires all public school nursing or counselor offices to have menstrual products, such as tampons and sanitary pads, available for students free of charge.

For years, school nurses have provided those products for free, but have been buying them with their own money or with donations from various organizations, according to Guam DOE Deputy Superintendent Erika Cruz.

Budget

The education agency also must include the feminine products as part of its budget for fiscal 2023.

So definitely there is a dedicated funding source. I already started using some of that funding to procure some feminine hygiene products, said Community Health & Nursing Services Administrator Juliette Quinene. We didnt get the whole amount of the funding, but what we received was more than enough already.

The education department was supposed to be given a sum of $100,000 through a General Fund appropriation, with about $40,000 received so far, Quinene said.

This is going to be a work in progress, Quinene said. This is something we will continue to work on to ensure we have.

Sen. Amanda Shelton, who is in charge of the funding source, said the fiscal year is still ongoing, which could be the reason the department has yet to receive its full appropriation.

Other issues

Bureau of Womens Affairs Director Jayne Flores, who was instrumental in the Period Poverty Act, said nurses and school staff noticed that having the menstrual products readily available to students has brought light to another issue.

The girls sign in and out for the products. ... They come every week, which tells me that theyre getting some of these products to take home for other people in the family, Quinene said.

Flores believes this is an issue that should be handled on a congressional level. She said there is a national movement to have the Women, Infants, and Children Program provide funding for menstrual products, especially for low-income families.

We should have food stamps and the WIC program be able to purchase menstrual products through these federal programs, Flores said.


By Nancy Qian





ROME  China's urban populations have been enduring some of the most intense infection-prevention measures of the COVID-19 pandemic. For 60 straight days, Shanghai's 27 million residents were forced into a strict lockdown  and they were not alone. During the peak of the Omicron BA.2 wave in April and May, 45 cities with a total of 373 million people were under some sort of lockdown. That is more than the combined populations of the United States (329.5 million) and Canada (38 million), and 83 percent of the population of the European Union (447 million).



China's "zero-COVID" strategy has wreaked havoc on its economy and its people. But the Omicron wave has also highlighted its elderly population's continuing vulnerability to the virus. As of June 2, 40 percent of those over 60  around 95 million people  had not received any doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, even though they are at higher risk of severe illness and death from the disease.



One reason for the low vaccination rate is that the Chinese population has simply grown accustomed to the low rates of COVID-19 infections over the past two years. Now that the Omicron wave has struck, the higher perceived risk of remaining unvaccinated should increase vaccination among the elderly somewhat.



Another reason for the low vaccination rate among the elderly, however, is that many fear the side effects. To counter this, the Chinese government recently introduced a COVID-19 vaccine insurance package for individuals over 60. Vaccine recipients who fall genuinely ill stand to receive $75,000  more than four times the country's average annual income ($15,950). This is a clever idea. But it will not suffice, because the bigger obstacle is the lack of trust between the Chinese public and the medical establishment.



To be sure, all countries have faced difficulties in convincing concerned populations that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks. In the U.S., 15 percent of people remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, and 42 percent of this group say they don't trust the vaccines. Still, this is a tremendous improvement from September 2020, when 49 percent of American adults said they would not take a vaccine if one were available. Within that cohort, 76 percent of survey respondents cited concerns about side effects.



The Chinese and American vaccine-resistant populations thus share a fear of side effects. But the Chinese and U.S. medical establishments have responded to these concerns in very different ways.



In the U.S., the medical establishment has tried to build trust by conducting independent and transparent medical trials, the results of which are reported in uncensored publications and subject to open deliberation at all levels  by experts, journalists, politicians, and the public. This approach builds on two well-known maxims of public health: trust in the medical establishment will increase the uptake of treatments; and such trust is built through transparency and open deliberation.



In contrast, China's approach has been almost completely opaque. The government has released very limited data on vaccine trials, and it has censored all discussion of side effects  even common minor ones such as soreness from the injection. Chinese authorities have followed the maxim that information about controversial topics should be withheld to prevent the airing of views that might run counter to government objectives.



This strategy has proved counterproductive, because it creates an information vacuum that can be filled only by rumor, speculation, and conspiracy theories. The current failure contrasts sharply with China's own past success with deliberative decision-making on matters of health policy. After the 2002-04 SARS outbreak, China permitted a constructive debate about problems in its health system. As many noted, over 80 percent of rural residents, and 40 percent of urban dwellers, had no health insurance of any kind at the time.



In response, the government announced in 2009 that it would invest RMB 850 billion ($127 billion at today's exchange rate) to provide health coverage for 90 percent of the population. The next two years featured intensive discussions among and between national and regional policymakers, health experts, community leaders, journalists, and the public. The deliberations led to many amendments in the proposed policy. Though the final product was not perfect, it proved popular and led to widespread adoption of health insurance. By 2021, 95 percent of Chinese had some form of coverage.



Of course, deliberation about COVID-19 vaccines will need to be faster and will not be cost-free. The Chinese vaccines would draw criticism, and some people would still be turned off by common side effects (such as fevers) or rarer risks (such as allergic reactions). Others would criticize the government's handling of the pandemic, if given the chance.



But these short-run costs are worth the long-term benefits of building trust in public-health authorities and increasing vaccination rates over time. As other countries have found, disclosing negative information about vaccines might increase public reluctance in the short run, but it helps to sustain trust and stymie conspiracy theories.



Battling COVID-19 effectively requires accounting for the long run, given the high likelihood of future waves and the need for additional rounds of vaccinations. For China, even more than for other countries, building trust is critical, because it is a necessary step in moving away from the zero-COVID strategy. That shift will naturally lead to more infections and deaths. But open deliberations about the vaccines can increase their uptake, help to moderate the spread of the disease, and counter the negative impact on public trust.



China urgently needs to embrace transparency on this issue. The longer it waits, the more difficult it will be to abandon its economically destructive zero-COVID policy.





Nancy Qian, professor of managerial economics and decision sciences at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, is founding director of China Econ Lab and Northwestern's China Lab and leads the Kellogg development economics initiative. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).






Haiti - World Bank : Additional funding of $20M for the strengthening of primary health care





The World Bank's Board of Directors this week approved additional financing of $20 million for the Strengthening of Primary Health Care and Surveillance in Haiti Project (PROSYS), which aims to increase utilization of primary health care services in selected geographical areas, and strengthen disease surveillance capacity, especially cholera.



"Access to quality healthcare is crucial to mitigating cyclical poverty, enhancing Haitis human capital, and helping future generations reach their full potentialk," said Laurent Msellati, World Bank Country Manager for Haiti. "Haiti has been cholera-free for more than three years and thereby successfully eliminated it; however, more efforts are necessary in other essential health areas, as fewer than half of all children are fully immunized, and only a third of women deliver at health facilities."



In the aftermath of Augusts 2021 earthquake, the World Bank quickly reallocated US$20 million from the PROSYS Project to cover approximately 65 percent of the total reconstruction costs in the health sector of US$31 million identified by the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA). Those funds are supporting the rebuilding and rehabilitation of approximatively 30 damaged health infrastructures in the three affected departments of Nippes, Sud, and GrandAnse, directly benefitting more than 650,000 people. The reallocation of funds also provides equipment and supplies to the rehabilitated health facilities and supported the coordination of all stakeholders involved in the reconstruction activities in the sector.



This approved additional financing will address the gap caused by the reallocation of funds due to emergency and will provide financing for key activities such as strengthening primary health care referral networks, providing incentives to healthcare providers, and increasing their accountability through the Result-Based financed Program. The additional financing will also help maintain the governments nationwide surveillance and response capacity in the fight against infectious diseases such as diphtheria and measles.



The initial Strengthening Primary Health Care and Surveillance in Haiti Project was approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors on May 16, 2019, for a general amount of US$70 million - US$55 million from the International Development Association (IDA) and US$15 million from the Global Financing Facility (GFF) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-27756-haiti-world-bank-donation-of-$162m-for-3-projects.html - with the aim of increasing utilization of essential primary health care services and strengthening surveillance capacity.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politic : The situation in Haiti is alarming, France's intervention at the UN





Thursday, June 16 in the afternoon front the UN Security Council, several country representatives spoke on the situation in Haiti, including Ms. Nathalie Broadhurst, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations.



Intervention by Ms. Nathalie Broadhurst :



"[...]

Madame President,



There is an emergency in Haiti. The Haitian authorities must react and the international community must mobilize more. For my part, I will come back to several aspects.



First, there is no alternative to dialogue to break the current political impasse, it is the only way. The direct contacts established between the Prime Minister and the opposition are a positive development in this regard. All political actors must invest in building the consensus necessary for the organization of elections when the conditions, in particular security, are met. In order to succeed, it is important to appoint the members of a Provisional Electoral Committee acceptable to all.



Second, we must stop gang violence at all costs. We were gathered less than a month ago in this room to make this observation. These criminal groups have multiplied homicides and kidnappings this year, with total impunity. They undermine the authority of the state and plunder its resources. However, without security, there can be neither the rule of law nor development. Faced with this situation, the priority is to strengthen the National Police of Haiti. In this regard, we welcome the proposal to increase the ceiling of BINUH police advisers. The establishment of the multi-donor financing fund is also a very positive development. France, for its part, has intensified its security cooperation and will continue to do so.



Thirdly, we must reconnect with the normal functioning of the institutions. The prisons, it has been mentioned, are overcrowded and dilapidated, without water or basic services. The Haitian judicial system, due to a lack of resources, is also failing, unable to carry out the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in particular. Yet impunity, like widespread corruption, undermines trust in the state and destroys social ties. The launch of cooperation between Haiti and UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) is a positive development that we welcome.



Finally, and this is my last point, the economic and humanitarian situation in Haiti is alarming and deteriorating rapidly. Nearly half of the Haitian population needs humanitarian aid this year, this has been repeated on several occasions. There is therefore an urgent need to strengthen humanitarian support and in particular food aid. Faced with this situation, it is essential that the Haitian State work to strengthen governance and the accountability of its institutions, particularly in the fight against corruption.



Madame President,



Before concluding, I would like to come back to the remarkable and essential work carried out by the United Nations in Haiti. As the Secretary-General's report underlines, the maintenance of a robust United Nations presence in Haiti is essential, particularly at the political and security levels. We would like BINUH to be renewed for 12 months with a robust mandate, endowed with the additional resources that may be necessary to carry out its difficult mission.



France stands alongside Haiti, which old ties and a common language unite with France. And in this regard, I would also like to salute the political and field work carried out by the International Organization of La Francophonie. France is determined to accompany the Haitians towards the end of the crisis which the country so badly needs.



Thank you."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36946-haiti-un-intervention-at-the-security-council-of-the-united-states-on-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36945-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36934-haiti-un-the-situation-of-haiti-before-the-security-council.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Government, businesses and parliament need overhaul



Korea ranked 27th in global competitiveness this year among 63 countries surveyed by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), a business school for executives in Lausanne, Switzerland, falling by four notches from 2021. The previous Moon Jae-in administration received praise when the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) classified Korea as a developed economy last year. However, the nation's competitiveness has since gone in reverse.



Even more painful were the declines in the competitiveness of Korea's major sectors. Fiscal competitiveness dropped six steps, reflecting the rise of the national deficit following government expansionary fiscal spending to support an economic recovery amid the pandemic. Corporate efficiency slid from 27th to 33rd place, and entrepreneurship plunged from 35th to 50th. Productivity and the labor market also dropped by five notches each to 36th and 42nd places, respectively.



Neglecting structural reform in the current national economy is like a castle in the air. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration called for reforming five sectors  the public sector, labor, education, finance and services  but their speedy and robust implementation is at stake. Nonetheless, the reality is going in the opposite direction.



Above all, the ruling and opposition parties are buried in power struggles, paying little attention to reform even when a perfect economic storm could be approaching. Also, as seen in its recent agreement with labor unions to end the cargo truckers' strike, the government has turned a blind eye to labor reform once again by accepting too soon the union's demand to extend the Safe Freight Rate System, which prevents dangerous driving practices like cargo overload and guarantees truck drivers basic rates.



The government, the National Assembly and businesses need an overhaul to prevent further falls in national competitiveness. The government and ruling party should change unnecessary fiscal rules and plunge a scalpel into the public sector to shake off laxity and poor performance. Only when the governing camp takes the initiative and sets an example can they demand the opposition party to join such painful reforms.



Businesses ought to break away from their easygoing attitude of waiting for the government's regulatory reforms. Instead, they should make aggressive investments and secure cutting-edge technologies. The National Assembly must stop the mudslinging and enact laws to help facilitate urgent reforms.






NHHS, Apple Valley win Lighthouse recognition

Two schools  North Henderson High and Apple Valley Middle  have been certified and named as Leader in Me Lighthouse Schools by FranklinCovey Education, the county school system and the Henderson County Education Foundation announced.



Not only are North Henderson High and Apple Valley Middle the districts first high school and middle school to earn this designation, the two schools are among an elite cohort of Lighthouse schools in the state, nation, and even worldwide.

North Henderson High is the first Lighthouse-certified high school in North Carolina, the third in the southeast United States, and only the fifth high school in the world. A quarter of the 41 Lighthouse certified middle schools in the country are in North Carolina, with Apple Valley being the 10th in the state.

Developed by FranklinCovey in partnership with educators, Leader in Me is an evidence-based Pre-K-12 model, designed to build perseverance and leadership in students, create a high-trust culture of student empowerment, and help improve academic achievement. This model equips students, educators, and families with the leadership and life skills needed to thrive, adapt, and to contribute in a dynamic world. The Lighthouse School recognition is evidence that the schools have produced outstanding results in school and student outcomes, by implementing the Leader in Me process with fidelity and excellence.

Since 2017, the HCEF and Community Foundation of Henderson County have been co-leading the effort to add more LiM schools in HCPS, providing funding and support for schools implementing the whole-school transformational model. The Henderson County Education Foundation is proud to provide continuing support and training to effectively sustain our current LiM schools while also funding the initial implementation costs for additional HCPS schools to join the LiM family, said Peggy Marshall, Executive Director of HCEF. With support from our community, we have the potential to touch the lives of every child in our district and build a thriving community of learners and leaders who are equipped for success in life.

In total, there are 668 Lighthouse schools in the world, 34 of which are in North Carolina. Theres a lot of great energy here in the Carolinas, said David Ansbacher, LiM Director of Lighthouse & Quality Systems.

Of the 34 in the state, HCPS is now home to four Lighthouse schools; Sugarloaf Elementary and Dana Elementary earned Lighthouse status in 2016 and 2019, respectively, and are feeder schools to Apple Valley Middle and North Henderson High.

Thats exciting when youve got the K-12 continuum, Ansbacher said, adding that its the vision of FranklinCovey to see elementary students who learn the 7 Habits continue to build their understanding of the paradigms of leadership through Leader in Me as they move through middle and high school. A student that starts in kindergarten with (LiM) and has it grow and change with them as they develop will ... grow into a high school graduate that has soft skills and the ability to lead, Ansbacher said.

With Leader in Me, students learn to become self-aware, interdependent, take initiative, plan ahead, set and track goals, do their homework, prioritize their time, be considerate of others, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences, live a balanced life, and contribute to society.

Leader in Me has transformed already great students into exceptional leaders who care about their school community and the community in which they live, said Dr. Katelyn Davis, Apple Valley Middle principal. In three years, LiM has opened up leadership roles and opportunities within our school  from Knight Lights who give tours to new and incoming students, to our Student Lighthouse Team that creates school-wide celebrations, to our LEAD service projects that tackle issues and causes that are important to our students, said Davis.

At North Henderson High, Leader in Me empowers staff to place students on a pathway to personal maturity.

Students who would not lead in any other traditional high school environment are finding their voice and thriving at North Henderson, said Principal Dr. John Shepard. Lighthouse status provides assurance that the processes we have put into place at North Henderson empower educators to provide all students with leadership and character education. Our students are being equipped with the skills to successfully navigate careers, college, and life.

Middle school can be a difficult three years, and oftentimes students are figuring out who they are and who they want to be, said Davis. Leader in Me has helped us guide our students with the 7 Habits and remembering that no matter what, they are an Apple Valley Knight.

North Henderson is actively bridging the gap between high school and the 21st century, said Shepard. Students who graduate from North Henderson display the ability to work well with others, think critically, communicate effectively, develop trust between them and those around them, and display transparency in their actions and decisions.

About Lighthouse Certification

Lighthouse Certification is a highly regarded standard set by FranklinCovey Education that is attainable by every LiM school and occurs as a result of implementing LiM with fidelity. As it is a significant benchmark, applying for this certification typically occurs three to five years after a school begins the LiM process.

FranklinCovey Education designed the Lighthouse Rubric to establish high standards for quality and school outcomes. Schools use the Lighthouse Rubric to measure outcomes in three areas: teaching leadership principles, creating a leadership culture, and aligning academic systems. Schools also measure their success as it relates to their unique school.

Since its official launch nearly a decade ago, more than 5,000 public, private, and charter schools across 50 countries have adopted the Leader in Me process, and 668 schools have achieved the prestigious Lighthouse Certification. It is earned by schools that demonstrate the following:

 The principal, school administration and staff engage in ongoing learning and develop as leaders, while championing leadership for the school.

 Leadership principles are effectively taught to all students through direct lessons, integrated approaches, and staff modeling. Students are able to think critically about and apply leadership principles.

 Families and the school partner together in learning about the 7 Habits and leadership principles through effective communication and mutual respect.

 The school community is able to see leadership in the physical environment, hear leadership through a common language, and feel leadership through a culture of caring, relationships, and affirmation.

 Leadership is shared with students through a variety of leadership roles and student voice leads to innovations within the school.

 Schoolwide, classroom, family and community leadership events provide authentic environments to celebrate leadership, build culture, and allow students to practice leadership skills.

 The school identifies and tracks progress toward Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) for the school, classroom, and staff.

 Students lead their own learning with the skills to assess their needs, set appropriate goals, and carry out action plans. They track progress toward goals in Leadership Notebooks and share these notebooks with adults in student-led conferences.

 Teacher planning and reflection, trusting relationships, and student-led learning combine to create environments for highly engaged learning.

North Henderson High and Apple Valley Middle schools will maintain their Lighthouse Certification for two years and continue to foster their growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles. At the end of the two years the schools will recertify their Lighthouse Certification through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating growth and accomplishments since their original Lighthouse designations.

Leader in Me training includes establishing vision for the school or district, goal setting, personal-accountability systems and is aligned with commonly held best in class educational research, content and best practices. At the core of the LiM model is the belief that every child possesses unique strengths and has the ability to be a leader. For more information on the model that has been implemented in thousands of schools in more than 55 countries,

visit www.leaderinme.org.
DPK should stop blocking corruption probes



Prosecutors and police are stepping up their investigations into corruption and power abuse scandals involving the previous administration. Such investigations are necessary to get to the bottom of the scandals and bring to justice those responsible for law violations. They are also crucial to upholding the rule of law and defending democracy.



But the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has denounced the probes as being politically motivated. It has also accused the new Yoon Suk-yeol administration of targeting key members of the Moon Jae-in government. In a nutshell, the DPK has gone as far as to frame the investigations as constituting "political revenge."



The DPK cannot avoid criticism for trying to block the investigations to protect its members and former government officials. It should realize that the Moon administration had already prevented investigators from digging up the dirt on them by appointing pro-government figures to key posts in the prosecution. It is wrong to launch political offensives against the incumbent government to save law-breaking officials and politicians from criminal charges.



The liberal opposition party's move came after the police started an investigation into a corruption scandal surrounding a land development project in Baekhyeon-dong, Seongnam City, south of Seoul. On Thursday, investigators searched the municipal building to seize evidence which could prove suspicions that Lee Jae-myung, former Seongnam mayor, was deeply involved in the scandal.



Lee, also former Gyeonggi Province governor and DPK presidential candidate, has also been dogged by allegations that he was involved in a similar scandal related to another lucrative land development project in Daejang-dong, Seongnam City. The scandal emerged as a hot issue in the lead-up to the March 9 presidential election in which he lost to Yoon, the candidate of the then conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP).



Lee then won the June 1 parliamentary by-election in a constituency in Incheon, west of Seoul. His election touched off a controversy as he apparently sought a National Assembly seat to shield himself from any charges from the scandals. During the presidential campaign, Lee promised to come in for a probe by an independent counsel if the prosecution's investigation fails to clear up the allegations. However, it is disappointing to see his party trying to help him avoid any further investigations.



The DPK's offensive also came after the prosecution resumed an investigation into a power abuse case in which former Industry Minister Paik Un-gyu allegedly forced the heads of energy-related state firms to step down because they were against Moon's nuclear phase-out policy. The investigation gained momentum since the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling against former Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung who was sentenced to two years in prison for forcing 13 heads of public organizations affiliated with her ministry to quit their jobs in 2017 and 2018.



Now the DPK should cooperate with the prosecution and the police to reveal the truth behind the corruption and power abuse cases, instead of attempting to cover them up. Otherwise, the party, which is reeling from its defeat in the presidential and local elections, will face a much stronger backlash from the public. President Yoon, for his part, needs to clearly explain why his government should have zero tolerance for such crimes.






gettyimagesbank



Safcham asks Yoon government to sign FTA with at least one African country





South African Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman Timothy Dickens / Courtesy of Daeryook & Aju

By Park Jae-hyuk



Africa has emerged recently as one of the major focuses of the Korean government, since support from countries of the African continent will be essential for Busan to win the race against Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, Italy's Rome and Ukraine's Odesa to be selected as the venue for the 2030 World Expo.



While the central and municipal governments have invited African ambassadors to the second-largest city of Korea to win them over, top conglomerates are also planning to send economic delegations to the continent.



Korea's trading partnerships with African nations, however, appear to be not strong enough yet to ensure their support for Busan's bid to host the international event, according to Timothy Dickens, the chairman of the South African Chamber of Commerce in Korea (Safcham).



Established in late 2016, Safcham is currently the only African chamber of commerce in Korea. It has therefore been willing to help African businesspeople from all across the continent, even if they are not South Africans.



Dickens, who has worked for the Korean law firm Daeryook & Aju since 2013 as a foreign attorney qualified in both England and South Africa, urged the Korean government to show African countries its commitment to expanding relations and business.



"Actions prove louder than mere words," he told The Korea Times in a recent interview held on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties.



The Safcham chairman particularly pointed out the fact that no African country comes even close to being in Korea's top 25 trading partners.



"Roughly only 1 percent of Korea's trade is done with Africa as a whole," he said. "By contrast, Korea's largest trading partner, China, which has an equivalent-size consumer market with 1.4 billion people, makes up a total of 25 percent of Korea's trade. As you can see, this does not make a lot of sense when considering market sizes and potential."



Dickens advised the Korean government to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with at least one African country under the presidency of Yoon Suk-yeol, saying that the lack of an FTA has made it "extremely" difficult for African products to compete with other products in Korea.



Although Korea's previous Moon Jae-in administration had talks with the Egyptian government on a potential trade pact, there has yet to be any FTA signed between Korea and an African country.



"As an example, South African wine is some of the best wine that you will find, but due to import taxes and duties, it makes it unfeasible for exporters to consider Korea," Dickens said. "Additionally, it prices the product out of the market where you will have the U.S., European, Chilean and Australian wines having a distinct advantage."



He emphasized that Korea will also enjoy benefits if it signs an FTA with any African country, thanks to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).



AfCFTA refers to an intra-African economic bloc including 54 out of 55 African Union nations. It has removed trade barriers to foreign companies operating across the African continent, opening access to its population of almost 1.4 billion.



"South Africa supplies large-scale ore slag and ash together with iron and steel to Korea," Dickens said. "In addition, we have the world's richest deposits of platinum, so with the current move towards green carbon, this could be a massive area of interest for South African business towards Korean companies."





South African Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman Timothy Dickens, second row fourth from left, poses with participants in the Korea-Africa Business-Financial Seminar in Busan, June 10. Courtesy of Korea-Africa Foundation
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Pride is in the air  and on the calendar this month  at Bering Memorial United Church of Christ in Montrose.

The congregation is preparing its Pride Sunday service for June 26  and will also serve as host for the Interfaith Pride Service at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 23, sponsored by the Faith Leaders Coalition of Greater Houston.

A team from Bering will participate in the Pride Run and members will have a booth at the parade. Both events are part of the 44th annual Houston LGBT+ Pride Celebration, June 25 at City Hall, 901 Bagby.

I believe that the Pride parade and festival is a way of praising God, Berings pastor Diane McGehee said. Its saying, Look at what God has made. Now, that is worth celebrating.

Bering is not alone. A number of area congregations are joining in Pride festivities this month  and support the LGBTQ community year-round.

Were looking forward to being there and being a strong presence, the Rev. Lisa Hunt of St. Stephens Episcopal said of the parade plans and activities with sister congregations. We want to show up as Episcopal congregations in Houston.

HISTORIC: A gay black preacher and his diverse congregation merge with one of Houstons oldest white churches

The parade float theme selected by participating Episcopalian churches is This is my Body, the words of Jesus Christ as he broke bread with the disciples. The congregations will also have a booth at Pride, hand out water and offer prayer, and a Eucharist ceremony is scheduled.

Members of Lutheran congregations across the city  including Kindred, Faith, Christ the King, Covenant, Salem, Celebration and Zion  will have a float in the parade and plan to toss beads to festivalgoers.

Amber Harbolt, ministry coordinator at Celebration, has attended Pride with the church in the past but said this is her first time to go as a seminarian.

Before the parade begins, she said, pastors and seminarians meet at the fountain to offer anointing and blessings to any Pride attendees interested.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

Many people stop at the Lutheran congregations booth to ask where to find a welcoming and inclusive church, Harbolt said.

We were also there to apologize to festivalgoers on behalf of the church, she said.

For some people, Harbolt said, that interaction was the first time that a church person used the correct pronoun or name.

Part of the reason that Im here in ministry is to remind people that God loves them  and that exclusion does not come from God, she said.

When churches join in pride festivities, Harbolt said they are engaging in activities that shift structure and institutions and public perception about who belongs in church and what a pastor looks like.

She added, To do our part in Gods work to transform the world, its important for us to be vocal and active in our support of a more inclusive world  and against a world that excludes and objectifies.

Pride all year

A statement is read at the start of each sermon at Celebration Lutheran Church in Cypress. It welcomes people of every age and size, color and culture, gender identity, sexual orientation and marital status, ability, disability and challenge.

One of the reasons why we say it every Sunday is there are a whole host of people who have never heard those words spoken at a church before, pastor Ryan Dockery said. And its really important that we do.

He and Harbolt are both part of the LGBTQIA Coalition of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The coalition provides leadership during Pride festivities, as well as throughout the year.

Our work as a church isnt focused on one month only, he said. Its a yearlong journey.

That includes advocacy and serving as a resource for other congregations interested in being open and affirming, Dockery said.

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The work is active, he added. We can preach inclusivity in language, he said. Were not called just to advocate but to be prescient with all of Gods people, not just those who believe and act the same way we do.

Members at St. Stephens Episcopal agree that Pride is not limited to June. The congregation is involved in advocacy, testifying during legislative sessions, as well as educational efforts. The church also recently launched a podcast called Faith From the Margins, focusing on race and sexuality.

Reaching out to the queer community has been part of St. Stephens ministry for many years, Hunt said. The Episcopal church has a history of realizing the gifts and talents of all its members.

Still, she sees a need for more justice.

Ive been a priest for 33 years, and Ive always been amazed and so thankful for the faithfulness of the gay community, she said. They are a witness of forgiveness and perseverance.

Too often, churches have hurt and pushed out members of the LGBTQ community, Hunt said.

And yet theyve never abandoned God and remain open to possibility, she said.

The Rev. D. Scott Cooper, assistant minister of congregational life at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, has also listened as LGBTQ members recount how they have been wounded by other churches in the past.

Whats worse is when they say, Ill never go to church again. They would never find out about us  a community that will love them, Cooper said.

He, too, felt like an outsider at church while growing up, he said. Now, he is an openly gay and married minister.

Youre never going to look in the face of someone and find someone not made in the image of God, he said.

Welcoming the LGBTQ community is part of the creed of Unitarian Universalists, he said. The denomination has a Welcoming Congregation program, a quarterly newsletter dedicated to sharing LGBTQ voices and a gathering called UPLIFT for trans and nonbinary members.

We very much value the inherent worth and dignity of everyone, Cooper said. We dont gather in community under the pretense that we all believe the same thing. Instead, its about how we treat each other and the world.

In front of the church, three solidarity flags currently wave: Ukraine, Black Lives Matter and Pride.

Your religion should be your spirituality plus your community, Cooper said. This is where you come to find your tribe, your people. Were not here to tell you what to believe in or to try to change you. Were here to give you a community, a place where you have a spiritual home.

A history of Pride

Laura Mayo serves as senior minister of Covenant Church, an ecumenical liberal Baptist congregation in the Museum District.

One of our founding members was a gay man, she said of the congregation established in 1965. So it was never a question. Weve always been welcoming, affirming and fully inclusive.

There are photos of the congregation joining in the Pride parade dating back to the 1980s  and Mayo said their participation may date back further. Usually, the church has a float, but COVID placed the tradition temporarily on hold.

Instead, this year, members will march in their Pride T-shirts. Were all going together to show our support and love and to join in the festivities, Mayo said.

She looks forward to marching in the parade with her church each year  and says that often, someone on the sidelines waves a sign with words of hate claiming to speak for God.

Thats not the same God I know, Mayo said. The Bible, over and over, tells about love, welcome and inclusion. If you read the Bible, the overwhelming sense is that were to love each other.

In fact, she continued, Jesus greatest commandment is to love. That does not include telling someone they are hated or an abomination, Mayo said. No matter what youve been told, youre loved by God exactly as you are.

Bering Memorial United Church of Christ also has a history steeped in Pride. Pastor McGehee explained how the congregation responded during the AIDS epidemic, establishing a support group for those who were HIV positive or affected by a diagnosis. The church also started an adult day care center and dental clinic for people with HIV.

Part of our DNA is standing with the LGBTQ community, McGehee said.

Church members are either members of that community  or allies.

McGehee wants those who have been outcast from church to know, The message that youve been given that youre incompatible with Christian teaching, thats not true. This is a safe place for you. Not only will you be accepted, but you will be celebrated.

Pride as part of faith

Rabbi Joshua Fixler of Congregation Emanu El also serves as president of the Faith Leaders Coalition of Greater Houston, sponsor of the Interfaith Pride service at Bering.

Its an opportunity to celebrate and an opportunity to offer solidarity with the LGBTQ community, he said.

Fixler added that congregations are not simply offering support. Our members are part of the LGBTQ community, he said. We stand in affirmation and in celebration with our members.

There is thinking that religion is mutually exclusive with Pride. We need to debunk the myth, the rabbi said. I support LGBTQ equality not in spite of my faith  but because of it. We are all created in the image of God.

Keshet Houston, a nonprofit focused on uniting the LGBTQ and Jewish communities, is hosting a Pride Shabbat Dinner at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 24 at Congregation Beth Yeshurun. Reservations are required.

CHURCH TRANSPARENCY: Website scores churches on the transparency of their LGBTQ policies

Faith communities standing in support of the LGBTQ community can make a world of difference, said the Rev. Mak Kneebone, pastor of Plymouth United Church in Spring.

He was also was the first transgender president of the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ.

Before becoming clergy, Kneebone attended a Pride parade in Chicago and recalled seeing a number of churches in attendance as allies. To see people with all those signs, with all those church names, from all of those denominations made a difference to me, he said.

At the time, Kneebone was not sure if he would ever find a church that fit.

As a Christian, I didnt have role models, he said. I didnt know if I had to give up my faith.

Then, he saw all the churches making a statement and not being apologetic, saying, We celebrate you. We dont love you in spite of anything. This isnt about how lucky you are that were including you. Were so lucky to have you as part of us.

For Pride month, the worship team at Plymouth has decked out the congregation with rainbows. The church also joins the Pride celebration in The Woodlands in October.

When churches are involved in Pride, it shifts the conversation, Kneebone said. It invites people to experience the God of the Christian faith in a space where they do not have to worry about being their authentic selves. They can start to imagine how to engage in their spirituality again.

The more churches get involved that are inclusive, the better, he added.

We need to have as many role models out there expressing faith, letting people know there are places to go, to find themselves and find God, Kneebone said. Unconditional love, thats the whole point.

Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer.
"Chinese Bridge" language competition held online in Croatia

Xinhua) 11:34, June 19, 2022

Working staff pose for a photo with contestants shown on the screen during the online "Chinese Bridge" language competitions in Zagreb, Croatia, on June 18, 2022. The 21st "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign college students and the 15th such competition for secondary school students in Croatia were successfully held via video on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

ZAGREB, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The 21st "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign college students and the 15th such competition for secondary school students in Croatia were successfully held via video on Saturday.

Chinese ambassador Qi Qianjin, who was present at the competition held at the Confucius Institute subordinate to the University of Zagreb, said that learning Chinese can serve as a bridge to understand China better.

He voiced hope that more and more Croatians would learn Chinese to promote friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Damir Boras, president of the University of Zagreb and who was also present at the competition, said that with the rapid development of China's economy, it is very necessary and important to learn Chinese.

"China is already the most important industrial country and it deserves special attention. Every young man in Croatia should think about learning the Chinese language," he said.

A total of five middle school students and three college students from across Croatia participated in the competition, including a written test, making a short speech, answering questions and making a talent show.

During the talent show, contestants displayed flute playing, Chinese dance, Chinese calligraphy, poetry recitation and song singing.

Bernada Zoricic from Pazin Middle School and Vanessa Gaza from the University of Zagreb won the top prizes in the groups of middle school and college students respectively. They will represent Croatia in the continental-level competition.

The Confucius Institute was established in 2012, co-organized by the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics and the University of Zagreb.

A contestant (on the screen) competes during the online "Chinese Bridge" language competitions in Zagreb, Croatia, on June 18, 2022. The 21st "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign college students and the 15th such competition for secondary school students in Croatia were successfully held via video on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)




Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. saw the total sales of their eco-friendly cars exceed 3 million, industry data showed Sunday, 13 years after they began rolling out hybrid vehicles.







South Korea's top automaker and its affiliate sold 393,509 eco-friendly cars, including plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles, in the January to May period of this year, raising their accumulative sales to 3.01 million, according to the data.







Demand for eco-friendly cars remained solid despite global supply chain disruptions and a shortage of auto chips.







Hyundai and Kia reported a 5.9 percent year-on-year fall in auto sales to 2.69 million in the first five months of this year.







But their sales of eco-friendly cars jumped 42.6 percent to 393,509 in the cited period. (Yonhap)






June 9

 The virtual gate system alerted an officer to a vehicle that is listed as stolen in the area of Academy and Gramercy. The traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle in the 4000 block of Bellaire. The suspect driving the vehicle (Smith, Randy) was apprehended and charged with Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. The suspect has a criminal history of: Possession of a Controlled Substance x6; Failure to Identify; Theft x4; Prostitution; and Harassment.

 An officer was dispatched to West University Place Police Department in reference to an identity theft that had already occurred. Upon arrival, it was discovered an unknown suspect gained access to the victims identity and used their personal information to make purchases online without consent.

June 10

 An officer was dispatched to the 3800 block of University in regards to a complaint of a possible Fraud that already occurred. Upon arrival, the victim stated that an unknown suspect forged checks without consent.

June 11

 An officer was dispatched to the 6600 block of Belmont in reference to an identity theft that had already occurred. Upon arrival, it was discovered an unknown suspect gained access to the victims identity and used their personal information to receive covid relief funds without consent.

June 13

 An officer was conducting a traffic stop in the 2600 block of Barbara Ln. During the traffic stop, it was discovered the suspect was in possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

 An officer was dispatched to the West University Place police Department Lobby in reference to Found Property. Upon arrival, the officer took custody of the item for safe keeping.

 The virtual gate systems alerted an officer to a wanted person. Upon stopping the vehicle in the 5600 block of West loop the officers conducted a probable cause search and located drug paraphernalia. The driver (Oworen, Ndifreke Godson) was taken into custody for outstanding warrants and the passenger (Thomas, Gracie) was arrested for possessing of a fictitious driver's license. The driver (Oworen, Ndifreke Godson) has a previous criminal history of: DWI; Possession of a Controlled Substance x2; and Carrying a Handgun in a Motor Vehicle. The passenger (Thomas, Gracie) has no previous criminal history.

June 14

 An officer was dispatched to the 3000 block of Bissonnet in regards to a minor accident. Upon arrival, it was discovered the victims car had been hit by an unknown suspect(s) that had fled without giving information.

June 15

 An officer with the West University Place Police Department observed a vehicle traveling in the 4100 block of Bissonnet displaying a license plate belonging to a different vehicle that was also cancelled. A traffic stop was conducted and after further investigation, both occupants were arrested on outstanding municipal warrants. The vehicle was found to have been reported stolen out of Florida and a subsequent inventory yielded multiple fictitious driver licenses, fraudulent financial documents and a handgun. Both occupants were charged with Tampering with Government Records and the driver additionally with Unlawful Carrying Weapon. The driver (Perkins, Alexander Colby) has a previous criminal history of: Tampering with Government Records. The passenger (Shabazz, Zakiya Amirah) has previous criminal history of: DWI and Driving While License is Suspended.

 An officer was dispatched to the 3600 block of Georgetown in reference to a burglary of a motor vehicle that already occurred. Upon arrival, it was discovered an unknown suspect entered an unsecured vehicle and removed items without consent.

 An officer was dispatched to the West University Place Police Department Lobby in reference to an identity theft that had already occurred. Upon arrival, it was discovered an unknown suspect gained access to the victims identity and opened credit cards without consent.

 An officer was dispatched to the 3800 block of University in regards to a complaint of a possible Fraud that already occurred. Upon arrival, the victim stated that an unknown suspect forged a check without consent.

 An officer was conducting a traffic stop in the 5700 block of Newcastle. During the traffic stop, it was discovered the suspect was in possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
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The Arizona-owned Angry Crab Shack has opened their 5,400 square-foot property at 6925 FM 1960 in Atascocita. The restaurant is known for their Asian-Cajun fused flavors and signature sauces and offers an interactive dining experience for guests.

Inside the dining area, tables are covered with butcher paper, no plates, and guest use their hands as utensils for eating.

Being able to provide Texans a place to eat shoulder-to-shoulder with loved ones has been a great experience, said Ron Lou, founder of Angry Crab Shack. The Atascocita location is a great addition to our brand and fulfills a niche for lovers of spice and seafood boils with Asian-Cajun flavors.

The restaurant hosted a grand opening event with Partnership Lake Houston and members of the Atascocita Fire Department who competed in a spicy crawfish eating competition.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Creating Codys Law: Stephens family takes their grief, solutions to Austin for consideration

For more information about Angry Crab Shack including their business hours, dine-in service and new locations, visit angrycrabshack.com.

Lake Houston Ladies Club end the year with Derby celebration

The Lake Houston Ladies Club, a social organization dedicated to connecting women through monthly luncheons from September through May, recently ended their year with a celebration of the Kentucky Derby. Ladies were decked out in their derby attire.

The group meets on the third Tuesday of the month at the Walden Country Club, 18100 Walden Forest Drive in Humble and welcomes new members from all surrounding areas. The club offers many avenues for individuals with different interests including shooting club, Scrabble N Babble, Artsy Smartsy, movie group, Mah Jongg, Lunch N Look, travel club, supper club, Mexican train, bridge, and bunco among many groups.

New members are welcome to join at any time. For more information about the club, please go to the club web page at http://www.lakehoustonladiesclub.com or call Betty at 832-633-2991.

Bras With A Cause awards grants

Following their successful Bras With A Cause fundraiser in February, the group shelled out some money to area organizations who help fulfill their mission.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Opera Leggera returns to Nathaniel Center stage for Broadway revival

At a packed Rockn C Arena on the Crosby Rodeo Fairgrounds, leaders from the group presented three checks.

The first was a $90,000 check to Houston Methodist in Baytown, another for $40,000 to Candlelighters Childhood Alliance, and the last was $2,000 to Josephs Warriors.

We invite the public to our next fundraiser on February 4, 2023 at the Crosby American Legion Hall, said organizer Debbie Holmelin.

dtaylor@hcnonline.com
Piney Point

 6/10/22 at 2045 Hours. 200 Block of Blalock. Burglary of a Habitation. The victim reported that sometime during the late morning an unknown person had entered the home through an unlocked door and removed items from the master bedroom and closest. The victim had been home most of the day but left for a short time around noon. He did not realize that items were missing until later in the day. A check of his Ring cameras detected motion while he was away from the home, however the cameras were not recording at the time. It appears that only the master bedroom and closet were entered. Information about the stolen items was obtained and a crime scene specialist responded to the scene. Information was collected and provided to detectives for their follow up investigation.

 6/14/22 at 2215 Hours. 11500 Block of Memorial. Driving While Intoxicated. Officers were monitoring traffic on Voss Road when they observed a vehicle traveling 59 MPH in a posted 35 MPH zone. Officers initiated a traffic stop and upon approaching the driver detected the odor of alcohol emitting from the driver. Upon speaking to the driver, she admitted to drinking and smoking marijuana. The driver performed a series of sobriety tests which she failed. A subsequent breath test showed her blood alcohol level to be twice the legal limit. The 22-year-old female was booked into the Harris County Jail and the vehicle was towed.

 6/15/22 at 1545 Hours. 11300 Block of Piney Point Circle. Information Report. The resident reported that she had received a letter in the mail of an unpaid insurance claim that was being sent to collections and believed it was a scam. Officers were able to look into the matter and found that a vehicle that she had purchased and later traded in back in 2014, had never been transferred out of her name and was involved in an accident in May of 2022. Officers located a HPD accident report involving the vehicle and it showed another individual as being the driver and owner of the vehicle. A check of MVD records did not show the vehicle as ever being properly transferred. The resident was instructed to follow up with the dealer. Officers prepared a police report documenting what they had learned about the improper/incomplete vehicle registration.

Houston

 6/11/22 at 0300 Hours. 1000 Block of Blalock. Agency Assist of a Burglary Suspect. MVPD officers assisted HPD with a burglary investigation and suspects running in the area. Officers had established a perimeter as other officers began searching the area. While on location officers could hear someone climb a chain link fence. HPD officers then began chasing the suspects who continued to climb fences. The suspect then appeared near the MVPD officer who began a foot pursuit. The suspect climbed another fence and entered a commercial property. The MVPD officer also jumped the fence and located the suspect hiding under a car. The suspect was turned over to HPD officers.

Bunker Hill

 6/11/22 at 1145 Hours. 400 Block of Flintdale. Suspicious Situation. The victim had just arrived at her home after making a withdraw from a bank in the 9300 Block of the Katy Freeway. Once in her driveway a female approached her and asked for directions to San Antonio, then a male in the vehicle yelled for the female to return to the vehicle which she did, and they left the area. The female was described as being Hispanic, young in her 20s, 5 foot tall and of a medium build. The vehicle was a white Tahoe with Arizona license plates. A check of the license plate shows it belong to a different vehicle. The victim feeling uncomfortable about the situation contacted MVPD. Officers located the vehicle on the ALPR and it appears the victim was followed from the bank but scared off by other area residents and walkers. Information was collected and the Tahoe license plate was entered into the ALPR system for notification to officers should it return to the area.

 6/14/22 at 1615 Hours. 1-100 block of Norvell Court. Theft of a Bicycle. The victim reported that sometime June 4, 2022, and June 6, 2022, unknown person(s) had removed a childs bicycle from the side driveway of her property without her permission. Information about the bike was obtained and entered into the state data base. A report was provided to detectives for the follow up investigation.

 6/17/22 at 0430 Hours. 12100 Block of Memorial. Criminal Trespass. Officers were dispatched to the Forest Club in reference to noise coming from the pool area. Upon arrival to the area officers located 3 juveniles on the property who had been swimming in the pool. Officers learned that the juveniles were visiting a friend in the area and staying the night when they decided to go swimming. A guardian was contacted who responded to the scene and took custody of the juveniles. Charges are pending.

Hunters Creek

 6/13/22 at 2330 Hours. 200 Block of Voss. Unlawful carrying of weapons. Officers were monitoring traffic on Voss Road when a vehicle was observed traveling at 48 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. Officers initiated a traffic stop and upon approaching the driver could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and could see several firearms inside of the car. Officers had the driver exit and vehicle and conducted a search that located a quantity of marijuana and 3 loaded firearms (photo attached). The 24-year-old male was placed under arrest and booked into the Harris County Jail. The vehicle was towed.
The Cypress Creek Flooding Task Force is looking to expedite local flood control efforts by creating a drainage district to fund construction of stormwater detention basins in the watershed.

Andrew Johnson, attorney with Johnson Petrov LLP, has been working with the task force to develop a plan that task force president Glenn Wilkerson says goes beyond what the group previously envisioned.

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The community group, whose focus is on flood prevention along Cypress Creek, had been looking to partner with utility districts to fund construction of a couple detention sites in the watershed.

Now, Wilkerson said, the group aims to garner support for a drainage district to help fund potentially all 23 basins recommended in the Cypress Creek Program Implementation Plan by Jones|Carter.

The Jones|Carter report was submitted to the Harris County Flood Control District outlining recommendations to mitigate flooding in the watershed, including the addition of the stormwater detention basin sites.

The countys $2.5 billion bond program, passed by voters in 2018 to fund flood mitigation, included $100 million for right-of-way acquisition for Cypress Creek Watershed projects, the report states. However, carrying out the projects requires additional funding which may come from partnerships with local, state, and federal entities.

The drainage district would levy property tax to help finance construction of projects, while pursuing additional assistance through other funding sources such the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Texas Water Development Board, and Harris County.

Purpose and funding

The special district would encompass approximately 150 utility districts spanning roughly from U.S. 290 to the east of the Hardy Toll Road and from the Grand Parkway to FM 1960, according to Johnson, who serves as a lawyer for several local utility districts.

On HoustonChronicle.com: A new $2 billion lagoon community is headed for Houston. Here's when, and where it will be.

Wilkerson described the idea as a neighbors helping neighbors approach to flood prevention in the watershed, most of which falls in unincorporated Harris County. By creating a drainage district, the task force hopes to speed up the process of obtaining the funds needed to construct the detention sites.

It seems to me that if we jump-start this process, form an entity that could represent the area, we would have a better chance of obtaining funding for the projects that we know we need, and even some that we may not know now that we need, Johnson said.

Flooding events including the Memorial Day Flood, Tax Day Flood and Hurricane Harvey caused damage to thousands of homes and buildings in the watershed.

There are surely going to be new floods before you could end up with the ultimate solution, whatever that may be, Johnson said. So, it seems that it would be important for the community to control its own destiny by creating a drainage district.

Johnson said the proposed district would only pursue flood prevention efforts approved by the Harris County Flood Control District, the countys regulatory agency.

However, the Cypress Creek drainage district, like the task force, would be its own entity whose activities are separate from those of the HCFCD.

Although they are different entities, HCFCD expressed appreciation for the task forces efforts in searching for funding partners.

Adding local funding partners, such as utility districts, would allow HCFCD 2018 Bond Program monies to be leveraged into actual construction, said HCFCD Capital Projects South Department Manager Jonathan St. Romain.

According to Johnson, the Cypress Creek drainage districts board of directors would be tasked with exploring a variety of flood control options for the watershed, he said, including but not limited to detention.

There are a number of things that could be done, and I think Flood Control and the board of this (special district) should take a hard look at all the options available and do whats most effective for the community, he said.

The drainage district could also look at partnering with the county or utility districts to incorporate amenities such as parks and walking trails in the drainage facilities, Johnson said. He pointed to the Willow Fork Drainage District, which serves Cinco Ranch, as an example of an entity that provides drainage and recreational amenities in its community.

Johnson said it is too early in the process of creating the special district to determine what its tax rate would be, but he believes it is possible to finance a large amount of facilities foraround 10 cents (per $100 valuation).

But I think its premature to say what it is because I think the community is going to have to decide what level of projects and how many homes it wants to protect, Johnson said.

Next steps

The task force is planning to host a meeting with area water districts in September to discuss the potential drainage district.

Johnson said the goal is to have the special district proposed during the next state legislative session starting in January. The process of creating the drainage district through the legislature may take a year or longer, he said.

The proposed district would then be brought to voters in an election to confirm the districts creation, its board of directors, and authorization to issue bonds. Johnson said an election may be held as early as November of 2023.

If the special district is created on this timeline, he estimates ground may be broken on the first of its projects by the end of 2024.

Working together

The creation of a special district will require community support, and Wilkerson said theyve already spoken with Harris County Pct. 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and state Rep. Sam Harless, R-Spring, about their plan.

I support efforts to reduce the flooding along Cypress Creek and this includes offering any assistance to the Cypress Creek Flooding Task Force and other related groups to reach this goal, Ramsey wrote in a response to The Mirror.

Harless said flooding around Cypress Creek has remained a major concern voiced by constituents since he was elected to represent District 126.

Even while campaigning, early on I heard time and time again that addressing flooding in our area was long overdue, Harless said in a written response. With continued development of land along the Cypress Creek, it was becoming obvious that North Harris County had needs requiring an innovative approach.

Harless said hes spent months meeting with area stakeholders and groups that were exploring ways the community can more directly control Cypress Creek flood prevention efforts.

As long as we can maintain this as a cohesive group I am supportive of legislation that creates a water maintenance district, Harless said.

He likened the legislation to a similar bill he co-authored with state Rep. Dan Huberty for the Kingwood and Atascocita area introduced during the 87th legislation session. The bill was passed by the House but voted down by the Senate. However, Harless said they intend to bring it back.

Creating such a district can open opportunities for additional funding from other state and federal sources, adding even further incentive, he said.

While flooding is our major problem, working together to find such a creative approach may be the solution.

mfeuk@hcnonline.com
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Gubernatorial candidate Beto ORourke on Saturday joined a Juneteenth celebration in Galveston, the birthplace of the holiday that commemorates the emancipation of slaves.

About 50 people gathered at Menard Park for festivities that included food and craft vendors, one of many celebrations held around the region and nation to mark the day.

READ MORE: See full coverage of Juneteenth

I hope all of us are inspired today to take action, ORourke said after giving a roughly 10-minute speech. For me thats the message: So much work left undone, certainly so much work left undone on June 19, 1865  so much work left undone June 19, 2022.

Before taking the stage, ORourke met hung about the park grounds, meeting people briefly and posing for pictures with them.

Effren Williams, a 58-year-old who said he runs a jet ski rental business, attended to support the legacy of the event  and to support ORourke, he said.

My favorite part today is to see all the support through all the community, he said.

Among those who waited in line to meet the Democratic candidate was DeAngela Williams, who said she was interested to hear what he is doing to try to defeat Gov. Greg Abbott.

We need to gain more steam to combat the machine that is the Republican Party, Williams said. This work is important because our voice has to be heard. I mean, like they said  our vote is our voice.

Republicans, meanwhile, spent the holiday weekend huddled in Houston for the Republican Convention. Abbott, however, skipped out on speaking at the official convention meetings for the first time during his two terms as governor. The governor held an informal reception nearby and also launching an attack advertising campaign against O'Rouke.
Two people in the region have tested positive for monkeypox, a viral disease with typically mild symptoms, public health officials with the City of Houston and Harris County announced Saturday.

The Houston Health Department said a Houston resident who had recently traveled internationally had a confirmed case of monkeypox.Hours later, Harris County Public Health said an out-of-state resident who had visited Harris County recently also had a confirmed case. The out-of-state resident is already out of the region and back in their home state.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Department of State Health Services have said the virus does not present a risk to the general public. The CDC's website says monkeypox is "rarely fatal" and the risk of transmission in the United States is low.

Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. It's most notable symptom is a rash that can resemble pimples or blisters, the CDC said. It can spread from person-to-person through direct contact with the rash or body fluids. It can also spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact.

As of Saturday afternoon, three cases had already been recorded in Texas -- not including the two reported in Houston that day -- and 114 have been logged nationwide since the first case this year was identified in mid-May.

Those who had the virus in Houston have been in contact with health officials, said Harris County Public Health Community Health and Wellness Division Director Dr. Ericka Brown.

Our case investigation team works with individuals with reportable illnesses to ensure they have the proper resources and guidance to protect themselves and others, she said in a statement. While the current risk of monkeypox infection in our community is low, we urge residents to be vigilant and seek medical attention if symptoms consistent with monkeypox do occur."
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Surveillance footage shows that police never tried to open a door to two classrooms at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in the 77 minutes between the time a gunman entered the rooms and massacred 21 people and officers finally breached the door and killed him, according to a law enforcement source close to the investigation.

Investigators believe the 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at the school on May 24 could not have locked the door to the connected classrooms from the inside, according to the source.

Interactive timeline: Minute-by-minute reconstruction of Uvalde school shooting

All classroom doors at Robb Elementary are designed to lock automatically when they close and can only be locked or unlocked from the outside with a key, the source said. Police might have assumed the door was locked. Yet the surveillance footage suggests gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, was able to open the door to classroom 111 and enter with assault-style rifle  perhaps because the door malfunctioned, the source said.

Another door led to classroom 112.

Ramos entered Robb Elementary at 11:33 a.m. that day through an exterior door that a teacher had pulled shut but that didnt lock automatically as it was supposed to, indicating another malfunction in door locks at the school.

Police finally breached the door to classroom 111 and killed Ramos at 12:50 p.m. Whether the door was unlocked the entire time remains under investigation.

Regardless, officers had access the entire time to a halligan  a crowbar-like tool that could have opened the door to the classrooms even if it was locked, the source said.

On ExpressNews.com: At a cemetery in Uvalde, an everlasting grief

Two minutes after Ramos entered the building, three Uvalde police officers chased him inside. Footage shows that Ramos fired rounds inside classrooms 111 and 112, briefly exited into the hallway and then re-entered through the door, the source said.

Ramos then shot at the officers through the closed door, grazing two of them with shrapnel. The officers retreated to wait for backup and heavy tactical equipment rather than force their way into the classrooms.

Pedro Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde school district police chief and the on-scene incident commander, has said he spent more than an hour in the hallway of the school. He told the Texas Tribune that he called for tactical gear, a sniper and keys to get inside. He said he held officers back from the door to the classrooms for 40 minutes to avoid gunfire.

When a custodian brought a large key ring, Arredondo said he tried dozens of the keys but none worked.

But Arredondo was not trying those keys in the door to classrooms 111 and 112, where Ramos was holed up, according to the law enforcement source. Rather, he was trying to locate a master key by using the various keys on doors to other classrooms nearby, the source said.

While Arredondo waited for a tactical team to arrive, children and teachers inside the classrooms called 911 at least seven times with desperate pleas for help. One of the two teachers who died, Eva Mireles, called her husband by cellphone after she was wounded and lay dying.

Days after the massacre, Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a news conference that each door can lock from the inside and that when Ramos went in, he locked the door. That information was preliminary, the source said, and further investigation has yielded new revelations about the door.

This developing story will be updated.
This week is Fathers Day and World Refugee Day. I am both a father and a refugee, but due to delays in the program meant to reunite separated refugee families, it has been almost eight years since my family has been together. Ive never met my youngest son.

I fled my home in Sri Lanka nearly ten years ago after I was attacked multiple times by the Sri Lankan army. I grew up during the Sri Lankan Civil War, which ended in 2009 when the Sri Lankan army defeated a rebel organization, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. I married my wife the next year, and in April 2011, our first son was born. That was one of the happiest days of my life, but I also felt scared about the danger facing my newly-formed family.

Shortly after I got married, the Sri Lankan army sought revenge in former rebel strongholds, including my neighborhood. The army often kidnapped young men, torturing and returning some and murdering others. I was kidnapped and beaten several times. One night, they abducted my wifes cousin and he was never seen again. My wifes own father was murdered by the Sri Lankan army when she was just four years old, and she helped convince me that I needed to leave the country. While I managed to escape with my life, in a way her greatest fear still came true: our children are growing up without their father, just like she did.

I fled to India, but the journey by boat was too dangerous for my wife and infant son, so I had to go alone. While my wife and son were eventually able to join me in India, they ultimately had to return to Sri Lanka when their visas neared expiration.

My wife soon learned she was pregnant with our second child, who was born in 2014 in Sri Lanka, where my family has continued to endure near constant harassment and attacks. Meanwhile, after enduring years of tortuous conditions in a migrant detention camp, I was finally safely resettled as a refugee in the United States in 2018, and I now live in Texas.

In July 2020, I filed petitions to reunite with my wife and children through the follow-to-join program, which was built into the U.S. refugee system over 40 years ago to quickly reunite separated refugee families by allowing spouses and unmarried children to join their family members in the United States. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has transferred my petitions to three different processing centers over the course of nearly two years, but has made no apparent progress and my petitions remain pending.

The International Refugee Assistance Project recently filed a lawsuit on my behalf to reunite me with my family, but there are thousands of other people like me, separated from their loved ones because of unreasonable delays in the family reunification program. These delays are due to processing backlogs resulting from Trump-era policies and compounded by the pandemic.

I worry constantly for my familys safety, and it pains me to think about how many moments I have missed without them by my side. At night, I lie awake talking on the phone with my wife. She tells me about our sons, now eleven and seven. They work hard studying English in preparation to join me in the United States. But lately, they have become depressed. The stress of our separation and the constant threats to their safety have taken a toll, and I feel powerless to bring my family to safety.

I love Texas and my life in this country. The weather is beautiful, and I have a job that I like in a restaurant. Yet I know my life here will remain incomplete without my family. I cant wait to meet my youngest son in person, to be able to play with him and his brother and show them how much they mean to me. Mostly, I want them to experience the same freedom I now have.

I have this same hope for all parents who remain separated from their children because they are refugees. This Fathers Day and this World Refugee Day, I ask the Biden administration to fix the follow-to-join process so that my family and all families in my situation have the opportunity to be safe and together again.

Jayarajah Antony Rajeevan Kulas is a Tamil refugee from Sri Lanka. He lives in San Antonio, Texas, where he hopes his wife and two sons will soon join him.




Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong responds to reporters at Seoul Gimpo Business Aviation Center, Saturday. Yonhap
Berkshire Workforce Board Honors Area Businesses, Elects Officers

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board (BWB) held its annual meeting on June 9, 2022 virtually via zoom.

As a state certified High Performing Workforce Board, the BWB highlighted accomplishments during the meeting including career readiness programming; training in manufacturing, healthcare & hospitality; employer assistance, rapid reengagement activities, and more collaborative efforts in meeting the demand for more highly skilled workers.

During FY2022 the BWB leveraged over $3.5 million which assisted 800 employers, 2800 job seekers, and 2500 youth with their workforce needs.

The Board convened the Berkshire Skills Cabinet, started the Market Maker initiative, and implemented training in healthcare, manufacturing and hospitality as part of its Berkshire Workforce Blueprint.

More than 120 organizations received labor market data from the Board which helped to generate $1.6 million in new resources.

FY2022 Workforce Impact Awards presented to:

2022 Workforce Ambassador  John Lipa Linden Consulting & General Dynamics retiree  for his 30-year commitment and leadership on the Board, at the state level and strong civic engagement in the community.

2022 Youth Ambassador  Teagan Far, intern at Berkshire Workforce Board from Lenox High School  for generating labor market reports and igniting a marketing campaign where she developed flyers, banners and career trees.

2022 Employer of the Year  Susan St. John from Berkshire Health Systems  for her 35+ years teaching, guiding and advocating for students and trainees through their healthcare career ladders.

2022 Employer of the Year  Lenco Armored Vehicles - for being strong supporters of our manufacturing initiatives including providing company tours, work-based learning experiences for students, and for providing opportunities to help get people back to work.

In other business, the Board of Directors elected the FY2023 officers which include:

President: Eva Sheridan, Jane Iredale

Vice President: Michael Taylor, City of Pittsfield

Vice President: Albert Ingegni, III, BHCS - Salisbury Estates

Youth Council Co-chair: Doug McNally, Frosthollow Associates

Youth Council Co-chair: Bryan House, District Attorney Office

Treasurer: James Brosnan, McCannTechnical School

Asst. Treasurer: Beth Petropulos, MountainOne

Secretary: Chelsea Tyer, Neenah Paper

At-Large: David Moresi, Moresi & Associates
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett walks through the exhibit hall as shareholders gather to hear from the billionaire investor at Berkshire Hathaway Inc's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, in this May 4, 2019, file photo. Reuters-Yonhap



Talk about an expensive date: a mystery bidder will be spending a record $19 million for the right to have lunch with legendary American investment guru Warren Buffett.



That whopping bid, announced by eBay, came in the 21st  and last  such charity luncheon with the aging multibillionaire, who is chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.



Bidding on the eBay website opened last Sunday at a modest $25,000. But it shot up rapidly as rival bidders tried to outdo one another, finally ending Friday at a total of just over $19 million.



The auction  held annually, though canceled by Covid-19 concerns for the past two years  raises funds for Glide, which fights poverty in San Francisco. It distributes food to the homeless and helps them find shelter, medical assistance and training.



San Francisco, a place of income extremes, has struggled for years with a large homeless population.



This year's still-anonymous winner of the charity auction "has not only made history, but will spend an unforgettable afternoon with American legend Warren Buffett at a private lunch with up to seven guests at Smith Wollensky Steakhouse in New York City," said an announcement posted by eBay.



The last pre-pandemic auction was won by Justin Sun, an American entrepreneur active in cryptocurrencies, who spent $4.6 million for the right to dine with Buffett, an outspoken critic of bitcoin.



The eBay statement quoted the 91-year-old Buffett  revered throughout the investment community as the "Oracle of Omaha"  as saying he had "met a lot of interesting people all over the world" through the auctions.



"The one universal characteristic," he added, "is that they feel the money is going to be put to very good uses."



Buffett's net worth was estimated in March at $117 billion, according to Forbes.com.



He joined Bill and Melinda Gates in forming a group of the ultra-wealthy who have vowed to give away half their fortunes. Buffett is estimated to have already donated some $48 billion. (AFP)




When a dog named Gus who belonged to a woman named Anna Brose died unexpectedly, she contacted Chewy to ask if she could return an unopened bag of his food. What happened next is a lesson in leadership, customer service, and how powerful social media can be--especially when you're not attempting to use it for your own gain.

I contacted @Chewy last week to see if I could return an unopened bag of my dog's food after he died. They 1) gave me a full refund, 2) told me to donate the food to the shelter, and 3) had flowers delivered today with the gift note signed by the person I talked to??

Here's what every marketer--and every business leader--can learn.

1. A small human gesture can have a big impact.

Not everyone has pets, and not all pet owners feel the attachment to their pets that Brose obviously felt with Gus. For those of us who do, the grief of losing a pet is something we know we'll experience multiple times because the lifespan of most pets is much shorter than that of humans. That grief isn't always recognized in our society, so to a mourning pet owner, getting recognition for that grief means a lot.

In the responses to Brose's tweet, many pet owners said that they had also received flowers and/or condolences from Chewy, and a surprising number also posted images of the artwork Chewy had sent them from photos of their pets they'd shared. One said Chewy had helped them out, intervening with UPS when prescription pet food was badly needed during a snowstorm.

One shelter employee jumped in to say that the shelter frequently received donations from Chewy customers who, like Brose, had received a full refund for a purchase along with instructions to donate it. I think it was especially meaningful to Brose to get a personal message from the person she spoke to, but it wasn't just one individual reaching out, but rather Chewy's corporate policy. That policy is very, very smart.

It's also worth noting that it's been Chewy's policy from its earliest days, as co-founder and former CEO Ryan Cohen explained to Inc. when Chewy went public in 2019. The point wasn't to get a lot of good social media. The point was to create superfans.

2. Nothing beats the power of superfans.

How could Chewy--a company started on a shoestring and competing against the likes of Amazon and Walmart--afford to send flowers to every bereaved customer it learned about in those early days? Because its founders recognized the incredible power of having superfans. Superfans are customers who feel so emotionally connected to your company that they will promote it to their friends and social media followers even without your asking them to do so. Think Apple or Harley-Davidson for example. Superfans can help your business grow and help sustain it when times are tough as well.

Some people who responded to Brose's tweet said they were Chewy customers for life. Others said they were impressed by her story and would give the brand a try as a result of reading it (which millions of people have likely done by now). How do you think the value of that emotional connection stacks up against the cost of a few bouquets of flowers?

3. You can't compete on cost and convenience alone.

Chewy, which was acquired by PetSmart in 2017 and is now a public company, has pretty deep resources these days. Even so, it's unlikely to win customers over with lower prices or greater convenience when you consider that its competitors are companies like Amazon and Walmart. It's pretty hard to beat Amazon on customer service as well.

Most pet food, treats, and other branded pet products are exactly the same no matter where you buy them. So for a pet retailer to survive against competitors like these, it needs something more. This is why I'm calling this not only a lesson in customer service or marketing, but also a lesson in leadership. It's Chewy's identity, built one interaction at a time, as a company that truly cares about both its customers and their animal companions.

It's working. One person tweeted this to Brose: "They're hugely popular... I drove past a FedEx truck with the back doors open, and it might as well have been a Chewy truck... every box in there had the logo on it..."
Hansal Mehta struck gold with his scintillating web series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story. For months, it was the only show that was talked about. Pratik Gandhi who portrayed the role of scammer Harshad Mehta, got his breakthrough because of this very series and has been doing phenomenal work since then.



Sonyliv

Mehta on the other hand, is all set to present the second season of his superhit series Scam 2003. He assures that the second installment will be as authentic and entertaining as the original but with a completely different approach when it comes to storytelling.





What Is Scam: 2003 All About?

The new season will narrate the tale of 2003 Stamp Paper fraud by Abdul Karim Telgi. It will chronicle the life of Telgi, a fruit-seller born in Khanapur in Karnataka and his journey to becoming the mastermind behind one of the most ingenious scams in India

 Telgi has been found.



Presenting the very talented Gagan Dev Riar as Abdul Telgi. #Scam2003. pic.twitter.com/wws3phKOmJ  Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) May 24, 2022

This time theatre actor Gagan Dev Riar will headline the series. Scam: 2003 is adapted from the Hindi book Reporter ki Diary authored by journalist and news reporter Sanjay Singh, who is credited with breaking the story of the scam back in the day.

Talking about the new season, Hansal Mehta said, Its a completely fresh take with a new director, who is executing it with his own vision, ability and we have a new actor, whos another sensational find. So theres a lot of new things to look forward to. It has a new story, part of this amazing franchise.

Twitter

Mehta will serve as the showrunner and direct alongside filmmaker Tushar Hiranandani of Saand Ki Aankh fame.

During a panel discussion to celebrate two years of streaming platform SonyLIVs relaunch, Mehta said the team has treated the new season as a fresh start.

Itll be entertaining, authentic and all the things that season one was and much more. Youre delving into a life, a new character. We will try to incorporate learnings from season one.

But we have treated season two as a fresh start. We cannot be bogged down by season one, that it was a huge success so we have to repeat it. The moment you get into that trap, youll end up disappointing yourself, the show-maker said.

One of the learnings from the show was that we took risks. And risk hai toh ishq hai. So we wont stop taking those risks and do it with conviction, he further added.





Hansal Mehta Feels Any Shows Virality Can Be Gauged By The Number Of Memes Made On It

Twitter

The filmmaker truly believes that if a show manages to inspire memes and jokes then it means that it has gone viral in the true sense of the word.

He said, "Memes are a great way to judge a show or film's success. If dialogues from your creation suddenly find their way to memes, be rest assured your content has cut across the audience."





Before Scam 1992, Mehta wasnt privy to the concept of memes, it was only after his show got popular that he became acquainted with the power of memes.

Twitter

"I discovered memes after 'Scam' and was pleasantly surprised by their reach because they're snackable and derivative form of content and travel way faster than any form of content. The audience too jumps in to make their own version of memes and dialogues, it becomes an user generated content falling under the umbrella of organic marketing," he said.



However, he also pointed out the biggest flaw of the meme-verse.

cinestaan

"There's a downside to it to, because a lot of time writers get carried away while writing dialogues in a bid to make them meme-worthy, this robs them off the show's or film's authenticity," he concluded.



The release date of Scam 2003: The Telgi Story is yet to be announced.

(With inputs from PTI)

(To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE)


Sadya Toure, Director of Mali Musso, on screen, addresses the United Nations Security Council, Monday, June 13, 2022 at United Nations Headquarters. The U.N.'s mission in the West African nation is up for renewal this month, at a volatile time when extremist attacks are intensifying. AP-Yonhap



Tensions between Russia and the West are aggravating talks about the future of one of the United Nations' biggest and most perilous peacekeeping operations, the force sent to help Mali resist a decade-long Islamic extremist insurgency.



The U.N.'s mission in the West African nation is up for renewal this month, at a volatile time when extremist attacks are intensifying. Three U.N. peacekeepers have been killed this month alone. Mali's economy is choking on sanctions imposed by neighboring countries after its military rulers postponed a promised election. France and the European Union are ending their own military operations in Mali amid souring relations with the governing junta.



U.N. Security Council members widely agree the peacekeeping mission, known as MINUSMA, needs to continue. But a council debate this week was laced with friction over France's future role in Mali and the presence of Russian military contractors.



"The situation has become very complex for negotiations," said Rama Yade, senior director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. "The international context has a role, and Mali is part of the Russian game on the international stage," she said.



The peacekeeping mission began in 2013, after France led a military intervention to oust extremist rebels who had taken over cities and major towns in northern Mali the year before. MINUSMA now counts roughly 12,000 troops, plus about 2,000 police and other officers. More than 270 peacekeepers have died.



France is leading negotiations on extending the mission's mandate and is proposing to continue providing French aerial support. The U.N.'s top official for Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, said the force particularly needs the capabilities of attack helicopters.



But Mali strongly objects to a continued French air presence.



"We would call, therefore, for respect for our country's sovereignty," Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop told the council Monday.



Mali asked France, its onetime colonial ruler, for military help in 2013. The French military was credited with helping to boot the insurgents out of Timbuktu and other northern centers, but they regrouped elsewhere, began attacking the Malian army and its allies and pushed farther south. The government now controls only 10 percent of the north and 21 percent of the central region, according to a U.N. report this month.



Patience with the French military presence is waning, though, especially as extremist violence mounts. There have been a series of anti-French demonstrations in the capital, which some observers suggest have been promoted by the government and a Russian mercenary outfit, the Wagner Group.



Mali has grown closer to Russia in recent years as Moscow has looked to build alliances and gain sway in Africa _ and both countries are at odds with the West. High-ranking Malian and Russian officials have been hit with European Union sanctions, sparked by Russia's actions in Ukraine since 2014 and by Mali's failure to hold elections that had been pledged for this past February.



Against that backdrop, Security Council members squared off over the Wagner Group's presence in Mali. The Kremlin denies any connection to the company. But Western analysts say it's a tool of Russian President Vladimir Putin's campaign to gain influence in Africa.



The Wagner Group has committed serious human rights and international humanitarian law violations, according to allegations by the E.U. and human rights organizations. In Mali, Human Rights Watch has accused Russian fighters and Mali's army of killing hundreds of mostly civilian men in the town of Moura; Mali said those killed were ''terrorists.'' The U.N. peacekeeping force is investigating, as is the Malian government.



The recent U.N. report on Mali remarked on "a significant surge" in reports of abuses committed by extremists and Malian forces, sometimes accompanied by "foreign security personnel." It didn't name names, but British deputy U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki said council members "are under no illusions  this is the Russian-backed Wagner Group."



Mali says otherwise. While officials have said Russian soldiers are training the Malian military as part of a longstanding security partnership between the two governments, Diop insisted to the Security Council that "we don't know anything about Wagner."



However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a TV interview in May that the Wagner Group was in Mali "on a commercial basis."



Russian deputy U.N. Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva told the Security Council that African countries have every right to engage soldiers-for-hire. And she suggested they have every reason to, saying Mali's security "continues to unravel" despite European military endeavors.



She blasted Western unease about Russia's tightening ties to Mali as "neocolonialist approaches and double standards."



Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans a six-month review to consider ways to retool MINUSMA.



To Sadya Toure, a writer and the founder of a women's organization called Mali Musso, told the council her country "should not be a battlefield between major powers."



"People are the ones who are suffering the consequences of these tensions." (AP)




The United Kingdom government has stated that it intends to pass legislation that will nullify the Northern Ireland provision of the Brexit agreement it signed. Since it went into effect at the beginning of 2021, the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was agreed upon with the European Union (EU), has been a cause of conflict.

After Britain presented this legislation to try and escape some of its commitments under the terms of Brexit, the European Commission started two new legal actions against it and reopened another.

What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?

After the UK decided to leave the European Union in 2016, Northern Ireland required special economic arrangements. This is due to the fact that it is the only area of the UK that has a land border with the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU. As both sides abided by the same EU trade regulations prior to Brexit, moving products across this border was simple. There was no need for checks or paperwork.

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Since the EU maintains rigorous food regulations and mandates border inspections when specific items, including milk and eggs, come from non-EU nations, a new approach was required after Brexit. Due to Northern Ireland's turbulent political history, the border is also a delicate subject. It was believed that border posts or cameras may cause unrest.

Protecting the Good Friday Agreement, a 1998 peace agreement for Northern Ireland, was deemed by the UK and the EU to be of the utmost importance. So, as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, both parties signed the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is now a part of international law.

Within the ambit of the protocol, it was stipulated that any inspections and document checks would take place between Northern Ireland and Great Britain rather than at the Irish border for goods (England, Scotland and Wales). These take place in the ports of Northern Ireland. Also agreed upon was the continuation of Northern Ireland's adherence to EU product standards regulations.

The Good Friday Agreement

After lengthy discussions, the UK government, the Irish government, and political parties in Northern Ireland signed the Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1998. It established a Northern Ireland Assembly with shared power among other things.

Photograph: Whyte's auctions/theguardian

Additional key tenets of the accord were:

-To facilitate cooperation between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on issues like farming and health, a council was to be established.

-To advance the ties between Britain and Ireland, a council was to be established. To put their troubled past behind them.

-Citizens of Northern Ireland can have either a British or an Irish passport, or both. This is known as dual citizenship.





Why does the UK now want to violate the Protocol?

On June 13, the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill was unveiled. By unilaterally removing parts of the Brexit accord, the UK government has acknowledged that it is in violation of international law. The "doctrine of necessity," however, has been used to defend its actions, with the argument that breaching the law was the only way to advance important domestic interests. It seeks to protect both political and economic domestic interests.

Irishnews/Representationalimage

Food products, in particular, lose shelf life while they wait for clearance, making trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland difficult. Due to EU regulations, some tax and expenditure initiatives of the UK government cannot be implemented in Northern Ireland.

Additionally, people who favour an unified United Kingdom dislike any border in the Irish Sea. Significantly, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the head of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland, is one such individual. Elections in Northern Ireland took place in May, and the DUP has since halted Stormont, the country's parliament.

Until the trade barrier is loosened, the DUP will not let the formation of a government. New elections will need to be held if the deadlock continues for six months.

The controversy over the Bill

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The bill's main recommendations include creating a "green lane" with fewer clearances for goods that will stay in Northern Ireland while a "red lane" with more requirements examines goods headed for the EU; allowing London to make all spending and tax decisions for Northern Ireland; and resolving disputes outside of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice through independent arbitration and negotiations. Moreover, it suggests giving businesses in Northern Ireland the option of using EU or UK standards.

Due to its vehement resistance, the bill is likely to encounter a difficult journey in Parliament whenever it is introduced. The Northern Ireland Protocol has been softened as a result of ongoing negotiations between the UK government and the EU, thus the Bill may never be required.

Unsplash/Representational image

Experts have noted that the Bill is detrimental to the reputation of the nation and effectively amounts to the UK breaching a treaty it signed. Additionally, the UK cannot afford a trade war or even fines from the EU given its already precarious economic situation. The majority of the Assembly members in Northern Ireland are against the Bill because they believe it will only increase their level of uncertainty.

EUs take on the issue

According to Reuters, the two new lawsuits accuse Britain of failing to provide enough trade data to the EU and failing to secure sufficient manpower and equipment to conduct checks in Northern Ireland. The other, which was put on hold a year ago to enhance the climate at meetings, concerns the flow of agri-food goods.

If Britain does not respond to the EU's accusations within two months, the EU may take the matter to the European Court of Justice, according to Maros Sefcovic, Vice President of the European Commission.

Sefcovic did add, though, that the EU still wants to negotiate with Britain on softening the Protocol. We decided that our response should be measured, and should be proportionate. And we are offering not only legal action here today but weve been fleshing out what concretely we could do, he said.





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Turns out, we women have been peeing in the wrong position, says Texas doctor Teresa Irwin. The US-based vaginacologist wants women to pay more attention to the way they pee - she wants us to 'loosen up' while visiting the ladies' room.

She said that instead of trying to be all prim and proper, we should slouch forward like a cowboy. The doctor took to TikTok to explain her theory - she titled the video: revisit the basics of proper peeing.

LADbible

In her video, she sat on a white chair to show the correct position to pee. She says, Im going to talk about the proper ways for women to pee. Did you know that there's actually more than just one way for us to pee? Most of us are taught to pee properly, very prim and proper."

She demonstrates by sitting down on a chair with a straight back and her feet placed in front of her.

She adds, But I call it prim and improper, cause youre not going to empty your bladder this way. One third of the urine will still remain in the bladder if you pee in this upright position. So the proper way to pee, is just like a cowboy."

LADbible

She also says, Lean forward, put your elbows right above your kneecaps, and pee. Make sure your feet are flat though, because otherwise its still not going to empty properly.

Dr Irwin specialises in pelvic health and incontinence. She often shares videos on TikTok to educate people about such common things we don't pay any mind to.



Jam Press (Dr Teresa Irwin)

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Businesses are being urged to adopt more digital behaviours through new incentives announced by the Government.

These incentives include a 10m government fund which is being made available to all businesses this year that need money to update software, get new equipment, train their staff, or implement automation and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Digital technologies can reduce costs for businesses by making processes like invoicing, stock management and supply chain logistics much more efficient, said Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy.

"In addition, the use of digital technologies will assist companies in reducing their carbon footprint and helping to tackle climate change, he added.

This 10m is part of a larger 85m fund allocated by the Governments Digital Transition Fund as part of Irelands National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).

In addition to the funding, a new website is being developed that will help businesses assess what their digital needs are and the tools they need to improve their digital offering.

Junior minister Robert Troy: 'The trend is only going one way and our lives are only going to become more integrated with digital technology.'

The trend is only going one way and our lives are only going to become more integrated with digital technology, said Tanaiste and Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment Leo Varadkar. "That is why we need to make sure our SMEs are prepared."

Mr Troy said there will also be series of workshops called Grow Digital that will take place in regional locations from the end of June and throughout July.

The funding is aimed at increasing the digitalisation of all businesses across products, processes, supply chains and business models in the hopes of seeing better productivity, access to new markets, increased innovation, and improved competitiveness.

The 85m will be used from 2022 until 2026 and will be administered to businesses by Enterprise Ireland.

The NRRP was developed so that the Government can access funding under the EUs Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Ireland is expected to receive more than 988m in grants under the facility.
Cork Chamber is the latest body to voice concerns over Dublin Airports monopoly on Irelands aviation industry.

CEO of the Chamber, Conor Healy said there needs to be a larger focus on driving traffic to other airports like Cork.

Dublins growing dominance is certainly an issue and we need to see a concerted effort post-Covid to grow routes and traffic from Cork Airport and ensure that the supports and incentives are in place to ensure Corks offering is attractive enough to draw airlines and new routes to Cork, said Mr Healy.

There is clearly a need for more focus on the growth of Cork Airport and other regional airports, but there are also challenges in drawing airlines out of Dublin Airport, he added.

Calls for more regional flights Mr Healy is not alone in his belief that more routes need to go from regional airports. Cork and Limerick Chamber chiefs, Conor Healy and Dee Ryan, have already spoken out in support of the N/M20 and now both are questioning the growth of Dublin Airport at the expense of regional airports. File picture: Gerard McCarthy In recent weeks, the Limerick Chamber CEO Dee Ryan has called the recovery of Irelands aviation industry post-Covid-19 imbalanced. Meanwhile, the new chair of Shannon Group Conal Henry recently said Ireland is facing "this weird situation of people driving past three airports to take flights from Dublin. In addition, Kevin Herlihy, the recently-appointed president of the Cork Business Association, suggested that flights be moved from Dublin to Cork to avoid hard-working peoples time and money being wasted.

The hostility around Dublin Airports dominance was dormant pre-Covid-19, but the issues were still there.

Ms Ryan said that pre-Covid-19, between January 2013 and December 2019, passenger growth at Cork Airport was 250,000, while Shannon grew by 300,000. Dublin Airport during that same period grew passenger numbers by 14m, she said.

However, in recent weeks, as Dublin Airport became engulfed in controversy due to delays, queues and missed flights caused by pandemic-related staff shortages, industry bodies are calling for change.

It isnt as simple as Cork versus Dublin, said Mr Healy. "Some airlines will simply not be interested in flying out of anywhere except a capital city like Dublin without significant incentivisation programmes.
The term energy storage is one that we are going to become accustomed to in the coming decade, as the payoffs around renewable energy start to bear fruit.

Simply put, energy storage is exactly what it sounds like  capturing energy like electricity in order for it to be used later. That means if there is an excess of energy being produced through the likes of wind, then the excess can be captured in order to be used down the line or on other things that need energy.

To industry people, it seems like the advantages are self-explanatory, more bang for your energy buck and saving of costs and more. But for a consumer, is it something of which they should be aware?

If a report unveiled around Energy Storage Irelands annual conference last month is anything to go by, then consumers will also be winners as the burgeoning industry gets stronger.

It will also play a part in the climate crisis by reducing carbon, Energy Storage Ireland said.

Ireland's energy storage ambitions: Maintaining security of supply while integrating greater levels of renewable generation will require a very high penetration of variable electricity on the Irish grid, with increased storage capacity providing a low-carbon substitute for high greenhouse gas emitting power generation fuels, such as peat and coal," says Environment Minister Eamon Ryan.

The report found that energy storage could cut Irelands annual carbon emissions by more than 1 million tonnes and reduce annual electricity bills by more than 85m.

Head of Energy Storage Ireland, Bobby Smith, said: Energy storage helps ensure a safe, secure, supply of electricity for homes, businesses and farms across Ireland and Northern Ireland.

No electricity system can operate without a back-up and in Ireland this has traditionally been provided by fossil fuel generation.

This new report from Baringa shows that over the next 10 years, we can store increasing amounts of wind and solar power in energy storage projects and use it to support the system instead of relying on coal or gas.

In Irelands case, energy storage is primarily focused on electricity and ensure a secure supply. If a fossil fuel generator should suddenly stop providing electricity, there is an immediate risk to the system when replacement power must be found immediately to meet electricity demand, Energy Storage Ireland said.

That means if there is an emergency situation, energy storage projects in Ireland respond in milliseconds to ensure the lights stay on, the body said.

The most common form of energy storage in Ireland is battery storage. A battery storage project uses lithium-ion batteries, the same basic technology as is used in smartphones or in laptops, to store electricity.

When there are large volumes of wind energy on the system a battery storage project stores this power and keeps it ready for when it might be needed to keep the electricity grid secure or to respond to sudden spikes in demand.

The more energy storage we have on the system, storing electricity generated by wind or solar, the less we need to rely on fossil fuels, Energy Storage Ireland said.

Mr Smith said the crisis in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion has brought it home starkly about energy as a precious commodity, as well as the climate crisis challenge.

The need to decarbonise our energy supply is the greatest challenge humanity faces but since the start of this year we have faced a new, different, and growing, energy crisis.

The invasion of Ukraine and our dependency on imported fossil fuels means Irish electricity consumers have seen dizzying increases in their bills and the worst may yet be to come.

Energy storage is an essential part of decarbonising our electricity system. It allows us to fully harness our renewable energy resources and replace expensive, polluting, fossil fuels.

To accelerate the delivery of energy storage, we need a coordinated strategy from policymakers in Ireland and Northern Ireland to redesign the electricity market to replace our fossil fuel back-up with a cleaner, cheaper, alternative.

In the Energy Storage Ireland report, carried out by consultancy firm Baringa, it found that: By participating in the Irish day-ahead energy market, energy storage can reduce day ahead carbon emissions by 50% by using long-duration storage technologies. This makes a material contribution to meeting ambitious 2030 power sector decarbonisation goals.

Strategic deployment of energy storage in transmission-constrained regions of the network reduces the dispatch-down of renewable generation from constraints without the need for network reinforcement, unlocking additional carbon savings.

By contributing to security of supply, helping to support renewable capacity, and displacing fossil fuels in the balancing market, energy storage can deliver a net saving to end consumers in Ireland of up to 85m per year.

These benefits are additional to the carbon, renewable curtailment, and end consumer savings offered by energy storage through the provision of zero-carbon system services.

Energy storage helps the integration of renewables at all stages by ensuring that generation is not wasted; reducing oversupply by up to 60%, constraint volumes by up to 90%, and curtailment by 100%.

The report said: Energy storage encompasses a broad range of technologies including chemical, electrical, thermal, electrochemical, and mechanical storage.

Each of these technologies has distinct characteristics and capabilities, such as speed of response, efficiency, and storage capacity, which means that they can provide a variety of valuable services to the Irish all-island power system.

We have used our in-house power market modelling capability to analyse a series of portfolios of energy storage capacities and durations, though we have remained technology-agnostic across our two phases of study: We first considered the system-level benefits unlocked by the deployment of energy storage from participation in the day-ahead power market in terms of lower CO2 emissions, security of supply, and end consumer savings in 2030.

Bobby Smith, head of Energy Storage Ireland, with Minister for Environment and Climate Eamon Ryan. Photo: Conor McCabe Photography

We then analysed the strategic deployment of energy storage capacity in regions of the network with transmission constraints, using County Donegal as a case study, to determine the further carbon reductions and end consumer savings offered by maximising renewable generation in these areas. That is where the savings to both industry and consumers came in. However, neither government in the Republic or the North have long-term capacity targets for energy storage, the report warned.

Some politicians have been listening.

In the Dail this month, Sinn Fein TD Darren ORourke asked Environment Minister Eamon Ryan the way in which he intends to build the States energy storage capacity which has the potential to cut annual carbon emissions by more than one million tonnes and if he will prepare and publish an energy storage strategy.

Mr Ryan said energy storage encompasses a broad range of technologies that provide a variety of critical services to the all-island power system.

Maintaining security of supply while integrating greater levels of renewable generation will require a very high penetration of variable electricity on the Irish grid, with increased storage capacity providing a low-carbon substitute for high greenhouse gas emitting power generation fuels, such as peat and coal.

EirGrid has reported that a number of battery projects have been contracted via two mechanisms: SEM Capacity Auctions and DS3 Systems Services. There is currently approximately 500MW of short duration batteries on the all-island system providing system services, as well as 292MW of pumped hydro storage.

There are also approximately 500MW of batteries either connected, or contracted to connect to the system over the next four years, to provide capacity to the all island power system. In addition, EirGrid will soon publish the final results of the second Renewable Electricity Support Scheme which makes provision to couple renewable generation with storage capability at project sites. This will help to broaden the energy mix and support security of supply.

The Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2021 acknowledges the critical role of energy storage in supporting a power system comprised of up to 80% renewables and the need to develop storage capacity, he added.

My Department has committed to developing an electricity storage policy framework that supports the 2030 CAP targets and supports increased storage capacity. The framework is due to be published early next year. In combination, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities will be reviewing the regulatory treatment of storage, including licensing, charging and market incentives, which is to be completed by the end of 2023.

The Dail exchanges follow expertise from industry leaders in Oireachtas Committees earlier this year.

President of the Irish Energy Storage Association, Paddy Phelan, laid out the picture well.

Malcolm Noonan, Minister of State for Housing, Local Government, with Paddy Phelan, President of the Irish Energy Storage Association (IESA) launching the report 'The Missing link - The value of Energy Storage' at the Kilkenny Research and Innovation Centre. Picture: Dylan Vaughan

Decarbonising electricity requires significant additional wind and solar generation and the phasing out of fossil fuel generation, with natural gas used largely as a transitional fuel until decarbonised biogas, green hydrogen or other measures come on stream.

There are two main challenges to operating the grid primarily on wind and solar power. The first relates to grid stability. Up to now, big heavy fossil fuel-driven turbines and generators have had enough momentum to ride through the bumps.

We now need to replace these with plants that can respond very quickly, going from zero to full output in a fraction of a second. The second challenge relates to the variable output from wind and solar generation. This variability creates the need for plants which can absorb energy when there is too much wind or solar generation to make up the deficit when there is insufficient wind and solar power to meet the demand.

On the role of energy storage, batteries with, for example, half an hour's worth of storage can provide a very fast response to provide grid stability. Plant capable of storing 350 MW is currently in operation and this capacity is expected to rise to 600 MW by 2023, which shows that the energy storage industry can deliver and is delivering.

The variability in output from wind and solar generation can be managed by using different technologies offering different durations of storage. These include different types of batteries, pumped hydro storage like that used at Turlough Hill and compressed air or liquid air energy storage. These can provide output for up to 12 hours, which would cover most variations in wind and solar output.
The Government is intending to adopt on a wider scale the approach of a results-based project that is focused on the conservation and management of bogs.

The LIFE IP Wild Atlantic Nature is a large-scale project aimed at conservation and management of Irelands Natura 2000 network, with a special focus on blanket bog.

The project, coordinated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, covers more than 250,000 hectares of ecologically and socially important habitats, stretching along the west coast of Ireland from south Co Galway to north Co Donegal.

The project works with farmers, local communities, states agencies, and others across a broad range of actions spanning sectors including farming, forestry, tourism, community development, and scientific.

In response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Fein TD Pa Daly about whether the project can be extended to cover Co Kerry boglands, Minister of State Malcolm Noonan said that a key focus in the early stages of the project is the development of a payment scheme (RBPS) for farmers and landowners operating in blanket bog special areas of conservation nationally.

The RBPS programme, developed in conjunction with project partners the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, directly links payments to farmers with environmental quality, with better environmental quality attracting higher payments, Mr Noonan said.

Farmers are also provided with support to improve the ecological condition of their lands, if they so wish.

Meanwhile, Barry OLoughlin, an ecologist specialising in peatland rehabilitation and restoration, told the Irish Examiner that the status of bogs in Ireland at the moment is bad.

The overall trend is theyre deteriorating, he added.

The Shanakyle Bog Restoration and Habitat Enhancement Project is a locally-led European Innovation Partnership (EIP) scheme project led by Mr OLoughlin and landowner Catherine Ni Ciardha of the Shanakyle Bog Restoration Group.

This locally-led EIP is the first raised bog restoration and rewetting project to be undertaken in Co Clare.

In early 2021, Ms Ni Ciardha approached Mr OLoughlin about wanting to do something with her land to benefit biodiversity.

Mr OLoughlin suggested restoring and rewetting the bog, which had largely dried out as a result of historical pressures associated with domestic turf cutting and drainage.

What followed was the formation of the Shanakyle Bog Restoration Group in early 2021, and a subsequent application for funding in response to an open call for farm and community biodiversity initiatives by the Department of Agricultures locally-led EIP scheme.

Peatland restoration and biodiversity enhancement

In May 2021, the Shanakyle Bog Restoration Group was awarded funding in the amount of 55,000 to complete peatland restoration and biodiversity enhancement measures.

The project involved installing peat dams, peat bunds, and overflow pipes on 30 acres of raised bog habitat to repair degraded peatland habitats by raising water levels to create optimal conditions for the growth of sphagnum mosses, the main peat forming agent of active raised bogs.

The result of this work will conserve rare peatland habitats for biodiversity and create favourable baseline conditions for carbon sequestration to combat climate change, according to the project synopsis.

Other additional biodiversity and enhancement measures will include managing 16 acres of adjoining grassland for wildflower meadow creation for pollinators [no application of fertiliser and pesticides, bracken control, applying a low grazing stocking regime] such as bees, butterflies and moths.

Measures also included the creation of a wildlife pond in grassland pasture, removal of problematic invasive species including rhododendron, Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed, and installation of bat boxes and bird boxes, and creation of a nature trail.

Mr OLoughlin said he hopes that other landowners, farmers, and communities across the country will choose to undertake similar projects.

However, for this to happen, there must also be support systems and funding streams to enable it.

Financial incentives

Mr OLoughlin and his project colleagues acknowledge that the majority of financial payments available to farmers to rewet peatlands and other wetland habitats come from participation in EIP schemes  and while this is beneficial, it only represents a small number of farmers within discrete geographical locations compared to the rest of the country.

Mr OLoughlin is hoping there will be more opportunities for financial incentives under the new CAP in 2023.

Its a win for climate, its a win for biodiversity, its a win for water quality, and this is where we could see farmers getting carbon credits but at the same time, get a payment for this work as well, Mr OLoughlin added.

Farmers are interested in what goes on in their land, Ive got farmers contacting me asking about this, and asking where they can get a payment because theyve got that idle ground there.

But it's not just to do the work and walk away. I think farmers have a huge integrated role to play in this because they know where the drains are, they have a huge role to play in planning as well.

Where theres wetlands and peatlands and the conservation status is in decline, thats a good way to target the biodiversity and climate crisis and give farmers a payment at the same time.
Landline telephones have been installed in 804 prison cells at a cost of more than 1 million this year, and work is underway to extend the convenience to every inmate in the state.

Four of the countrys 12 detention facilities now have an analogue telephone in every cell, meaning inmates in Castlerea, Cloverhill, Limerick, and Midlands prisons can make phone calls without leaving their rooms.

The purchase and installation of the equipment have cost a total of 1,131,688 to date, and its intended to provide in-cell telephony for prisoners in Cork, Portlaoise, Wheatfield, and the Dochas Centre by the end of this year.

Inmates in Mountjoy and Arbour Hill, which is the national centre for male sex offenders, will have to wait until 2023 before telephones are installed in their cells.

The telephone handsets themselves are basic and cost a modest 16 each, according to records released under freedom of information laws. However, associated IT equipment costs 156.70 and running cables to cells has cost 992,837.

The handset currently allows only outgoing calls, although a spokesman for the Irish Prison Service (IPS) said a dial-in system may be considered in future.

He described the project as a very positive initiative that would be of great benefit to those in the prison system both now and in the future, citing the importance of maintaining family relations.

One of the benefits is that in-cell telephones allow prisoners to choose the time when they make calls to suit themselves and the people theyre calling, he added.

Strict limits on usage

Strict limits remain on prisoners use of telephones, however. They can only call approved numbers, their calls are recorded, and the frequency and duration of calls are subject to limits.

Providing telephones in 178 cells at Castlerea Prison cost a total of 152,104, according to IPS figures, while 208,682 was spent installing 168 devices in Cloverhill.

The project cost 183,712 in Limerick Prison, while 804 phones were installed at Midlands Prison at a cost of 707,194.

In a response to a parliamentary question last month, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said maintaining contact with family and friends while in custody plays an important role in the rehabilitation of prisoners.

The in-cell telephony project will enhance the prison services ability to provide prisoners with a platform to support this contact, she said.

Outlining the anticipated timeframe for the rollout of the project, Ms McEntee noted that this could be affected by supply-chain issues and the availability of necessary resources.
The death by suicide of a 12-year-old child has prompted calls for an emergency State response to the pandemic of suicide in the Traveller community.

As the distraught family from Dublin prepare to bury the child on Monday, Traveller advocacy group, Pavee Point, pleaded with the Taoiseach to intervene.

Spokesman Martin Collins said he was aware of unconfirmed reports of the deaths by suicide of two other young Traveller children, under 12, within the last seven days but could not substantiate those.

He visited with the family at the centre of this latest tragedy over the weekend and said the death of a child in such deeply tragic circumstances must prompt a reaction from the government.

Martin Collins of Pavee Point visited the family devastated by their child's tragic death. File picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

He said not a week goes by without a death by suicide in the Traveller community.

There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to develop a national mental health strategy for Travellers but there has been zero movement on it, zilch, and the Traveller community is in a state of crisis when it comes to mental health. There is a pandemic of suicide in our community," he said.

Suicide accounts for 11% of deaths in our community. The rate of suicide is around seven times higher in the Traveller community than in the settled community.

Meanwhile, an event will be held online tomorrow to help break the cycle of poor mental health among Traveller families.

Funded by the Traveller health unit of the HSE Cork/Kerry Community Healthcare and the National Office for Suicide Prevention, it will include the launch of two animations to help support Traveller families in accessing services, and the launch of a document designed by and for Travellers.
Global technology and digital services business Talent has announced that Georgia Kelaher is joining the company as global chief people officer, effective immediately.

Talent also announced that Megan Woodbury will be joining the company as global chief financial officer, effective from 1 July 2022, when current global CFO Yaron Segal will transition into the global chief commercial officer role.

Talent says Kelaher and Woodbury will work closely with Talent global CEO Mark Nielsen and the wider Talent team, focusing on the growth of the company both domestically and internationally.

Kelaher joins Talent from Nearmap following an extensive career in people and culture leadership roles and Talent says she will be working with its people and culture team across all locations that it operates in, leading the global execution of P&C initiatives in alignment with Talents growth ambitions and drive for innovation and ideation.

Im honoured to be joining the Talent team at such an exciting stage of growth. The collective passion and shared vision really drew me to Talent. Im looking forward to continuing to build on Talents global success and growth, where our people talent can thrive and continue to create a better world of work, said Kelaher.

Woodbury joins Talent from Adcorp Holdings following an extensive career in finance and C-suite roles.

Megan will work closely with Talents global finance team, and the wider leadership team. In her role she will be responsible for managing the financial growth of the global Talent business, working on initiatives with the Talent Board to further enhance financial outcomes, and leading global strategies within Talent, Avec, Solutions, and Talent RISE, said Talent.

I am thrilled to be joining the Talent team at such an exciting time in the company's growth. I am looking forward to leveraging my experience to provide value to the business and the talented individuals that make up the Talent team, Woodbury said,

Segal will transition into his new role as global chief commercial officer on 1 July 2022 and Talent says he will be responsible for ensuring Talents digital platforms and systems are globalised and match the growth expectations of the group.

He will also be responsible for enhancing the effectiveness of Talents core delivery capability, maximising returns on Talents service streams and working with the leadership team on ad-hoc commercial initiatives.

After being in the global chief financial role for 7 years, I am excited to be moving into a new role to further drive the growth of the business. I also look forward to working with Megan and Georgia and ensuring they are both seamlessly inducted into the business, Segal said.

Talent Global CEO Mark Nielsen said he is thrilled on the new appointments, As we take Talent to the next level with increased market share, new service streams, and continued globalisation, I believe the addition of Megan and Georgia and realignment of Yarons role, provides Talent with the executive bandwidth to capitalise on new opportunities and deliver on our ambitious future strategy.
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Government will effect a 100 percent salary increment for civil servants next month, while public sector workers will continue enjoying the US$175 allowances introduced last year.

A meeting of the National Joint Negotiating Committee (NJNC) on Friday to discuss a cost of living adjustment for civil servants ended in a deadlock, but the Government will in the meantime effect the 100 percent salary increase while negotiations continue.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima told our Bulawayo Bureau that another NJNC meeting has been scheduled for this week.

The Government team will consult to see if there can be any variation to what was initially offered, which is a 100 percent increment, said Prof Mavima.

This will all be done in consideration of Treasurys capacity.

However, what Government has offered, it is going to implement with effect from July 1, because we realise the importance of the need for us to cushion our workers.

Civil servant representatives have committed to the ongoing talks.

Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions president Mrs Cecilia Alexander said talks would resume after Government negotiators have concluded their consultations.

The NJNC meeting failed to reach a consensus after the employer initially brought an offer of an 80 percent increase in local currency, which would see the lowest paid civil servant move from $18 000 to $32 000. They later upped the offer to 100 percent, which the workers flatly rejected.

The employer requested time to consult their principals on the workers proposals and to properly interrogate the altered position brought by the workers, she said. Sunday Mail


OPPOSITION Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) was blocked from holding victory celebrations in Chegutu yesterday at the 11th hour, with the partys officials saying Zanu PF was behind the disruption of the event.

The rally was scheduled for Pfumojena Stadium and had been cleared by the police, but the local municipality cordoned off the area and barricaded it with sealing tape used at crime scenes.

In an interview with The Standard, the partys national organising secretary Amos Chibaya accused the ruling Zanu PF of working in cahoots with council officials.

As you see our rally has been blocked, we have paid all the rentals to council to use Pfumojena Stadium, and police had cleared it but we were told at the last minute that we cannot use the stadium by council officials saying they want to renovate the stadium, Chibaya said.

We know who is behind this. Its Zanu PF.

CCC leader Nelson Chamisa was not in attendance.

Chibaya went on to address a mini rally at an open space despite police demanding a clearance letter to gather there.

I have been sent by President Nelson Chamisa. When we start our campaigns we are going to start here in Chegutu because of these disturbances, but we are raring to win in the 2023 elections, Chibaya said in his address.

Zanu PF is gone l want to assure you.

I want to thank you for voting our councillors back into power after they were recalled. Yes, you can recall us from Parliament but you cannot recall us from the people.

We already have a pension for President Emmerson Mnangagwa because we want to bury him, come next years elections.

The CCC is targetting six million votes in the 2023 polls, while Zanu PF says it has set its target at five millon.

CCC Mashonaland West chairman Edward Dzeka cried foul over the rally cancellation.

Zanu PF fears us because they know we are a force to reckon with and this is the reason they blocked the rally. But we managed to do a mini rally to send a message clear to our people that we are a party, which is raring to go, Dzeka said.

The incident in Chegutu came at a time when there are rising political tensions ahead of the 2023 polls, with analysts predicting violent campaigns.

Zimbabwe has a history of violent elections, with the 2008 polls being one of the bloodiest, resulting in the late opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai boycotting the run-off election in protest.

On Friday, CCC deputy president Tendai Biti escaped death by a whisker after he was attacked by suspected Zanu PF activists in Mashonaland Central.

Zanu PF and CCC supporters last week clashed in Nyatsime in Chitungwiza over the heinous murder of opposition activist Moreblessing Ali.

Ahead of the March 26 by-elections, the CCC had a number of its rallies either cancelled or disrupted to tilt the electoral playing field against the opposition.

Meanwhile, a survey released by Afrobarometer last week revealed that if presidential elections were to be held today, Mnangagwa would lose to Chamisa.

The survey showed that 33% of respondents would vote for Chamisa against Mnangagwas 30%. Standard
Governor Tony Evers touched on the importance of resiliency, unity, and tearing down barriers during an appearance Saturday at Kenoshas Juneteenth Celebration.

This is a moment to celebrate the resilience and strength of Black Americans, Evers said. This is also a moment that we have to promise to do more, do better ... because we have to create a state where everyone can achieve their dreams.

Evers addressed the crowd of Juneteenth attendees in the late afternoon at 52nd Street at 13th Court. He spoke of issues and challenges facing Wisconsin.

I dont have to tell you the inequities that come when we talk about education, access to healthcare, and the criminal justice system, said Evers. We know that racism is a public health issue, and a crisis. We know it has harmed generations of Wisconsinites and requires action.

I know we can do the right things to make Wisconsin a better place to work, live, and raise a family, which is why I am running for reelection, Evers said.

Speaking with the Kenosha News, Evers emphasized the importance of such community events.

These celebrations bring so much to your community. Juneteenth is such an important date across the state of Wisconsin and our nation. People are here celebrating some really important things, he said.

Its a lot of positive energy, said Evers, and event organizer Alvin Owens agreed.

I think its been outstanding, said Owens, Im overwhelmed by how beautiful this day has been  the amount of people that showed up today, the love, the unity  everybody is here today, and that was our goal.

Cyndean Jennings, education chairperson for the Kenosha NAACP, appreciated the governors visit.

It says a lot for him to have taken the time out of his schedule to come to the city of Kenosha, and acknowledge the efforts that the organizers have put in place today to honor Juneteenth, Jennings said. I know that meant a lot to our community.

Jennings and organizers estimated that attendance for the 2022 Juneteenth Celebration was about three times greater than in the past.

We appreciate that our governor recognizes the importance of Juneteenth to the African American community. Not only was his presence important, but also his comments about his support, said Tim Mahone, who was involved heavily in the planning and execution of the Juneteenth Celebration.

Its so good to see this event grow, Mahone said. More vendors, more attendees, more smiling faces ... the fact that we can come together and socialize today is absolutely beautiful.

Following Evers speech, a youth talent show was held and then Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes closed out the night with some final comments.

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Former vice-president Phelekezela Mphoko has revealed how the army seized Zimbabwes biggest platinum reserves, saying he was threatened with dismissal by unnamed generals for questioning the deal while he was still the countrys ambassador to Russia.

Mphoko was in Moscow in 2005 when businessman Elexander Chepic paid him a visit, and expressed interest in a joint deal with the Zimbabwe Defence ministry to mine platinum at Darwendale.

In a statement published by CITE, an online content producer, the former VP who was removed from officer following the military coup against the late Robert Mugabe in 2017, gave a glimpse of how some of the governments so-called mega deals are put together.

According to Mphoko, Chepic was referred to him by Retired Colonel Tshinga Dube.

Mphoko said he raised the red flag after he uncovered that the deal was murky, with the investors allegedly using the mine for speculative purposes amid indications that there was no capital for the project.

Army generals wanted him fired, only to be saved by Mugabe until he was posted to South Africa in 2010, Mphoko said.

To date, the US$6 billion platinum mining project has failed to take off and the Russian investor recently pulled out of the deal.

They (Russian) requested that instead of Section 43, Section 40 which was in Darwendale where the platinum reserves were found on the surface and were worth more than US$6 billion dollars, should be allocated to them, Mphoko narrated the events leading to the deal in his expose.

He (Chepic) emphasised that if Section 40 was allocated to them, by September of 2006, the company would be operational.

The president (Mugabe) gave specific instructions that whoever was there, should be removed and Section 40 be given to the joint venture Russian company.

This is how the Darwendale Platinum mine ended up being allocated to the Russian company.

Trouble started when Mphoko approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for the relations to be upgraded, the former VP said.

In the meantime, some big Russian mining chief executives were enquiring with the embassy because a Russian company was selling shares in Zimbabwe, to raise capital for the project, Mphoko wrote.

He added: The ambassador decided to invite Mr Chepic for a meeting for an explanation following revelations that they were now using the concession for speculative purposes by selling shares to raise capital to invest in Zimbabwe.

Mr Chepic arrogantly refused to meet the ambassador and informed him that he was dealing directly with their partners in Harare, the minister of Defence and the army.

At the time, Mphoko said he had gathered information that there was a push to have him removed from foreign service.

When Ambassador Mphoko insisted on meeting Chepic, there was a push from Harare that he should be withdrawn from Moscow.

Vice-president Joseph Msika (late) was roped into the campaign and was assigned to convince President Mugabe to replace Ambassador Mphoko.

The minister of Defence Dr Sydney Sekeramayi was putting pressure on Foreign Affairs minister Mumbengegwi, and the generals were also putting pressure on Joey Bimha the permanent secretary in the ministry of Foreign Affairs for the withdrawal of Mphoko from the Russian Federation.

Ambassador Mphoko was then summoned to Harare as the pressure had reached an alarming level.

President Mugabe was very clear as to why there were such calls for the withdrawal of Ambassador Mphoko coming specifically from the Ministry of Defence.

The president had received certain facts about the said Russian company directly from the Russian prime ministers office, which was then under Vladimir Putin.

President Mugabe confronted Vice-President Msika, with those facts and dismissed the calls for Mphokos recall.

According to a report by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, Russias Machitskiys Vi Holding, which has a 50% stake, is reluctant to continue investing after years of delays.

Darwendale, if built, could potentially produce 860 000 ounces of platinum group metals a year and the deposit could be exploited for four decades, Great Dyke has said.

Output was initially expected to begin in 2021, but Russian links and a lack of capital arent the only things that have delayed the project. Standard
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Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa poses next to his photo, "Seoul, Bauhaus style," at the "#ATribute2Korea" exhibition, featuring some 30 photos taken during his tenure in Korea since 2017 at Yehyangjae Cultural House in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo





By Kwon Mee-yoo







Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa, who will wrap up his five-year term in Korea in July, organized a photo exhibition of his photography to pay a tribute to his country of sojourn.







Titled "#ATribute2Korea," Figueroa exhibits some 30 photos out of thousands of photos he took since he arrived in Korea in April 2017.







"For me, it's a privilege to go to so many places and take pictures. So after having thousands of pictures and knowing that I was going to leave Korea soon, I asked myself  what can I do to show my appreciation to Korea, the country that has received me so well for five years," Figueroa said at Yehyangjae Cultural House in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul, where the exhibition is being held, Wednesday.







"I learned photography through my father who had a Leica. In those times, cameras were manual, so you had to (adjust) the speed, the aperture, the light all by yourself. You had to learn each step in order to take a good picture," the ambassador recalled.







"Today cameras are all automatic, so you only push the button. There is a democratization of photography and everyone can be a very good photographer," he added.







Upon his arrival in Korea, Figueroa bought a camera and took it wherever he went and kept shooting.







"As an ambassador, I am pretty lucky, because I can go anywhere, even to places very few Koreans can visit," he said.







The subjects of his photography vary, from views of Gyeongbok Palace and Cheong Wa Dae from his office, to apartment complexes in Seoul, to industrial plants he visited with Mexico's secretary of Energy and the surreal scenery of Muuido Island.







Mexican Ambassador to Korea Bruno Figueroa's "Metal is Art" / Courtesy of Bruno Figueroa





His friend, photographer KT Kim, helped Figueroa select the pictures and organize the exhibit in a professional way.







"I did not want to show something that people would say, 'Oh, this ambassador is nice. He should keep on being an ambassador.' So (Kim) helped me a lot and we had discussed which to keep and which to remove from the thousands of pictures until we got to 30 pictures," Figueroa said.







The first photo that greets visitors is "Palaces of the Past (Autumn)," which features Gyeongbok Palace and Cheong Wa Dae, seen from his office in a high-rise building right across from Gyeongbok Palace.







"This is a view from my office. I have the supreme privilege of having one of the best views even in Korea and KT decided to put this as the first picture, even though, artistically, it's not that meaningful, but he told me, 'This is a view that was impossible to see in Korea for dozens of years,' as it was forbidden to take pictures of the Blue House. So to me, this is a view so unique that you have to start the exhibition," Figueroa explained.







Some of the photos unveil a more personal side of the ambassador, featuring his family and friends.







"It's not only about beautiful views of Korea. I also wanted to translate my emotions. Some pictures are so simple, such as of my family. In this picture is Anmyeondo Island. In Mexico, our beaches do not have stones. We have sand. So my kids were very happy to play with the pebbles, throwing them into the water, and that was a moment that I decided to take a picture of," Figueroa said.







Lee Bok-hyung, Korea's former ambassador to Mexico and other Latin American countries about three decades ago, who now serves as the director of the Latin American Cultural Center and Museum, visited the exhibition to cherish his friendship with Figueroa.







"Shakespeare left a work titled, 'A Man for All Seasons.' Precisely the role of a diplomat is that of the 'man for all seasons.' He has been busy during a little more than five years," Lee said.







"As a former Korean ambassador to Mexico many years back, I'm very proud to have known him and he is really a man for all seasons as you can see in the photography... We're going to lose him soon in late July, because our professions come and go. We are all aware. We are very sad to lose someone like him, but I know that he is going to be having another great day in Portugal."







The exhibition runs through June 21 at Yehyangjae Cultural House.


Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, June 17, in this photo provided by his oOffice. Yonhap





Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has said Korea will actively use nuclear energy to meet its target of carbon neutrality and as a tool for the nation's energy security.







Han made the remarks in a video address to a global climate meeting hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden, Friday.







Korea "will actively utilize nuclear power plants as a means of energy security and carbon neutrality," Han told the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, according to a statement provided by his office.







Korea has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the 2018 levels by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.







Han said Korea will draw up a plan for the right mix of nuclear power and renewable energy to achieve carbon neutrality.







In addition, Korea will expand its investment in small nuclear power projects called small modular reactors (SMR) and renewable energy, Han said.







By 2030, Korea will supply more than 4.5 million zero-emission vehicles, Han said.







Last year, Korea signed a global pact to cut releases of methane by 30 percent by 2030. (Yonhap)


The beauty of Unhyeongung in April 2022. Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



On the morning of June 15, 1892, the residents of Seoul awoke to the booming of thunder. It was a very welcomed sound. One elderly American wrote in her diary, the sky had "every appearance of rain, we all hope it may come." Indeed, many of the farmers were probably praying fervently knowing that a bountiful rain would help ensure a successful harvest, but others, before the end of the evening, would rue the rain  perhaps curse it  for it dampened their Machiavellian plans.



Heungson Daewon'gun, the father of the king, had long been a thorn in his son's side. In the recent past, he had been notorious for his plots to undermine his son's authority and was especially nefarious to the queen's whom he considered to be his mortal enemy. However, age had mellowed the elderly man  he was about 71 years old  and in recent years he "had remained apparently aloof from the politics, though rumor, in view of his antecedents, often connected his name with suggestive canards."



Throughout the day it rained heavily and many people sought the sanctuaries of their homes. The Daewon'gun was no exception. He invited several of his friends to Unhyeongung (his palace/residence) for a small dinner party, and "all of the household partook freely of wine." It was a very enjoyable evening but it taxed heavily upon the elderly Daewon'gun, who, "being somewhat fatigued, went to bed a little after nine."



It was at about 9:30 when a loud explosion coming from the Daewon'gun's residence shattered the peacefulness of the evening rain. Several officials proceeded thither to make inquiries, but being assured by the gate-porter that nothing had happened, they withdrew." Little could they have imagined of what had transpired behind the closed gate.





A gate of Unhyeongung in April 2022. Robert Neff Collection



According to the Seoul-based correspondent of the Fiji Shimpo (newspaper):



"Shortly after the Prince had retired a loud noise was heard in or near his room, and the servants, rushing thither, found that a part of the building had been completely wrecked. Unable at first to see the Prince, they supposed that he had been killed, but presently he emerged unhurt from the ruins, and gave orders that the rest of the house should be searched. Examination revealed that boxes containing about 13 or 14 lbs. of gunpowder each had been placed in the heating flues under the Prince's bedroom, study, and reception-chamber. These rooms practically constitute the Prince's regular dwelling-place, so it is plain that by exploding the three boxes simultaneously, the plotters expected to kill the [Daewon'gun] without fail. The boxes under the bedroom and reception room did actually explode, but that under the study failed, the fuse having been damped by rain which was falling heavily."





A ground-level view of Unhyeongung in April 2022. Robert Neff Collection

It was surmised that "during the guests' departure someone carried in the powder" and placed it in the flues. It is a very interesting account but, as usual, there are discrepancies  to begin with, the dates. The Japan Weekly Mail claimed it took place on the 16th but wondered why the news of the assassination attempt did not reach Tokyo until the 23rd  even though the Japanese representative in Seoul had supposedly sent a telegraph on the 17th, informing his government of what had transpired. Most accounts, however, give the date of the assassination attempts as June 18.



Horace N. Allen, the temporary charge d'affaires at the American legation, sent a confidential report to the State Department  nearly two weeks after the attempt  in which he wrote:



"I have the honor, privately to report that for some days a rumor has been current here to the effect that on the night of the 18th June and unsuccessful attempt was made to assassinate the [Daewon'gun]  father of the king, by means of a package of gunpowder placed under his sleeping room, but which was discovered in time to prevent an explosion."





An inner gate of Unhyeongung in April 2022. Robert Neff Collection



According to Allen, the Japanese minister in Seoul, upon learning of the attempt, had immediately telegraphed his government and requested two warships to be sent to Korea. The Korean king, learning of the Japanese minister's actions, sent a messenger to Allen (and presumably the other Western diplomats) informing him that the report of the assassination attempt "was not credited in the Palace" and the king "feared unpleasant notices might appear in the papers."



The palace was insisting nothing had happened, as if they were trying to brush the failure away. This seems to be supported by the Fiji Shimpo's account which claims that almost immediately after the assassination attempt, the Daewon'gun "reported the particulars to the King, but that neither the latter nor the Queen-Dowager took any notice or sent any massage of condolence."



At the end of his report, Allen wrote"I may add that the rumor is believed to [illegible] by all the representative and the people." I am guessing the missing words are "be true."





Inside Unhyeongung in April 2022. Robert Neff Collection



Allen wasn't the only one talking about the attempt. Walter Hillier, the British representative to Seoul, paid a visit to Chinese Resident (representative to Seoul) and was informed:



"in confidence that the story was perfectly true, a dastardly attempt having been made on the night of the 18th instant to blow up the King's father, an old man of 70 years of age, and his wife, who is [the] mother to the King. A quantity of gunpowder was placed under the floor of the old man's sleeping room, the floors of all rooms in this country being heated by flues running underneath them, and it was merely by an accident that he and his wife escaped. They had fortunately moved into another room at the last moment, and though the floor was blown out, the powder was of so poor a description that the damage was confined to the empty chamber."



When Hillier asked what steps had been taken to "discover the perpetrators," the Chinese Resident whispered to him "that the King did not care to enquire, and gave me [Hillier] to understand that the Queen knew what was going to happen and that the plot had been concocted by some members of her family, who are deadly enemies of the King's father and of the party, which he represents."



Not everyone agreed that it was the palace responsible for the failed attempt. The Japan Daily Mail noted that Korea had "opened her gates to the outer world only a dozen years ago, and already her agitators have recourse to dynamite to accomplish their nefarious purposes." The paper suggested that the attempt was assisted by outsiders:



"It is scarcely probable that any Korean laboratory is yet capable of manufacturing bombs and infernal machines, and the evident interference will be that the plotters were in collusion with outsiders."





The courtyard of Unhyeongung in April 2022. Robert Neff Collection



The Fiji Shimpo, however, reported that some of the wild rumors on the street accused the Chinese Resident of having some degree of culpability.



Allen dismissed these claims. He denied dynamite was used and declared "the idea of foreigners being connected with the plot is absurd."



Many people suspected it was the Min family. They enjoyed powerful positions in the government and were despised by a large portion of the population  they also had a great hatred towards the Daewon'gun. The Fiji Shimpo pointed out that the Min family alleged the assassination attempt "was a plot designed to injure their reputation."



The reputation of the Min family was not that good  even in the eyes of the Chinese Resident who historically supported it. He denigrated the king for his weak character and extravagant habits and accused him of being "completely in the hand hands of the Queen and her adherents; he was under the influence of the most superstitious fears, which were worked upon by the Queen, at whose suggestion he was moving into another palace; and he was perfectly reckless in his expenditure."



The kingdom's impecuniosity was to blame for this surge of violence. Government officials and soldiers had not received their salaries for several months  even a year  even though the king "was selling offices right and left to raise money for his extravagances, which offices [were] invariably secured by members of the Queen's clan or party."



He speculated that if the queen  whose health was precarious  died, it would be "the signal for the wholesale murder of the members of her clan."





A closer look at some of the buildings of Unhyeongung in April 2022. Robert Neff Collection
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Across China: Iranian designer paints his oriental life with pencils

Xinhua) 13:10, June 19, 2022

TIANJIN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- What can a pencil become? Ali Jalali, 43, an Iranian designer, has his answer in China.

Jalali is now working as a freelance pencil designer and owns a studio, also a cultural and creative products store in China's northern city of Tianjin.

Decorated with 200,000 colored pencils, the store is named "kolofo," which Jalali says resembles "colorful."

Jalali likes pencils and always takes one to write down inspirations sparked anytime in his daily life. "There is a saying in China that goes 'The palest ink is better than the best memory,'" he said.

Except for writing, the pencils of Jalali's store work as the decoration on shelves, pegs to hang things on, and even door stoppers.

"I think pencils can be turned into all kinds of things. What I'm hoping for is to create something new with a simple design," Jalali said.

The pencil studio is also a place for him to meet people, sometimes other designers, and to know more about Chinese culture and modern design concepts.

Jalali has been obsessed with Chinese culture for a long time. After graduating from the College of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran in Iran in 2008, Jalali came to China with an interest in another oriental culture, yearning for more inspiration.

He thinks Chinese culture echoes Iranian culture in many aspects. "Iran also has its spring festival named 'Nowruz,' and even the 'lucky money,' a blessing money given by the older to the young during the festival."

He is a supporter of frugality, which is a traditional virtue followed by the Chinese. The idea also offers him design inspiration.

"If a country has a long history, its people must have incorporated the spirit of frugality into their daily lives, in the buildings, rooms, and many others," he said.

One of the designs around this idea is a cup made from coffee grounds. "I think it is an amazing idea to use coffee grounds to make a coffee cup," he said.

Despite the impact of COVID-19, Jalali's store is seeing a steady flow of customers and growing sales revenue.

While busy preparing to open his second store in Tianjin, Jalali also plans to open one in his hometown in Iran.

"I really like the idea of the Belt and Road Initiative. I'll bring good Chinese products to Iran, introduce them to Iranians, and open a shop like this, a designer shop," he said. "I want to tell them, apart from things from the West, they can come and see great things from the East."

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
Hot temperatures are scorching much of the United States, breaking records ahead of the official start of summer.

And while you might want to seek relief in the air conditioning, blasting it in your car can use up gas just as prices at the pump soar.

"If you're trying to save mileage, you're giving up a little bit of comfort," Steve Reinarts, automotive instructor at Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis, told KARE.

Here's what experts say about conserving fuel while getting a break from the heat.

How could air conditioning affect fill-ups?

Using air conditioning can affect your car's fuel economy, which refers to the distance you can travel before having to fill up again, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

"Running your car's air conditioning is the main contributor to reduced fuel economy in hot weather," the department said on its website. "Its effect depends on a number of factors, such as the outside temperature, humidity, and intensity of the sun. Under very hot conditions, AC use can reduce a conventional vehicle's fuel economy by more than 25%, particularly on short trips."

Though the topic has been debated, experts say riding with open windows also has the potential to reduce fuel economy.

"Rolling down your windows instead of using AC causes aerodynamic drag," AAA told McClatchy News in a June 15 email. "In many cases, this increase in drag at highway speeds negates any savings on engine load from not using AC."

How can you conserve gas?

Cutting back on air conditioning can help to conserve gas, but that might not be the best option when you hit the road on a hot day. This week, heat alerts and record high temperatures have stretched across the United States.

Experts urge drivers seeking lower costs to recognize when it makes the most sense to open the windows for relief.

"At lower speeds driving around town, rolling down the windows is the most efficient choice," the energy department wrote in a 2015 online post. "However, because having the windows down increases wind resistance, it's not very efficient at highway speeds. When rolling down the freeway, it's best to turn on the air conditioning at a temperature that keeps you comfortable, but not cold."

Here are some other tips from experts:

 Park your car in the shade or use a windshield shade to block out the sun.

 Drive with the windows down to let hot air escape before turning on the air conditioning.

 Reduce the amount of time you spend idling with the air conditioning on.

 Consider getting a car that's a lighter color or has tinted windows.

While those fuel economy suggestions focus on how to stay cool when temperatures climb, it's possible to take steps toward efficiency throughout the year. Some tips include staying up to date on vehicle maintenance, using cruise control and mapping out trips to avoid traffic, McClatchy News reported.

Drivers might be looking to conserve fuel as they face higher prices at the pumps following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Another day to celebrate the City of Lake Geneva is in the works again this summer.

Members of the Lake Geneva City Council unanimously approved, June 13, to designate July 14 as Lake Geneva Day.

Last year, the City of Lake Geneva hosted a Lake Geneva Day to celebrate the finished renovations to the Riviera with a ceremony that featured live music and free parking.

Mayor Charlene Klein initially announced plans to conduct another Lake Geneva Day this year during the June 1 Lake Geneva Business Improvement District meeting.

This years Lake Geneva Day is set to include all-day free parking for people who have city parking stickers and open house events at the Riviera, Lake Geneva Public Library, city churches, Geneva Lakes Family YMCA and Horticultural Hall.

Im hoping that were going to expand this a little bit beyond what we did last year, Klein said during the city council meeting. The Riviera will be open in the afternoon, and Im hoping some of our other city entities, churches and so forth will decide to be open. I know Horticultural Hall is on board. Thats the day of their farmers market. I talked to the library and also the Y.

The festivities are set to conclude with a performance from the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Flat Iron Park, 201 Wrigley Drive, as part of Visit Lake Genevas Concerts in the Park series.

Its a day for the people of Lake Geneva to enjoy their town without having to pay for parking beyond three hours and end the day, hopefully, at the park to hear the Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra, Klein said.

Former Mayor Sturges Taggart proclaimed a Lake Geneva Day in 1933 to celebrate the grand opening of the Riviera, which was built in 1932.

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Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 19 (ANI): Condemning the protests against Agnipath Scheme, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Saturday assured the recruitment of Agniveers to the state police after they complete their service under the recently launched Central government's Agnipath recruitment scheme.

"Karnataka government will induct Agniveers into state police after completion of their service in the Agnipath Recruitment Scheme. I condemn the protests that are happening to oppose this scheme," Jnanendra told ANI.

Also Read | International Day of Yoga 2022: Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya To Lead Yoga Day Celebrations From Statue of Unity in Gujarat on June 21.

The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers.

Protests broke out in various parts of the country following the launch of the scheme. In some parts of the country, the protests took a violent turn where stone-pelting was witnessed at some places while trains were set on fire in some places including Bihar and Telangana.

Also Read | Agnipath Scheme Protests: 'Y' Category Security Provided to 12 BJP Leaders in Bihar.

However, ever since the scheme was launched by the government, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and several state governments have announced that Agniveers, after serving the armed forces for 4 years, will be given preference in filling vacancies in police forces. Several other departments have also announced support for the Agnipath scheme.

Meanwhile, states like Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka have already announced supportive measures for the Agniveers post-retirement from services after four years in the Armed Forces.

Earlier today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the Ministry of Defence for Agniveers meeting requisite eligibility criteria.

The 10 per cent reservation will be implemented in the Indian Coast Guard and defence posts, and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (HAL, BEL, BEML, BDL, GRSE, GSL, HSL, MDL, Midhani, AVNL, AWEIL, MIL, YIL, GIL, IOL, TCL).

Necessary age relaxation provision will also be made to enable recruitment of Agniveers to the above posts.

The Home Ministry also decided to reserve 10 per cent vacancies for recruitment in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles for Agniveers. Home Ministry has further announced that it will give three years of age relaxation to Agniveers beyond the prescribed upper age limit to recruitments in CAPFs and Assam Rifles. For the first batch of Agniveers, the age relaxation will be of 5 years.

Directorate General of Shipping under the Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) along with the Indian Navy announced a system for the smooth induction of the Agniveers into the Merchant Navy.

Under this, MoPSW announced six attractive service avenues for a smooth transition of Agniveers in various roles of the Merchant navy, post their stint with the Indian Navy. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ranchi, Jun 19 (PTI) The Narendra Modi government at the Centre is "playing" national security after "destroying" the country's economy, which led to largescale unemployment, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi alleged on Sunday.

Addressing a rally in support of Independent candidate Dev Kumar Dhan for the Mandar by-election in Jharkhand, Owaisi said the day Congress is "finished", Modi would lose elections.

Also Read | Agnipath Recruitment Row: Scheme To Be Implemented, No Question of Roll-Back, Says Lt General Anil Puri, Amid Ongoing Protests.

"The Modi government destroyed the country's economy in the last eight years. At present, unemployment is a big issue in the country, which as per my calculation is around 16-17 per cent. Now, he is playing with the national security by introducing the Agnipath scheme," he alleged.

"I urge the prime minister to call a special session of Parliament, in which I will expose the government -- how it compromised national security. I assure the youths who are against the Modi government's policies that I am with them," he added.

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Dhan, for whom Owaisi was campaigning at Charo ground in Chanho block, was recently been expelled from the BJP. He had contested from the Mandar seat on a BJP ticket in 2019 assembly polls, but lost to JVM-P's Bandhu Tirkey. Dhan decided to contest the bypoll as an Independent after the BJP denied him a ticket.

The by-election was necessitated as Tirkey, who later joined Congress, was disqualified following his conviction in a corruption case.

Targetting the Congress, Owaisi said, "It is a spent force and behind Modi's electoral victories. The day Congress is finished, Modi would also lose elections."

Congress, which is a part of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand, has no power to ensure action against the policemen who are responsible for the killing of two youths during the Ranchi violence, he claimed.

Attacking Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the Hyderabad MP said, "I would like to ask why he turned so greedy that he had to acquire 11 acres of land in his name."

Congress has fielded Bandhu Tirkey's daughter Shilpa Neha Tirkey as the candidate for the JMM-led alliance. The BJP has nominated former legislator Gangotri Kujur from the seat.

The by-election was earlier seen as a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress, but the fates of their candidates hang in balance with the entry of Dhan as an Independent.

AIMIM candidate Shishir Lakra, who withdrew his name from the by-election, was in the third position during the 2019 assembly polls.

The by-election in Mandar, a tribal constituency, is scheduled to be held on June 23. The votes will be counted on June 26.

(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 19 (ANI): On the occasion of the eighth International Day of Yoga (IDY), Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw will visit Odisha on June 21 and take part in Yoga Day celebrations.

The Minister will lead the International Day of Yoga from the Konark Temple heritage site where all Central Government institutions will participate along with the general public, students and experts.

Also Read | Congress To Protest Nationwide Tomorrow Against Agnipath Scheme, Delegation To Meet President Ram Nath Kovind.

The Program at Konark Temple will be commencing from about 6.00 am in the early morning to about 8.30 am on Yoga Day.

About 2,000 participants are expected to join in the International Day of Yoga event at Konark Temple.

Also Read | Maharashtra Shocker: Man Held for Raping Visually-Impaired Girl at Her House in Nagpur.

The International Day of Yoga is celebrated on June 21 every year worldwide.

This year, the theme of celebration of the 8th edition of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2022 across the globe is 'Yoga for Humanity, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 'Mann ki Baat' address.

Focusing on Yoga for Humanity, special programmes have been designed this year for specially-abled people, the transgender population, women and children. Human values that are an integral part of yoga education in schools are also in focus.

Meanwhile, a total of 75 ministers of the Central Government will perform Yoga at 75 historical and cultural sites in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the International Yoga Day celebrations from the Mysuru Palace Grounds while Home Minister Amit Shah will participate in Yoga programs at the famous Jyotirlinga Trimbakeshwar temple complex in Nashik, Maharashtra and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will participate in a Yoga program in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on Yoga Day.

The main event of the International Day of Yoga 2022 will be held in Mysuru, Karnataka. (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, June 19: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday urged the voters to teach a lesson to the BJP and the Samajwadi Party in bypolls to the Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat, asserting that both the parties are two sides of the same coin.

Speaking at a press conference here, Mayawati said, "Though this is a by-election, it is important and special for the people (of Azamgarh), as they can hit two targets with one arrow -- firstly teaching the BJP a lesson by defeating it for its anti-people schemes like the Agnipath and also for its arrogant working style of using bulldozers. Secondly, the people can also punish the Samajwadi Party for its internal collusion with the ruling party." BSP Supremo Mayawati Comes Out in Support of Jailed Samajwadi Party Leader Azam Khan, Terms His Incarceration As Strangulation of Justice.

"This will establish that BSP is the strongest medium to defeat the BJP in elections in UP, and not the SP," the former chief minister asserted. Sharpening her attack further, Mayawati said, "It is well known that BJP and SP are two sides of the same coin, and they complement each other. The policies and working style of both the parties strengthens each other politically. The brunt of this has to be borne by a section of the society which is neglected."

The BSP supremo said that her party was called the BJP's B team in the recently-concluded UP Assembly elections due to the 'milibhagat' (tacit understanding) between BJP and SP.

"The elections were given a communal colour, due to which the BJP came back to power for a second time," she said, adding that people are now feeling cheated. "People of a community should not make such a mistake again in the

Azamgarh (Lok Sabha) bypolls," she said. Azamgarh, along with Rampur, will vote on June 23. The BSP has fielded Shah Alam alias Guddu Jamali from Azamgarh. However, the party has not fielded any candidate from Rampur.

The Lok Sabha seats of Azamgarh and Rampur fell vacant after Samajwadi Party leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Mohammad Azam Khan resigned after they won the assembly elections.

(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, June 19 (PTI) The Ministry of Education initiative to use ICT under the "PM eVidya" scheme during the Covid pandemic has won UNESCO's recognition, officials said on Sunday.

The PM eVIDYA programme was initiated as part of the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan' by the ministry in May 2020 which unifies all efforts related to digital, online, on-air education to enable multi-mode access for imparting education by using technology to minimise learning losses.

Also Read | Agnipath Recruitment Row: Scheme To Be Implemented, No Question of Roll-Back, Says Lt General Anil Puri, Amid Ongoing Protests.

"The Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), a constituent unit of the NCERT has been awarded with the UNESCO's King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the use of ICT (Information And Communication Technology) in Education for the year 2021," a senior education ministry official said.

"This award recognises innovative approaches in leveraging new technologies to expand educational and lifelong learning opportunities for all, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Goal 4 on Education," the official said.

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Established in 2005 with the support of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the prize rewards individuals and organisations that are implementing outstanding projects and promoting creative use of technologies to enhance learning, teaching and overall educational performance in the digital age.

An international jury selects two best projects annually. Each prizewinner receives USD 25,000, a medal and a diploma during a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on June 24.

The ministry has a mandate to deploy affordable technology to enhance educational opportunities for all, augment the quality of education and bring equity into the educational system in the country keeping in view the recommendations of the new National Education Policy (NEP), the official said.

Therefore, it has been working tirelessly and meticulously in designing, developing and disseminating a large number of e-books and e-content like Indian sign language videos and talking books among others, the official said. PTI GJS

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], June 19 (ANI): Following protests against the Agnipath scheme, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday said that like others he would prefer to employ an Agniveer for security at the party office.

"I will give preference to an Agniveer to hire him as security in BJP office, even you can. One of my friends hired 35-year-old retired army personnel as his security guard stating that he has faith in him. He is a soldier so I am not scared. This means a soldier is the name of self-confidence," said Vijayvargiya.

Also Read | Smriti Irani, Union Minister, Tests COVID-19 Positive for Second Time.

He also highlighted that people have faith in armymen.

Taking a jibe at Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and he said that his (Baghel's) statement had hardly made sense to him.

Also Read | Bharat Bandh: Punjab Police Directed To Remain on High Alert Ahead of Protest Against Agnipath Scheme on June 20.

"Yesterday I saw the statement of Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel. He said, if you teach youth to use arms in the army, they will become terrorists-- this is a foolish statement. By saying this you are insulting the retired soldiers of the army and are doing the work of instigating the youth" he added.

The BJP National General Secretary also stressed that the opposition was least concerned about national issues but the chair.

"Congress is concerned not about the country but the chair. Such decisions (of Agneepath plan) are not political decisions, but are the suggestions of the army chief and the government," he concluded.

The Agnipath Scheme was launched by the Union Defence Ministry on Tuesday with the intent to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces and provide a fresh lease of 'Josh' and 'Jazba' whilst at the same time bringing about a transformational shift towards a more tech-savvy Armed Forces. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chaibasa (Jharkhand) [India], June 19 (ANI): Jharkhand Police on Saturday arrested the principal of a private school on charges of molesting minor girl students.

The Chaibasa Police said that seven girl students, who were staying in the school hostel, had complained about the principal.

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On the complaint of the victims, Chaibasa Police came into action and arrested the accused principal.

"The principal of a private school has been arrested on the charges of molesting minor girl students. Seven students had complained about him. All the victims were staying in the school hostel," said Chaibasa Police.

Also Read | Agnipath Scheme Protests: 'Y' Category Security Provided to 12 BJP Leaders in Bihar.

Police further said that the accused has been sent to judicial custody.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 19 (ANI): In view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bengaluru and Mysuru on June 20, and his participation in several events, the Karnataka government declared a holiday for the higher education institutions located in the proximity of his travel route due to security reasons.

Karnataka Minister for Higher Education CN Ashwath Narayan said that a government order to this effect has been issued on Saturday.

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"This will be applicable to higher educational institutions in the vicinity of IISc, Goraguntepalya, CMTI, Ring Road, Dr Rajkumar Memorial flyover, Laggere bridge, Nayandahalli, Mysuru Road RV College, Nagarabavi, Sumanahalli flyover, MEI junction, Govardhan Talkies, Yashawantapura, and Jakkuru Aerodrome route," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said that the preparations to make Prime Minister's visit to Bengaluru and Mysuru "a grand success" are in full swing.

Also Read | Agnipath Scheme Protests: 'Y' Category Security Provided to 12 BJP Leaders in Bihar.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the state on June 20.

According to Bommai, PM Modi is scheduled to arrive at Yelahanka airbase at 11.55 am and reach the Indian Institute of Science by helicopter to participate in two programs. There, he will inaugurate the Brain Cell Research Centre established at a cost of Rs 450 crore by Kris Gopalakrishnan and lay the foundation stone for an 850-bed Research Hospital being built by the MindTree.

He also informed that the Suburban Rail project for Bengaluru will also take off on the same day as the Prime Minister would lay the foundation for a Rs 15,000 crore project to provide mass transit connectivity from the heart of the city to many localities in the outskirts.

Apart from this, PM Modi would also launch six railway projects. He is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the Satellite Town Ring Road connecting Dabaspet on Tumakuru road with Old Madras Road near Hosakote.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has agreed to provide special concessions for the project after Bommai convinced him of the project's importance. "After launching these development projects the Prime Minister would address a public rally at Kommaghatta," Bommai said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], June 19 (ANI): Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, along with Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, on Sunday, visited and took stock of the damages after a landslide on NH 6 at Lumshnong in East Jaintia Hills district in presence of district officials, PWD Engineers and NHAI officials.

The road communication between Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya to three neighbouring states of Assam, Mizoram and Tripura has been disrupted for the past three days due to multiple landslides in the Lum Shnong area, the release from the Office of the Chief MinisterMedia and Communication Cell said.

Also Read | Congress To Protest Nationwide Tomorrow Against Agnipath Scheme, Delegation To Meet President Ram Nath Kovind.

An alternative route has been identified via Star Cement Premises in Lum Shnong, which has been open only for light motor vehicles.

During his visit to the affected area, Sangma interacted with truck drivers, who have been stranded in the area and assured them that the administration will extend all possible support.

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The Chief Minister said that efforts are being made to restore the road link in the next 48-72 hours, however, it is subject to weather conditions.

He said that due to continuous rainfall the restoration work is hampered but the administration is working to ensure that the road communication is restored.

"All efforts are being made to restore the entire damaged portion of the road to ensure accessibility. However, there is a huge challenge, as the rain is not stopping. As the rain recedes and the flow of the water is diverted, the affected area can be restored," the Chief Minister said.

At Lum Shnong, waters from the hills have been gushing through the road, which has damaged the NH- 6 and is affecting the restoration works.

The work is underway currently to divert the flow of the water, the release read.

The Chief Minister said that in the next 24 hours, efforts will to ensure that light motor vehicles are able to use this road and if the rain recedes in the next 48-72 hours movement of essential vehicles may start, which is subject to weather conditions.

Approximately 1000 plus loaded trucks are stranded along both sides of the road, from Assam and Meghalaya.

He also held review meetings at Deputy Commissioner's Office at Khliehriat with administration officials and took stock of the situation in the district.

As per the release, the Chief Minister will visit Mawsynram on Monday and on Tuesday is leaving for Garo Hills to take stock of the situation.

Interacting with media at Khliehriat, he said that the Meghalaya government has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and has sought financial assistance amounting to Rs 300 cr.

"The rains have been unprecedented, in some areas, it has broken records for the past 40 years. This is real heavy rain, which was not expected. Major roads in highways and important roads in rural areas, and bridges have been damaged in the rains. There has been a huge impact as far as damages are concerned and the financial implication will be very high," Sangma said.

"There has been a huge impact on the livelihood of the people including damages to livestock, and farming activities across the State," he added.

He said that the government will take some time to assess the extent of damages. He also informed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been apprised of the situation.

"We have taken steps to assess the damages but it will take some time. Centre will also be sending a team to assess the damages," he added. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): On the successful completion of three years of his tenure, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday stressed that he has always strived to hold discussions on bills with the cooperation of all House members.

He also said that the last three years of his tenure were historical in terms of productivity and discussions in Parliament.

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"The last three years were historical in terms of productivity and discussions held in Parliament. I thank PM and all MPs for their cooperation which has increased the public's faith in public representatives and Parliament," Birla told ANI.

Speaking about dealing with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, "COVID was a big challenge for all of us. We followed maximum health protocols to ensure everyone's safety. By following all health protocols and cooperation of MPs and staff the Parliament could be run smoothly."

Also Read | Assam Floods: Landslides, Floods Claim 62 Lives So Far; Nearly 31 Lakh Affected Across 32 Districts.

Lok Sabha Speaker also asserted that Parliamentary Standing Committees give their suggestions on various bills and should hold discussions in a time-bound manner.

"Parliamentary Standing Committees give their suggestions on various bills and should hold discussions in a time-bound manner. During my tenure, I have always strived that discussions are held on bills with the cooperation of all members of the House," Birla added.

Om Birla was elected the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha on June 19, 2019, following a motion for election moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Today, he completed his three years of tenure as Lok Sabha Speaker. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) One month since the Congress drafted a plan for revamp at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir, the party has begun to walk the talk, though the task of electoral revival remains tedious and challenging.

The latest appointment of veteran Jairam Ramesh as general secretary in-charge of communications with publicity, social and digital media under him and firebrand Pawan Khera as media chief has set the ball rolling for a new outreach wing that will show the way to reconnect with the masses, according to party leaders.

Also Read | Agnipath Recruitment Row: Scheme To Be Implemented, No Question of Roll-Back, Says Lt General Anil Puri, Amid Ongoing Protests.

Strengthening the party's communication strategy to improve public engagement is foremost on the Congress agenda after Rahul Gandhi had stressed that they "have to go back to the people" at the Udaipur meeting.

Senior Congress leader Ajay Maken says the message of the three-day brainstorming and the decisions taken there have reached the grassroots and state units have already been instructed to enforce the new pledges.

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"These decisions include ensuring 50 percent representation to workers who are under 50 at state, district and block levels in the Congress and setting up of new mandal committees to have more feet on the ground," Maken said.

Senior Congress leaders add that the party has already embarked on the new path of revival and changes will be visible over the coming months once the recently constituted Task Force for 2024 Lok Sabha polls reworks its strategy.

Party functionaries holding positions for over five years will gradually be replaced and 'one person, one post' formula, as agreed on in Udaipur, will be enforced, says AICC general secretary Maken, who had read out the Chintan Shivir pledges.

The replacement of Randeep Surjewala as in charge of communications by Ramesh is the first major signal of relieving leaders from multiple posts.

Surjewala held the post for seven years and continued as media chief even after being appointed AICC general secretary Karnataka in 2020.

"We have started embarking on the path laid down by the Udaipur declaration. The outcome of the brainstorming session and tangible differences will be seen in the party and its functioning soon," said Maken.

On the expansion of the Communications department, insiders said all state units have been brought under its wings now to ensure better coordination and uniform messaging.

The communications wing is also set to have dedicated units on research and data analytics, sources say, adding that the promised election management and public insight departments were in the works too.

The unexpected Enforcement Directorate summons to Gandhis and nationwide protests against the Agnipath scheme have only aided Congress mobilisation in recent days, with its leaders noting that the angst of the youth was a major challenge for the ruling BJP.

"First the farmers were up in arms against the government. Now the youth are agitated.

''The Congress, through its Satyagraha at Jantar Mantar today, has pledged to voice the concerns of the youth who fear an uncertain future as the government turns the armed forces recruitment process on its head,'' Neeraj Kundan, president of Congress' student wing NSUI, told PTI.

He said the Congress party's ability to articulate raging anxieties will determine the pace of its revival ahead of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat elections later this year.

Signs of a reenergised Congress were also visible when the ED summoned Rahul Gandhi for questioning in the National Herald matter.

"The entire rank and file were out on the streets, braving assaults of the Delhi Police, and expressing solidarity with their leader," said a veteran leader.

The G-23 dissenters have also almost fallen by the wayside after the Congress denied Rajya Sabha re-nomination to its members Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, bringing back P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh instead.

However, the road to Congress party's electoral revival remains rutted, with the party facing an uphill task of challenging an aggressive BJP in both Himachal and Gujarat.

Winning these states is critical to the party's fortunes as it is in power only in two states - Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh - on its own.

Another challenge going forward is securing a pole position in the opposition camp - an onerous task considering hardly any party has made public statements in support of Rahul Gandhi as he the faces the ED heat in the National Herald case.

Besides, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee recently stole the march on the Congress by organising the first formal opposition meeting to discuss a joint nominee for the July 18 presidential election.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who seemed to have taken the lead by asking Mallikarjun Kharge to engage the Opposition, had to step back and send Kharge to attend Mamata's meeting instead.

The next meeting on the presidential nominee issue is going to be hosted by NCP chief Sharad Pawar with the Congress seemingly left in the cold.

The trend of prominent leaders exiting also continues with Kapil Sibal, Sunil Jakhar and former Gujarat Congress Working President Hardik Patel leaving the Congress after the Chintan Shivir.

An insider sceptical of Congress' plans for revival summed up the challenges. "There is a saying - what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. What happened in Udaipur stayed in Udaipur. The pending issue of revival is still pending," the leader said.

Whether the Congress can reinvent itself enough and put its house in order remains to be seen.

(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 19 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over the inputs for this month's Mann Ki Baat scheduled for June 26, 2022.

PM Modi also urged people to keep sharing ideas on Mann Ki Baat either on MyGov or the NaMo App.

Also Read | #Deoghars Famous and Delicious Peda, a Speciality of This Holy Town of #Jharkhand. The   Latest Tweet by IANS India.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, "Glad to have received several inputs for this month's #MannKiBaat scheduled for the 26th. Do keep your ideas coming either on MyGov or the NaMo App."

Earlier, on May 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed pride that the number of Unicorns in the country has reached the hundred mark.

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Addressing the nation in his Mann Ki Baat programme's 89th edition, PM Modi said the total valuation of these Unicorns is more than 330 billion dollars, which amounts to more than 25 lakh crore rupees. A Unicorn is a start-up worth at least 7.5 thousand crore rupees.

PM Modi said 44 Unicorns came up last year and 14 more were formed in 3 to 4 months this year. He stated that even during the pandemic, Indian start-ups have been creating wealth and value. The average annual growth rate of Indian Unicorns is more than those of the US, the UK and many other countries.

The Prime Minister had pointed out that Indian Unicorns are diverse and operating in many fields such as E-commerce, Fin-Tech, Ed-Tech, and Bio-Tech. He happily noted that India's start-up ecosystem is not limited to just big cities but entrepreneurs are emerging from smaller cities and towns as well. He said that this shows that in India, one who has an innovative idea can create wealth.

The Prime Minister had emphasised that the right mentoring is very important in the Start-Up world. He said a good mentor can take a start-up to new heights... and guide the founders towards the right decision. He said there are many such mentors in India who have dedicated themselves to promoting startups.

Mann Ki Baat is an Indian radio programme hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he addresses the people of the nation on the last Sunday of every month. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): Police and Rapid Action Force personnel have been deployed at Jantar Mantar ahead of the 'Satyagraha' protest of the Congress party against the Centre's Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the Indian Armed Forces.

The grand old party is likely to hold a 'satyagraha' on Sunday at Jantar Mantar in solidarity with the youth protesting against Central Government's Agnipath Recruitment Scheme.

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All MPs, CWC members, and AICC office bearers will participate in the protest.

Protests have broken out in various parts of the country against the new recruitment scheme in the Armed Forces. In some places, the protests turned violent as trains were set ablaze.

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Earlier on Saturday, one person died in Telangana's Secunderabad on Friday as protests against the newly announced military recruitment policy, Agnipath, turned violent.

Earlier, protesters torched compartments of a train in Bihar's Samastipur and those in another train at Lakhisarai station.

As many as 340 train services were affected on Friday due to youth's agitation against the recently launched Agnipath recruitment scheme.

Notably, Agnipath Scheme was launched by the government, on June 14, in an effort to bring a change in the recruitment process of the Armed Forces. With the new military recruitment scheme facing a backlash by Opposition, the Centre has decided to bring a change in the upper age limit for recruiting Agniveers.

Granting a one-time waiver, the Centre on June 16, 2022, announced that the Agniveer upper age limit for recruitments via Agnipath Scheme has been extended to 23 years from 21 years.

The scheme is called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers. Agnipath allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. (ANI)

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Nagpur, Jun 19 (PTI) Three men were killed in separate incidents of lightning strikes in Maharashtra's Nagpur district, police said on Sunday.

Also Read | Congress To Protest Nationwide Tomorrow Against Agnipath Scheme, Delegation To Meet President Ram Nath Kovind.

Dinesh Kamble (32) and Babarao Ingale (60), both farmers, were killed when the bolt from the sky struck their hut in Perth Muktapur village amid heavy rain on Saturday.

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In Hiwarmath village, Yogesh Patil (23) was killed when he was struck by lightning while working in his farm, an official said.

A case of accidental death was registered by the police.

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New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi turned 52 on Sunday, he urged his party workers and well wishers to refrain from any kind of celebrations, saying that crores of youths are anguished as protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme intensify in several states.

"We are concerned with the situation in the country. Crores of youths are anguished. We should share the pain of the youth and their families and stand with them," Rahul Gandhi said in a statement which was tweeted by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday.

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The Wayanad MP's statement comes at a time when the country is witnessing protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme approved on June 14 for the recruitment of Indian youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a four-year period.

Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to withdraw the farm laws, he will have to accept the demand of the youth and roll back the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme.

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The former Congress chief also said that for eight consecutive years, the BJP government has "insulted" the values of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'.

"I had said earlier also that the prime minister will have to withdraw the black farm laws. In the same manner, he will have to accept the demand of the youth of the country by becoming 'maafiveer' and take back the 'Agnipath' scheme," Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers.

Agnipath allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. The Agnipath Scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces.

According to the latest announcement by the Ministry, the upper age limit for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) - inclusive of Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), National Security Guard (NSG) and Special Protection Group (SPG) - will stand at 26 years.

Meanwhile, the first batch of Agniveers will avail a further relaxation of 5 years beyond the upper age limit of 23, taking it to 28 years. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) The Finance Ministry has asked government employees to opt for 'cheapest fare available' on their entitled travel class and book air tickets at least three weeks prior to their date of travel for tours and LTC, as it looks to cut down on unnecessary expenditure.

The Ministry further said that employees should book only one ticket for each leg of intended travel, make bookings even if approval of the tour programme is under process and also avoid "unnecessary cancellations".

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Government employees are currently required to purchase air tickets only from three authorised travel agents -- Balmer Lawrie & Co, Ashok Travel & Tours and IRCTC.

Any booking made within less than 72 hours of intended travel on tour or any cancellation made less than 24 hours before intended travel will require the submission of self-declared justification by the employee, as per the modified instructions regarding booking of air tickets on the government account.

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"Employees are to choose flights having the Best Available Fare on their entitled travel class which is the Cheapest Fare available, preferably for non-stop flight in a given slot at the time of booking," said the office memorandum of the Department of Expenditure.

Tickets for all employees for a single tour should be done through one selected travel agent only and no charges/fees should be paid to these booking agents, as per the instruction.

"Employees are encouraged to book flight tickets at least 21 days prior to the intended travel on tour and LTC, to avail the most competitive fares and minimise burden on the exchequer," it said.

The modified instruction also nudged employees to make ticket booking digitally through the self-booking tool/online booking website/portal of the three authorised travel agents.

"Employees should preferably book only one ticket for each leg of intended travel. Holding of more than one ticket is not allowed. However, in case of special exigencies or exceptional circumstances, a maximum of two tickets for the alternative flights for different time-slot may be booked for the same leg of travel with the self-declared justification for the same," the instruction read.

In unavoidable circumstances where the booking of ticket is done from an unauthorised travel agent/website, the relaxation has to be granted only by an officer of the rank of Joint Secretary or above.

The Expenditure department also asked all ministries and departments to clear their dues to the travel agents within 30 days of completion of journey, while officers will have to submit a certificate/undertaking within 72 hours of journey confirming their travel.

Ministries must clear all previous outstanding dues to the travel agents by August 31, 2022, it said, adding no mileage points will be generated against travel on government accounts.

The Ministry is looking to cut down on unnecessary expenditure as fiscal expenses are already high on account of excise duty cuts on petrol and diesel, customs duty reduction in some commodities, higher fertiliser subsidy and free food scheme for the poor.

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New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) The market valuation of the top-10 most valued firms plunged by a whopping Rs 3.91 lakh crore last week, in tandem with a steep sell-off in equities, with TCS and and Reliance Industries taking the biggest hit.

Past week, the BSE Sensex plunged 2,943.02 points or 5.42 per cent, while the NSE Nifty declined 908.30 points or 5.61 per cent.

Also Read | Agnipath Protest: Train Services Disrupted Across East Coast Railway Zone, Many Trains Cancelled and Diverted.

Markets have been extremely bearish of late amid rate hikes by global central banks, unrelenting foreign fund outflows and jump in crude oil prices.

The market valuation of the 10 most valued domestic firms eroded by Rs 3,91,620.01 crore last week.

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From the top-10 firms, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was the top loser, as its market valuation tumbled Rs 1,01,026.4 crore to stand at Rs 11,30,372.45 crore.

The market capitalisation (mcap) of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) tanked Rs 84,352.76 crore to reach Rs 17,51,686.52 crore.

The valuation of Infosys eroded by Rs 37,656.62 crore to Rs 5,83,846.01 crore and that of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) plunged by Rs 34,787.49 crore to Rs 4,14,097.60 crore.

HDFC Bank's market valuation fell by Rs 33,507.66 crore to Rs 7,16,373.13 crore and that of HDFC dived Rs 22,977.51 crore to Rs 3,72,442.63 crore.

ICICI Bank's mcap declined by Rs 22,203.69 crore to Rs 4,78,540.58 crore and that of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) went lower by Rs 20,535.43 crore to Rs 4,96,351.15 crore.

The mcap of State Bank of India (SBI) dipped by Rs 18,563.19 crore to Rs 3,93,575.37 crore and that of Bharti Airtel fell by Rs 16,009.26 crore to Rs 3,53,604.18 crore.

In the ranking of top-10 firms, Reliance Industries continued to remain the most valued company, followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys, HUL, ICICI Bank, LIC, SBI, HDFC and Bharti Airtel.

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Doha, Jun 19 (PTI) Tata Group-owned Air India is considering buying more than 200 new planes with 70 per cent of them being narrow-bodied aircraft, aviation industry sources said on Sunday.

While Air India has zeroed in on Airbus's A350 wide-bodied aircraft for the procurement, the talks with Airbus and Boeing for narrow-bodied aircraft is still on, they said.

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A wide-bodied plane like Airbus A350 has a bigger fuel tank that allows it to travel longer distances such as the India-US routes.

Air India has not bought a single aircraft since 2006 when it placed orders for purchasing 111 aircraft  68 from the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing and 43 from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

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The Tata Group took control of Air India on January 27 after successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8 last year.

On the sidelines of 78th annual general meeting of International Air Transport Association, aviation industry sources said Air India is considering buying 200 new planes. The share of narrow-bodied aircraft to that of wide-bodied planes will be 70:30.

They said that the decision on which narrow-bodied plane to buy  to go for Airbus A320 family aircraft or Boeing's 737Max aircraft  is yet to be taken.

According to Air India's website, the airline has a total of 49 wide-bodied aircraft - 18 Boeing B777, 4 Boeing B747 and 27 Boeing B787 - in its fleet. The carrier has 79 narrow-bodied planes in its fleet too.

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London, Jun 19 (PTI) An India-born author based in London, who grew up reading Enid Blyton stories, has penned her own set of adventures for the Famous Five characters created by the celebrated English children's writer, more reflective of modern British life.

Sufiya Ahmed, originally from Surat, recently released the second in a four-book series commissioned by the publishers behind Blyton bestsellers and has been buoyed by the enduring popularity of the characters.

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While injecting some South Asian flavour into Five and the Runaway Dog', Ahmed feels her new adventures are an ode to the much-loved writings of the 20th century children's author.

These new adventures of the Famous Five are more reflective of modern times, said Ahmed.

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There are more diverse characters in Kirrin village, which is the setting of the Famous Five books, and in the second story I've written, Five and the Runaway Dog', we have Simi  a girl of South Asian heritage  and her family who have moved into the village. Simi plays a major part in the story and is also featured on the front cover, she said.

The first book, Timmy and the Treasure', was released in January and has been making waves not just in the UK but also in Spain and Portugal.

The third book in the series, Message in a Bottle', is now undergoing the finishing touches with illustrations and proofreading, and Ahmed is already working on book number four. All four books should be available by May 2023, including in India.

Enid Blyton is Hachette Children's Group's top-selling author in India, so it's very exciting to be part of that. I'm hoping to be invited to the Indian book festivals with my Famous Five adventures, said Ahmed.

The author feels that many adults, worldwide, feel nostalgic about Blyton's books and would want to share them with the children in their lives.

I was so delighted when Hachette commissioned me to extend this series with inclusive adventures for the beloved characters Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Tim. It's part of Hachette's strategy to keep Enid Blyton's books enjoyable, accessible and relevant for children all over the world, shared Ahmed.

Asked about some criticism of Enid Blyton in the modern-day cancel culture context over certain questionable references within her books, Ahmed points out that the editions now available are very sensitively updated while preserving the period and original setting.

Whether it's the Five, the Secret Seven or the girls at Malory Towers, these are beloved characters and I'm just making the setting for their adventures more reflective of the world that young readers live in, without changing the essence of their appeal, she explained.

The Five still love the countryside and the coast, go camping on their island, and are good-hearted children who help their friends and neighbours and of course are devoted to Timmy the dog, she said.

Earlier this year, the children's author released My Story: Princess Sophia Duleep Singh', intended to complement Britain's school curriculum for nine to 13-year-olds around the country's suffragette movement as it celebrates the royal's tireless campaign for women's right to vote.

Bringing the story of the granddaughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and goddaughter of Queen Victoria to the fore has been inspiring for Ahmed, who wants to write about more diverse female role models such as Queen Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, Razia Sultan and Nur Jahan.

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Paris [France], June 19 (ANI/Xinhua): French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly.

A total of 1,148 candidates who won the support of at least 12.5 percent of registered voters in the first round on June 12 advanced to Sunday's contest. Five candidates have won an absolute majority of more than 50 percent of the vote with a turnout rate of no less than 25 percent in their constituency.

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According to the Interior Ministry, the legislative elections are contested between three blocs that were leading the first round race, namely President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance Ensemble (25.75 percent), left-wing alliance NUPES (25.66 percent) led by Jean-Luc Melenchon and far-right party National Rally (18.68 percent) led by Marine Le Pen who lost the presidential election to Macron in a run-off in April.

The preliminary results are scheduled to be announced after 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT).

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The abstention rate of the first round vote stood at 52.49 percent, compared to 51.29 percent in 2017, according to the Interior Ministry. (ANI/Xinhua)

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New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): India and Bangladesh are set to hold the seventh meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) on Sunday, the External Affairs Ministry said.

The first physical JCC Meeting between India and Bangladesh will be held in New Delhi today and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will co-chair the meeting along with his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen.

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The JCC will review the bilateral ties including cooperation in the wake of COVID-19, border management and security, trade and investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership and regional and multilateral issues, the MEA said.

This will be the first physical meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The previous meeting was held in 2020 virtually.

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Both countries actively engage in cooperation projects to boost bilateral relations.

As part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defence cooperation, the armies of India and Bangladesh recently conducted the 10th edition of the joint military exercise -- SAMPRITI X -- from June 5 to June 16 in Bangladesh. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar at the 7th Round of India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission showed solidarity with visiting Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen at the unprecedented flooding in Northern Bangladesh and said that India is ready to assist the country with the relief efforts.

"We would also like to convey our support and solidarity at the unprecedented flooding that we have had in Northern Bangladesh. We have also had in North-East. We are now sharing flood management data for an extended period. I would like to take the opportunity to convey that if in any concrete way, we can be of assistance to you in the management of flood and relief efforts, we would be very glad to be supportive. It would be in keeping with our relationship," said Jishankar in the opening remarks.

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Jaishankar and Momen last met in the inaugural session of the NADI conference 2022 "Asian Confluence River Convlave 2022" at Radisson Blu in Guwahati. "I think that was really something that both of us were able to demonstrate in many ways, outside Delhi and outside our Capitals, how good our relationship is," said Jaishankar recalling his meeting with the counterpart in Guwahati.

"It is our frequent meetings that underline our unique friendship. And of course, the 50th year of our ties has been particularly momentous, with both our President and our Prime Minister visiting Bangladesh on the 50th Bijoy Diwas and on your 50th National Day. And we have actually marked "Maitree Diwas" in 18 cities worldwide, which is something very unique apart from New Delhi and Dhaka," he added.

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Jaishankar said that the ties between India and Bangladesh reflect the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Speaking on the trade connect between both the nations, Jaishankar noted, "Today Bangladesh is our largest development partner, it is our largest trade partner in the region; it is our largest visa operation overseas. And that really underlines every aspect of our cooperation. And we in turn, are your largest export destination in Asia. I am glad to see that your exports have doubled to USD 2 billion this year."

The External Affairs Minister also mentioned how both countries came together to fight the pandemic, "We jointly overcome the pandemic. Whether it was vaccine cooperation, whether it was the oxygen express, whether it was medical Oxygen plants, supplies of medicines and life-saving drugs that we gave to each other, our shared fight against Covid-19 has been exemplary," the EAM stated.

Jaishankar also spoke at length on the landmark achievements in the partnership between both the nations. "On other landmarks this year that we should recognize. These include launch of the trailer of the jointly-produced biopic, 'Mujib: The Making of a Nation', at the Cannes Film Festival; the Bangabandhu Chair at Delhi University; the Bangabandhu-Bapu digital exhibition; the improvement in project delivery and disbursement; the inauguration of the Maitri Bridge over River Feni; the start of the third passenger train, Mitali Express despite the Covid-19. And all these really reflect the relationship that is now on a higher trajectory," he said.

The EAM also said that India looks forward in boosting the bilateral cooperation in new domains. "So, we now look forward to working with you to take our ties to new domains- Artificial Intelligence, cyber security, startups, Fintech. We were pleased to receive your ICT Minister. We had a very good visit by your Railway Minister recently and I am glad to expand our cooperation on upgradation of our railway system," Jaishankar noted.

He further laid emphasis on the 54 rivers that both nations share and the joint environment responsibility. "We share 54 rivers. Comprehensive management of our rivers and their conservation, as well as the shared environment responsibility that we have, especially the Sundarbans. These are really areas that we need to work together as part of our commitment to climate action," he said.

Jaishankar also highlighted the need for the better management of India-Bangladesh long border and termed it a "key priority". "Our Border Guarding Forces is committed to combating trans-border crimes. We must continue to work together to make sure that the border remains crime-free," he continued.

He also mentioned the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (BBIN) agreement during his remarks. "On a larger landscape, we both have a commitment to a prosperous and connected sub-region. We have been working together on a BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement. And we also look at subregional cooperation in power, especially, hydropower. We are both the largest producer and consumer of energy in the region. And we would be very happy to work with Bangladesh to structure a progressive partnership in the areas of production, transmission, and trade. I would also like to congratulate you, Excellency, for your overall very splendid economic performance," Jaishankar told his Bangladeshi counterpart.

Jaishankar noted that the Joint Commission Meeting and the range of the agenda underline the extent of India-Bangladesh partnership and lays out the new opportunities.

Meanwhil, at the India-Bangladesh JCC meeting, AK Abdul Momen, Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh, said that the relationship between both countries is based on mutual trust. FM Momen called India the "most important neighbour".

"India is the most important neighbour of Bangladesh. Initiatives taken by both nations have helped us achieve stability & development across the region. Bangladesh-India relations are based on mutual trust & respect," the Bangladeshi FM said.

The JCC is to review the bilateral ties including cooperation in the wake of COVID-19, border management and security, trade and investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership and regional and multilateral issues, the MEA said earlier in a statement.

This is the first physical meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The previous meeting was held in 2020 virtually. (ANI)

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Kabul [Afghanistan], June 19 (ANI): Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) on Sunday claimed the responsibility for the Karte Parwan Gurdwara attack in Kabul.

ISKP released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. According to ISKP, 'Abu Mohammed al Tajiki' carried out the attack which lasted for three hours.

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The group claimed that besides submachine guns and hand grenades, four IEDs and a car bomb were also used in the attack.

It further claimed that about 50 Hindu Sikhs and Taliban members were killed in the attack and the attack was conducted as revenge for the insult of Prophet Mohammed by an Indian politician.

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However, in the attack, only two people were killed and seven others were wounded.

Strong action has already been taken against those who made derogatory remarks. A statement was also issued by concerned quarters emphasizing respect for all religions, denouncing insult to any religious personality or demeaning any religion or sect. Vested interests that are against India-Kuwait relations have been inciting the people using these derogatory comments.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma from the party's primary membership and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their alleged inflammatory remarks against minorities.

At least two civilians, including a Sikh man and a Muslim security guard, died after an attack by ISKP in Afghanistan's Kabul city on Saturday.

Initial inputs suggested that an explosion took place outside the gate of the Gurdwara killing at least two people. Another explosion was later heard from inside the complex and some shops attached to the Gurdwara caught fire.

The holy Guru Granth Sahib from Gurudwara in Afghanistan's capital city Kabul was retrieved from the complex, from which plumes of smoke were seen billowing out after the attack early this morning, according to visuals posted on social media.

Visuals posted by locals on social media show a barefoot man carrying the Guru Granth Sahib on his head. The visuals show two or three more people, all walking without footwear accompanying him.

According to Sikh religious belief, the Saroop, a physical copy of the Guru Granth Sahib is considered a living guru. The transportation of Guru Granth Sahib is governed by a strict code of conduct and as a mark of respect, the Guru Granth Sahib is carried on the head, and the person walks barefoot.

According to reports, the Holy Book was taken to the residence of Gurnam Singh, president, of Gurdwara Karte Parwan.

Religious minorities in Afghanistan, including the Sikh community, have been targets of violence in Afghanistan.

In October, last year 15 to 20 terrorists entered a Gurdwara in the Kart-e-Parwan District of Kabul and tied up the guards.

In March 2020, a deadly attack took place at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul's Short Bazaar area in which 27 Sikhs were killed and several were injured. Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack. (ANI)

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Hyderabad [Pakistan], June 19 (ANI): Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has expressed its concern over the unannounced load shedding in Hyderabad and urged the government to resolve the issue for the citizens.

MQM-P Rabita Committee released a statement where it has pointed out that there was a power outage due to technical faults and that burning wires have become common in the city, ARY News reported.

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"The prime minister should take notice of the incompetence and overbill of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO)," the statement added.

It is pertinent to mention that the factory owners in Hyderabad were threatened to shut down their units in protest against HESCO.

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Chairman of Industrial Area released a video where it strongly criticized the 'incompetence' of HESCO and threatened to shut down the factories in protest, reported ARY News.

He lamented that neither the Sindh government nor the HESCO officials are paying any heed to the multiple complaints and appeals to resolve the issue. "Factory owners will soon shut down their factories and stage a protest against HESCO," he added.

Earlier, the markets across Pakistan's Sindh province have been ordered to shut down at 9 pm (local time) to save electricity amid constant power outages in the country.

Frequent load-shedding across the country has left the people to suffer sweltering high temperatures. The Shehbaz Sharif government has blamed its predecessor Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the energy shortfall.

The measures are being imposed to reduce the shortfall between the supply and demand of electricity. The government notification said the morning hours must be utilized for business activities.

All markets and shopping malls shall close by 9 pm, it added. The new notification however does not extend to medical stores, pharmacies, hospitals, petrol pumps, CNG stations, bakeries, and milk shops.

Earlier this week, several Pakistan federal ministers urged the traders to adopt austerity measures to reduce the wastage of fuel and electricity.

This report about the government order comes amid Pakistan's mounting concerns over the growing energy crisis.

Due to Pakistan's inability to make payments to the Chinese power supplies, the country lies in the abyss of electricity outages which is disrupting life and business amid this unbearable heatwave. (ANI)

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New York [United States], June 19 (ANI): There cannot be 'double standards' on 'relegiophobia' and combating the issue should not be a "selective exercise" involving only one or two religions but apply equally to phobias against non-Abrahamic religions, India said at the United Nations.

Addressing the UN, Ambassador TS Tirumurti said, "As we have emphasized, combating religiophobia should not be a selective exercise involving only one or two religions but should apply equally to phobias against non-Abrahamic religions as well. Till this is done, such international days will never achieve their objectives. There cannot be double standards on religiophobia."

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While addressing the UN to mark the first anniversary of the International Day on countering hate speech, the Indian envoy said, "Aberrations are dealt with within our legal framework and we do not need selective outrage from outsiders, especially when they are self-serving - even communal in nature, and pursuing a divisive agenda."

Undermining the importance of education, Tirumurti said that education plays an important role in combating radicalization, violent extremism, and terrorism.

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He further said, "We call on countries to develop an education system that truly contributes to combating them by promoting the principles of pluralism and democracy."

Indian Ambassador to UN said that the society should be built on the pluralism where every society is respected. He further added that pluralistic tradition is recognized in the resolution piloted by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the International Day of Human Fraternity.

"India has embraced both these principles - democracy and pluralism. And we call on all countries to adhere to these principles to ensure that intolerance is addressed within a Constitutional framework," the Indian envoy said.

Earlier, on Wednesday, TS Tirumurti met with UN Ambassadors from the Quad (Australia, India, Japan & the United States), in New York.

Tirumurti met US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Australian Ambassador Mitch Fifield, and Japanese Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane.

"Following the Quad Leaders' Summit in Tokyo, @UN Ambassadors from the Quad (Australia, India, Japan & the United States) met again in New York today. We discussed ways to strengthen the

rules-based international order and reinforce efforts at the UN to tackle global challenges," tweeted Tirumurti.

All four nations find a common ground of being democratic nations and common interests of unhindered maritime trade and security.

Amid reports of China and Russia coming closer, the US has planned to "enhance cooperation, engagement, strategic and economic ties" with its Quad partners. As competition continues between China and members of the Quad, it will be critical to find ways to creatively engage in ways that mitigate risk. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad [Pakistan], June 19 (ANI): Contrary to Pakistan's longstanding position on Israel, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Senator Saleem Mandviwalla on Saturday said that though people criticize Israel, Islamabad should not stop dialogue with the West Asian country and should look after its own interests.

The Senator made these remarks in an exclusive interview with Pakistan's local media outlet, the Dawn. During the interview, he said, "We should not stop dialogue and trade with any country. People criticise Israel [but] we have to look after our own interests."

Also Read | Ex-Amazon Web Services Engineer Convicted of Hacking Data of 100 Million Customers.

Speaking upon the ongoing negotiations of the Middle East nations with Israel, Mandviwalla said that Pakistan must also do what suits its own interest.

"It remains to be seen whether a deal with Israel is in Pakistan's interest or not," he added.

Also Read | Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, Tests Positive for COVID-19.

These developments are also crucial as PPP is a part of the Pakistani government. Senator's remarks also come in the backdrop of the latest episode where a number of Pakistani expats and a couple of citizens recently travelled to Israel as part of a delegation.

This sparked a controversy, with former prime minister Imran Khan and his party continuing its rhetoric and saying that the visit is also a part of a foreign conspiracy against his previous government, as per the media portal.

The former Pakistani PM Imran Khan also alleged that the trip had their successors' tacit approval.

The incident was discussed extensively in parliament as well as during press conferences and public meetings. It was portrayed as a political step by the government. The controversy was raised in the upper house of parliament by Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed who demanded that the nationality of those expatriates of Pakistani origin who travelled to Israel be cancelled and the NGO that facilitated their visit be banned.

It is worthy to note that Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and the country does not recognize the nation. The country has been a staunch supporter of demands for a Palestinian state, reported Dawn.

The Abraham Accords - a joint statement made between Israel, the United States and the United Arab Emirates on August 13, 2020 referred to the agreement reached between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE to normalise relations between the three.

Following this deal which was brokered by the US in 2020, Pakistan clarified that it cannot recognise Israel until a "just settlement of the Palestinian issue" is found. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, June 19: A 46-year-old Iranian national was arrested by the Delhi Police for robbing a man in the national capital after impersonating as an intelligence official, it was revealed on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Hossein Rezafard Ahmad, came to India on a medical visa in May this year. Punjab Shocker: Man Robs Teenager's Scooter in Broad Daylight After Running Out of Fuel in Mohali

Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) Esha Pandey said a complainant named Mohd Bakry visited Lajpat Nagar police station on June 14 and alleged that at around 4.40 p.m. on that day, he along with his wife was returning from SCI Hospital, GK-1.

All of a sudden, three people came in a car and stopped them. Thereafter, they introduced themselves as officials from an intelligence agency and started searching their hand bag on the pretext that he might be carrying drugs.

"When the complainant looked into his hand bag, he found that the cash currency including Rs 50,000, $6,500 and some Sudanese pound were missing," the DCP said.

Accordingly, the police registered an FIR under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code at the Lajpat Nagar police station and initiated the probe.

A police team was constituted which analysed the CCTV footage of the cameras installed near the place of incidence and identified a suspected car.

The said car was found registered in the name of Lucky Queen Tourism, Village Mahipalpur, Delhi.

The team approached the owner of the firm who stated that he had sold the car around three months back to one Nawab.

On reaching his last address, it was found that Nawab had already left Gurugram. The police team then took the mobile number of Nawab from the owner of the firm and put it on surveillance.

"On the basis of the electronic surveillance, one more mobile number was zeroed as it was in constant touch with the accused Nawab. Further, it was put on surveillance and the team found its location and the accused Hossein Rezafard Ahmad was arrested. On sustained interrogation, Ahmad disclosed that he is from Tehran and came to India on a medical visa on May 21. He got attracted towards the crime after becoming friends with his associates.

"The trio used to target vulnerable foreign nationals who come to Delhi on medical visas. They track the movements of persons who visit hospitals and then follow them for committing the crime," Pandey said.

With his arrest, around $2,000, 4,000 Sudanese pounds, 28,000 Iranian riyal, 200 Saudi riyal, Rs 5,000 and one car used in commission of offence have been recovered.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2022 12:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Sexual violence is one of the most gruesome and traumatising experiences that people have to endure. And in regions with conflict, sexual violence continues to be a prominent way of establishing power and control. In efforts to end conflict-related sexual violence, International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict was proposed by the United Nations. International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict 2022 will be celebrated on June 19. This annual observance aims to honour survivors and also pays respects to the thousands of advocates who have lost their lives while fighting for this cause. As we prepare to celebrate International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict 2022, here is everything you need to know about this observance and how to respectfully commemorate this day.

When is International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict 2022?

International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict 2022 will be celebrated on June 19. This observance was first proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The observance falls on June 19 as it marks the anniversary of the day that the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution took place in 1820.

Significance of International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

Various studies and research on the subject of conflict and the atrocities committed toward peacemakers have highlighted the prominence of sexual violence against many activists. According to the UN, women peacebuilders and human rights defenders are often specifically targeted, including through harassment and sexual violence, to prevent them from raising their voice against atrocities, with an estimate of 10 to 20 unreported cases of rape occuring in relationship to conflict. To provide the right tools to combat this very real issue and help survivors to seek access to the help they require, the observance of International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is observed.

The observance not only helps raise awareness about the reality of the occurrence of sexual violence in conflict areas but also aims to find resolutions that can help put an end to them. And as we prepare to commemorate International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict 2022, we hope that you do your bit to support this very important cause.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2022 10:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Juneteenth or Juneteenth National Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States of America that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Commemorated on June 19, Juneteenth is seen as a day dedicated to embracing and celebrating African American culture, raising awareness about the dark history of the United States and educating people on what needs to be done and what is being done to ensure all people are equal. As we celebrate Juneteenth 2022, people are sure to share Juneteenth Images & Quotes, Juneteenth 2022 greetings and wishes, Juneteenth WhatsApp Stickers and Facebook Status Pictures with family and friends.

June 19 has annually been observed as Juneteenth since 1865 in various parts of the United States. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation freed all the enslaved people in Texas as well as neighbouring south secessionist states. This proclamation is often considered to be the fall of the confederacy and on June 19, 1865, there was an announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army General Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas. This is the reason behind June 19 being commemorated as the Juneteenth National Independence Day.

Juneteenth is a very important observance as it allows people the much-needed opportunity to speak about these crucial and often difficult topics about the history of the United States. Acknowledging the history is the first step in ensuring that it is not repeated and is in fact properly rectified. And as the continued acts of violence on the bases of race and the hesitation around just speaking about these historical chapters continue, speaking out and raising awareness is the easiest step that we can take towards a better tomorrow. As we prepare to celebrate Juneteenth 2022, here are some Juneteenth Images & Quotes, Juneteenth 2022 greetings and wishes, Juneteenth WhatsApp Stickers and Facebook Status Pictures that you can post online.

Juneteenth Quote (File Image)

Quote Reads: Freedom Is Not Something That One People Can Bestow on Another as a Gift. Thy Claim It As Their Own and None Can Keep It From Them.- Kwame Nkruma

Juneteenth Quote (File Image)

Quote Reads: There Are Still Many Causes Worth Sacrificing for, So Much History Yet To Be Made.- Michelle Obama

Juneteenth Quote (File Image)

Quote Reads: Struggle Is a Never-Ending Process. Freedom Is Never Really Won, You Earn It and Win It in Every Generation.-Coretta Scott King

Juneteenth Quote (File Image)

Quote Reads: I Swear to the Lord I Still Cant See Why Democracy Means Everybody but Me.-Langston Hughes

Juneteenth Quote (File Image)

Quote Reads: My Humanity Is Bound Up in Yours, for We Can Only Be Human Together.-Desmond Tutu

It is important to acknowledge that, even after this announcement, two Union border states of Kentucky and Delaware continued to claim that slavery was legal. The thirteenth amendment to the constitution helped to free those enslaved in these states. And the last of the enslaved people were finally released in 1886.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2022 10:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The Jalalabad Airport in #Afghanistan's Nangarhar province has resumed civilian flights after two decades of serving as a base for the #US military and other foreign troops.



Photo: Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation/Facebook pic.twitter.com/48qcCYd14w IANS (@ians_india) June 19, 2022

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
A man became abusive to gardai on a train, Portlaoise District Court heard last Thursday.

Appearing before the court was Aaron Sheehan of Irish Cottage Guest Accommodation, Muckross Road, Killarney. He was charged with threatening and abusive behaviour.

Sgt JJ Kirby told the court that on March 25 this year Gardai on mobile patrol received a report of a disturbance on a train. The train was stopped at Ballybrophy.

When they arrived they met Aaron Sheehan. He became aggressive and called the gardai spastics. He was obviously drunk and had to be arrested for his own safety.

Appearing for Mr Sheehan, solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said he was currently on remand. He was pleading guilty. On the day he had been travelling with his girlfriend and her brother. An argument started over money which Mr Sheehan claimed his girlfriends brother had which belonged to him. The row escalated.

Ms Fitzpatrick said he was very sorry for calling the gardai names. The difficulty had been with the people he was travelling with. It had not been the best relationship for him.

He had mental health issues and had had an unfortunate childhood.

Judge Cephas Power sentenced him to one month in prison, backdated to June 1.
Tree branches are falling onto "very expensive headstones" in a Laois cemetery.

A councillor has called on Laois County Council to remove the trees growing at the Church of the Most Holy Rosary cemetery in Abbeyleix.

Cllr John Joe Fennelly tabled a motion to the June meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District requesting that two trees be cut down near the rear of the cemetery.

"Branches are falling off them onto graves and adjoining land over property," he claimed.

He also requests the council to plan new footpaths for this section of the cemetery.

"It is at the most two trees at the very bottom of the cemetery. These are very expensive headstones. I think one was hit recently with a branch," he said.

Cllr Barry Walsh seconded the motion.

"Leylandii were taken out and it was a fine job. Would there be any plans to replace them with a windbreaker or a hedge?" he asked.

Cllr Fennelly agrees, but suggests small native Irish trees, instead of the evergreen rapid growing leylandiis.

He said that the trees that need to be removed are beech trees (non-native).

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley also supports his motion.

"I had one lady onto me about the footpath in the graveyard. I welcome that there is a tender for the work," she said.

Laois County Council had this update for Cllr Fennelly.

"the council is preparing a tender for footpath works and tree removal at Abbeyleix cemetery. It is expected that this tender will be published before the end of June 2022 and that subject to budgetary considerations, the works will be undertaken as soon as possible thereafter," senior engineer Ken Morley said.
The Irish-dancing sensation Riverdance returns to the stage in Dublin for the first time in more than two years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Audiences will have a chance to experience Riverdance live on stage this summer with a new production to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show, which will run at the Gaiety Theatre until September 11.

Composer Bill Whelan has rerecorded the soundtrack, while producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan have reimagined the groundbreaking show with new lighting, projection, stage and costume designs.

Some of the dancers involved in the 25th anniversary show, including the two lead dancers, Fergus Fitzpatrick and Amy Mae Dolan, were not born when the first show appeared on stage.

As part of its show each year, Riverdance partners with a different charity to help raise funds and awareness.

This year its charity partner is LauraLynn, Irelands Childrens Hospice.

On June 23, a 12-hour Riverdanceathon will take place in front of the Gaiety Theatre, with the money raised going to LauraLynn.

Riverdance first appeared as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, starring Irish dancers Jean Butler and Michael Flatley.

It was then expanded into a stage show, which opened in Dublin in February 1995.

Since then, it has performed 12,500 times to a live audience of more than 28 million people in 47 countries.
A Newbridge dad is determined to face his fear of heights to take part in a abseiling challenge off the roof of Croke Park next week to raise funds for childrens hospitals.

John Smullen is appealing for donations for the Childrens Health Foundation (CHI) which supports sick children and their families in CHI hospitals and urgent care centres in Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly.

The events take place in coming weeks and include a 24 hour wilderness survival challenge in Glendalough and a skydive in Co Offaly.

John said: Every year, over 350,000 children put on brave faces and receive treatment in CHI at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly.

This year, Im daring to be brave in order to raise a few quid by abseiling from the roof of Croke Park.

One of my biggest fears in life is that of heights. But Im facing my fears and I will overcome them for this charity challenge.

If anybody has a few shillings to throw in the pot I will be eternally grateful to you all.

I have two kids - Lily aged six and Oisin aged four - and they are the apple of my eye.

John added: I'm also an alcoholic and Im 13 months in recovery.

Ive been given a second chance to be a proper dad and responsible co-parent and I aim to take it.

Funds raised by the Dare to be Brave adventure series will go to support the vital and life-saving work that happens in CHI hospitals and urgent care centres from cutting-edge equipment and a range of patient and parental supports to making ground-breaking paediatric research possible.

People can donate to all the participants at: https://daretobebrave.

childrenshealth.ie/

teams/kids-rock
A man who was found driving with excess alcohol was involved in an accident with another vehicle outside Clane.

Before Naas District Court on May 18 was Adam Mosurek, 52, whose address was given as Raheens, Caragh, Naas.

He was charged with drink driving, having no insurance, dangerous driving and having no licence on September 20, 2020, at Millicent Road, Clane. Sgt Jim Kelly said the defendant overtook a vehicle at speed and while two other vehicles were coming towards him. He then pulled in and ricocheted off a ditch and hit another vehicle.

The court heard that both vehicles were written off and one of the passengers of the other vehicle sustained minor injuries. The defendant was arrested at the scene and a subsequent breath sample returned a reading of 69 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

The defendant has no previous convictions and the court was told he had returned from Poland to meet the charges. Judge Desmond Zaidan also heard that he cooperated with the investigation.

Solicitor Matt Byrne said the defendant works as a professional driver and had been in Ireland since 2004. He added he needs his licence for work but is aware he would lose it.

Mr Byrne noted that he pleaded guilty and was always going to and he had an unblemished driving record for over 16 years in Ireland. The defendant has had difficulties in his personal life and his marriage has ended.

The defendant was fined 1,000 each for dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol and had concurrent three year driving disqualifications imposed. He was fined a further 1,000 for not having insurance along with another concurrent three year driving ban. He was also fined 500 for not having a licence.
A former Naas politician, Timmy Conway, is calling for an emergency meeting of Kildare County Council to reverse the decision to refuse planning permission for the construction of Naas Shopping Centre.

Mr Conway is referring to KCC decision to refuse permission for the demolition of part of the Bank of Ireland premises (a protected structure) and replace it with alternative structures.

Timmy Conway

Mr Conway, a former councillor, senator and mayor was astounded as this whole area is now a derelict site.

He said it may well be the last opportunity to have this great project available to the people of Naas.

He claimed the councilllors have the power to set out which structures are to be protected and the ascetic look of the town and not the officials.

It is now up to the councillors to demand the overturn of this awful decision.

He added: It was over 25 years ago since the first application for the development of the Naas Shopping Centre was proposed.

I was honoured to have been a member of the Council at that time.

A local company owned by Owen McDermott and Liam O'Farrell came to the Council with their plan for the Shopping Centre.

This was the time before the Celtic Tiger when the town was close to bankruptcy.
A majority of practising Catholics in Ireland support the ordination of women as priests and would like to see shorter Mass sermons.

The survey across 26 dioceses of tens of thousands of believers also found that people believe priests should be allowed to marry if they want to.

Those surveyed also believe there should be greater roles in the church for couples, single parents and those who are divorced or remarried.

Respondents also wanted more respect for LGBTQI+ people.

The Irish Times said the research, which has also been carried out among Catholics across the world, will be considered by a 160-strong national assembly in Athlone this weekend in preparation for a synod in Rome next year.

The survey also found that church-goes want better prepared, shorter sermons and the removal of Old Testament readings from Mass.

It will be Irish Catholics contribution to the worldwide Synod on Synodality called by Pope Francis for the Vatican in October 2023.

Similar survey are under way across the Catholic world in preparation for a synod due to be held in Rome.
The following deaths have occurred in the wider Leitrim area:

Seamus Donohoe, Doogary, Killeshandra, Cavan



Seamus Donohoe, Doogarry, Killeshandra, Co. Cavan, 17th June 2022, peacefully surrounded by his loving family. Deeply regretted and sadly missed by his loving family, wife Mairead, daughters Sarah and Aine, son-in-law Padraic, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, cousins, relatives and friends. Removal from his residence on Monday morning, 20th June, at 11.30am to arrive at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ballyconnell for 12 noon funeral Mass with burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. Funeral Mass will be livestreamed and can be viewed at the following link https://www.churchtv.ie/ballyconnell/ House private to family please. Family flowers only please, donations in lieu, if desired, to Oakview Residents Comfort Fund.

David Corscadden, Roo, Blacklion, Cavan / Florencecourt, Fermanagh



David Corscadden, passed peacefully on 17th June surrounded by his loving family. David, of Roo, Blacklion Co. Cavan. A much-loved husband to Barbara. Devoted father and stepfather to Sara, Laura, Clare, and Dermot. A dear brother to Jane and brother-in-law Mark. A special step-grandfather to Jim. House private please. For anyone wishing to pay respects, a celebration of Davids life will be held at Ballycassidy House at 2.30 pm on Monday 20th June. David will be very sadly missed by his family, colleagues at Florence Court and wide circle of friends. The family would like to extend their special thanks to all the people who have cared for David both in hospital and at home. Family flowers only please. Donations if desired to the Palliative Care Services at South West Acute Hospital made payable to Thomas Quinn Funeral Director Blacklion or any family member.

Hugh Kiernan, Drumroosk, Killeshandra, Cavan



The death has occurred of Hugh Kiernan, 16th June 2022, Reading, Berkshire, England and formerly of Drumroosk, Killeshandra. Predeceased by his parents John and Rose, deeply regretted and sadly missed by his loving wife Joan, sons John and Paul, sister Marie Mulligan (Drumroosk), nephews, niece, relatives and friends. Funeral in England. Arrangements to follow. Funeral Arrangements Later

May they all Rest in Peace
THE number of people in Limerick being actively targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) has almost trebled over the past four years, the head of the Limerick garda division has revealed.

Briefing members of the Limerick Joint Policing Committee at their quarterly meeting, Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche said more than 150 individuals are now on the CAB radar locally.

Four years ago when I came here first (Limerick garda division), we had about 60 CAB targets and as a result of Operation Coronation, we now have about 150, he said adding that the targets include suspected criminals, their associates and family members who are suspected of laundering money earned through illegal activity such as drug dealing.

A joint operation  codenamed Coronation  which was launched two years ago is already yielding results and impacting on criminals  some of whom have international connections.

So far this year, almost 4m worth of illegal drugs and 600,000 in cash has been seized by gardai in Limerick  over half of it arising from Operation Coronation.

There has been a change of emphasis  focussing on the main crime groups, Chief Supt Roche told the quarterly meeting.

We have changed our strategy over the last number of years. We are focussing on the main Organised Crime Groups within the city and particularly in relation to their assets and money laundering  its a unique operation, its not being done anywhere else, he added.

Under Operation Coronation, a number of large-scale search operations have been mounted involving CAB, local gardai supported by national units and members of the Defence Forces.

In addition to the various drugs and cash seizures, documents and assets, such as cars and luxury watches, have been seized and various accounts in financial institutions have been frozen.

CAB operate on the basis of seizing cash and money and bringing them (suspected criminal) to court with a civil level of proof  we (gardai) go after them from a money laundering perspective in relation to identifying the criminal activities  people who launder money commit criminal acts and when we bring them before the courts for that it feeds into what CAB are able to do, explained Chief Supt Roche.

As part of Operation Coronation, gardai actively seek directions from the DPP to initiate money laundering prosecutions and a number of such cases are currently before the courts.

There have been a number of high profile drugs and cash seizures in Limerick and Clare in recent months and the quantity of drugs seized in the first five months of 2022 is a 30% more that for all of 2021.

Of the drugs seized, more than half was heroin (2.21m) while cocaine worth 1.25m has been seized.

Chief Supt Roche told Fridays meeting the divisional drugs squad was expanded further recently and that it now has 24 members  the biggest for any garda division in the country.

A new dedicated drugs sergeant has also taken up duty in Newcastle West this week bringing to five the number of drugs gardai based in the county.
TWO LIMERICK lads are travelling from Bulgaria to Bosnia by bike, all while raising essential funds for refugees living in poor conditions in Palestine.

Conor Shorten and Niall McGann are two sporting mad cousins, from the North Circular Road and the South Circular Road, respectively, who are now in the midst of a 1,500km journey of a lifetime.

They are taking on their latest adventure, armed with two small saddle bags each, one containing a small change of clothes, the other holding basic medical supplies and their morning coffee brewed each day through a small portable stove.

The lads are making their way from Bulgaria to Bosnia via North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Croatia.

The funds raised will go to the Lajee Center in the Aida Refugee Camp in the occupied West Bank, specifically to buy gym equipment, Conor wrote on their joint Go Fund Me campaign.

As you can imagine, one of the side effects of living in a refugee camp includes having limited resources for exercise which is essential to our physical and mental health, he added.

Aclai Palestine, which the pair have asked Limerick people to support, is an Irish founded community gym in the Lajee Center and provides a space for exercise for the people of the camp.

The pair landed in Plovdiv Airport in Bulgaria on May 22, to begin the first day of their journey across the mountainous Balkans - click here to support the GoFundMe campaign.

So far, some of their cycles have included traversing mountain passes at 2,550m above sea level, as well as attempting to pass over perilous ice sheets, all while trying to avoid being eaten by bears.

Few things in life are ever certain but an Irish bar is one of them. Even in post-conflict Kosovo, Conor documented online.

The pair are now closing in on their goal of 1,500 towards the Aida Refugee Camp.

This equipment will be an invaluable resource, Conor, who previously played rugby with UCC, and Old Crescent RFC said.
THE SECRETARY is the heartbeat of every school and Helen Hogan certainly felt the love on her last day in Castleconnell NS.

In a touching video posted on the school's Facebook page, Ms Hogan is seen receiving a guard of honour from pupils and staff through the corridors she has walked for the last 23 years.

Today we say goodbye to an amazing colleague and friend. We are so so sorry to see Helen leaving is for the next chapter... Castleconnell National School on Friday, June 17, 2022

The children clapping weren't born when Ms Hogan started work in the school but they, like their predecessors, are deeply appreciative of her kindness, help and dedication. Ms Hogan was understandably shocked and a little emotional at the lovely gesture on Friday.

Richie Ryan, principal of Castleconnell NS, said Ms Hogan has been such a huge part of the school for so long that it is hard to imagine the school without her.

"A school secretary is the gatekeeper and focal point of any school. Helen has certainly been that for us here in Castleconnell NS.

"It has been a pleasure to work with Helen and she will be sorely missed by staff, pupils and parents. On behalf of everyone in our school community, past and present, I would like to sincerely thank Helen for her friendship, dedication to her role and constant professionalism over her many years.

"We wish Helen all the best for the future and she will always be welcome here in Castleconnell NS," said Mr Ryan.
MUMBAI : Amid stiff competition from Indian legacy firms and startups, and a limited talent pool, multinational companies are wooing prospective employees with perks ranging from electric car lease programmes and spot awards, to salaries for nannies.

MNCs are taking a leaf out of global success stories on hiring as well as piloting benefit programmes in India to firm up their hiring policies, considering that just a salary hike is not making the cut anymore.

For instance, HSBC, which has 40,000 Indian employees has a separate component of 10,000-15,000 to help single parents and mothers with children under six years pay nannies. The programme, piloted in India during the pandemic, is being offered to employees in other markets.

The lender is also looking at EV car policies to attract the young. Requests to consider EVs came up in our engagement forums with employees. In response, we are exploring ways to offer EV as part of our car lease benefits," Archana Chadha, head human resources, HSBC India, said.

HSBC UK recently offered EV lease to about 35,000 of its employees. The bank said EVs, including those of Tesla, were offered on lease for four years, with an option to own the car once the lease period was over. EVs attract lower tax and have done well in attracting talent.

Multinationals said young employees are looking at compensation structures beyond the cash component, including benefits to reduce carbon emissions or help parents look after their children, especially when the hybrid work culture has become the norm.

Cash is the initial euphoria and eventually settles down, while benefits and HR policies bring in the stickiness. MNCs have the advantage of bringing in globally successful benefit programmes and tweak them to suit the Indian population," Roopank Chaudhary, partner, human capital solutions, Aon India, said.

Indian firms, in comparison, do not have similar advantages to launch such benefits fast. For Indian organizations, it is tough given the large size of their employee base and working out the economics of new-age benefit programmes has to be on the basis of final utilization, Chaudhary added.

The initiatives by MNCs also come when India Inc. is tightening purses strings and dialing down discretionary spends like offsite meets, travels and big marketing initiatives to preserve cash to counter rising challenges.

We launched spot awards (cash payments) in second half of 2021 to deal with the war for talent we have seen since April 2021," Anupam Kaura, president and chief human resources officer, CRISIL, said.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, that do not create long term or permanent drag on the expense base, or unduly skew the pay mix," Kaura added.

Crisil said the deferred cash payment option was offered to employees who felt stock compensation was an expensive proposition. It brings with it advantages from accounting, charge in books relative to stock based benefits."

To woo working women and preventing drop outs led to online retail giants like Amazon launching programmes after the creche system came crashing".We supported cash-outs so that they could choose to have nannies at home or hire extra help or whatever they needed it for while working from home," said Swati Rustagi, director, diversity, equity and inclusion, Amazon.
Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight returned made an emergency landing at Patna airport after a bird hit and one engine shuts in the air, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on 19 June.

The regulator also informed that all on-board passengers are safe.

#WATCH Delhi bound SpiceJet flight returns to Patna airport after reporting technical glitch which prompted fire in the aircraft; All passengers safely rescued pic.twitter.com/Vvsvq5yeVJ  ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2022

Patna DM Chandrashekhar Singh while speaking to ANI said that Delhi-bound flight had returned to Patna airport after locals noticed a fire in the aircraft.

The Delhi-bound flight had returned to Patna airport after locals noticed a fire in the aircraft & informed district & airport officials. All 185 passengers safely deboarded. Reason is technical glitch, engineering team analysing further," he said.

Director of the Patna airport said that an alternate flight is being arranged by SpiceJet airlines. This incident is a matter of investigation," he said.

This is not the first time such an incident has happened. Earlier on 28 May, a SpiceJet plane, which was heading to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, returned to Mumbai after a crack was observed on the windshield.

"On May 28, SpiceJet Boeing 737 aircraft was scheduled to operate SG-385 (Mumbai-Gorakhpur). During cruise, windshield outer pane was observed to be cracked," the airline's spokesperson had said.

Prior to that on 4 May, a Durgapur-bound SpiceJet flight had to return to Chennai after the engine of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft developed some technical sang mid-air.

On May 30, the aviation regulator DGCA had imposed a fine of 10 lakh on SpiceJet for training its Boeing 737 Max aircraft's pilots on a faulty simulator as it could have adversely impacted flight safety.

In April, DGCA had barred 90 SpiceJet pilots from operating the Max aircraft after it found them being trained on a simulator that had its stick shaker on the co-pilot's side inoperative.

After barring the pilots, the regulator had issued a show-cause notice to the airline, sources had told PTI.

The response sent by the airline was not found satisfactory, they mentioned.

"The training being imparted by the airline could have adversely affected flight safety and hence was nullified," one of the sources had stated.

DGCA had grounded Boeing 737 Max planes in India on March 13, 2019, three days after an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max aircraft crashed near Addis Ababa, killing 157 people including four Indians.

The ban on the planes was lifted in August last year after the DGCA was satisfied with US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing's necessary software rectifications in the aircraft. Proper pilot training on the simulator was also among the conditions set by the DGCA for lifting the ban on the Max planes after a span of 27 months.

SpiceJet is the only Indian airline that has the Max aircraft in its fleet.

(With inputs from agencies)
The Finance Ministry has asked government employees to opt for 'cheapest fare available' on their entitled travel class and book air tickets at least three weeks prior to their date of travel for tours and LTC, as it looks to cut down on unnecessary expenditure.

The ministry is aiming to eliminate wasteful spending because fiscal expenses are already high due to excise duty cuts on petrol and diesel, customs duty reductions in some commodities, larger fertiliser subsidies, and a free food scheme for the underprivileged.

The Finance Ministry further said that employees should book only one ticket for each leg of intended travel, make bookings even if approval of the tour programme is under process and also avoid "unnecessary cancellations".

Government employees are currently required to purchase air tickets only from three authorised travel agents -- Balmer Lawrie & Co, Ashok Travel & Tours and IRCTC.

Any booking made within less than 72 hours of intended travel on tour or any cancellation made less than 24 hours before intended travel will require the submission of self-declared justification by the employee, as per the modified instructions regarding booking of air tickets on the government account.

"Employees are to choose flights having the Best Available Fare on their entitled travel class which is the Cheapest Fare available, preferably for non-stop flight in a given slot at the time of booking," said the office memorandum of the Department of Expenditure.

Tickets for all employees for a single tour should be done through one selected travel agent only and no charges/fees should be paid to these booking agents, as per the instruction.

"Employees are encouraged to book flight tickets at least 21 days prior to the intended travel on tour and LTC, to avail the most competitive fares and minimise burden on the exchequer," it said.

The modified instruction also nudged employees to make ticket booking digitally through the self-booking tool/online booking website/portal of the three authorised travel agents.

"Employees should preferably book only one ticket for each leg of intended travel. Holding of more than one ticket is not allowed. However, in case of special exigencies or exceptional circumstances, a maximum of two tickets for the alternative flights for different time-slot may be booked for the same leg of travel with the self-declared justification for the same," the instruction read.

In unavoidable circumstances where the booking of ticket is done from an unauthorised travel agent/website, the relaxation has to be granted only by an officer of the rank of Joint Secretary or above.

The Expenditure department also asked all ministries and departments to clear their dues to the travel agents within 30 days of completion of journey, while officers will have to submit a certificate/undertaking within 72 hours of journey confirming their travel.

Ministries must clear all previous outstanding dues to the travel agents by August 31, 2022, it said, adding no mileage points will be generated against travel on government accounts.
Crisis-hit Sri Lankan government has announced a shut-down of public sector offices from next week, beginning Monday, due to severe fuel shortages as the island nation continues to reel under its worst economic crisis.

The Sri Lankan Education Ministry has also asked teachers in all government and government-approved private schools in the Colombo city limits to conduct online classes from next week due to prolonged power cuts, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

With its existing fuel stocks fast depleting, Sri Lanka is under intense pressure to get foreign exchange to pay for its imports, which has brought several sectors of the countrys economy to a grinding halt.

Consequently, spontaneous protests have been reported at filling stations around the country where consumers have been waiting in long serpentine queues for fuel for hours.

"Taking into consideration the severe limits on fuel supply, the weak public transport system and the difficulty in using private vehicles this circular allows minimal staff to report to work from Monday," the Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry said in a circular issued on Friday.

However, those employed in the healthcare sector will have to continue reporting to work, the circular stated.

The Sri Lankan Education Ministry announced that all government and government approved private schools in the Colombo city limits would remain shut in the next week due to prolonged power cuts, and asked teachers to conduct classes online, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

Sri Lanka is facing power outages for upto 13 hours in a day for the past several months now.

Earlier this week, Sri Lanka's cash-strapped government approved several measures, including imposing a 2.5 per cent social contribution tax on companies based on their turnover and declaring Fridays as holidays for most public sector employees, to facilitate the economic recovery and mitigate energy and food crisis.

The Cabinet also approved a move to grant government officials one leave per week for the next three months to engage in agriculture to mitigate the approaching food crisis.

On Friday, Sri Lankas Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that around four to five million out of the countrys 22 million population could directly be affected by the food shortage.

The nearly bankrupt country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, announced in April that it is suspending nearly USD 7 billion foreign debt repayment due for this year out of about USD 25 billion due through 2026.

Sri Lanka's total foreign debt stands at USD 51 billion.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
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Annecys official short film competition is one of the festivals centerpieces. Many years, at least one ends up snagging an Oscar nomination. Every year, Variety watches the shorts in Annecys main competition selection and picks 10 of our favorites. Were not saying these are the best 10 shorts this year, though four won prizes, but we believe each brings something that shouldnt be missed.

Anxious Body, (Yoriko Mizushiri, France, Japan)

Screening at Cannes Directors Fortnight, Mizushiris fourth short and the first project co-produced by Japanese New Deer and Frances Miyu Productions. Employing Mizushiris hallmark focus on the senses, non-plot stories and geometric landscapes, a film about touch  something very hard to do in animation basically because of the lack of a real body on screen, Annecy Festival Artistic Director Marcel Jean commented. EM

Amok, (Balazs Turai, Hungary, Romania)

Annecys 2022 best short film Cristal. Taunted, he thinks, by an evil Santa Claus gnome, Clyde drives his car, fiancee inside, off a cliff. Disfigured, he survives, takes hypnotherapy, attempts suicide, is saved by a wonderful women who forces him to confront his inner demons. A psycho-comedy, and wild aesthetic ride from Hungarys Balazs Turai (The Fall of Rome), a non-dialogue action piece come horror haunting set against delightful pop-out tropical-toned 2D and rocking to a dark techno-rock score. JH

Beware of Train (Emma Calder, U.K.)

If the word dreamlike might be the single most overused adjective in all animation, in this case circumstances force our hand. For there is no better way to describe Emma Calders mixed-media tour through the subconscious than to call it a particularly masterful nightmare. Mixing sex, violence, memory, and guilt as it explores the various obsessions supercharging a poor womans anxieties, Beware of Train fuses diverse textures and visual styles, jumbling theme and image together in a propulsive montage. BC

Bird in the Peninsula, (Atsushi Wada, France, Japan)

Another entry from Frances Miyu Productions, a multiple prize winner at this years Annecy, alongside Nobuaki Doi. Already a special mention laureate at 2022s Berlin Festival, the minimalist non-dialogue tale is inspired by the No theatre, portraying a group of children who gather to dance under the inquisitive look of their tutor until a girl breaks into the scene. A highly hypnotic analysis of rituals, laced with controlled comedy, suggestive music adapts a popular Catalan tune to the musical style of traditional No dance-drama. EM

A Bite of Bone, (Yano Honami, Japan)

Charmingly voiced in the first person, a girl evokes her memories her father at his funeral. Drawn on paper in a pointillist style, the short, the director has explained, aimed at melding two concepts a childs memories and natural landscape. The result is totally melancholic and mesmerizing. Honamis second short, and a Grand Prize winner for short animation at the Ottawa Animation Festival last year. Honami studied at the Tokyo University of the Arts aunder Koji Yamamura, director of the Annecy-winning and Oscar-nominated Atama-yama, who also produced A Bite of Bone. EM

The Debutante, (Elizabeth Hobbs, U.K. )

A surrealist journey through a day in the life of a spirited young upper-class woman from the U.K.s award-winning Elizabeth Hobbs. On her daily visits to the London Zoo, the girl befriends a hyena. Prepared to go to great lengths to avoid attending a dinner dance organised in her honor, she convinces the hyena to take her place. Their plan, however, requires a surprising amount of artistry and violence. Using cut-outs, painting, drawing on paper, rotoscoping and a startling musical score, a film based on a short story by British-born Mexican surrealist painter Leonora Carrington. Total animation, made with wit and irony, said Jean. LP

The Flying Sailor (Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby, Canada)

In 1917, a calamitous explosion in Halifax harbor levelled the Nova Scotia city, while claiming more than 1700 lives. Directors Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbiss The Flying Sailor follows one miraculous survivor  a mariner blown skyward by the blast who landed naked and intact 2.5 miles away. Slight in length and vast in scope, the dialogue-free film has an elemental and almost abstract quality, exploring fire and water, sky and sea, as it follows the sailor through the air, into the cosmic, and then back down to earth. BC

The Record, (Jonathan Laskar, Switzerland)

A traveller leaves an antique music store owner a magic vinyl, reads the listeners soul, prompting through music memories which have been suppressed, in the owners case of World War II  and his Jewish mother being taken away by Nazi police. Drawn in black and white, with a brief section of color and a superb evocation of light and shadow, one title in a strong presence of Swiss shorts at Annecy, including Marina Rossets The Queen of the Foxes and Raphaelle Stolzs Miracasas. JH

Steakhouse, (Spela Cadez, Slovenia, Germany, France)

Steakhouse builds out a searing domestic drama with a sense of humor as dark and singed as an overcooked steak. As middle-aged Liza makes her home from the office, her husband Franc prepares her a special birthday meal, but for this couple on edge, all it takes is a simple bout of mismatched timing to send their meticulous plans astray. In less than ten minutes, this festival-favorite cycles through psychological drama and beat-the-clock thriller, threading in elements of dread and body horror as it builds to a lip-smacking punchline. Relatable, and uncomfortable viewing, said Jean. BC

Yugo, (Carlos Gomez Salamanca, Colombia, France)

As it welds metal powder drawings to 3D imagery and uses stop-motion for sequences somehow figurative and literal all at once, Carlos Gomez Salamancas Yugo forges an original visual style for a project that fits no simple mold. The experimental doc looks to address the cancer affecting Colombias body politic, following a family of economic migrants from a rural village to a Bogota metal plant, watching the shantytowns grow around them as millions of others do the same, and setting personal tale against a stop-motion leitmotif that sees cells dividing at an alarming rate. BC

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More than a decade after the end of Lost, actor Matthew Fox has returned to TV with apocalyptic thriller Last Light, which world premiered Friday at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival.

The show, which will stream on Peacock and is produced by MGM Intl. TV Productions, envisions a society plunged into chaos when oil supplies are jeopardized. Fox plays one of the worlds leading petro-chemical engineers, while Downton Abbeys Joanne Froggatt plays his wife. In amongst the wider crisis is a battle to save their family.

At a press conference in Monte-Carlo Saturday, Fox addressed his break from the business. Since Lost ended in 2010, he hasnt appeared in another TV series, and after a string of movies, including World War Z, Extinction, and, finally, Bone Tomahawk, which he shot in 2014, he hasnt acted at all.

I kind of had a bucket list in my mind of things that I wanted to accomplish in the business, and after I did Bone Tomahawk in 2014 that had kind of completed the bucket list, he said. I wanted to do a Western. Its a very odd Western, but its a Western. And so that sort of completed the bucket list.

He added: At that time in my life, our kids were at an age where I felt like I needed to really reengage. I had been focused on work for some time, and [my wife] Margherita had been running the family so beautifully, but I felt like it was time to be home, and I really felt like I was retiring from the business, and working on other creative elements that are really personal to me  some music and writing.

The offer to join Last Light as both star and executive producer changed that. I kind of got to a point where I thought that maybe the bucket list included executive producing, he said. Id never done that before. The opportunity to be involved in Last Light came along, and so I wanted to give it a shot. And it felt like the right time.

Fox had previously worked with Last Lights director Dennie Gordon on Party of Five, which made the decision easier. So it just all kind of came together. It felt like it was the moment to jump back in, and see how it felt to be in front of a camera again, and to act again. And it was surprisingly rewarding. And I felt really good doing it, and with this incredible group of people, and the collaborative aspect of it, and how well we all bonded, how much we believed in the project. And it turned out to be a fantastic experience.

Fox says the stunt work in the film was a challenge. I had a lot of moments where I thought: You know, I should have gotten in a little bit better shape for this,  he said. Playing his character also required a subtlety to reveal his true nature. It was a little mysterious what was going on with him, he said, and it was like a reveal  sort of like an onion being peeled back.

Fox had a couple of difficult years in 2011 and 2012, as he acknowledged in an interview on Ellen in October 2012, related to an alleged incident in Cleveland, Ohio, and the legal tussles that followed from that. Further fuel was added to the fire by an incendiary Tweet from Dominic Monaghan, another former cast member of Lost. Fox refuted the allegations aimed against him strenuously and repeatedly.

Fox has lived a quieter life since that time, and he may have been nervous to return to the fray, but he felt ready to reengage with television. Ive just spent seven years living my life with my family and pursuing things that Im passionate about, he said, but storytelling is in my DNA in some way, and I felt like this form of storytelling was something that I wanted to reengage with, and see how it felt. And Im really happy that I did so  its been good.

Gordon added: I will just say it was no easy feat to lure Matthew out of retirement, and it took a project of this caliber and this cast and this important story to literally lure him because he has a beautiful life with his wife and children. And it was not easy to lure him. But we felt so privileged that we got him off the sofa.

Since Fox and Gordon worked together on Party of Five, at the start of his career, his approach to acting has evolved. I think I approached the work in a very different way at that time. So I think it was probably not as collaborative an experience at that time, because I was pretty guarded about it all.

He added: But this experience was very collaborative. And it was tremendous. And we had this behemoth of a story to try to stitch together and to try to track this character through this arc over five episodes.

He credits streaming as having opened a whole new area of premise that only requires five chapters. He expanded: Its too much story to tell in a film, but its not enough story to tell in even one 10 episode series. And I think its been really good for television, because one of the things that Ive been frustrated with in the past is you have these premises that are kind of driven a little bit longer than they should be, right, and the audience senses when somethings being stretched thin.

He continued: So streaming is moving us in a direction where stories are being told in just the amount of time that they need to be told in, and thats always going to be a very beneficial thing for storytelling.

Gordon added: I would just add to that by saying we were babies when we did Party of Five, absolute babies. And in those days, television shows were shot primarily on sound stages. In this new age of the rise of fantastic streaming material around the globe, the audiences expectations are extremely high.

And so, what we are required to deliver is not ordinary television, but extraordinary television. And this is why it was important that we go on location, that we have extraordinary locations, that we give it global scope. Were telling a global story. And that production value was very important to all of us to deliver our story through feature filmmaking techniques as much as possible.

I think in the new age of television the bar is very high and were seeing it internationally around the globe, things that are being done everywhere  Tehran, you know, so many fantastic series that we love in America that have been made on foreign soil. So I think its an extraordinary time for all of us to be in this business.

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Lukas Dhonts Close, which won the Grand Prix in Cannes last month, picked up the Sydney Film Prize, the top prize at the Sydney Film Festival, on Sunday evening.

Accepting the award via video message Dhont said: Its a film that comes from our hearts, that we worked on for a lot of years with many people.

The international jury consisted of Australian actor David Wenham, Australian director Jennifer Peedom, writer-director-producer Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (Bangladesh), Berlin Golden Bear winner Semih Kaplanoglu (Turkey), and the executive director of the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute in Tokyo, Yuka Sakano (Japan). Twelve titles in the official competition included Carla Simons Alcarras, Hlynur Palmasons Godland, Colm Baireads The Quiet Girl and Del Kathryn Bartons Blaze. The winner is awarded AUD$60,000 ($41,600).

Australian filmmaker Luke Cornish was presented with the Documentary Australia Awards AUD$10,000 cash prize for Keep Stepping, a film set in Sydneys urban fringe about two female performers training for Australias biggest street dance competition.

The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films were awarded to Jonathan Daw and Tjunkaya Tapaya for Donkey (AFTRS Craft Award and Yoram Gross Animation Award) and Luisa Martiri and Tanya Modini for The Moths Will Eat Them Up (Dendy Live Action Short Award and Rouben Mamoulian Award for best director).

In its second year the A$10,000 Sustainable Future Award, dedicated to films that feature strong environmental themes, was presented to the Australian documentary, Delikado, directed by Karl Malakunas, which reveals the tribulations of environmental crusaders on the Filipino island of Palawan.

The A$10,000 Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award, bestowed by Create NSW to a trail-blazing local screen practitioner, went to film composer Caitlin Yeo while filmmaker Kylie Bracknell was awarded the 2022 Deutsche Bank Fellowship for First Nations Film Creatives. The Fellowship is an important investment in developing and nurturing the talents of local creatives and enhancing global awareness of Australias vibrant First Nations filmmaking talent.

The 2022 Sydney Film Festival, featured over 200 films from over 60 countries and ran June 8-19, 2022.

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Oscar-winning Canadian screenwriter and director Paul Haggis has been arrested in Ostuni, Southern Italy, on charges of sexual assault and aggravated personal injury allegedly inflicted upon a still unidentified woman who has pressed charges.

According to multiple Italian press reports and a note from the public prosecutor of the nearby city of Brindisi, Haggis is charged with forcing a young foreign  meaning non-Italian  woman to undergo sexual intercourse over the course of two days in Ostuni, where he was scheduled to hold several master classes at the Allora Fest, a new film event being launched by Los Angeles-based Italian journalist Silvia Bizio and Spanish art critic Sol Costales Doulton that is set to run in Ostuni from June 21 to June 26.

Bizio has confirmed to Variety that Haggis is under arrest.

Under Italian Law, I cannot discuss the evidence, Haggis longtime personal attorney Priya Chaudhry said in a statement. That said, I am confident that all allegations will be dismissed against Mr. Haggis. He is totally innocent and willing to fully cooperate with the authorities so the truth comes out quickly.

In a statement The Allora Fest said they have learned with dismay and shock the news that Paul Haggis is in custody for alleged violence.

The fests directors immediately proceeded to remove any participation of the director from the event and At the same time, they express full solidarity with the woman involved, they added.

The themes chosen for the festival are, among others, those of equality, gender equality, and solidarity. As professionals and women they are dismayed and hope that the festival will help foster more information and awareness on such a topical and increasingly pressing issue, the statement went on to note.

According to an Italian police report, the alleged victim, after being assaulted, was taken by Haggis to the Papola Casale airport in Brindisi and left there on Friday morning at the crack of dawn, despite her precarious physical and psychological conditions.

At the airport, the alleged rape victim, in a confused state, according to the report, was assisted by the airport staff and border police who, after having given her first aid, accompanied her to the offices of the Italian squadra mobile police unit. Police agents then took the woman to the A. Perrino hospital in Brindisi, where Italys so-called pink protocol for rape victims was put into effect.

Subsequently, the alleged victim filed formal charges against Haggis.

Haggis, who wrote Million Dollar Baby and co-wrote and directed Crash, both of which he won an Oscar for, was sued in 2018 by publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleged that he had violently raped her after a premiere in 2013. The suit prompted three additional women to come forward with their own sexual misconduct accusations against Haggis, who has vehemently denied the claims. The trial is still pending, due to COVID delays.

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WASHINGTON -- At most music festivals, there's a mad rush for the front row, but on the first day of Something in the Water, concertgoers craved the shade. They huddled on the pavement, forced more and more hot air onto themselves with handmade paper fans, stretched their legs and nodded their heads to the music. It was hot -- scorching -- and no amount of free water faucets or cheery sunscreen reminders could take that away.

Still, smiles were pasted on most of the music lovers' sweaty faces. A festival? In D.C.? It was hard to remember the last time something of this scale made its way to the District of Columbia.

Until now, Shine Ivuy, 26, had never attended a festival in D.C. despite living in the city for several years. She's previously had to trek to North Carolina to see her favorite artists. "I'm excited that I finally have a festival that's local that I can attend," Ivuy said Friday afternoon, placing a hand on her forehead to shield herself from the sun.

Something in the Water, a three-day music festival created by Pharrell Williams, will run through the weekend. More than 70 musical acts -- from Usher and Pusha T to the Dave Matthews Band -- and about 54,000 attendees are expected to descend on six blocks of Independence Avenue SW.

The highly melanated event is taking place on Juneteenth weekend, a time usually celebrated by free events and inclusive gatherings for D.C.'s Black community. The price tag, however, is hardly accessible. Three-day tickets started at almost $350 ($299 without fees) and quickly sold out. The $50 discounts offered to D.C. and Virginia residents were available for only one day in April.

Those who snagged the coveted wristbands justified the hit to their wallets.

"Last time, he brought out Jay-Z, and I didn't pay for Jay-Z," Xavier Jackson, 28, said on Friday, referring to the previous Something in the Water festival he attended. "It's worth it."

"When I put in my time-off request, I said it was to celebrate my Blackness," said Jackson, an Apple employee, as he stood in a long merchandise line with Ivuy. "That's what this is."

On Saturday afternoon, groups of 20-somethings in multicolored bucket hats, bohemian pants and jumpsuits jogged to each stage to snag a decent spot. But there was no need. Every angle was perfect, and no matter where people stood in the crowd, the beats vibrated through their ribcages.

During the set by Yvngxchris, a native of Chesapeake, Va., a fan threw futuristic sunglasses onstage for the artist to wear. They didn't stay on long. Neither did his pants during his second-to-last song, revealing his turquoise paisley boxer briefs.

The cluster of people dancing in front of him weren't fazed. They continued jumping, their box braids and Afros bouncing to the beat as they filmed on their phones.

"That was the last song, but y'all want more?" Yvngxchris asked them.

"Yeah!" the crowd yelled.

This is the first time the festival is being held in the nation's capital. Something in the Water was previously staged in Virginia Beach, Pharrell's hometown. The name is a nod to the cluster of musical talent from the area, such as Missy Elliott, who performed at the 2019 festival, and Pusha T, who was set to perform this weekend.

Williams moved this year's festival a few months after Virginia Beach police killed his cousin, Donovon Lynch, in March 2021. Following the shooting, Williams proposed that the city hold a forum to "talk about your issues, talk about your struggles." But, according to Williams, they never did. Six months later, Williams said the city's "toxic energy" couldn't be home to the festival. D.C. was chosen instead.

"Ultimately, the goal is for Virginia Beach to realize that they messed up and that they could have just addressed the situation if they wanted to, and they didn't," said Jackson, a Virginia Beach native. "I think it makes total sense, what Pharrell did."

Kristopher Lee, 17, and his mother Karen Lee, 64, attended the concert together and stood far from the stage (though not in the shade -- those spots were taken) as Lakeyah rapped on Friday.

"I've been wanting to go to this festival since it was at Virginia Beach. He's here to keep me company," Karen said as she gestured to her son (whose tall, lean stature bears a strong resemblance to Pharrell -- though that's just a coincidence).

The move from Virginia Beach isn't the only thing looming over the festival; some were concerned about their safety after recent mass shootings. Even though festival organizers say it will have 800 to 850 guards on the festival grounds during the day, and another 100 patrolling at night, some are making backup plans.

College students Leila and Nalani Butler and Jenai Roberson chose two meeting spots: one in case of a minor emergency, like losing each other in the crowd, and another in the case of something bigger, like gunfire.

"I'm a little more nervous now that it was so easy to get in," said Roberson, 19, the tip of the Capitol visible behind her on Friday. "We got here early and walked through an open gate. They asked if we had wristbands, and that was it."

But they don't regret their decision. A slight bit of fear is worth the freedom of celebration.

"I think we're just trying our best to be safe," said Nalani, 20. "All we can do is at least try to plan and savor the good."
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Tribeca Enterprises will launch Tribeca Audio, a new podcast network dedicated to curating audio content year-round, this July. Jane Rosenthal made the announcement at the Tribeca Festival on Saturday during a special presentation of the upcoming Radiotopia podcast My Mother Made Me.

Tribeca Audio will launch its flagship series, and Tribeca Enterprises first podcast, July 13. Titled Tribeca Audio Premieres, the series will be hosted by Davy Gardner, head of Tribeca Audio and the curator of audio storytelling at Tribeca Festival. The podcast will air every other week and feature the full first episode of a new podcast series followed by interviews with the creators, hosts, performers and musicians behind the program.

The first episode of Tribeca Audio Premieres will spotlight My Mother Made Me, with an interview from host, author Jason Reynolds. The second episode spotlights Crooked Media and Audacys Mother Country Radicals, which was created by playwright and screenwriter Zayd Dohrn and documents his experience growing up with his mother Bernandine Dohn, who was on the FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list for years. Future episodes will spotlight podcasts from independent creators as well as companies like Campside Media, QCode, USG Audio and Atypical Artists. Each season of the podcast will end with a live episode event at the Tribeca Festival.

As Tribeca expands its slate of year-round programming, Tribeca Audio will further extend our curatorial footprint into the world of audio storytelling, one of the fastest growing storytelling mediums today, Jane Rosenthal, co-founder and CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, said in a statement. Through its flagship series, Tribeca Audio Premieres, the network will champion the work of todays greatest audio artists while connecting their work to new and expansive audiences.

In addition to Tribeca Audio Premieres, Tribeca Audio also has five new series in development: a scripted miniseries, an audio documentary series, an experimental short-form microcast and an episodic podcast featuring New York City theater performers. All work produced from the network will be accompanied by transcripts for maximum accessibility.

The Tribeca Festival ends Sunday. Tribeca Audio Premieres will be available July 13 on Tribeca Audios Apple Podcast channel, and on all podcast apps.

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Art and culture have time and again spread the message about what makes each culture unique. These cultures around the world can often find parallels through religion, tradition, family and going through the motions of life, but it is not always easy to pinpoint.

Per the Latinx and South Texas culture, Isaac Garzas short films revolving around his personal life have been a model showcase for viewers around the world on life in Laredo.

Born and bred in Laredo, his filmmaking path began with a dream of being on Saturday Night Live. During a trip to New York, a young Isaac got the chance to watch SNL in person, and the energy and charisma exuding off the stage set him on the path of comedy, improv and ultimately filmmaking.

Now when he is not grinding away at the time-consuming process of writing and filmmaking, he spends his time touring film festivals sharing his work inspired by his personal life as a Laredoan.

Currently, Garza is working on his newest 30-minute short film "The Son Who Cant Play Trumpet" that is based on his life experience.

It is a short film based on an experience where a Latino father pressures his grown son to play a trumpet birthday party for guests, and he said the tone would be akin to "Curb Your Enthusiasm" meets "Succession" family drama.

However, his career started on the improv stage, and through the freedom of the medium and the implementation of his writing, it ultimately led to Garza writing his first short film, "Pepito." IMDBs synopsis reads while being lovingly coerced by his mom to go to confession, Pepito is infantilized to the point of suffocation in this bilingual comedy.

The film was based on Garzas life and draws from the Latino culture, his involvement in Catholicism at St. Patricks Church and the familial relationships many Latino families can relate to. Originally, "Pepito" was planned to be a sketch character that eventually became an absurdist grounded film, he said. These comedy roots are woven into his stories, which he repeated are based on his personal experience, but they can be universally understood.

I write about what I know, and what I know is my life. I try to tap into that and try to explore and heighten it in ways that people can both enjoy and find thematic messages that can resonate with them, he said.

More than a film

Beyond being a glimpse into a moment of Garzas life, "Pepito" was also a film showcasing a different perspective of the Latinx community. He said these stories are usually universal and are entertaining, colorful and cultural.

Its exciting. It's not anything new to us, but it's new to a lot of the rest of the world who is looking at these stories, he said as he highlighted the continued tropes used by Hollywood productions that consistently paint the Latinx community as a struggling one that deals with the difficulties of immigration, limited labor options or a life of crime. This includes the recycled use of strong accents or certain physical features.

Garza emphasized immigration stories and the struggles seen by Latinos throughout the U.S. and in Latin countries are vital to magnify the struggles faced by men, women and children throughout the world. However, he believes it is equally important to celebrate the culture and its strong emphasis on family, faith and traditions.

Its just important to highlight life after immigration, the struggles of generational trauma, assimilation and family life from these people who immigrated; and with that there is also lot of joys in it  it's real to do both at the same time, because I feel like that represents life a little more accurately, he said.

As with every other culture that can be thought of as a tree, often times these cultures branch off to create unique subcultures that while they may be different from one another, they still come from the same roots. Laredos unique location, relationship with Nuevo Laredo and its own struggles and accomplishments differentiate its community from San Antonio, The Valley, Los Angeles and beyond.

Latinx people are diverse in and of itself, our community is very diverse. We are not just a singular type of person. We are all very different in ourselves, and I think showing that we are not just maids and drug dealers, these things we see in Hollywood films. We are more than that. We are people, families, people with aspirations, just like everybody else, Garza said.

He continued to say the more personal a story is the easier it is for people of all ages, race, religion or culture to be drawn to it, find parallels between cultures and resonate with one another.

I had dinner with some Middle Eastern filmmakers whose film was also playing at the festival, and they said that watching 'Pepito' made them think of their own parents back home, he said.

The type of dynamics and relationship depicted in 'Pepito' were very relatable to them and it resonated with them.

Getting By With Some Help

Interactions such as this are a testament to how art and culture are bridged and emphasize the importance of new perspectives, voices and artists, which helps to continue to move society forward. This is why Garzas goal of filming in Laredo is not only to capture the authenticity of his life for his film, but to also shine a light on the community and present an opportunity to current or fledgling filmmakers and actors.

This is where I grew up, where I got my culture; my culture inspires the stories I like to tell, and I have the opportunity to tell another story through the backing of HBO, he said.

During a recent meeting with Laredo City Council, Garza brought a proposal to bring the production of his new short film The Son Who Cant Play Trumpet to Laredo with some financial help by the city. He was nervous before the meeting, as he didnt know the opportunity was available for a project such as this, but was soon relieved by the value council placed on art and culture.

Going back to my hometown of Laredo and taking the film there was always a dream and idea. It wasnt until I chatted with the Laredo Film Society's Kari Gaytan that she planted a seed in my head that it's possible to get support from the City of Laredo, he said.

Both the Laredo Film Society and the Laredo Fine Arts and Culture Committee reached out to Garza in support of presenting his proposal at the meeting. Aside from the groups, he also spoke with District VIII Councilmember Alyssa Cigarroa and said the ongoing support inspired confidence in him before the meeting.

From a $25,000 grant and $20,000 pledged by the city toward the project, Garzas dream of filming in Laredo is closer to becoming true.

Dream Team

But even with the funding, the hard part is getting the film made. The expensive and time-consuming nature of filmmaking would require Garzas team and established actors focus, as well as the attention and determination of local Laredoans that would be interested in working on set and acting in the film.

Im not Martin Scorsese yet by any means, but if I can offer a little bit of inspiration and opportunity to give back to my community. Even though I am still early on in my career, like that I see that as a privilege for me to do so, and I hope I get to continue doing that with more of my projects in the future," he said. "And I hope I get to participate in other Laredoans projects. as I know theyll continue to express themselves through art.

"The Son Who Cant Play Trumpet" is not a student film nor an amateur production, but a project built from Garzas vision that, in the event the film is entered into a qualifying film festival, has the chance to win an Oscar. Not only would this be a monumental achievement for the young filmmaker, but also be a showcase of Laredo talent highlighting the best of the city and its community.

It was expressed that in the event the funding to bring the film to Laredo doesnt pan out, it will still be made. Garza indicated his eyes would continue to be set on filmmaking in his future, but "The Son Who Cant Play Trumpet" would be his last short film.

Beyond this year, he plans to level up alongside his portfolio and look toward directing feature length films or direct-to-television projects that continue to tap into the perspective of a Latinx filmmaker.
Laredo police are warning women about previous incidents that have occurred while they were walking outdoors.

The Laredo Police Department announced Saturday night that a pair of women reported they were accosted by a lone male subject while walking.

The incidents occurred at approximately 7 a.m. on Saturday. One incident happened in the Concord Hills neighborhood and the other by the intersection of Ryan and Maryland.

LPD stated that in both incidents the victims were not physically injured.

Police added that the information was being distributed "in an effort to promote awareness out of an abundance of caution."

"These incidents are active investigations, and measures have been enacted to enhance police presence in areas where people walk and exercise," LPD said in a statement.

"As always, the Laredo Police (Department) recommend when possible to exercise in groups or with another person, as there is always safety in numbers. Always be alert to your surroundings whenever you are in public."

Police are asking anyone who may have information about these incidents to contact LPD at 956-795-2800 or Crime Stoppers at 956-727-TIPS(8477). All tips are anonymous.
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BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  Firefighters in Spain and Germany struggled to contain wildfires on Sunday amid an unusual heat wave in Western Europe for this time of year.

The worst damage in Spain has been in the northwest province of Zamora, where over 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) have been consumed, regional authorities said, while German officials said that residents of three villages near Berlin were ordered to leave their homes because of an approaching wildfire Sunday.

Spanish authorities said that after three days of high temperatures, high winds and low humidity, some respite came with dropping temperatures Sunday morning. That allowed for about 650 firefighters supported by water-dumping aircraft to establish a perimeter around the fire that started in Zamoras Sierra de la Culebra. Authorities warned there was still danger that an unfavorable shift in weather could revive the blaze that caused the evacuation of 18 villages.

Spain has been on alert for an outbreak of intense wildfires as the country swelters under record temperatures at many points in the country for June. Experts link the abnormally hot period for Europe to climate change. Thermometers have risen above 40 C (104 F) in many Spanish cities throughout the week  temperatures usually expected in August.

A lack of rainfall this year combined with gusting winds have produced the conditions for the fires.

Authorities said that gusting winds of up 70 kph (43 mph) that changed course erratically, combined with temperatures near 40 C, made it very tough for crews.

The fire was able to cross a reservoir some 500 meters wide and reach the other side, to give you an idea of the difficulties we faced, Juan Suarez-Quinones, an official for Castilla y Leon region, told Spanish state television TVE.

The fire in Zamora was started by a strike from an electrical storm on Wednesday, authorities said. The spreading fire caused the high-speed train service from Madrid to Spains northwest to be cut on Saturday. It was reestablished on Sunday morning.

Military firefighting units have been deployed in Zamora, Navarra and Lleida.

There have been no reports of lives lost, but the flames reached the outskirts of some villages both in Zamora and in Navarra. Videos shot by passengers in cars showed flames licking the sides of roads. In other villages, residents looked on in despair as black plumes rose from nearby hills.

In central-north Navarra, authorities have evacuated some 15 small villages as a precaution, as the high temperatures in the area are not expected to drop until Wednesday.

They also asked farmers to stop using heavy machinery that could unintentionally spark a fire.

The situation remains delicate. We have various active fires due to the extremely high temperatures and high winds, Navarra regional vice-president Javier Remirez told TVE.

Remirez said that some villages had seen some buildings damaged on their outskirts.

Some wild animals had to be evacuated from an animal park in Navarra and taken to a bull ring for safe keeping, authorities said.

Wildfires were also active in three parts of northeast Catalonia: in Lleida, in Tarragona and in a nature park in Garaf, just south of Barcelona.

Firefighters said that 2,700 hectares (6,600 acres) were scorched in Lleida. They added that they have responded to over 200 different wildfires just in Catalonia over the past week.

Germany has also seen numerous wildfires in recent days following a period of intense heat and little rain. The countrys national weather agency said the mercury reached 39.2 C (102.6 F) in the eastern cities of Dresden and Cottbus on Sunday.

Strong winds have been fanning a blaze near the town of Treuenbrietzen, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Berlin, prompting officials to order three villages evacuated Sunday.

About 600 people in Frohnsdorf, Tiefenbrunnen and Klausdorf were told to immediately seek shelter at a community center.

This is not a drill, town officials tweeted.

More than 1,400 firefighters, soldiers and civil defense experts were deployed to tackle the blaze, which also affected a former military training area known to be contaminated with ammunition.

Officials expressed hope late Sunday that thunderstorms moving in from the west would help put out the fires.

___

Frank Jordans contributed to this report from Berlin.
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EATONTON, Ga. (AP)  A Georgia prisoner convicted of killing two guards during an escape from a prison transport bus five years ago has been sentenced to die.

A jury on Thursday agreed unanimously on a death sentence for Ricky Dubose in the June 2017 shooting deaths of Sgt. Christopher Monica and Sgt. Curtis Billue, news outlets reported. The jury on Monday had found him guilty of charges including murder.

A second prisoner charged in the killings, Donnie Rowe, was convicted of murder in September. A judge sentenced him to serve life in prison without parole after jurors couldn't agree whether he should be sentenced to death.

Dubose and Rowe escaped together from the bus in Putnam County, southeast of Atlanta, on June 13, 2017, and were arrested in Tennessee days later.

Dubose was accused of firing the gun that killed the officers after he and Rowe slipped out of handcuffs and burst through an unlocked gate at the front of the bus. Prosecutors say Dubose grabbed one of the officers weapons and shot Monica, the guard, and then Billue, the driver, both in the head. Security cameras on the bus recorded the violent escape and roughly 30 other prisoners witnessed the killings.

An attorney for Dubose had acknowledged in her opening statement that Dubose was guilty, but she said the jury should find him guilty and intellectually disabled or guilty but mentally ill. That would have made him ineligible for the death penalty.

Prosecutors rejected the defense arguments, saying Dubose was an intelligent and calculated killer.

Dubose, 29, was already serving a 20-year sentence for a 2015 armed robbery and assault in Elbert County when he escaped. He had been in prison earlier, as well.
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Cllr Garry Murtagh has received unanimous support from his council colleagues following a motion to write to the Minister of Business, Employment & Retail Damien English for the consideration of a three-tier Vat rate, the purpose of which is to save small and rural businesses, that have been family run institutions for generations.

These businesses are struggling, to remain sustainable and financially viable to operate, let alone for anyone to invest in or take over the running of,he said.

There needs to be serious investment/ incentives for these businesses such as pubs, filling stations, shops, etc., in small villages and rural areas in order to save these invaluable services that are the very fabric of rural Ireland.

Cllr Murtagh went on to say that small villages such as Aughnacliffe, Newtown- Cashel, Abbeylara, etc., were losing these vital services to the point of no return.

Cllr PJ Reilly added PJ & Maggie Farrell Abbeylara recently closed the doors to their grocery shop which is absolutely devastating to the community and will be sorely missed, as they provided a lifeline and invaluable service to many families.

Cllr John Brown, agreed it was an extremely good notice of motion and that the government of the day needs to take stock of the seriousness of the situation, that small business find themselves in.

He suggested that the motion should include The Value Added Tax Registration threshold requirement, for small business such as grocery shops and public houses etc. be set at a minimum turnover of 250,000.

Cllr Murtagh accepted his contribution to be included in the correspondence to the Minister and thanked the former accountant for his experience and insight into the difficulties that retailers face in small communities.
Given the success of the Longford Brigade IRA in engaging and defeating British forces during the War of Independence, it is surprising that only one IRA man died on active service in the county during that period.

That one fatality occurred when Tom Kelleher was killed in the town of Drumlish on 19 June 1921, one hundred-and-one years ago, this coming Sunday.



Native of Dromard

Tom Kelleher was born in Edenmore in the Parish of Dromard, but his family moved to Aughintemple, Parish of Ardagh, about 1920.

Consequently, Tom participated in engagements with both the North Longford and South Longford Flying Columns. He was regarded as one of the most prominent and most active of IRA men and he was on-the-run at the height of the conflict.

On the night of 18 June 1921, a number of leading IRA men met at Gaigue Cross, near Ballinamuck to plan activities. They were expecting to meet Paddy Morrissey, a Dublin man who had come to the area to reorganise the IRA after the death of Sean Connolly in Leitrim and the arrest of Sean Mac Eoin in Longford.

When Morrissey didnt arrive, Tom Kelleher and another prominent IRA man, Peadar Conlon, set off on their bikes about 1.30am on that Sunday morning. They were both heading for South Longford, on different missions. As they entered the town of Drumlish, they never expected to meet enemy forces, but that is exactly what happened. They were confronted by a group of Tans or Auxiliaries, who ordered them to halt.

The two IRA men had revolvers, but its not known who opened fire first. Tom Kelleher was hit in the head and died instantly. Conlon dragged his body back some distance, although badly injured himself and he managed to walk back to Gaigue Cross, where some of his comrades were still expecting Morrissey to arrive.



Buried in Clonbroney

Tom Kellehers body was removed by the Tans to the Upper Military Barracks (where Pearse Park is now) and his funeral took place in St Mels Cathedral. He was buried in the Republican Plot in Clonbroney Cemetery, alongside his comrade Sean Connolly, the only other Longford man to die in action, although in a different county.

A few months later, after the Treaty, the military barracks was renamed Kelleher Barracks, in his honour. In 1934, a monument was erected in Drumlish, near the spot where he was killed.

Tom Kelleher was regarded as one of the heroes of the IRA during the War of Independence and his death was a serious blow to the movement just one-hundred-and-one years ago. Three weeks later, the Truce brought an end to hostilities.



The story of the shooting of Tom Kelleher is told in detail in Longfords Republican Story 1900-2000 by Sean O Suilleabhain. A list of places where this book is available can be seen on Longfords Republican Story Facebook page or by contacting the author at 087 6821566.
THE presenter of the popular 'Country Roads' Midlands 103 radio programme said he contested a speeding fine in court because of his concerns about road safety.

Joseph Cooney was fined 160 at Tullamore District Court after being convicted of driving at 106kph in a 50kph zone near Kilbeggan.

Garda Kevin Mooney said in evidence that when he was conducting a speed check at Dublin Road, Coola, Co Westmeath at 6.49pm on July 14, 2021 he detected an Opel Insignia exceeding the speed limit.

Garda Mooney said he stopped the vehicle which was being driven by Joseph Cooney of Riverstown, Killucan and the man told him he was a garage mechanic who was testing a vehicle.

The garda told the driver a fixed charge notice would issue and Mr Cooney replied that he did not realise it was a 50kph zone.

Garda Mooney said a short time later when he was a short distance away at Clara Road in Kilbeggan he was joined by Mr Cooney who began to argue and repeated he hadn't known it was a 50kph zone and told the guard he was shooting fish in a barrel at that location.

Garda Mooney added that the location fell within the special speed limits under the Westmeath bye-laws.

Replying to Sandra Mahon, Offaly state solicitor, Garda Mooney also said when the fixed charge notice was unpaid a summons was issued and Mr Cooney then had a further opportunity to pay.

Cross-examined by Donal Farrelly, defending solicitor, Garda Mooney recalled that Mr Cooney had asked him about the sign and he told the driver that it had been there for more than a year.

Garda Mooney said the bye-laws were updated in January 2020 and prior to that the speed limit would have been closer to the town of Kilbeggan.

He agreed with Mr Farrelly that there were now two signs and unlike the one nearer the town, the one at which Mr Cooney was detected did not have anything to tell a driver to calm their speed in advance.

In his evidence, Mr Cooney said he had been presenting a radio programme for the past 20 years and while he had total respect for An Garda Siochana, he had not argued with the guard on the date of the alleged offence.

He described himself as a 64-year-old grandparent who would be mortified if his grandchildren came in and said they were travelling at double the speed limit.

The only reason he had been driving at that speed was because he did not see that sign and he had driven that road for 22 years.

He added that in all his years he never had a parking ticket, a speeding fine or an NCT offence.

Mr Cooney said that when he tried to explain to the guard about the sign he was told it had nothing to do with him.

He said he responded to the situation as soon as it occurred by contacting the fines office in Thurles and the garda superintendent in Athlone.

The fines office wrote to him advising him to contact the detecting garda and though he contacted the superintendent he received no response.

He then contacted the superintendent when he had moved to Mullingar and was told the matter would be checked.

Mr Cooney repeated that he had not seen the speed limit sign, said he had photographs in court of signs and road markings, and outlined how he had contacted a councillor, Tom Farrell, who said he would take up the matter with the council with a view to having forewarning signs put up in advance of the 50kph signs.

Mr Cooney added that as a result of research he carried out, he learned the signs were put up in anticipation of a new school being built on that road but planning permission for that school had not been given until this year.

He said he was very familiar with the road and never exceeded 50 at the original speed limit sign, or even 40.

He went back to the location on three occasions, including once with his wife and asked her to shout 50 when she saw the sign. At that point he hit the brakes and found it was difficult to stay under 50kph and a Tullamore town bus went around him blowing its horn.

He said he had videos in court of traffic at that location, describing it as an area where people were being caught with no warning.

Mr Cooney contrasted the first sign with the second one nearer the town where motorists are informed 800 metres before with a traffic calming notice, a slow down sign and then markings in the middle of the road.

Where he was stopped there is a 100kph sign and then a 50kph sign 200 metres away and he would challenge anybody to go on that road from Tyrrellspass to Kilbeggan, not knowing the 50 was there, and get their car down from 100kph to 50.

He also said the offence was said to have been committed at Coola, Dublin Road, Kilbeggan but because his granduncle owned Coola Mills he knew that was in a different place, on the Mullingar road.

Mr Cooney said he was not in court because he wanted to get off anything and he could have paid the fine and taken the three points on his licence. He wanted to make the gardai, the public and the council aware that the speed limit sign presented an accident risk.

He put a post on the Kilbeggan Past and Present Facebook page and got many responses, including one from a lady who said she had almost been hit by a truck and she could hear its air brakes.

Cross-examined by Ms Mahon, who put it to him that the sign was there, Mr Cooney asked how could he obey the rule when he did not see the sign.

He had gone back to look at it and he saw that on one side there was foliage and on the other it was camouflaged by a petrol station.

When Ms Mahon put it to him that he had been detected driving at 106kph, Mr Cooney explained that he had passed a car and was slowing down and when he got to the other 50kph sign he was doing 40kph.

Mr Farrelly asked Judge Cronin to give Mr Cooney the benefit of any doubt she had, saying his client had not seen the sign and was a genuine man giving his evidence in the public interest.

Judge Cronin said that while Mr Cooney said he didn't see the sign he accepted it was there and though she appreciated what he was saying she had to apply the law to the facts.

She said she would not increase the fine from the 160 he would have paid if the matter had not come to court.

Mr Cooney was given six months to pay the fine and recognisance was fixed if he wished to lodge an appeal.
A Midlands man who sexually assaulting a homeless girl will be sentenced next month for subsequently raping his former partner was on the sex offenders register.

In August 2016, the man twice raped the woman in his apartment in a town in Laois.

The woman told gardai that she kept saying to him, No stop doing this, you know I don't want this, but that he continued to rape her.

He then turned her over and anally raped her. The woman said she was horrified when she realised what the man was doing and she froze a little.

She said she then started fighting trying to push him off but that he was heavier and stronger and she ran out of strength. She said afterwards she was too much in shock to say anything.

Man accused of trespassing at Longford property, court hears The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) needs more time to determine what course it intends to take in connection to a Longford man being charged with trespassing at a house on the outskirts of Longford town earlier this year.

After his arrest in March 2017, the man claimed the sexual activity was consensual but after a trial at the Central Criminal Court last March a jury convicted him of rape and anal rape. He was acquitted of charges of false imprisonment and making a threat to kill.

The man, who cannot be named at this point to protect the victim's anonymity, had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

In February 2016, the man previously attacked the woman by head-butting her face. He was sentenced in January 2018 to a five year suspended prison term on condition that he pay 4,000 to the victim, which has never been paid.

At a sentence hearing before Justice Kerida Naidoo on Friday, June 17 Garda Sergeant Kieran Shortall told the court that the man was also convicted in 2009 for the sexual assault of a homeless teenager to whom he offered shelter for the night at his then home.

The girl had gone to sleep alone in his bed and awoke later to find the man on her, sexually attacking her. He was placed on the sex offenders register.

Sgt Shortall told Cathleen Noctor SC, prosecuting, that at the time of the rape the man was out on bail for an offence of producing a stick during a fight with a man.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said that during their relationship the man was abusive, controlling and manipulative. She said that since these attacks she had lived in fear of seeing him again.

She said she once crossed paths with him in a midlands town and he called out to her. She said going out brought dread.

My life will never be the same. He tried to destroy my life. I am not the same person I was and never will be, she stated.

Rural communities struggling with loss of small businesses due to VAT rates, says Longford councillor Cllr Garry Murtagh has received unanimous support from his council colleagues following a motion to write to the Minister of Business, Employment & Retail Damien English for the consideration of a three-tier Vat rate, the purpose of which is to save small and rural businesses, that have been family run institutions for generations.

Defence counsel, Kathleen Leader SC, told the court that her client had a mild intellectual disability and had not achieved a high level of education and that his offending should be seen in this context.

She also noted that he had told a probation officer and a psychological assessor that he was the victim of sexual abuse himself as a child. Ms Noctor told the court that gardai were not aware of this and there was no record of any complaint on Pulse but that the allegation was of some antiquity.

Justice Naidoo adjourned sentencing to July 25 next.
One hundred scientists and managers of marine protected areas (MPAs) from 18 European countries met in Palma this week to share the results of the European Interreg MED projects MPA NETWORKS and MPA Engage. From 14 to 17 June, MedPAN, the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and Marilles Foundation hosted this event in a hybrid format.

It is no coincidence that the Balearic Islands are the Mediterranean capital of MPAs. With 20% of the sea protected, one of the largest National Parks in the Mediterranean, and a network of marine reserves that are helping to improve fish populations, the Balearic Islands can be a leader in marine protection at the Mediterranean level. However, we have a lot of homework to do and a lot to learn. For example, the highly protected surface of the Balearic Sea is 50 times smaller than it should be in 2030 and we have less than 8 years to achieve this.

MPAs are an essential tool for the conservation of the sea. While we have a solid network of MPAs, we must expand and improve this network to maximise its potential. Key concepts right now are vigilance, follow-up, coordination, participation, and investment.

This final event saw discussions of the key results and recommendations of these two European projects that focused on key issues for MPAs: management effectiveness, small-scale fisheries management, conservation of mobile species, sustainable financing, and adaptation to climate change. Participants contributed to expanding the solutions identified in the projects and voiced key recommendations for decision-makers for the benefit of the entire community of Mediterranean MPAs.

The project, 85% funded by the Interreg MED programme and coordinated by MedPAN, brought together ten Mediterranean partners, mainly MPA management bodies from seven countries: Albania, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain.

In addition to organising the final event, Marilles played a very prominent role in the MPA NETWORKS project. The results of the study in Cala Rajada-Llevant  which show that 10 of profit is generated for each 1 invested in this MPA  have had international repercussions, and the methodology is being used in other parts of the Mediterranean.

By 2025, the Balearics could have an MPA network that guarantees the future of professional fishing, differentiates a tourist model that is authentically sustainable, is a source of leisure and wellness, and reinforces numerous economic activities. This is what we are working towards.
Camille Vasquez is the new sensation after the second trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

The euphoria and followers gained by Camille Vasquez, Johnny Depp's lawyer, during the defamation trial against Amber Heard, led fans to start dreaming.

Fans of actor Johnny Depp began selling merchandise promoting Vasquez's 2024 candidacy.

The actor's supporters printed the phrases "Camille Vasquez for President" or "Vasquez 2024" on T-shirts, hats, and other items.

How much do they cost?

According to TMZ, the T-shirts cost $8.50.

While the caps do sell for a much higher price, retailing for $30 each.

Camille expressed she has no interest in running for office. Nevertheless, she became a famous personality in the celebrity world.

Camille Vasquez's popularity:

Camille Vasquez became quite a celebrity when she successfully represented Johnny Depp.

The actor was very affectionate with his lawyer, sparking rumors of a romance between the two.

A few weeks ago, in an interview conducted by Raul de Molina, he talked about the hugs he gave Depp in court.

"Of course I did (hug him), he is my friend, but first he is my client, and he was going through something very difficult, Vasquez commented.

"I love my clients very much, and I am Hispanic. I like to hug and touch people, not kisses, but I do give him a hug because he needed it."

She also said the actor invited her to Europe with him this summer.

"I'm going to be hopefully this summer in Europe where he's going to be playing. Then he told me, 'if you want me to come and watch him,'" she mentioned in her talk with Univision.
Tanzanian university students excel in Chinese language competition

Xinhua) 13:11, June 19, 2022

Participants of the 21st Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition 2022 pose for a group photo at the Confucius Institute of the University of Dar es Salaam in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on June 17, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

DAR ES SALAAM, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Twelve university students in Tanzania, whose faces glittered with broad smiles, on Friday gathered to compete in the 21st Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition 2022 at the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM).

The contesting students, who competed via prepared video clips, came from the Confucius Institute at UDSM, Confucius Institute at the University of Dodoma and Confucius Classroom at the State University of Zanzibar.

After a two-hour grueling competition, Adam Nyenje, a second-year Chinese language student from Confucius Institute at the University of Dodoma was declared the overall winner. Nyenje will later this year travel to China to compete in an international Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition.

The main purpose of the competition is to assess the proficiency of students in various skills of the Chinese language such as Chinese speech, and knowledge about China as well as a talent show.

Vice-Chancellor of the UDSM William Anangisye thanked the Confucius Institute at the UDSM for hosting the competition, saying the event promotes and encourages more students who will be interested in learning Chinese and performing different talents, including Chinese culture.

Anangisye believed that Chinese language learning is an effective approach to further developing Sino-African ties.

He said the UDSM is offering a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education (Chinese and English) to students who will later teach the Chinese language in primary and secondary schools across Tanzania.

Wang Siping, the cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, thanked the government of Tanzania, particularly the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Confucius Institute at UDSM for supporting the promotion of the Chinese language and Chinese culture.

Wang, who presented certificates to some of the winners, said the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania will support the teaching of the Chinese language in schools at all levels.

The competition was also witnessed by Aldin Mutembei and Zhang Xiaozhen, both directors of the Confucius Institute at the UDSM, who presented the winners with certificates.

A Tanzanian student performs Chinese martial arts during the 21st Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition 2022 at the Confucius Institute of the University of Dar es Salaam in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on June 17, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
I dont know about you, but Ive questioned my intelligence a million times. Not when I made a bad decision, but when I actually had nothing better to do.



The lockdown only gave me more time to think about the burning questions youd never want to ask yourself: Am I in the right profession? Am I even smart enough to get through my life? Will I ever be able to match up with my parents wise minds?

I suspect Im not the only one who went through this dramatic rollercoaster of thoughts. How did I fix it? By relying on a few scientific facts that confirmed that Im smarter than I give myself credit for.

via GIPHY

I wont be surprised if you end up feeling the same once youre done with this article.



1. No Amount Of Knowledge Is Enough For You

Some people may feel that pretending to know everything makes you come across as smarter. But in reality, self-critical people are the brainier ones. Intelligent people accept that there's always more to learn.

A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology compared how students performed on a test to how they thought they did. The students with lower scores had overestimated their scores, while the high-scoring students thought they scored worse than they actually did.

Just because youre accepting the fact that you have a lot to learn, doesnt mean youre dumb. It simply means youre aware that knowledge can come from anywhere and you respect other peoples opinions.
The Twins have activated Kyle Garlick from the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, Trevor Megill was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement. The latter move is retroactive to June 16th. Megill has made just eight appearances, but hes looked good with a 2.08 ERA/2.99 FIP over 13 innings with a 15-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Garlick had been hitting with some pop before he went down. He owns a .250/.324/.567 line with six home runs in 68 plate appearances. Hell jump back into the mix against southpaws for the Twins. In other moves

The Angels have optioned infielder Jack Mayfield to Triple-A and recalled southpaw Kenny Rosenberg , per the team. Mayfield just joined the club two days ago, and now hes on his way back to Triple-A. Rosenberg gives them a much-needed fresh arm after yesterdays doubleheader. The southpaw has made two appearances for the Angles this year, his first two in the bigs, tossing six innings and giving up five earned runs.

have optioned infielder to Triple-A and recalled southpaw , per the team. Mayfield just joined the club two days ago, and now hes on his way back to Triple-A. Rosenberg gives them a much-needed fresh arm after yesterdays doubleheader. The southpaw has made two appearances for the Angles this year, his first two in the bigs, tossing six innings and giving up five earned runs. The Rockies made a trio of roster moves today. Garrett Hampson was activated from the COVID Injured List, Alan Trejo was optioned back to Triple-A, and Tyler Kinley was moved to the 60-day injured list, per Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette (via Twitter). Trejo, 26, has appeared in just 11 games for the Rockies, slashing .231/.250/.333 over 40 plate appearances. Hampson, once a highly-touted prospect, has been unable to establish himself as a cornerstone piece, slashing just .236/.321/.375 over 83 plate appearances.
The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Saturday, suspended actor Moses Armstrong, for allegedly defiling a 16-year-old girl.

Armstrong was arrested within the week for allegedly defiling the teenager according to the Dailypost.

Monalisa Chinda, AGN Director of Communications, announced his suspension in a statement made available on Saturday.

Chinda quoted Emeka Rollas, AGN President, as stating that the indefinite suspension became necessary following an investigation by the guild on the rape allegation.

Actor Moses Armstrong has been placed on indefinite suspension by the National Executive Committee of the Actors Guild of Nigeria over his arrest by the police on allegation of raping a minor, the statement read.

Armstrong's suspension was based on facts emanating from the preliminary investigations conducted by the Guild on the allegation.

The AGN noted that in its advocacy against violation of women, the allegation against Moses Armstrong is capable of tarnishing its good image and reputation if urgent action is not taken in accordance with the constitutional provisions of the Guild.

The National President, Ejezie Emeka Rollas, said it is a sad development but nobody is above the law, especially on rape and abuse of women.

'Though it is our duty to protect our members when it comes to serious allegations, the law will have to take its course, the National President said.

Armstrong, while on suspension, is not expected to participate in any film production or guild's activities.

Also, the National/State Chapter Task Forces have been directed to monitor all film locations and production sets in Nigeria as violation of the suspension rules may lead to further stiff disciplinary measures as stipulated by the AGN constitution.
Actress Ama K. Abrebrese over the weekend schooled socialite Efia Odo to stop equating bad governance to colonialism after she said Ghana gained independence too early.

In a tweet, Efia said it was too early for Ghana to gain independence.

We gained our independence too early! Never give black manpower, he'll just misuse it, she wrote.

But Ama K in response didn't agree with Efia. She said Efia spoke ignorantly. This is totally ignorant, she said.

To suggest that colonial powers were somehow better and their reign should have lasted longer is such a setback mentality to me. It ignores the history of Western interference in post-colonial Africa and the many years of bad trade deals that continually benefit the West.

Not forgetting that many African leaders like Nkrumah/Sankara were killed with reported Western 'assistance' by their own people. That sent a strong message early on that the notion of revolutionary black leaders would not last. This issue is much more complex and deep-rooted, she continued.

Bad leaders are not a justification to equate colonialism as if it were some kind of idyllic situation for Africa. It reinforces centuries of negative depictions of Africa and black people as inadequate and somehow less able to manage their affairs.

I doubt you would suggest slavery ended too early or that African Americans misused their power.

However, you suggest colonialism ended 'too early'. By all means, call out bad leadership in Africa and continually hold them accountable at every opportunity. But miss me with the post-colonial ignorance, she added.
The Member of Parliament for Nsuta Kwamang Beposo in the Ashanti region, Adelaide Ntim has urged the need for all stakeholders to ensure that the Green Ghana Day tree planting project does not become a nine-day wonder.

According to her, it is important for all to ensure that trees planted during the exercise are well nurtured in order to protect the current and future generations.

The Nsuta Kwamang Beposo lawmaker made the call on the floor of parliament in a statement to commerate one year of the anniversary of the National tree planting exercise.

Government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in 2021 launched the day to help increase the nation's green vegetation cover due to deforestation and environmental degradation.

Hon Adelaide Ntim commemded government for the Green Ghana project which he described as a "well intended policy" deserving the commendation of all.

"It was a well- intended policy tolled out on an unprecedented scale in terms of preparation and participation and so must be commended by all," she stated.

The MP noted that the national tree planting exercise has reawakened public consciousness about environmental preservation to ensure that the human race is not endangered.

She urged all to be minded of the maxim- " That when the last tree dies, the last man will die" and work at preventing the last man from dying by conserving the trees planted.

Background

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor in March 2021 launched the National Tree Planting programme the Green Ghana Fay as part of activities marking the International Day of Forests to help protect the country's forests and ecosystem.

The maiden Green Ghana Day say the planting of some five million trees across the country.

The second edition- 2022 witnessed the planting of 20 million seedlings in forest reserves and public places on the theme: " Mobilising for a Green Future".
Record temperatures, fires or drought: France, Spain and other western European countries braced on Saturday for a sweltering June weekend set to break records.

French state weather forecaster Meteo France said June temperature records had already been beaten in 11 areas on Friday and could reach as high as 42 Celsius in some areas on Saturday.

But they are due to relent slightly from Sunday with thunderstorms forecast in parts of France and elsewhere in Europe.

"This is the earliest heatwave ever recorded in France" since 1947, said Matthieu Sorel, a climatologist at Meteo France.

With "many monthly or even all-time temperature records likely to be beaten in several regions," he called the weather a "marker of climate change".

More than half of French departments were at the highest or second-highest heat alert level by the afternoon on Friday.

"Hospitals are at capacity, but are keeping up with demand," Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon told reporters in Vienne, near Lyon in the southeast.

Schoolchildren were told to stay at home in departments at alert level "red" and the health ministry activated a special heatwave hotline.

The Red Cross also organised efforts to distribute water to the homeless community in Toulouse, where temperatures are expected to soar to 38 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

"There are more deaths of people in the streets in the summer than in the winter," said volunteer Hugues Juglair, 67.

Meanwhile rock and metal fans at the music festival Hellfest in western France were sprayed with water from hoses and enormous vaporisers in front of the stage as they headbanged or bounced to an opening-day line-up including Deftones and The Offspring.

Spain, Italy

In Spain, forest fires burned nearly 9,000 hectares of land in the northwest Sierra de la Culebra region on Friday, forcing some 200 people from their homes, regional authorities said.

And more than 3,000 people were evacuated from the Puy du Fou theme park in central Spain due to a fierce fire nearby.

Firefighters were battling fires in several other regions, including woodlands in Catalonia where weather conditions complicated the fight.

Temperatures were above 35 Celsius on Friday in most parts of the country.

Several towns in northern Italy have announced water rationing and the Lombardy region may declare a state of emergency as a record drought threatens harvests.

Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the United Nations (UN) convention charged with reversing land degradation, on Friday warned drought was "set to increase in severity and frequency".

The consequences of droughts could affect up to three-quarters of humanity by 2050," he said during a speech in Madrid.

Worrying climate change

Experts warned the high temperatures were caused by worrying climate change trends.

"As a result of climate change, heatwaves are starting earlier," said Clare Nullis, a spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva.

"What we're witnessing today is unfortunately a foretaste of the future" if concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to rise and push global warming towards 2 Celsius from pre-industrial levels, she added.

Special measures

In France, special measures have been taken in care homes for elderly people, still marked by the memory of a deadly 2003 heatwave that claimed at least 15,000 lives.

Buildings are being sprayed down with water to cool them and residents are being rotated through air-conditioned rooms.

In the Gironde department, which includes Bordeaux, authorities said all public events outdoors or in non-air-conditioned venues would be banned from 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) on Friday, a measure set to be broadened across the region.

And speed limits in several regions, including around Paris, have been reduced to limit the concentration of harmful smog or ozone in the heat.

Paris police chief Didier Lallement said only the least polluting vehicles would be allowed to drive in the capital on Saturday due to fine particle pollution.

Electric grid operator RTE said increased use of fans and air-conditioners was also driving up power consumption.

(with AFP)
19.06.2022 LISTEN

On March 6, 1857, the US supreme court ruled against Dred Scott, in the case of Dred Scott v, Sanford. Dred Scott was a Negro who had sued his slave master for his freedom, on the grounds that Mr. Sanford was living in Wisconsin (a slave-free territory) and so he, Dred Scott, was a free man.

Chief justice Roger Staney in dismissing Scott's appeal with a majority decision, declared that descendants of former slaves whether freed or enslaved could not be citizens of the United States, or of any State; Dred Scott had no rights to sue for his freedom in any U.S federal courts. He stated further those descendants of slaves remain slaves whether they choose to live in a slave territory or a slave-free territory.

To the Southerners, Justice Staneys decision meant all States and territories in the country must be opened to slavery.

To the Northern States, Justice Staneys decision marked a coordinated attempt to spread slavery throughout the country.

Abraham Lincoln was from the state of Illinois a slave free-state. The southerners warned, the election of a Black Republican Lincoln, would force the Southern States to secede. Lincoln went on to win the November 4, 1860 elections.

South Carolina seceded on December 20, 1860. During the months of January, and February 1861, six other states seceded.

Even though Lincoln promised the Southerners, during his inaugural speech that he was not going to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where they existed, his promise fell on death ears.

Unfortunately, the confederate soldiers attacked U.S. federal forces at fort Sumpter, Charleston and captured it on April 14, 1861.

President Lincoln had no choice, he had to take immediate action. The United States Congress on July 4, 1861, declared war to protect the United States Constitution and defend the Union.

That marked the beginning of a 4-year American civil war.

JUNETEENTH

Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

However, the decree took two-and-a-half years to fully enact on June 19, 1865.

On June 19, 1865, about two months after the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved Africans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended.

Abolition of slavery is also known as the second American revolution.

June nineteenthis now known as Juneteenth, and is celebrated as family get-together.

Some African-American descendants pay annual pilgrimage to Galveston, Texas.

Annual parades are held in some major cities to celebrate the day.

Africans and African Americans had fought against those who endeavored to control every aspect of their lives.

Culled from the book, INSIGHTS, authored by Alex Sarkodie, MD.
More than 300 Indians were arrested in northern Uttar Pradesh and hundreds more in West Bengal, and Jharkhand and Assam after unrest spread across several towns following controversial remarks made by senior members of Narendra Modi's ruling party about the Prophet Mohammad.

Last weekend, Indian authorities also bulldozed several homes belonging to Muslims in Uttar Pradesh and at least two Muslim protestors died in the eastern city of Ranchi as authorities moved to disperse protestors.

The rallies were sparked by derogatory remarks about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad and his wife Ayesha made recently by two spokespeople from the Bhartiya Janata party (BJP).

Muslim groups have demanded the arrest of the ruling party figures while some hardline Hindu groups label them as brave and nationalist politicians.

Both Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, who have since been ousted from the BJP, have also received support from many party supporters online after the recent protests against their remarks took a violent turn.

The Indian government was forced to distance itself from the comments amid a diplomatic storm between New Delhi and several Muslim majority countries, including Iran and strategic partners in the Gulf.

At least 20 Islamic countries and multilateral bodies like the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation issued statements condemning the remarks. Iran was among eight nations that also summoned their Indian ambassador to the foreign office to receive the demarche.

The Indian government accords the highest respect to all religions," said foreign office spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. "The comments denigrating a religious personality were made by certain individuals.

Fringe elements

The external affairs ministry further said such comments reflected the views of fringe elements.

Ever since the diplomatic storm that erupted in Islamic countries following the controversial comments, New Delhi is trying to put its best foot forward to manage the diplomatic fallout.

Though the government tried to distance itself from the offensive comments, pointing out that it did not in any manner reflect the official view, it has not washed.

India has been forced into diplomatic firefighting. The recent incidents have highlighted the undeniable danger of unconstrained domestic extremism harming India's policy objectives, international policy expert Happymon Jacob told RFI.

It cannot be undermined by hate speech and communal politics.

Fall-out

However, on the ground the damage had already been done, as popular anger gave way to demonstrations by India's Muslim minority, numbering nearly 200 million.

Since coming to power nationally in 2014, Modi's government and the BJP have been accused of championing Hindu nationalist causes and discriminating against Muslims.

These protests need to be seen as an assertion of citizenship and that this sizable community also needed to be safeguarded against hate speech and other violations, said political scientist Sudha Pai.

In recent months, India has been witnessing religious tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities in different states.

Some of these controversies include a ban on headscarves for female students, the razing of Muslim neighbourhoods after communal clashes, and efforts by Hindu nationalists to reclaim high-profile mosques.

The BJP, however, said the protests were an attempt by Islamic interest groups to rally communal tensions for political gain.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of India's main opposition Congress Party, said on Twitter that the ruling party's actions are weakening the country at the global level.

BJP's shameful bigotry has not only isolated us, but also damaged India's standing globally, Gandhi said.
Senior Governance Advisor, Professor David Abdulai has said if the National Cathedral Secretariat had said from the beginning that the entire project was a public project, the public outcry would not have been this much.

In is view, since it has now been established that it is a public project the managers should let the public know what the financing entails.

Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday June 18, he said If they had said it is a public project from the start I am sure people will not flare up this much.

Now that it has been established that it is a public project you should let the public in on what it entails or the details must be clear to the public.

Bringing finality to the debate as to whether the project is state or privately owned, the Secretariat in a statement on Friday June 17 said In his first official announcement on the project on March 6, 2017 the President underscored the nature of the project as a national cathedral for interdenominational worship services for the nation.

Subsequent elaborations, led to three main reasons as the rationale for the project, namely i) gesture of thanksgiving ii) symbol of the Christian presence and contributions to the nation, and iii) a personal pledge to God. Of these three reasons, the personal pledge came to be associated with the Cathedral as a private project that needed to be developed without state support.

For the avoidance of doubt, the National Cathedral is a National Monument, and thus a public, not private, project. Legally, the National Cathedral of Ghana is a state-owned company limited by guarantee, and was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1963 (Act 179) on July 18, 2019. We hope this brings to a closure the seemingly vexatious issue of whether the National Cathedral is a private or public initiative. The National Cathedral is a National Monument and Asset, and not a Private project. It is, however being developed in partnership between the state and the church, a statement by the Secretariat on Friday June 17 said.

Reacting to this also on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday June 18,Cape Coast South Member of Parliament Kweku Ricketts Hagan said it must now be subjected to the Public-Private-Partnership laws.

It should be subjected to the laws of the public private partnership.

We have laws on PPP, so we have to go to the beginning of this project and subject it to PPP laws, for this project to come to parliament, he said.

3news.com
A passsenger died soon after arriving at Kotoka International Airport (KIA), management confirms.

He died after complaining of tiredness and difficulty in breathing.

The management of the Ghana Airport Company (GAC) in a press release issued on Saturday, June 18, sighted by this portal, disclosed that the said passenger, whose name is withheld, is a middle-aged man who was on a flight from Dulles International Airport, Washington.

According to their reports, the late passenger arrived at the Kotoka International Airport around 10:20 am on Friday, June 17, 2022, and started sobbing about tiredness and difficulty in breathing.

He soon became unconscious after being offered a wheelchair at the arrival hall to relieve stress and was conveyed to the airport clinic for medical attention but died shortly after, according to the press release.

The Ghana police service at the airport was informed of his death as the airport protocols demand.

The Ghana Airport Company Limited has initiated an investigation into the matter.

GAC, further, extended its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.

Kindly read a copy of the release below:
The West must prepare to continue supporting Ukraine in a war lasting for years, Natos chief warns.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the costs of war were high, but the price of letting Moscow achieve its military goals was even greater.

His comments came as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also warned of the need to brace for a longer-term conflict.

Both Mr Stoltenberg and Mr Johnson said sending more weapons would make a victory for Ukraine more likely.

We must prepare for the fact that it could take years. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine, the Nato chief said in an interview with German newspaper Bild .

Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, also because of rising energy and food prices.

The Western military alliance chief said that supplying Ukraine with more modern weapons would increase its chances of being able to liberate the countrys eastern Donbas region, much of which is currently under Russian control.

For the last few months Russian and Ukrainian forces have battled for control of territory in the countrys east  with Moscow making slow advances in recent weeks.

Writing in the Sunday Times , British Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Russias Vladimir Putin of resorting to a campaign of attrition and trying to grind down Ukraine by sheer brutality.

Im afraid we need to steel ourselves for a long war, he wrote. Time is the vital factor. Everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its ability to defend its soil faster than Russia can renew its capacity to attack.

The prime minister, who visited Ukraines capital on Friday, said supplies of weapons, equipment, ammunition, and training to Kyiv needed to outpace Moscows efforts to rearm itself.

Ukrainian officials have spoken bluntly in recent days about the need to boost the supply of heavy weapons to the country if Russian forces there are to be defeated.

On Wednesday the countrys Defence Minister, Oleksiy Resnikov, met some 50 countries in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels to ask for more arms and ammunition.

The countrys Western allies have so far offered it major weapons supplies but Ukraine says it has only received a fraction of what it needs to defend itself and is asking for heavier arms.

Russian officials often criticise Nato military support for Ukraine and in an interview last week with the BBC the countrys Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, cited the prospect of Ukraine joining the Western alliance as a reason for the invasion in the first place.

We declared a special military operation because we had absolutely no other way of explaining to the West that dragging Ukraine into Nato was a criminal act, Mr Lavrov told the BBC .

Ukraine is not a member of Nato and although it has expressed a wish to join there is no timeframe for this.

Source: BBC
19.06.2022 LISTEN

As Ghanaians look for some reprieve in the petroleum sector amid soaring prices, a Deputy Minister for Energy, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, has said the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) could be back on stream by the end of 2022.

In April, he said, the management of TOR sought approval from the Ministry of Energy to engage the private sector players to commence the revamping of TOR, and that approval went on 2nd May.

Mr. Mercer did not provide a detailed timeline for the endeavour.

As it is, I do not expect it to go beyond the year's end because there is some equipment they need to repair to enable them to get back quickly and start refining, the Deputy Minister added on the Big Issue on Citi TV/FM.

TOR is saddled with debt, which reached GH400 million in the past.

It has also struggled to pay utility bills in the past.

Mr. Mercer noted that potential partners will help with the clearing of the refinerys debts.

Some refinancing has to be done, and some debt has to remain on the books of TOR, which means whoever is parenting TOR takes that obligation.

The Deputy Minister, however, noted, that the refinery was not likely to affect the soaring fuel prices.

If it was the case, then I dont see why the US, UK and other countries across the world where they have functional refineries and multiple refineries are still facing petroleum price rises, Mr. Mercer argued.

Globally, soaring fuel prices have been driven by the war in Ukraine.

Observers have said consumers can expect fuel prices at the pump to remain high into 2023 due to disruptions to Russian oil supplies and as refineries struggle to meet demand recovering from the pandemic.

citinewsroom
Tema, June 19, CDA Consult - Mr. Kwame Osei-Prempeh, GOIL Company PLC Group Chief Executive Officer has revealed that GOIL continued to improve its general operational environment, recording consistently better metrics year-on-year.

We left no stone unturned to ensure we fully complied with all regulatory and statutory requirements and even exceeded them where possible. All operational

permits and certificates were processed and renewed on schedule.

Constant contact was kept with the Fire authorities with regard to training, ensuring our facilities remain safe for both our customers and employees, Mr Osei-Prempeh stated at GOILs 53rd Annual General Meeting as captured by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Accra.

Speaking on Health, Safety, Security, Environment, Compliance, and Quality, (HSSE) at the virtual AGM, Mr. Osei-Prempeh said as part of measures to ensure protection and strict adherence to HSSE regular inspections were carried out at GOIL facilities to ensure compliance with regulations.

Our Integrated Management System consisting of our Quality Management System (QMS) and Environmental Management System (EMS) was audited by our external auditors (TUV Profi Cert) during the year.

We are pleased to announce that the first surveillance audit for ISO 9001:2015 and re-certification audit for ISO 14001:2015 were successful. The audit work reported satisfaction of requirements in all areas, GOIL Managing Director stated.

On Health and Safety, Mr. Osei-Prempeh explained that the focus has been to provide a safe working environment, establish safe work practices, and operate in environmentally friendly conditions.

Mr. Osei-Prempeh said GOIL carried out safety inspections and audits, conducted risk assessments, medical screening for employees, organized health awareness, and improvement activities/workshops.

He said it also fumigated and disinfected its offices against COVID and other hazards, reviewed and revised HSSE policy, and enforced its requirements, among others.

Mr. Reginald Daniel Laryea, GOIL Board Chairman also disclosed that the volume of sales of fuels hit approximately 886.6 million liters in 2021, about 11 percent above that of 2020, thus overtaking growth in the industry which was 9 percent.

He explained that the biggest contribution to sales revenue came from two main products, diesel and super of which Ron 95 variety was the market leader.

Our mix of other products including lubricants and specialized sales to specific industries like the mines and bunkering achieved mixed results, their contribution to the bottom-line was however positive, Mr. Laryea stated.

Mr. Laryea said GOILs financial performance showed signs of recovery, registering a profit after tax of Ghs98.74 million, up by 9 percent compared to the year 2020.

However, the Company is yet to achieve a figure higher than the corresponding figure registered prior to the year 2020 which was approximately Ghs105 million. Earnings per share increased from Ghs0.23 to GHS0.253.

He said GOILs total assets increased from GHC2.1 billion to approximately GHC2.5 billion. The Company did not lose any customers in the mining sector, and increased sales volume by 32 percent due to increased operations of the customers.

We achieved a 21 percent growth in our aviation business and maintained our dominant position in the local aviation market. We continue to seek out the right partnerships to guarantee our long-term growth, he said.

The company expanded its retail business by adding a total of 14 stations to its nationwide network. Other strenuous business development efforts to maintain and improve our business have been deployed, he said.

He said the drive to introduce the Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) product into the market as well as the Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) recirculation was accelerated.

Mr. Laryea said brand, talent, and culture remain GOIL Management and Boards key assets to deliver sustainable business and earnings growth, thereby creating long-term value for our shareholders.

I want to say that we recognize the importance of meeting shareholder expectations and delivering long-term shareholder value is fundamental for a listed company.

Despite the challenging nature of the year under review, the Company managed to improve upon performance volume-wise, he said.

Source: CDA Consult

Tema, June 19, CDA Consult - Mr. Kwame Osei-Prempeh, GOIL Company PLC Group Chief Executive Officer has revealed that GOIL continued to improve its general operational environment, recording consistently better metrics year-on-year.

We left no stone unturned to ensure we fully complied with all regulatory and statutory requirements and even exceeded them where possible. All operational

permits and certificates were processed and renewed on schedule.

Constant contact was kept with the Fire authorities with regard to training, ensuring our facilities remain safe for both our customers and employees, Mr Osei-Prempeh stated at GOILs 53rd Annual General Meeting as captured by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Accra.

Speaking on Health, Safety, Security, Environment, Compliance, and Quality, (HSSE) at the virtual AGM, Mr. Osei-Prempeh said as part of measures to ensure protection and strict adherence to HSSE regular inspections were carried out at GOIL facilities to ensure compliance with regulations.

Our Integrated Management System consisting of our Quality Management System (QMS) and Environmental Management System (EMS) was audited by our external auditors (TUV Profi Cert) during the year.

We are pleased to announce that the first surveillance audit for ISO 9001:2015 and re-certification audit for ISO 14001:2015 were successful. The audit work reported satisfaction of requirements in all areas, GOIL Managing Director stated.

On Health and Safety, Mr. Osei-Prempeh explained that the focus has been to provide a safe working environment, establish safe work practices, and operate in environmentally friendly conditions.

Mr. Osei-Prempeh said GOIL carried out safety inspections and audits, conducted risk assessments, medical screening for employees, organized health awareness, and improvement activities/workshops.

He said it also fumigated and disinfected its offices against COVID and other hazards, reviewed and revised HSSE policy, and enforced its requirements, among others.

Mr. Reginald Daniel Laryea, GOIL Board Chairman also disclosed that the volume of sales of fuels hit approximately 886.6 million liters in 2021, about 11 percent above that of 2020, thus overtaking growth in the industry which was 9 percent.

He explained that the biggest contribution to sales revenue came from two main products, diesel and super of which Ron 95 variety was the market leader.

Our mix of other products including lubricants and specialized sales to specific industries like the mines and bunkering achieved mixed results, their contribution to the bottom-line was however positive, Mr. Laryea stated.

Mr. Laryea said GOILs financial performance showed signs of recovery, registering a profit after tax of Ghs98.74 million, up by 9 percent compared to the year 2020.

However, the Company is yet to achieve a figure higher than the corresponding figure registered prior to the year 2020 which was approximately Ghs105 million. Earnings per share increased from Ghs0.23 to GHS0.253.

He said GOILs total assets increased from GHC2.1 billion to approximately GHC2.5 billion. The Company did not lose any customers in the mining sector, and increased sales volume by 32 percent due to increased operations of the customers.

We achieved a 21 percent growth in our aviation business and maintained our dominant position in the local aviation market. We continue to seek out the right partnerships to guarantee our long-term growth, he said.

The company expanded its retail business by adding a total of 14 stations to its nationwide network. Other strenuous business development efforts to maintain and improve our business have been deployed, he said.

He said the drive to introduce the Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) product into the market as well as the Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) recirculation was accelerated.

Mr. Laryea said brand, talent, and culture remain GOIL Management and Boards key assets to deliver sustainable business and earnings growth, thereby creating long-term value for our shareholders.

I want to say that we recognize the importance of meeting shareholder expectations and delivering long-term shareholder value is fundamental for a listed company.

Despite the challenging nature of the year under review, the Company managed to improve upon performance volume-wise, he said.

Source: CDA Consult
Durban, June 17, 2022  The Commonwealth Secretariat should ensure that all journalists can freely cover the upcoming summit in Rwanda, and should not allow the press accreditation process to be used as a political tool, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which brings together the leaders of Commonwealth nations for meetings every two years, is scheduled to be held in Rwanda from June 20 to 25. Foreign correspondents access to cover the event is controlled by the Commonwealth Secretariat, while the Rwandan government is responsible for the accreditation of domestic media, according to an email from the Commonwealths press office reviewed by CPJ.

On Wednesday, June 15, the Commonwealth Secretariat informed Benedict Moran, a Canadian journalist who has reported on Rwandan President Paul Kagames alleged involvement in war crimes and Kagame and the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Fronts alleged disinformation campaigns targeting government critics, that his application to cover the summit had been denied, according to news reports and Moran, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app and email.

The secretariat also denied the application of Anjan Sundaram, the author of the book Bad News: Last Journalists in a Dictatorship about the destruction of free speech in Rwanda, who had applied to cover the summit as part of Morans production company, Sundaram told CPJ via email.

Separately, several other foreign correspondents told CPJ that, despite filing their applications for accreditations before the May 23 deadline, they had still not received permission to cover the events as of Friday, June 17. Those correspondents spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear that speaking out could jeopardize their accreditations last-minute approval.

The Commonwealth Secretariat should reverse its decision to deny accreditation to journalists Benedict Moran and Anjan Sundaram to cover next weeks Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda, and should ensure that all journalists who wish to cover the event are given unfettered access, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. It is also very concerning that several journalists who applied for accreditations have yet to receive a reply at this late stage. The secretariat must inform them immediately.

The Commonwealth Secretariat told Moran that his and Sundarams applications had been denied because they were not working for recognized media outlets, Moran said, adding that he had previously been granted access to report from Rwanda for his production company.

Sundaram called that explanation absurd, noting that he had written for The New York Times, The Guardian, Politico, The Observer, and Foreign Policy. Moran has contributed to PBS Newshour, The New Yorker, The Mail and Guardian, Al-Jazeera, National Geographic, and other outlets, he said.

In an emailed statement to CPJ, a Commonwealth spokesperson said that suggestions that there is any attempt to limit media access to [the summit] dont hold up to scrutiny.

The statement said that over 700 journalists are being accredited to cover the summit, but did not respond to CPJs questions asking for a breakdown of the number of accreditations that had been approved, denied, and were pending.

Its disappointing, but not surprising, that my application to cover the forum was rejected. In Rwanda, any critical voices are locked away or scared into silence, Moran told CPJ. So many Rwandans have fled, or died, trying to uphold the values upheld in the Commonwealth Charter, not only from past Rwandan governments, but from its current one.

It is a travesty that Commonwealth heads of state will hear only good news, and be able to express themselves freely in Kigali, when Rwandan journalists, academics, musicians and politicians have been killed for exercising the same basic right, Sundaram said.

Rwandan government spokesman Yolande Makolo told CPJ via messaging app that the government only accredits domestic journalists, and said a list of journalists approved for accreditation by the secretariat and provided to the Rwandan government did not include Moran or Sundarams names.

Asked whether the Rwandan government had the right to veto a name on the list, Makolo said, Not to my knowledge.

CPJ joined 23 other civil society organizations on June 10 in calling on Commonwealth leaders to urge Rwanda to respect human rights and allow the media to freely cover the summit.

CPJs most recent prison census, a snapshot of journalists detained as of December 1, 2021, showed that Rwanda was one of the worst jailers of journalists in Africa, with at least seven behind bars.
The government in London wants to ship asylum seekers coming on boats across the English Channel to Britain, directly to Rwanda in Central Africa in the future. An absurd deal at its highest price.

"Hope" is the name of the hostel in Rwanda's capital Kigali, where the refugees are to be accommodated. The cynicism, whether intentional or not, is remarkable. On Thursday, the assembled international media is presented with the planned accommodation for the refugees from Great Britain. Freshly made beds, usually two per room, toilet, and shower in the corridor.

This new deal was presented before Easter by British Home Secretary Priti Patel and the Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta. Mainly young men traveling alone are to be consistently shipped to Africa instead of ever getting a chance for asylum in the UK. The British government has celebrated the deal widely on the short message service Twitter, including a video of Prime Minister Boris Johnson visiting a border guard unit.

The government does not even try to disguise the purpose of the deal. "We hope this will be a strong deterrent," the prime minister says in the video in front of helicopters, as if the country is at war. At a press conference in Kigali, the Minister of the Interior, Priti Patel, speaks a hundred times of "evil smugglers" who must be stopped. The current system is broken and a new one is needed. The deal between Rwanda and Great Britain is a "world premiere".

The two governments have been negotiating the agreement for months. Even die-hard diplomats on the ground could hardly imagine that the audacious idea could actually become reality in the end. They have been taught better. Within a few weeks, the first affected people will be sent there.

Francis Tawiah (Duisburg - Germany)
The Chief Executive Officer of Kumasi based Constructions Firm, Fapem Constructions Limited Mr. Emmanuel Boakye Fapem has called on government to focus more attention on technical and vocational education and training in order to provide the practical skills needed to reduce unemployment menace in Ghana.

While lauding the government for embarking on massive reforms in the area of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana, Mr. Boakye Fapem urged the government to allocate a lot more resources and funds to the building of technical and vocational schools across the country for the training of experts in both fields.

According to Mr Boakye Fapem, technical and vocational education had been relegated to the background, adding that no nation could develop without paying great attention to technical and vocational education.

Technical and vocational education is the backbone of any country that focus on industrialization drive, so it apt for the government to prioritize TVET services in Ghana because if Ghana can solve unemployment menace, the TVET is our surest bet," he indicated.

He also appealed on Ghanaians to show a lot more interest in technical and vocational education and training.

He said this when commissioning an eight-seater toilet facility and a new kitchen block for catering students at the Tetrefu Technical Institute in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region on Thursday June 16, 2022 donated by an NGO

Government in 2022 launched the Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service to bring all vocational programmes, run by different ministries under its roof.

This brings together all the technical and vocational programmes run by 19 different Ministries under the ambit of the Ghana TVET Service.

Mr Fapem noted that he support the reforms, adding that it will give opportunities for improved management and delivery of TVET in the country.

He noted that, his construction firm is always opened to students who seek for industrial attachment opportunities.

Mr Fapem explained that the company has over the years help technical students to apply, test and integrate academic knowledge and theoretical concepts during such internships.

In line with Governments commitment to supporting youth empowerment, we are offering continuing students right from the second cycle institutions to tertiary level technical institutions to gain hands-on work experience and develop key employability skills," he noted.

Mr Boakye Fapem who is an old student of the school noted that, Students from Tetrefu Technical Institute have the chance to be employed by the company provided they have the required skills and expertise.

The company currently has over 200 direct workers, and we are looking forward to support youth in the country by given them practical working skills and employ them at the same time, he stated.

Mr Fapem however called on the government to provide infrastructural support to the Tetrefu Technical Institute to help the students prepare well for their future endeavors.
19.06.2022 LISTEN

A solemn rite ought to be performed to remind fathers of their dignified and appreciative roles in society, as the world celebrates Father's Day in the third Sunday of June every year, Dr Freda Prempeh, the Founder of the Ultimate Women Foundation (UWF), a non-governmental organisation has said.

This, according to Dr Prempeh, also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North constituency in the Ahafo Region and Minister of State in-charge of Works and Housing would not only motivate fathers but also inspired them to work harder for the upkeep of the family.

The UWF sought to encourage and motivate indigenous and vulnerable women and girls to know their worth and to empower and well position them to contribute to the development of their communities and the larger society.

Unlike Mother's Day, which has pretty somber origins, Father's Day has relatively light rootsand was actually created by a woman.

According to history, back in 1909, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, "tried to establish an official equivalent to Mothers Day for male parents." She went around to local businesses to gather support for her idea, and on June 19, 1910, the state of Washington celebrated the first-ever Father's Day.

Speaking in an interview to mark 2022 Father's Day celebration at Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region, Dr Prempeh indicated that father's ought to be reminded of their divine responsibility as the head of the family in order to bring irresponsible ones on track for the good of society.

She said the rising streetism among innocent children and vulnerable women in Accra and Kumasi and parts of the country was basically due to the irresponsibility of some father's who denied them basic social needs like food and shelter.

The dignity of fatherhood, the outspoken legislator said could not be compromised and reminded fathers that posterity would not spare those who neglect their families and allowed them to suffer hunger, abuses and exploitation.

However, Dr Prempeh commended fathers who toiled everyday to put food on the table and provide for the upkeep of the family, and urged women to honour, appreciate and respect their husbands saying "we are always there to support them to achieve their aspirations in life for the good of the family".

She reminded the youth that marriage was not a reserve for boys and girls, but men and women and asked them to adequately prepare themselves emotionally and financially before marriage.

Dr Prempeh said love and compassion bonded family peace unity and social cohesion, and cautioned husbands and fathers against abusing their wives and children.
Ningo-Prampram, June 19, CDA Consult - The Department of Gender, Greater Accra Region, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Canadian Government has organized a days sensitization programme for 70 adolescent girls in Mobole in the Ningo-Prampram District.

The sensitization programme was to reorient and educate the girls on their Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

Madam Matilda Banfro, the Greater Accra Regional Director of the Department of Gender said the workshop also aimed at empowering the adolescent girls as a way to curb the high teenage pregnancy rate and SGBV in the Ningo-Prampram District which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Ningo.

Madam Banfro said young girls must be properly educated on the benefits of abstaining from early sex to themselves, the community and the nation as a whole.

She said the adolescent period was a time of transition when girls begin to question and form their own identities, adding that at this stage, girls often begin to deal with the gendered roles of adult femininity which could be confusing and restricting for many of them.

She added that the adolescent period also has specific health and developmental needs and rights, noting that it was a time to develop knowledge and skills, learn to manage emotions and relationships, as well as acquire attributes and abilities that would be important for enjoying the adolescent years and assuming adult roles.

Girls empowerment she said was of critical relevance as it was the sure way to the accelerated development, as most women and girls were denied their rights in the development agenda, resulting in women often being amongst the most marginalized, vulnerable and hard to reach especially when they live in rural or remote settlements.

Mrs Juliana Abbeyquaye, the Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Gender, described SGBV as any harmful act perpetrated against a persons will and was based on socially ascribed differences between males and females.

Mrs Abbeyquaye said threats of verbal, sexual, and physical violence that occur in or out of schools and educational settings as a result of gender norms and unequal power dynamics between genders formed part of SGBV.

She said it could also be in the form of physical assault, trafficking, slavery, emotional abuse humiliation, confinement, and economic discrimination, as well as forced marriage and denial of education.

Mrs Vivia A. Okpodjah the Principal Nurse Officer at Public Health said according to the 2010 Population and Housing Census, there are more adolescence and youth in Ghana accounting for 8 million, that is 31.8 percent of the total population.

She said many of these young people are at risk or already struggling with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Mrs Okpodjah said to minimize the risk and secure a healthy future for adolescents, policymakers, journalists, service providers, and advocates need to liaise with other stakeholders to help create awareness.

Source: CDA Consult
19.06.2022 LISTEN

Tema, June 19, CDA Consult - The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has announced that to ensure the survival of trees planted under the Green Ghana Project, Assembly members would be tasked to ensure that they are well catered for in their electoral areas.

Mr Yohane Amarh Ashitey, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive announced this during the launching of the Metropolitan tree planting exercise at the Tema Community Eight number four school park which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult).

Mr Ashitey said each Assembly Member would be given 200 seedlings each out of the expected 5,000 to be planted in their localities and ensure they grow and survive.

He said the trees would be assessed monthly and a prize sponsored by the TMAs partners Kingdom Exim Ghana Limited would be presented to the deserving Assembly Member.

He encouraged residents to participate in the tree-planting project, saying plants have enormous benefits to society, especially for Tema, which is an industrial city and, therefore, sees a lot of gasses emitted into the atmosphere through the operations of the industries.

The MCE indicated that tree planting and nurturing must be inculcated into the youth to ensure that Ghana restored its lost vegetation, and protect waterbodies.

He added that the project would help beautify the communities and environment while enhancing the livelihood of people through their engagement in the production of trees seedlings.

Mr Ashitey also disclosed that the TMA has introduced a bylaw to ensure that developers would leave 25 percent of their lands for landscaping, trees, and grasses as a way to make Tema Shine and increase the greenery in the Metropolis.

He said the said bylaw had already been approved by the Assembly and was at the gazetting stage after which it would come into force, saying within two months its implementation will start.

Mr Peter Mensah, Corporate Affairs Manager of Kingdom Exim Ghana Limited, said the company was partnering with the Assembly in the project because it has an interest in sustaining the human race which was dependent on plants.

During the launching, Exim Ghana, and Tema Lube Oil Company presented one tricycle each fitted with water tanks to the Assembly to be used for monitoring and watering the plants in the public spaces.

Source: CDA Consult
Dr. Prince Kofi Kludjeson, President of Celltel Networks Limited has affirmed that the key to Ghanas development advancement is linked to holistic adoption and incorporation of technology into national development architecture.

Dr Kludjeson, who is a Past President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) was speaking at the Ghana News Agency-Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform on the topic, The new global economy and technological education, which was monitored by the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema.

The GNA Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue is a media think-tank platform for state and non-state and commercial and business operators to communicate to the world and address global issues.

He said to take advantage of the benefits of technological advancement and digitalization, Ghana must first have good internet connectivity saying currently the data connectivity in the country was too low compared to voice connectivity.

He said with such low connectivity made it very difficult for people to rely on it for their education, and health-related issues such as diagnoses among others as done in other digitalized economies.

Dr. Kludjeson, who is also a Chief Advisor for the Center for Greater Impact Africa, said with good technological investment in the various sector of the country, Ghana would advance and develop drastically.

The Celltel President said technology was very vital and key to the empowerment of the citizenry therefore the need for policy formulators and Members of Parliament to push for the use of technology to increase the wealth of the country would in turn help solve the developmental and economic problems Ghana faces.

He said even though resources such as gold and timber abound in Ghana it has not yielded much.

He said it was sad to see how teachers were trying their best to introduce and teach children, Information Communication and Technology (ICT) with no computers with some having to improvise with stones and other materials.

Education is growing, therefore, we cannot deny them the use of the internet the policy of school children not allowed to send phones to school must also be relooked, he said.

Dr. Kludjeson said as a way to encourage digitalization, research, and use of technology every school-going child in western countries possesses laptops and phones with proper internet connectivity.

He stated that the excuse that children would abuse such gadgets to watch and engage in immoral activities was not founded as there were apps that could be used to block such sites to prevent access to children.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Manager noted that in the age of communication, media is one of the most important tools of development in today's world.

He explained that the media having the largest and widest audience is one of the main means of communication in achieving development goals. The term media means agent or carrier, which has been derived from the word Medium.

Mr. Ameyibor noted the urgent need to transform the media landscape, to move away from the anachronistic journalistic practice to embrace the new age media movement.
19.06.2022 LISTEN

After several negotiations, the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) has finally launched its 14th US-Africa Business Summit from July 19 to July 22 under the theme 'Building Forward Together' and will be held in Marrakech (Morocco) in partnership with Africa50 (the pan-African infrastructure investment platform) and the Kingdom of Morocco.

United States investors are looking forward to exploring several opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a policy signed by African countries to make the continent a single market. The market, with an estimated 1.3 billion population, requires all kinds of consumable products, and new legislations stipulate localizing production inside Africa.

Thus the summit will further explore a renewed commitment by both public and private sector stakeholders to building stronger United States and Africa trade, investment, and commercial ties, emerging from unprecedented health and economic challenges for the past two years, as Kester Kenn Klomegah Special Correspondent the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) report from Marrakech.

With AfCFTA that aims at boosting Africa's trade, the United States investors are prepared to adjust their initiatives and pursue agreements that go beyond African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The Corporate Council on Africa is facilitating for potential investors in pursuing public-private partnerships that support the United States' and African businesses, including women-owned and led Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises.

The three-day summit will include plenaries and panel sessions highlighting key economic recovery strategies and focused on a range of sectors and issues, including health and vaccine access, trade, digital transformation, infrastructure, financing, small and medium scale enterprises, tourism, women's leadership and investment opportunities in various African countries.

The high-level dialogue is expected to set the scene for reviewing the opportunities for the United States and African public and private sector leaders, how to strengthen the economic partnership between the United States and Africa related to large-scale investments in key sectors such as oil and gas exploration, new trade agreements, and reviewing the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

The 14th U.S.-Africa Business Summit, the first major in-person US-African gathering will attempt to re-engage and collaborate since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Corporate Council on Africa has an exciting line-up of high level and panel discussions, networking opportunities, and activities that will allow attendees to meet face-to face to engage on key US-Africa economic issues and re-establish important business contacts that were not possible over the past two years.

The African Heads of State, US government and African officials, top CEO's and senior executives from US and African companies operating in sectors contributing to Africa's economic growth and relaunch including infrastructure, ICT, health, energy, mining, and creative industries.

The United States government report said the Biden-Harris Administration has been prioritizing to broaden and deepen economic relationships with Africa. The United States government and private sector leaders, together with African political and corporate business leaders, have been working consistently over these years to share insights on critical issues and policies influencing the US-Africa economic partnership. It will drive billions of dollars of investment in Africa, build new markets for American products and create thousands of jobs for African and American workers.

According to information made available, the lined up guest speakers include Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, President of Botswana; Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique and Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana. Attendees will participate in high-level roundtables, panels, and country forums, with ample opportunities to network with business and government leaders to develop new business partners. The exhibition center will allow organizations to amplify their brand and showcase their business to leaders and the investment community.

During the summit, Africa50 in partnership with the Corporate Council on Africa, will run a series of discussions dedicated to infrastructure investing in Africa. The sessions will include a presidential dialogue; a roundtable discussion on ways to mobilize institutional investors' capital to fund infrastructure projects; a session on opportunities to increase public-private partnerships in the power transmission sector; and a panel on tech-enabled infrastructure.

Speaking about the partnership, CEO Alain Ebobisse said, "we are pleased to partner with the Corporate Council on Africa for this important event which comes at a crucial time, as the continent faces unprecedented external shocks and is recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a need for strong, innovative, and bold responses to accelerate the recovery while driving climate-resilient and sustainable growth, and infrastructure will play a key role."

The Kingdom of Morocco, the host organizer, reassured facilitating, as part of the corporate summit, group visits and tours of Marrakech and other Moroccan cities for special guests. As the only African nation with a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, a major investor in sub-Saharan Africa and successes to showcase in penetrating key global manufacturing ecosystems (including aviation, agribusiness, and automotive), Morocco has much to showcase around the areas of increased intra-African trade as well as enhancing the US-Africa trade, investment, and commercial relationship.

With more than 1,000 US and African private sector executives, international investors, senior government, and multilateral stakeholders expected at the summit during Marrakech's high season, it is strongly encouraged that attendees register early.

The Corporate Council on Africa is extremely grateful for the excellent partnership of the Kingdom of Morocco as the summit host, and partner Africa50 as well as summit sponsors including Royal Air Maroc (the summit official airline), Axxess, Jean Boulle Group, Pfizer, Visa, USP, Amazon, Gilead, Trimble, IHS Towers, Trade and Development Bank, Acrow Bridge, Trinity Energy, Citi, Flutterwave Inc., P&G, DLA Piper LLP, Attijariwafa Bank, Maroc Telecom, Creative Associates, Google, CrossBoundary and Frontier Bridge.

The summit media partners 35Nord, All Africa, Jeune Afrique, and the African Media Agency. Without their collaboration, support and generosity, this year's U.S.-Africa Business Summit would not be possible. The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), a leading reputable American business association, continues facilitating the growth and enhancement of US-Africa trade, investment, and commercial engagement that supports the prosperity of the United States, its African partners, and American and African businesses and people.
19.06.2022 LISTEN

This article attempts to contribute to the debate on some aspects of the evolutionary processes and the search for new possible models by a few countries that are dissatisfied with the unipolar system and the world dominated by the United States.

The United States has outstretched its political and economic interests around the world, China has similarly and strategically extended its tentacles across both the Atlantic and the Pacific. It has moved south conquering Africa and intensifying commercial operations in the Central Asia regions including the former Soviet republics - the backyard of the Russian Federation.

However, Russia considers itself a global power. While still struggling and raising its shoulders, many experts say, it has little global influence and is authoritarian compared to China.

Despite its large population of 1.5 billion which many have considered an impediment, Chinas domestic economic reforms and collaborative strategic diplomacy with external countries have made it attain superpower status over the United States as Kester Kenn Klomegah, Special Correspondent, Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) based in Moscow captured.

While the United States influence is rapidly fading away, China has indeed taken up both the challenges and unique opportunities to strengthen its position, especially its trade, investment, and economic muscles.

Monitoring mainstream news and information reports indicated that Russia has been teaming up with China and India (and that could be interpreted as BRICS platform initiative) and a few other external countries in the process of establishing a new global economic system.

On the other hand, it aims to break the unipolar system and defeat American hegemony around the world. Some experts have argued that successive White House administrations have maintained the status quo. Due to socialist economic planning and their advancement of the notions of international cooperation and peace even among states with varying social systems, there has been tremendous progress in the areas of international solidarity.

The Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) grouping is a manifestation of the role of Beijing, Moscow, and Pretoria along with the other states which have varied in their political orientation in recent years. These new alliances are perceived as a threat to the role of the United States, Britain, and the Europen Union since they are not participant members and cannot directly impact the agendas and goals established by the BRICS.

But a careful study and analysis monitored by this author vividly show that Russia has some limitations. Its external economic footprints are comparatively weak. And its external policies are hardly promoting its economic models.

The geopolitical reordering of the world cannot simply be achieved through war or challenging the West's political influence in its various global domains. The economic component is possibly the most significant of the ongoing tug of war between Russia and its western detractors.

In the global South, for instance, Russia is still struggling to win the hearts of leaders. It however needs an excellent broad public outreach policies to permeate the message of new global order, at least, to the middle class.

It has to enlist the understanding of its aims using the communication tools in addition to its diplomatic statements and globe-throttling juicy rhetoric. Russia has to invest in all these if it really wanted to succeed in leading the world.

As Dr. Ramzy Baroud, a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle, wrote recently "the Middle East, especially the Gulf region, is vital for the current global economic order and is equally critical for any future reshaping of that order.

If Moscow is to succeed in redefining the role of Arab economies vis-a-vis the global economy, it would most likely succeed in ensuring that a multipolar economic world takes form. Russia is clearly invested in a new global economic system, but without isolating itself in the process."

In the past few months, Russia exited many international organizations, instead of sustaining its membership and using those plaform to propagate its new global mission.

Some experts and academics describe Russia making a desperate attempt at reversing the alarming trend in the world's economic affairs. In order to win this battle, Russia needs a designed geopolitical outreach scheme and strategies for exert economic influence to match its dreams. It has rather gone into self-isolation, with much heavy-handed criticisms against the United States and Europe.

With the rapid geopolitical changes leading to repartitioning and creating new global order, and Russia, over the course of the last decade, has been desirously strengthening its Greater Eurasian Union alongside with others, such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and BRICS.

The Greater Eurasian Union focuses on the economic integration and supporting economic development among the members, and expected to build its structure and method of functions by replicating the European Union.

The CSTO, a military alliance consisting of mostly the former Soviet republics (Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), and signed the Collective Security Treaty in 1992. Its primary task is to collectively depend the territorial sovereignty of these member states.

The BRICS member countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) collectively represent about 26% of the world's geographic area and are home to 2.88 billion people, about 42% of the world's population.

Historically, the first meeting of the group began in St Petersburg in 2005. It was called RIC, which stood for Russia, India and China. Then, Brazil and subsequently South Africa joined later, which is why now it is referred to as BRICS.

South Africa was a late minor addition to the group, to add a "bridgehead to Africa" says Charles Robertson, Chief Economist at Renaissance Capital. All the BRICS countries are facing economic challenges that need addressing urgently. The BRICS is keenly aware of the importance of contributing to Africa's development agenda.

"So, it could expand because the BRICS are under-represented in the global financial architecture. Europe and the United States dominate institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, and to some extent many others," explained Robertson.

According to him, "Russia and others in the BRICS would like to see larger power centres emerge to offer an alternative to that Western dominated construct. That is reasonable enough - providing there are countries with the money to backstop the new institutions, such as China supporting the BRICS bank, and if the countries offer an alternative vision that provides benefits to new members."

"Now is a very good time to show that BRICS members and relations between them are an alternative to the format existing in the West," Executive Director at the Russian National Committee for BRICS Research, Professor Georgy Toloraya, told the Kommersant, a Russian daily business newspaper, adding that "BRICS favours order, compliance with agreements and development."

Moreover, plans are in store to expand the group to include Argentina, Turkey, Indonesia and some other African countries. According to Toloraya, India is currently opposed to expanding BRICS fearing that new members will support China.

On the other hand, Moscow argues that "the entrance ticket" to the group is independence and sovereignty, and under no circumstances, potential candidates be called China's satellites.

There are not so many countries like thatthey would include Indonesia, Mexico, Turkey, Egypt and Iran.

But then, there are certain political requirements for new members, including recognition of BRICS values and core foreign policy principles, he said, and added "initially, the goals and tasks were very modest, primarily focusing on the economy and the coordination of efforts toward attaining more ambitious goals."
A total of 20 Togolese have been arrested in Hohoe for assembling for an unlawful purpose.

The men from the ages of 21 to 35, who spoke French through an interpreter, said they worked with 'QNET' and were engaged in online businesses.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jonathan Lamptey, Hohoe Divisional Police Commander, said all the 20 suspects resided in a room at Gbi Bla, a suburb of Hohoe.

He said a tip-off which led to the arrest of the suspects indicated that two of them rented the room and kept increasing the number.

ACP Lamptey said, although no items were found on the suspects aside their phones, they could be charged for assembling for unlawful purposes.

He said they would be handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service's Sector Command and be repatriated.

ACP Lamptey said the Division had not received reports from individuals about online businesses, where they were swindled.

He called on the public to be on the lookout for foreign people who enter their communities and claim to be operating online businesses.

Source: GNA
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TOWSON, Md. (AP)  The historic vote by employees of a Maryland Apple store to unionize  a first for the technology giant  is a significant step in a lengthy process that labor experts say is heavily stacked against workers in favor of their employers.

Apple store employees in a Baltimore suburb voted to unionize by a nearly 2-to-1 margin Saturday, joining a growing push across U.S. retail, service and tech industries to organize for greater workplace protections.

It's not yet clear whether the recent wave of unionizations represent a broader shift in U.S. labor. But experts say the current shortage of workers for hourly and low-wage jobs means employees have more power than they had historically, especially when unemployment is low.

It's not that big a deal to lose one of these jobs because you can get another crummy job, said Ruth Milkman, labor scholar at the City University of New York.

The question is, what happens now?

The Apple retail workers in Towson, Maryland, voted 65-33 to seek entry into the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union's announcement said. The National Labor Relations Board now has to certify the outcome. A spokesperson referred initial queries about the vote to the board's regional office, which was closed late Saturday. The board did not immediately respond to an Associated Press message on Sunday.

Once the vote is certified, the union and Apple can begin negotiating a contract.

Labor law in the United States is a long process. And so the fact that a single store negotiates or elects a union doesnt mean that theres a negotiated contract in the workplace. And we know in recent history that in many of these situations, parties are unable to come to terms on an initial contract, Michael Duff, a former NLRB lawyer and professor at University of Wyoming College of Law, said Sunday.

The employer in the United States has an awful lot of rights to simply withdraw recognition at the end of the process. The employer can prove that it no longer supports a majority of the employees in the bargaining unit," Duff added.

Even after a union is certified, a company has a number of legal maneuvers at its disposal to fight it, Duff said. For instance, Apple could say it doesn't believe that the bargaining unit certified by the NLRB is an appropriate bargaining unit. and refuse to bargain with the union.

If that happens, the whole thing goes to the courts and it could easily be a year or two before you even get the question of whether the employer is required to bargain with the union, Duff added.

Labor experts say its common for employers to drag out the bargaining process in an effort to take the momentum out of union campaigns. It's also possible that Apple  or any other company  restructures its business so the unionized workers are reclassified as independent contractors and not employees, in which case the union vote is moot, Duff said.

Apple declined to comment on Saturdays development, company spokesperson Josh Lipton told The Associated Press by phone. Reached again Sunday, Apple did not comment.

The successful vote serves to inspire workers around the country to organize, said John Logan, director of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University.

Workers are already organizing at other Apple stores, but this shows them the company is not invincible, he said.

Apple's well-known brand name is also likely to help.

The public has a very direct relationship with companies like Apple, so the first union victory will generate enormous traditional media and social media coverage, Logan said. Young workers learn union activism through this coverage, and some will likely be inspired to try to organize their own workplaces.

Despite U.S. labor law being stacked against workers, Duff said he thinks that if there is going to be a reawakened labor movement in the United States it will happen in just this way.

Union organizing in a variety of fields has gained momentum recently after decades of decline in U.S. union membership. Organizers have worked to establish unions at companies including Amazon, Starbucks, Google parent company Alphabet and outdoors retailer REI.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the Apple employees who wanted to join said they sent Apple CEO Tim Cook notice last month that they were seeking to form a union. The statement said their driving motivation was to seek rights we do not currently have. It added that the workers recently organized in the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, or CORE.

I applaud the courage displayed by CORE members at the Apple store in Towson for achieving this historic victory, IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. said in the statement. They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election.

Martinez called on Apple to respect the election results and to let the unionizing employees fast-track efforts to secure a contract at the Towson location.

The IAM bills itself as one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries. Logan said the Apple victory shows that the established labor movement is capable of adapting its self to the needs of the group of independent-minded, self-confident workers you find at Apple stores.

The Apple store unionization vote comes against a backdrop of other labor organizing efforts nationwide  some of them rebuffed.

Amazon workers at a warehouse in New York City voted to unionize in April, the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giants history. However, workers at another Amazon warehouse on Staten Island overwhelmingly rejected a union bid last month. Meanwhile, Starbucks workers at dozens of U.S. stores have voted to unionize in recent months, after two of the coffee chain's stores in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionize late last year.

Many unionization efforts have been led by young workers in their 20s and even in their teens. A group of Google engineers and other workers formed the Alphabet Workers Union last year, which represents around 800 Google employees and is run by five people who are under 35.

This is the generation with the kind of world view thats really different than weve seen in many generations, said CUNY's Milkman. They believe in this.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A building caught fire and later collapsed in Philadelphia, killing one firefighter and injuring five other people, two critically, after all became trapped early Saturday, authorities said.

The fire was reported just before 2 a.m. Saturday in the building in north Philadelphia, eight occupants were safely evacuated and the fire had been declared under control, officials said. At 3:24 a.m., the building collapsed, Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said.

Lt. Sean Williamson, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene after he and another firefighter were freed from the rubble hours after the collapse. Three other firefighters and an inspector with the citys Department of Licenses and Inspections had been freed quickly. One firefighter jumped from the second story to avoid being caught in the collapse, Murphy said. Two firefighters were listed in critical but stable condition at Temple University Hospital while the other three victims were treated and released, officials said.

Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel told reporters Saturday evening that rescuers were able to communicate with" Williamson and another firefighter for most of the several hours they remained trapped, but because of the degree of the collapse and where Williamson was located within the structure we were not able to save him."

The former Marine was highly respected throughout our department" and had trained countless" cadets, Thiel said. Williamson is to have a full honors fire department funeral and given the outpouring of support that Ive seen and weve seen as a department, you can expect this to be a pretty large event.

We're absolutely grieving, we're mourning," Thiel said. We have a lot more crying and a lot more processing to do this unfolds as we move forward with properly honoring Lt. Williamson," he said. Murphy had told reporters at a briefing at about 8 a.m. Saturday that: Its going to be a rough few weeks coming up.

Mayor Jim Kenney called it a heartbreaking day for our city."

For more than 27 years, he dedicated his life to serving and protecting the people of Philadelphia, and sacrificed his life protecting others," Kenney's statement said. Early this morning, like every day, he exemplified heroism by doing what our first responders do every day: put on their uniform, leave their loved ones, and carry out their sworn duty to protect and serve the residents of this city."

The fire marshals office is investigating the cause of the fire with assistance from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Thiel said an engineering investigation into the collapse is also ongoing and the federal National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health is also expected to do an investigation, and that and the department's own after-action report are expected to take one to two years.

Numerous firefighters were standing nearby as the rescue effort unfolded, and some were seen hugging or wiping tears from their eyes, multiple news outlets reported.

Patricia Sermarini told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she rushed to the site when she saw the alert about the collapse because her son-in-law, a firefighter, was on the morning shift. She said he had been one of the firefighters on scene but had made it out of the building just before it collapsed.

But moments later, Sermarini said, she saw firefighters pull a body out from the rubble.

Its so terrible, she said. This is so hard for them. They just want to get home to their families.
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Lightyear did not go to infinity (or beyond) in its first weekend in theaters: Pixars first major theatrical release since March 2020 blasted off with $51 million in its debut weekend in North America, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

Not only did it open lower than expected, but it also failed to conquer Jurassic World: Dominion, which held on to the first-place spot with $58.7 million its second weekend.

It is a mixed bag for Disney and Pixar as  Lightyear, an origin story about the movie that inspired the space ranger action figure in the Toy Story movies, is one of the biggest launches for an animated family film over the pandemic. Including international showings, which grossed $34.6 million, Lightyear's global opening weekend totals to $85.6 million.

But expectations were higher for a release this high-profile and based on a beloved, well-known character. Going into the weekend, some analysts had pegged Lightyear for a $70 million North American debut.

The expectations are always incredibly high for any Pixar movie, particularly one that has a direct connection to the Toy Story brand, said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for box office tracker Comscore.

Toy Story" launched Pixar in 1995 and its four films have made over $3 billion. Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 also both broke the $1 billion mark.

The family audience has proved a little more reluctant than other segments to return to movie theaters. Many studios, including Disney and Pixar, have opted for streaming or hybrid releases for their animated titles. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the company has sent its Pixar titles  Soul, Luca, and Turning Red  directly to Disney+ free for subscribers. Disneys other big animated titles, Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto got hybrid releases.

There may have been a little confusion about whether its just in theaters, Dergarabedian said. This is a movie that is going to have to be marketed in real time as family audiences connect the dots.

Critics were mostly favorable to Lightyear, which features Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear and a supporting voice cast that includes Keke Palmer and Taika Waititi. Directed by Angus MacLane, it currently holds a 77% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore.

With a reported production budget of $200 million, which doesn't account for the millions spent on marketing and promotion, Lightyear has a long journey ahead of it to get to profitability. But it could also have a slow, steady burn over the summer. And it's the only big family offering playing in theaters until Minions: The Rise of Gru opens July 1.

Lightyear opened in 4,255 locations domestically and in 43 markets overseas. Thirteen nations from the Muslim world and the Palestinian territory barred Lightyear from playing in their cinemas because of the inclusion of a brief kiss between a lesbian couple.

Jurassic World: Dominion, meanwhile, has now earned over $622.2 million worldwide with $259.2 million of that coming from U.S. and Canadian theaters. Its only the seventh movie released during the pandemic to surpass $600 million.

In its fourth weekend, Top Gun: Maverick dropped only slightly, bringing in an additional $44 million to take third place. Its domestic total is now at $466.2 million. Globally, the high-flying sequel has grossed over $885 million.

Dergarabedian said it's especially notable that there are three movies made over $40 million this weekend.

We havent seen that in a while, he said. We have a summer movie season here.

Rounding out the top five are Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with $4.2 million and The Bob's Burgers Movie with $1.1 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. Jurassic World: Dominion, $58.7 million

2. Lightyear, $51 million.

3. Top Gun: Maverick, $44 million.

4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, $4.2 million.

5. The Bobs Burgers Movie, $1.1 million.

6. The Bad Guys, $890,000.

7. Everything Everywhere All at Once, $959,631.

8. Downton Abbey: A New Era, $830,000.

9. Sonic the Hedgehog 2, $228,000.

10. Brian and Charles, $198,000.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  One photograph shows a kneeling soldier kissing a child inside a subway station, where Ukraine families shelter from Russian airstrikes. In another, an infant and a woman who appears on the brink of tears look out from a departing train car as a man peers inside, his hand spread across the window in a gesture of goodbye.

In an uplifting Fathers Day message Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted 10 photos of parents and children set against the grim backdrop of war, praising fathers who protect and defend the most precious.

There are scenes of childbirth, as a man and woman look toward a swaddled baby in what appears to be a hospital room where the spackled walls show scars of fighting. In another, a man lifts a child over a fence toward a woman with outstretched arms on a train platform.

Being a father is a great responsibility and a great happiness, Zelenskyy wrote in English text that followed the Ukrainian on Instagram. It is strength, wisdom, motivation to go forward and not to give up."

He urged his nation's fighters to endure for the "future of your family, your children, and therefore the whole of Ukraine.

His message came as four months of war in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers orders. NATOs chief warned the fighting could drag on for "years."

Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale," Britain's defense ministry said in its daily assessment of the war.

Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, the assessment said, but added that Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled.

It said cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.

Separately, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate released what it said were intercepted phone calls in which Russian soldiers complained about front-line conditions, poor equipment, and overall lack of personnel, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

In an interview published on Sunday in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that nobody knows how long the war could last.

We need to be prepared for it to last for years," he said.

He also urged allies not to weaken support for Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military aid, but also because of the increase in energy and food goods prices."

In his nightly address Sunday, Zelenskyy said the week ahead would be historic and perhaps bring Ukraine closer to membership in the European Union. But that move could portend a more hostile response from Russia, he warned.

EU leaders recommended Friday that Ukraine join the bloc, and their proposal was to go to members for discussion this week in Brussels. Zelenskyy called the outcome of those talks one of the most fateful moments for Ukraine since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

I am sure that only a positive decision meets the interests of the whole of Europe, he said.

In such a week we should expect greater hostile activity from Russia," he added. "And not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe. We are preparing.

In recent days, Gazprom, the Russian gas company, has reduced supplies to two major European clients  Germany and Italy. In Italy's case, energy officials are expected to huddle this week about the situation. The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through the coming winter, but he warned Italians that restrictions affecting gas use might be necessary.

Germany will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia, the country's economy minister said on Sunday. Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the cold winter months.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, he said.

Stoltenberg stressed, though, that the costs of food and fuel are nothing compared with those paid daily by the Ukrainians on the front line.

Stoltenberg added: What's more, if Russian President Vladimir Putin should reach his objectives in Ukraine, like when he annexed Crimea in 2014, we would have to pay an even greater price.

Britain's defense ministry said that both Russia and Ukraine have continued to conduct heavy artillery bombardments on axes to the north, east and south of the Sieverodonetsk pocket, but with little change in the front line.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said via Telegram on Sunday: It is a very difficult situation in Sievierodonetsk, where the enemy in the middle of the city is conducting round-the-clock aerial reconnaissance with drones, adjusting fire, quickly adjusting to our changes."

Russias defense ministry claimed on Sunday that Russian and separatist forces have taken control of Metolkine, a settlement just to the east of Sievierodonetsk.

Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas, is 55 kilometers (33 miles) southwest of the twin cities of Lysyhansk and Siervierodonetsk, where fierce military clashes have been raging. Every day, Russian artillery pummels Bakhmut.

But Bakhmut's people try to go about their daily lives, including shopping in markets that have opened again in recent weeks.

In principle, it can be calm in the morning,'' said one resident, Oleg Drobelnnikov. The shelling starts at about 7 or 8 in the evening." Still, he said, it has been pretty calm in the last 10 days or so.

You can buy food at small farmer markets,'' said Drobelnnikov, a teacher. It is not a problem. In principle, educational institutions, like schools or kindergartens, are not working due to the situation. The institutions moved to other regions. There is no work here."

Ukraines east has been the main focus of Russias attacks for more than two months.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy made a trip south from Kyiv to visit troops and hospital workers in the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions along the Black Sea. He handed out awards to dozens of people at every stop, shaking their hands and thanking them again and again for their service.

Zelenskyy, in a recorded address aboard a train back to Kyiv, vowed to defend the countrys south.

"We will not give away the south to anyone. We will return everything thats ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe.

He added: "Russia does not have as many missiles as our people have a desire to live.

Zelenskyy also condemned the Russian blockade of Ukraines ports amid weeks of inconclusive negotiations on safe corridors so millions of tons of siloed grain can be shipped out before the approaching new harvest season.

In other attacks in the south, Ukraines southern military operational command said Sunday that two people were killed in shelling of the Galitsyn community in the Mykolaiv region and that shelling of the Bashtansky district is continuing.

Russia's defense ministry said seaborne missiles destroyed a plant in Mykolaiv city where Western-supplied howitzers and armored vehicles were stored.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns that a bit of Ukraine fatigue is starting to set in around the world."

It would be a catastrophe if Putin won. Hed love nothing more than to say, Lets freeze this conflict, lets have a cease-fire,'" Johnson said on Saturday, a day after a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy and offered offer continued aid and military training.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines. But Ukraine's leaders have insisted for weeks that they need more arms, and sooner.

___

Julia Rubin in New York, Sylvia Hui in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Frances DEmilio in Rome and Srdjan Nedeljkovic in Bakhmut, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
The Gloria B. Nelson Public Service Building, which houses the Guam Power Authority main office, is seen May 11, 2022 in Mangilao.
President Donald Trump listens to Vice President Mike Pence speak during an event in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., Nov. 13, 2020.
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Scholz: G7 will support Ukraine for as long as necessary View Photo

BERLIN (AP)  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the Group of Seven leading democracies will make clear at their upcoming summit that Ukraine can expect to receive the support it needs for as long as necessary.

In an interview with Germanys dpa news agency published Saturday, Scholz said he wants to use next weeks meeting with fellow G-7 leaders in the Bavarian village of Elmau to discuss Ukraines long-term prospects.

We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, Scholz was quoted as saying. We want to make sure that Russian President (Vladimir Putins) calculations do not work out.

Putin obviously hopes that everything will fall into place once he has conquered enough land and the international community will return to business as usual, he added. That is an illusion.

Scholz said he and his counterparts from France, Italy and Romania had discussed further weapons supplies for Ukraine  specifically ammunition and artillery  with President Volodymyr Zelensky during their visit to Kyiv on Thursday.

The four leaders also backed Ukraines bid for membership of the European Union, a stance Scholz said he hoped all of the blocs countries would support at a gathering in Brussels next week.
Zelenskyy Fathers Day post spotlights family ties amid war View Photo

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  One photograph shows a kneeling soldier kissing a child inside a subway station, where Ukraine families shelter from Russian airstrikes. In another, an infant and a woman who appears on the brink of tears look out from a departing train car as a man peers inside, his hand spread across the window in a gesture of goodbye.

In an uplifting Fathers Day message Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted 10 photos of parents and children set against the grim backdrop of war, praising fathers who protect and defend the most precious.

There are scenes of childbirth, as a man and woman look toward a swaddled baby in what appears to be a hospital room where the spackled walls show scars of fighting. In another, a man lifts a child over a fence toward a woman with outstretched arms on a train platform.

Being a father is a great responsibility and a great happiness, Zelenskyy wrote in English text that followed the Ukrainian on Instagram. It is strength, wisdom, motivation to go forward and not to give up.

He urged his nations fighters to endure for the future of your family, your children, and therefore the whole of Ukraine.

His message came as four months of war in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers orders. NATOs chief warned the fighting could drag on for years.

Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale, Britains defense ministry said in its daily assessment of the war.

Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, the assessment said, but added that Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled.

It said cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.

Separately, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate released what it said were intercepted phone calls in which Russian soldiers complained about front-line conditions, poor equipment, and overall lack of personnel, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

In an interview published on Sunday in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that nobody knows how long the war could last.

We need to be prepared for it to last for years, he said.

He also urged allies not to weaken support for Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military aid, but also because of the increase in energy and food goods prices.

In his nightly address Sunday, Zelenskyy said the week ahead would be historic and perhaps bring Ukraine closer to membership in the European Union. But that move could portend a more hostile response from Russia, he warned.

EU leaders recommended Friday that Ukraine join the bloc, and their proposal was to go to members for discussion this week in Brussels. Zelenskyy called the outcome of those talks one of the most fateful moments for Ukraine since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

I am sure that only a positive decision meets the interests of the whole of Europe, he said.

In such a week we should expect greater hostile activity from Russia, he added. And not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe. We are preparing.

In recent days, Gazprom, the Russian gas company, has reduced supplies to two major European clients  Germany and Italy. In Italys case, energy officials are expected to huddle this week about the situation. The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through the coming winter, but he warned Italians that restrictions affecting gas use might be necessary.

Germany will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia, the countrys economy minister said on Sunday. Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the cold winter months.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, he said.

Stoltenberg stressed, though, that the costs of food and fuel are nothing compared with those paid daily by the Ukrainians on the front line.

Stoltenberg added: Whats more, if Russian President Vladimir Putin should reach his objectives in Ukraine, like when he annexed Crimea in 2014, we would have to pay an even greater price.

Britains defense ministry said that both Russia and Ukraine have continued to conduct heavy artillery bombardments on axes to the north, east and south of the Sieverodonetsk pocket, but with little change in the front line.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said via Telegram on Sunday: It is a very difficult situation in Sievierodonetsk, where the enemy in the middle of the city is conducting round-the-clock aerial reconnaissance with drones, adjusting fire, quickly adjusting to our changes.

Russias defense ministry claimed on Sunday that Russian and separatist forces have taken control of Metolkine, a settlement just to the east of Sievierodonetsk.

Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas, is 55 kilometers (33 miles) southwest of the twin cities of Lysyhansk and Siervierodonetsk, where fierce military clashes have been raging. Every day, Russian artillery pummels Bakhmut.

But Bakhmuts people try to go about their daily lives, including shopping in markets that have opened again in recent weeks.

In principle, it can be calm in the morning, said one resident, Oleg Drobelnnikov. The shelling starts at about 7 or 8 in the evening. Still, he said, it has been pretty calm in the last 10 days or so.

You can buy food at small farmer markets, said Drobelnnikov, a teacher. It is not a problem. In principle, educational institutions, like schools or kindergartens, are not working due to the situation. The institutions moved to other regions. There is no work here.

Ukraines east has been the main focus of Russias attacks for more than two months.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy made a trip south from Kyiv to visit troops and hospital workers in the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions along the Black Sea. He handed out awards to dozens of people at every stop, shaking their hands and thanking them again and again for their service.

Zelenskyy, in a recorded address aboard a train back to Kyiv, vowed to defend the countrys south.

We will not give away the south to anyone. We will return everything thats ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe.

He added: Russia does not have as many missiles as our people have a desire to live.

Zelenskyy also condemned the Russian blockade of Ukraines ports amid weeks of inconclusive negotiations on safe corridors so millions of tons of siloed grain can be shipped out before the approaching new harvest season.

In other attacks in the south, Ukraines southern military operational command said Sunday that two people were killed in shelling of the Galitsyn community in the Mykolaiv region and that shelling of the Bashtansky district is continuing.

Russias defense ministry said seaborne missiles destroyed a plant in Mykolaiv city where Western-supplied howitzers and armored vehicles were stored.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns that a bit of Ukraine fatigue is starting to set in around the world.

It would be a catastrophe if Putin won. Hed love nothing more than to say, Lets freeze this conflict, lets have a cease-fire,' Johnson said on Saturday, a day after a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy and offered offer continued aid and military training.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines. But Ukraines leaders have insisted for weeks that they need more arms, and sooner.

___

Julia Rubin in New York, Sylvia Hui in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Frances DEmilio in Rome and Srdjan Nedeljkovic in Bakhmut, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

By JOHN LEICESTER and DAVID KEYTON

Associated Press
After writers murder in the Amazon, can his vision survive? View Photo

LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  British journalist Dom Phillips quest to unlock the secrets of how to preserve Brazils Amazon was cut short this month when he was killed along with a colleague in the heart of the forest he so cherished. Some of his discoveries may yet see the light of day.

Phillips in 2021 secured a yearlong fellowship with the Alicia Patterson Foundation to write a book, building on prior research. By June, he had written several chapters.

Doms book project was on the cutting edge of environmental reporting in Brazil. It was extremely ambitious, but he had the experience to pull it off, said Andrew Fishman, a close friend and journalist at The Intercept. We cannot let his assassins also kill his vision.

Phillips disappearance and then confirmed death has brought calls for justice from Brazil and abroad from actors, musicians and athletes, along with appeals for help to support his wife. Phillips would be gobsmacked to learn that his fate has troubled current and former U.K. prime ministers.

He wrote about Brazil for 15 years, in early days covering the oil industry for Platts, later freelancing for the Washington Post and New York Times then regularly contributing to The Guardian. He was versatile, but gravitated toward features about the environment as it became his passion.

Phillips often hiked in Rio de Janeiros Tijuca Forest National Park and, atop his paddle board at Copacabana beach, was in his element: floating above the natural world and observing. He might message friends out of the blue, sharing news of spotting a ray with a 3-foot wingspan, reflecting a wonder more common among children than 57-year-old men, and he brought that spirit to his reporting.

He was curious and thorough, whether parsing studies of projected rainfall decline in the agricultural heartland caused by Amazon deforestation or tracking down the driving test administrator who discovered a man disguised as his own mother to take her exam. He recalled an editor telling him: You spend too much time researching news stories.

Among local correspondents, he earned respect for his humility as well, often sharing others reportage rather than tooting his own horn.

Phillips claimed the spotlight, inadvertently, during a televised press conference in July 2019. Noting rising deforestation and that the environment minister had met with loggers, Phillips asked President Jair Bolsonaro how he intended to demonstrate Brazils commitment to protect the Amazon region.

First, you have to understand that the Amazon is Brazils, not yours, OK? Thats the first answer there, Bolsonaro retorted. We preserved more than the entire world. No country in the world has the moral standing to talk to Brazil about the Amazon.

Within weeks, man-made fires ravaged the Amazon, drawing global criticism, and the clip of Bolsonaros testy response spread among his supporters as evidence the far-right leader wouldnt be admonished by foreign interlopers. Phillips then received abuse, but no threats.

That didnt stop him from attending rallies to seek the views of die-hard Bolsonaro backers. He was alarmed by Bolsonaros laissez-faire environmental policy, but mindful that prior leftist governments also had spotty records, often catering to agribusiness and building a massive hydroelectric dam that wrought calamitous local damage while vastly underdelivering. His allegiance was to the environment and those depending on it for survival.

Amazon deforestation has hit a 15-year high, and some climate experts warn the destruction is pushing the biome near a tipping point, after which it will begin irreversible degradation into tropical savannah.

Phillips spoke to farmers who deny climate change even as extreme weather threatens their crops. But he returned from a recent trip with spirits buoyed after meeting some reintroducing biodiversity to their land, said Rebecca Carter, his agent. After his disappearance, a video on social media showed him speaking with an Indigenous group, explaining he had come to learn how they organize and deal with threats.

Im grateful to have coexisted with a man who loved human beings, his wife, Alessandra Sampaio, told the newspaper O Globo. He didnt speak of villains. He didnt want to demonize anyone. His mission was to clarify the complexities of the Amazon.

Phillips was also a crisp writer with an ear for readability. A 2018 story for The Guardian had one of journalisms most dramatic introductions:

Wearing just shorts and flip-flop as he squats in the mud by a fire, Bruno Pereira, an official at Brazils government Indigenous agency, cracks open the boiled skull of a monkey with a spoon and eats its brains for breakfast as he discusses policy.

Phillips described his 17-day voyage with Pereira through the remote Javari Valley Indigenous territory at that time as physically the most grueling thing I have ever done. This June, he was with Pereira in the same region  it was to be one of his final reporting trips for his book  when they were killed together.

Three suspects are in custody, and police say one confessed. Pereira had previously busted people fishing illegally within the Indigenous territory and received threats.

Phillips, meanwhile, also had been preoccupied with risks to his professional future, betting on a book with wallet-wilting travel costs and praying it would resonate. He had set aside newspaper work to focus on it.

Im a freelancer with nothing but a book in my life and not even enough to live on next year while I write it, he told the AP in a private exchange in September. Not so much all the eggs in the same basket as the entire hen house.

He and Sampaio had moved to the northeastern city of Salvador. He was charged up by the change of scene and teaching English to children from poor communities. They had begun the process to adopt a child.

Sampaio told the AP that she doesnt know what will become of her husbands book, but she and his siblings want it published  whether only the four chapters already written or including others completed with outside help. Phillips optimistic message  that the Amazon can be preserved, with the right actions  could still reach the world.

We would very much like to find a way to honor the important and essential work Dom was doing, Margaret Stead, his publisher at Manilla Press, wrote in an email.

The books title was How to Save the Amazon. Bolsonaro has bristled at the idea it needs rescue, saying some 80% of Brazils portion remains intact and offering to fly foreign dignitaries over its vast abundance. But Phillips knew the view is different from the forest floor; big hardwood trees have been logged to scarcity in many seemingly pristine areas. His companions traveling through the Javari Valley celebrated when coming upon one.

The Amazon is much less pristine and protected than most people think it is and much more threatened than people realize, he wrote to the AP in September.

He noted, with a hint of intrigue, that he recently visited a preserved area of virgin forest full of massive trees. Places like that, he said, were usually inaccessible.

And where is that hallowed ground?

You can read it in the book, he wrote, when it comes out.

___

Biller is the APs Brazil news director.

By DAVID BILLER

Associated Press
IS claims attack on Sikh temple in Afghan capital of Kabul View Photo

ISLAMABAD (AP)  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on a Sikh temple in Afghanistans capital of Kabul that killed at least one worshipper and wounded seven others.

IS made the claim in a statement posted on its Amaq website late Saturday. It said the assault on the Sikh and Hindu temple was in response to alleged insults made against the Prophet Muhammad, the central figure of the Islamic religion, by an Indian government official. It did not name the official.

Gunmen attacked the Sikh house of worship, known as a gurdwara, Saturday morning and a firefight between the attackers and Taliban fighters seeking to protect the building ensued, Afghan officials said.

A vehicle filled with explosives was detonated outside of the temple but that resulted in no casualties. Before that, the gunmen threw a hand grenade which caused a fire near the temples gate, the officials said

The IS said Abu Mohammed al-Tajiki, a member of the group, stormed the temple after killing the guard and then targeted the people inside with machine-gun fire and hand grenades. IS fighters outside the temple detonated four explosive devices and a car bomb targeting patrols of Taliban militia who tried to protect the temple. The battle ended after three hours, the Amaq report said.

The Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization based in the United States, said the gurdwara was significantly damaged by the attack.

The recurring tragic violence targeting the Afghan Sikh community is devastating, but also entirely predictable and preventable, said Anisha Singh, the groups executive director, in a statement late Saturday. The international community, and in particular the United States, continues to fall short of urgently-needed efforts to protect and safely resettle all Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.

Videos posted on social media showed plumes of black smoke rising from the temple in Kabuls Bagh-e Bala neighborhood and gunfire could be heard.

Kabul police said the gunfight with the militants ended after the last attacker was killed several hours after the assault began. They said one Sikh was killed and seven others were wounded in the attack and a Taliban security force was killed during the rescue operation. It was unclear how many IS militants were involved or how many were killed in the gunbattle with the Taliban.

Earlier this month, Indian officials held talks with the Taliban in Kabul for the first time since the group took control of the country last year on the distribution of humanitarian aid. The Indian delegation was led by J.P. Singh, a secretary in the External Affairs Ministry.

It wasnt immediately clear whether J.P. Singh was the Hindu the IS referred to in its statement or what comments he might have made that provoked the IS attack. It was also unclear why the extremist organization would target a Sikh temple in retaliation for comments made by an Indian official.

Narendra Modi, Indias prime minister, tweeted late Saturday: Shocked by the cowardly terrorist attack against the Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul.

Modi added, I condemn this barbaric attack, and pray for the safety and well-being of the devotees

An Islamic State group affiliate, known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province or IS-K, has been operating in Afghanistan since 2014. It is seen as the greatest security challenge facing the countrys Taliban rulers, who seized power in Kabul and elsewhere in the country last August. They have launched a sweeping crackdown against the IS in eastern Afghanistan.

In March 2020, a lone IS gunman rampaged through a different Sikh temple in Kabul, killing 25 worshippers, including a child, and wounding eight others. As many as 80 worshippers were trapped inside the gurdwara as the gunman lobbed grenades and fired an automatic rifle into the crowd.

The Sikh Coalition has advocated for the resettlement of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus since the 2020 attack. During his presidential campaign, President Joe Biden supported resettlement for these families. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate also advocated for resettlement. Despite these shows of support, however, little has been done to help Afghan Sikhs and Hindus to leave the country or assist those temporarily evacuated to nations including India.

There were less than 700 Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan at the time of the 2020 attack. Since then, dozens of families have left but many cannot financially afford to move and have remained in Afghanistan, mainly in Kabul, Jalalabad and Ghazni.

___

Associated Press reporter Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.

By RAHIM FAIEZ

Associated Press
Coast Guard: Boats collide in Florida, 2 dead, 10 rescued View Photo

MIAMI (AP)  Two people were killed and 10 others had to be rescued when their boats collided at night near Key Biscayne in South Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities say.

The Coast Guard said a person involved in the collision notified the agency of the crash around 10:30 p.m. Friday night.

Two bodies were recovered in the ensuing rescue operation, one by the Coast Guard Station Miami Beach and another by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, officials said. The Coast Guard said in a statement that one of its air crews in an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter played a key role in the emergency response.

A rescue swimmer also was sent to assist two critically injured people, one of whom was transferred to Jackson Memorial Medical Center for care. Nine other survivors were sent to another hospital for treatment, authorities said. Their names were not released.

On behalf of the Coast Guard and our partner agencies, wed like to offer our sincerest condolences to the families and friends who lost their loved ones, said Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Tuxhorn, Coast Guard Sector Miami search-and-rescue mission coordinator.

He said the Coast Guard and local first responders worked exhaustively on the search and rescue.

The collision is under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Georgia prisoner sentenced to die in guard killings View Photo

EATONTON, Ga. (AP)  A Georgia prisoner convicted of killing two guards during an escape from a prison transport bus five years ago has been sentenced to die.

A jury on Thursday agreed unanimously on a death sentence for Ricky Dubose in the June 2017 shooting deaths of Sgt. Christopher Monica and Sgt. Curtis Billue, news outlets reported. The jury on Monday had found him guilty of charges including murder.

A second prisoner charged in the killings, Donnie Rowe, was convicted of murder in September. A judge sentenced him to serve life in prison without parole after jurors couldnt agree whether he should be sentenced to death.

Dubose and Rowe escaped together from the bus in Putnam County, southeast of Atlanta, on June 13, 2017, and were arrested in Tennessee days later.

Dubose was accused of firing the gun that killed the officers after he and Rowe slipped out of handcuffs and burst through an unlocked gate at the front of the bus. Prosecutors say Dubose grabbed one of the officers weapons and shot Monica, the guard, and then Billue, the driver, both in the head. Security cameras on the bus recorded the violent escape and roughly 30 other prisoners witnessed the killings.

An attorney for Dubose had acknowledged in her opening statement that Dubose was guilty, but she said the jury should find him guilty and intellectually disabled or guilty but mentally ill. That would have made him ineligible for the death penalty.

Prosecutors rejected the defense arguments, saying Dubose was an intelligent and calculated killer.

Dubose, 29, was already serving a 20-year sentence for a 2015 armed robbery and assault in Elbert County when he escaped. He had been in prison earlier, as well.
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SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)  With jokes, upbeat Caribbean music and vacation scenes of sun-kissed beaches and palm trees, Haitian influencers on YouTube and TikTok advertise charter flights to South America.

But they are not targeting tourists.

Instead, they are touts for a thriving, little-known shadow industry that is profiting from the U.S. government sending people back to Haiti, a country besieged by gang violence.

More than a dozen South American travel agencies have rented planes from low-budget Latin American airlines  some of them as large as 238-seat Airbuses  and then sold tickets at premium prices. Many of the customers are Haitians who had been living in Chile and Brazil before they made their way to the Texas border in September, only to be expelled by the Biden administration and prevented from seeking asylum. They are using the charter flights to flee Haiti again and return to South America.

Some, clearly, plan to make another try to enter the United States.

Rodolfo Noriega of the National Coordinator of Immigrants in Chile said Haitians are being exploited by businesses taking advantage of their desperation. They are at the end of a chain of powerful businesses making money from this circuit of Haitian migration, he said.

The airlines and travel agencies say they work within the legal norms of the countries where they are operating from and are simply providing a service to the Haitian diaspora in South America.

The thriving business model was revealed in an eight-month investigation by The Associated Press in partnership with the University of California, Berkeleys Human Rights Center and its Investigative Reporting Program.

___

This story is part of an ongoing Associated Press series, Migration Inc, which investigates individuals and companies that profit from the movement of people who flee violence and civil strife in their homelands.

___

Haitians sick of the deprivations of their island home resettled in Chile or Brazil, many after Haitis catastrophic 2010 earthquake. Then, last fall, struggling as the pandemic hit local economies and beset by racism, thousands decided to make their way to the Texas border town of Del Rio. There, they ran afoul of a public health order, invoked by the Trump administration and continued under the Biden administration, that blocks migrants from requesting asylum.

Authorities returned them not to South America, where some of their children were born, but to their original homeland  Haiti.

Some interviewed by the AP said they feared for their lives there and wanted to return to South America. But airlines had stopped direct commercial flights from Haiti to Chile and Brazil during the pandemic; their remaining option was the charters.

The flights from Haiti became a lucrative business as restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus decimated tourism, according to the travel agents. Planes arrive empty to Haiti but return to South America full.

From November 2020 until this May, at least 128 charters were rented by travel agencies in Chile and Brazil for flights from Haiti, according to flight tracking information, online advertisements matching the flights to agencies and other independent verification by the AP and Berkeley.

Since taking office in January 2021, the Biden administration has sent more than 25,000 Haitians back to Haiti despite warnings from human rights groups that the expulsions would only contribute to Haitis travails and feed more Haitian migration to Latin America and the U.S.

Not all of the passengers on the charters had tried to immigrate to the U.S., but based on interviews with dozens of travel agents, Haitian migrants and advocates, and an analysis of flight data using the Swedish service Flightradar24, it is clear that the charters have become a major means to flee Haiti.

Some who took charter flights back to South America have headed north again on the network of underground routes that wind through Central America and Mexico and that ultimately lead to the United States, according to immigration attorneys, advocates and interviews with dozens of Haitians.

Many of the Haitians go back to Chile and Brazil, rather than places close to the U.S. like Mexico, because they have visas and other legal paperwork to get into those countries. And having lived there, they can find jobs quickly to make money for the trip north.

Some, like Amstrong Jean-Baptiste, also have children who were born in South America. The 33-year-old father of two said he spent $6,000 on a harrowing trip from Chile to Texas, only to be sent back to Haiti.

He said he had knives pulled on him, forged rivers that carried others away to their deaths and encountered highway robbers. In the end, he said the Haitians were handcuffed and treated like animals by U.S. immigration authorities. He said his son caught pneumonia in the immigration detention center.

As he waited in Port-au-Prince for a charter flight back to Santiago, news from northern Chile underscored why he wanted to go to the United States in the first place: A demonstration against immigrants drew thousands of protesters who turned violent and destroyed the belongings of migrants living in a camp.

Would he try to go to the U.S. again? He did not rule it out.

The risks are so numerous that this shouldnt be an experience to repeat, he said. However, one should never say never.

___

Ana Darcelin, a travel agent with Travel VIP, a Santiago-based agency that rents planes for flights from Haiti to Chile, said Haitians who migrated north from the South American country, only to be sent back to Haiti, are scrambling to leave Haiti and get back to Chile again.

Everyone is offering charter flights. There is a lot of demand, she said.

Travel agencies in Brazil and Chile said in interviews that they pay anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000 to rent an aircraft. At that rate, the three airlines that rented planes for 128 charter flights between Haiti and either Brazil or Chile would have been paid a total of anywhere from $12 million to $25 million. Meanwhile, some prices for one-way tickets from Haiti to Chile have more than doubled in eight months, from $625 to more than $1,600.

In Brazil, many agencies offering flights from Haiti rented from the low-cost Azul S.A. airlines, which was started by JetBlue founder David Neeleman.

Most of the charters to Chile are on planes rented from SKY Airline, owned by the Chilean Paulmann family, which is worth billions.

Neither Neeleman nor Holger Paulmann, chairman of SKY, responded to emails and LinkedIn messages requesting comment.

SKY also signed a $1.8 million contract in April with the previous administration of Chilean President Sebastian Pinera to fly Latin American immigrants, mostly Venezuelans and Colombians expelled from Chile, back to their homelands. SKY earned about $670 for each expelled immigrant it flies to Central and South America. Under the contract obtained by the AP and Berkeley, the carrier must complete at least 15 flights carrying 180 passengers each.

John Paul Spode, who has worked 35 years in the travel industry and manages NewStilo, which rents planes from SKY for the flights, said Haiti is not the only place in crisis that offers an attractive market for the charter flight business.

His agency also offers charter flights between Venezuela and Chile. But there are few places with the demand for charter flights like Haiti, though he said its not an easy place to do business. In March, protesters stormed the tarmac at an airport in the countryside and set a small plane on fire. Gangs also operate in and around the airport, he said.

Unfortunately, we have had many passengers who have not been able to board because there are people who stand outside (the airport) with some kind of a list and some kind of uniform and they started charging, saying You are not on the list, sir, but for $250 you can be added, and then they let them enter the airport, Spode said.

Some passengers said once inside the airport they were blocked again by so-called airport business employees and told that their names were still not on the list, and they must pay again, Spode said. Many do before they reach the ticket counter where they finally are checked in by a legitimate employee with the flight.

But would-be passengers brave all that. Its tough to sell tickets from Santiago to Port-au-Prince. The plane leaves usually almost empty, Spode said. But we know that on the return trip its going to be full, literally, like people practically hanging from the plane, so to speak.

The demand has been so great that a second low-cost airline based in Ecuador, Aeroregional, entered the Chilean market for the first time and started offering charter flights from Haiti to Chile. At least 11 Aeroregional charters have arrived from Haiti to Chile since December.

Dan Foote, a former U.S. envoy to Haiti who resigned over the Biden administrations handling of Haitians at the Texas border, said he is not surprised to hear Haitians expelled from the U.S. are making their way back to South America, and that businesses are lining up to help them.

Until the root causes of instability are truly attacked in a patient, systematic, holistic way, its going to keep going, Foote said.

The travel agencies and airlines denied they are facilitating Haitian migration.

Aeroregionals managing director, Luis Manuel Rodriguez, said in a statement via LinkedIn that the airlines role is simply to transport people. He said that the immigration status of its passengers is checked by immigration authorities of the countries involved.

Azul confirmed by email that it has provided charter flights between Haiti and Brazil, but said those contracts have confidentiality clauses. The company did not respond to a follow-up request for more information.

Carmen Gloria Serrat, the business manager of SKY, said in a statement that the company offers safe, legal transportation for whoever wants it and needs it. She said airlines are responsible for validating the paperwork of passengers and must eat the costs of returning anyone who is denied entry to a country.

She said the flights run four times monthly on average and represent a minuscule part of SKYs business.

The act of providing safe and legal transportation is a guarantee to avoid the possibility of abuses, Serrat said. Its important to point out that in SKY we operate within the established norms for entering a country and always in coordination and under the supervision of immigration authorities.

___

At least one travel agency is open about offering to help those who hope to reach the United States.

Alta Tour Turismo Travel Agency rents planes for charter flights between Haiti and Chile.

A TikTok account with the handle @altatourtravelagency posted a video on June 14, 2021, discussing how to avoid the Darien Gap, a treacherous, roadless area of thick jungle between Colombia and Panama traversed by migrants from South America heading north.

In the video, two men are talking about different routes north as they show a big boat at sea.

Considering the level of mistreatment Haitians endured from the Colombians in the jungle, I will never go through the jungle, says one as the camera zooms in on the boat on the horizon.

It was unclear if the video was meant to connect people to boats or was a marketing tool to attract customers in need of flights to South America who intended to then take the migrant route north.

Alta Tour Turismo started with a video on Facebook at the start of 2021 that informed viewers that Bolivia was not deporting people. The agency incorporated a month later.

The slogan of the Santiago-based agency is travel with joy. Reservations for flights are largely done through WhatsApp. The agencys social media accounts have nearly 40,000 followers; they promote travel from Haiti to such countries as Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Chile and Mexico.

Ezechias Revanget said he started the agency with three other Haitian immigrants in Chile to rent planes so fellow Haitians in Chile could go back home to see family. His agency has leased 186-seat Airbus planes from SKY airlines.

Our objective is to work with our compatriots, and there are also other people  such as Chileans, Bolivians, Dominicans, anyone, any nationality can buy tickets at our agency, he said.

Alta Tour Turismo also advertised flights to Suriname. In an April 2021 post, the agency posted on its Facebook page that Haitians who had only a passport and wanted to leave Haiti should not miss this opportunity, asserting: you know if you arrive in Suriname you can go to other places too, followed by three smiling emoji and the agencys numbers.

Revanget, who also uses the name Dave Elmyr, refused to answer more questions.

They should be investigating these flights  they should, said Carolina Rudnick Vizcarra, an attorney and director of LIBERA, a Santiago-based nonprofit combatting human trafficking. And by now, everyone knows that Haitians are vulnerable  they dont have the money" or places to stay.

U.S. officials told the AP they were unaware of the charter flights from Haiti. Some South American nations have taken action to prevent their use by migrants and smugglers. Last year, Suriname stopped charter flights from Haiti and issuing visas to Haitians, according to Suriname's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

That same year, neighboring French Guiana complained about Haitians coming across its border.

What was strange was that in the middle of a pandemic, so many flights were arriving from Haiti ... there were unaccompanied minors on the flight, as well as several Haitians without visas, Antoine Joly, the former French ambassador in Suriname told the French Guiana TV station, Guyane la 1ere in a video posted May 4.

Shortly after that, Guyana, which also borders Suriname, canceled an earlier order allowing Haitians in without a visa, contending the country was being used as a destination for human smugglers who were taking migrants into neighboring Brazil where they would stay briefly before heading north to Mexico and the U.S.

Giuseppe Loprete, chief of mission in Haiti of the International Organization of Migration, said the United Nations agency learned about charter flights from Haiti to Chile in interviews with migrants who had been sent back from the United States and Mexico.

We tried to find out more, but we dont have the means to investigate these flights, he wrote in an email to the AP on April 22. Our assumption was that from Chile they move on to other countries heading (to) the Mexican-USA border, if not right away, after some time. Probably when they have collected enough money and information to move forward.

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The Azul charter flights started on Nov. 14, 2020, from Port-au-Prince to Manaus, Brazil. The city of 2.2 million boasts one of Brazils biggest airports, is the capital of the Amazon region with a Haitian immigrant population and is also a well-known jumping-off point for Haitian migrants who travel by boats from there along a river connecting the Colombian, Peruvian and Guyanese borders before continuing north.

Flight data showed that 54 Azul planes flew charter flights from Port-au-Prince to Manaus. The flights stopped in October. That same month, the Brazilian embassy in Haiti stopped issuing all visas to Haitians, according to a document from the Brazilian ambassador in Haiti obtained by AP and Berkeley.

Jean Robert Jean Baptiste, 49, said he bought a $1,400 ticket for an Azul flight in December 2020 to Brazil. He spent a month in Haiti after he was deported from Louisiana, where he was held at an immigration detention center following his arrest on a DUI charge. Back in Haiti, he said an enemy threatened to kill him and had the backing of the police.

He said he decided to fly to Brazil because he had a visa to get into the country after living there from 2011 to 2012 before making his way to the United States in 2016 and settled in Alabama.

In 2021, he made his way from Brazil by bus and on foot. He walked for a week, most of it in the rain, through the Darien Gap, where he said he saw dead bodies of those who didnt make it. He said he had to pay bandits who blocked his path; robbers stole his phone and $500 from him.

All told, he said it cost him about $7,000 to return to Tijuana, where he was trying to find a way back to the U.S. Hes driven, he said, by a determination to have a good life for his children.

The Paulmann family's SKY, meanwhile, is the charter of choice between Haiti and Chile; of 71 such flights since 2020 that AP and Berkeley tracked, 60 were on SKY. The Paulmanns run one of Latin Americas biggest retail companies, Cencosud, and have a net worth of $3.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine. SKY charter planes also flew three flights between Haiti and Brazil in 2021.

Etienne Ilienses said she was sent back to Haiti from Texas on Dec. 14. She talked to the AP before flying to Santiago with her three children on a Jan. 30 charter flight on SKY. To get to the USA, I braved hell, she said. Still, she did not dismiss the possibility of doing it again because Haiti offers nothing to its children. We are forced to suffer humiliations, affronts everywhere."

But just because Haitians fly to Chile, it doesnt mean they can stay. Dozens have been held by immigration officials after arriving in Santiago in recent months. One group spent weeks sleeping at the airport before Chiles Supreme Court on Jan. 31 ordered police to release them and allow them to request asylum.

Others were sent back to Haiti within hours of landing.

SKYs Serrat said the airline works closely with immigration officials to avoid that situation, while the marketing aimed at passengers is the responsibility of the travel operators. (Aeroregionals manager did not respond to questions about flying in Haitians who were later expelled.)

Theleon Marckenson, 31, was sent back to Haiti from Texas last fall. He said he spent $1,650 for a charter flight on Aeroregional to return to Chile, where he had lived since 2017.

After Marckenson landed in Santiago, Chilean authorities told him the application he had submitted for permanent residency before he left for the U.S. border had expired. Hours later he was put on another Aeroregional flight to Haiti with six others.

I dont have any more money, Marckenson said by phone after landing back in Port-au-Prince. I dont know what I am going to do. But I cant stay here. There is only hunger. There is no life.



Gisela Perez de Acha is a supervisory reporter for Berkeleys Human Rights Center and its Investigative Reporting Program. Katie Licari is a recent Berkeley graduate journalism alum.



Watson reported from San Diego, Daniel from New York. Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego; Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami; and Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Ecuador; also contributed to this report. University of California students Zhe Wu, Mar Segura, Grace Luo, Gergana Georgieva, Jose Fernando Rengifo, Pamela Estrada, Freddy Brewster, Sabrina Kharrazi, Jocelyn Tabancay, Imran Ali Malik reported from Berkeley, along with Human Rights Center Investigations Lab director Stephanie Croft.
Many national food conglomerates in the U.S. tout stories of humble beginnings. Shipley Do-Nuts, known here simply as Shipley's, is a Houston success story that went from mom-and-pop to ubiquitous chain across the American South. Here's how it started, and how it's going.

As the saying goes: "Behind every great man is a great woman." In the case of Lawrence Shipley, Sr., the woman was his wife Lillie, whose family owned a doughnut shop in Dallas, where he honed his leavened fried dough chops.

James Nielsen/Family photo

The business-minded Shipley Sr. learned what he could of the doughnut trade, opening and then selling his own shop in Dallasreportedly for $350. He moved to Houston, where he worked tirelessly to develop a recipe for a quality doughnut that would withstand the city's sticky climate. The resulting treat held its glaze perfectly, and would eventually become the catalyst for his nearly century-old doughnut empire.

Shipley's Do-Nuts

The craving for a Shipley's doughnut wasn't so easy to satisfy back when the brand launched in 1936. Shipley Sr. opened Shipley Cream Glazed Do-Nuts as a wholesale bakery at 1417 Crockett Street, selling fresh, hand-cut doughnuts for $0.05 per dozen. It wasn't until the mid-1940s when the first retail location opened at the intersection of Michaux and Euclid streets. Visitors would venture in for a single serving with a cup of coffee.

Lawrence and Lillie Shipley purchased a building on North Main in 1952 to establish their headquarters, with the aim of expanding their operation and eventually begin franchising. By the 1960s, Shipley's sold 27 varieties of doughnuts and rolls.

How it's going

Houstonians haven't been without the fluffy breakfast pastries since, although much has changed. The original bakery at 1417 Crockett is now a row of condos. The 3932 North Main location down the street from HQ that opened in 1950, however, lives on today as the oldest Shipley's still in operation.

James Nielsen/For the Chronicle

Until a year ago, Shipley Do-Nuts remained a family business, with Lawrence Shipley III at the helm. He honored the family's vision to expand, expand, expand, growing the company exponentially since taking the reins in 2005. In January 2021, Austin-based private equity firm Peak Rock Capital bought Shipley Franchise Co. and Shipley Do-nut Flour & Supply Co. with an eye on even more expansion.

Today, there are more than 330 locations across 10 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Flavors have more than doubled to 60 kinds of glazed, iced, jelly-filled and cake doughnuts available in storesbut the classic, hexagon-shaped, plain glazed doughnut remains the No. 1 seller by far, after all these years.

Shipley's Do-Nuts

Famous for more than just do-nuts

While Shipley's is also famous for its kolaches, it actually wasn't until 1995 that the company made the addition, with combinations like sausage and cheese, cheese and jalapeno, and ham and cheese, complementing the menu with savory breakfast choices.

BEN DESOTO/Houston Chronicle

Where it's going

The no-frills doughnut operation shows no signs of slowing down, as multi-unit franchise agreements have already been signed this year, soon resulting in 70 new locations in Texas, Georgia and Maryland. The company is actively searching for new franchisees, as they aim to increase their presence in Colorado, Oklahoma and the Southeast.

With more than 350 new units brewing in the pipeline and a new coffee program in the works, the 86-year-old company is expected to nearly double in size in the next five years.
Severe weather has forced Abbott Nutrition to pause production at a Michigan baby formula factory that had just restarted after being closed for several months, contributing to a national shortage.

Production for Abbott's EleCare specialty formula has been suspended, but there is enough supply to meet demand until production is restarted, the company said. Abbott had prioritized ramping up production of the specialty formula for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition.

Abbott says it needs to assess damage and re-sanitize the factory after severe thunderstorms and heavy rains swept through southwestern Michigan late Monday. Spokesman Jonathon Hamilton said flooding hit a few areas of the factory, but he declined to provide more specific details about damage.

The storm also brought high winds, hail and power failures to Sturgis, Michigan, where the factory is located. The company expects production and distribution to be delayed for a few weeks as it cleans the plant.

Once it restarts, the factory will begin with the production of EleCare and other specialty formulas. Abbott says it also plans to restart production of its Similac formula as soon as possible.

Abbott had initially restarted the factory on June 4 after it had been closed since February due to contamination.

Abbott recalled several leading brands of formula then, including Similac. That squeezed supplies that had already been strained by supply chain disruptions and stockpiling during COVID-19 shutdowns.

The ongoing formula shortage has been most dire for children with allergies, digestive problems and metabolic disorders who rely on specialty formulas.

President Joe Bidens administration has since eased import rules for foreign manufacturers, airlifted formula from Europe and invoked federal emergency rules to prioritize U.S. production.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told a Senate committee on Thursday that government work done to increase the supply means that there will be more than enough product to meet current demand. He also noted that other U.S. baby formula manufacturers are running their plants around the clock.

Califf said they hoped to have a super supply of formula to get shelves fully restocked in perhaps two weeks.

But its too early to give an exact estimate of what the delay will be in the Sturgis plant, Califf said at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions.

Califf called the flood at the plant an unfortunate setback and a reminder that natural weather events can cause unforeseen disruptions in supply chains.

Abbott is one of just four companies that produce about 90% of U.S. formula. Hamilton said Abbott has produced 8.7 million pounds of formula in June, or 95% of what it produced the month before the recall.

The Michigan factory was closed after the Food and Drug Administration began investigating four bacterial infections among infants who consumed powdered formula from the plant. Two of the babies died. The company continues to state that its products have not been directly linked to the infections, which involved different bacterial strains.

FDA inspectors eventually uncovered a host of violations at the plant, including bacterial contamination, a leaky roof and lax safety protocols.

During Thursday's hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, cited Associated Press reporting that the Food and Drug Administration skipped 15,000 inspections of baby formula plants due to COVID-19 and said inspectors should be considered essential workers.

Califf said he agreed with the point. Definitely we had inspections were put on hold and theres been a price to pay for that, Califf said.

-

AP Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson contributed to this report.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
An officer on the scene at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas last month allegedly had a clear shot at the gunman who ultimately killed 19 students and two teachers during a mass shooting at the school last month, but elected not to fire out of fear of hitting a student by accident, according to a report from the New York Times.

The new report published Friday details how the City of Uvalde officer recognized the threat that the gunman posed to the school, but decided it was too dangerous to pull his trigger because kids were on the playground just behind the gunman at the time.

According to the officers, they didnt engage back because in the background there was kids playing and they were scared of hitting the kids, Chief Deputy Sheriff Ricardo Rios of Zavala County told the Times, retelling his conversations with cops on the scene.

The gunman was spraying bullets at a nearby funeral home and towards the school building before entering, but officers who first arrived on the scene thought he was directing shots at them, according to Rios. One of the officers told Rios that they took cover behind a patrol car and had the option to return fire but chose not to.

I asked him, Why didnt you shoot? Why didnt you engage? And thats when he told me about the background, Rios recounted.

The officer's choice not to take the shot is the second known opportunity law enforcement missed to kill alleged gunman Salvador Ramos before he entered the school. According to local authorities, a cop with the Uvalde school districts police force drove past the gunman in the school parking lot just before he entered the building but didnt notice him.

Law enforcements failure to stop the 18-year-old has been the subject of growing scrutiny and outrage since the shooting some three weeks ago. About 78 minutes passed between initial 911 calls reporting an active shooter at Robb Elementary and Ramos death at the hands of federal border patrol agents, according to a Times investigation.

Parents of Robb Elementary students begged officers to take action; one fed up mother even entered the school to save her two children while the gunman was still shooting.

Polices response to the shooting is now the subject of at least three different investigations: the Texas Rangers of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Department of Justice and a special Texas legislative committee are all scrutinizing law enforcements operations during the May 24 shooting.
Police at the U.S. Capitol have arrested members of the CBS show The Late Show With Stephen Colbert who were filming a segment featuring a salty canine puppet voiced by comedian Robert Smigel.

The Capitol Police said Friday that they had arrested seven people in a hallway of the Capitol Building on Thursday night, at a time when the building was closed to visitors. The people had been told to leave the building earlier in the day, police said.

CBS said that Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the puppet that Smigel has voiced for years, had been at the Capitol on Thursday with a production team when they were detained by police. At the time of the arrest, the team had finished prearranged interviews with members of Congress and were filming final comedy elements in the buildings hallways for an upcoming segment on The Late Show.

The seven people were later charged with unlawful entry, and an investigation is now underway in consultation with Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, the Capitol Police said, adding that more criminal charges may be filed. Graves office could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.

The arrests in the Longworth House Office Building occurred at a time when Congress is holding televised hearings into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the same building, in which supporters of President Donald Trump violently stormed the Capitol complex.

Word of the arrests was sure to provide fodder for pundits, comedians and politicians.

Soon after news of the arrests broke Friday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson told viewers that Colberts producers had just committed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building. Its exactly like what happened on Jan 6., so well take a close look at what the punishments are, he said.

Liz Cheney, call your office, Carlson added, referring to the Republican congresswoman from Wyoming and the vice chair of the committee investigating last years attack. Weve got another committee to impanel.

Smigel, the comedian who plays Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, could not be reached for comment Friday night. CBS declined to provide further information about the arrests, nor would it say when the segment featuring Smigels canine puppet would air.

Smigel is a former writer for Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Conan OBrien, and his puppet is an irreverent, cigar-chomping dog who sometimes roams the halls of American power. Days after the 2016 presidential election, Colbert introduced Triumph on his show as an old friend and veteran of the campaign trail, a true mandarin of his business and a toy Rottweiler.

In a 2016 election special earlier that year, Triumph had described himself as an insult comic.

Thats the wave of the future, he told the Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Thats what Trump is doing.

In a February 2020 segment of Colberts Late Show, Triumph visited the U.S. Capitol and joined a scrum of reporters around Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.

Hey, Mitt! he said. Im a dog journalist! Can I get a ride home on your roof? (Romney did not reply.)

Later, when Triumph tried to enter a secure area of the Capitol building, a security guard told him that he did not have access.

Im here to report on the very important waste of time going on in the chamber, he replied.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Last week was the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, which NC has regularly covered, for all those five years (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here (the latter two being on the cladding crisis revealed when Grenfell Towers cladding burned). I was lucky enough to be attending an NC London Meetup a few days afterwards, and heres a photo from the photo essay I did then:

Nowadays, people wear green for remembrance, and the decayed stump of the tower is covered with banners:

Forever in our hearts. Well, perhaps. In this post, I will look superficially at the Inquiry set in motion the day after the fire by then-Prime Minister Theresa May. Then Ill look at the willingness of some to reframe the Grenfell fire not as a technical matter of poor fire engineering, but in broader social terms. Finally, it seems that those broader terms include  of all things  aesthetics (a topic that seems to have dropped out of mainstream coverage, although it had currency in 2017.

Here is the roadmap of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry:

The Inquiry is investigating a List of Issues that has been separated into two phases. Phase 1 focuses on the factual narrative of the events on the night of 14 June 2017. Hearings for Phase 1 began on 21 May 2018 and concluded on 12 December 2018. The Chairman published his Phase 1 report on 30 October 2019, the contents of which can be found here. Phase 2 of the Inquiry examines the causes of these events, including how Grenfell Tower came to be in a condition which allowed the fire to spread in the way identified by Phase 1.

(Here is a post on Phase 1 from NC. Covid slowed down Phase 2; evidence taking will conclude, it is hoped, in July.) The Inquiry issued a Fifth Anniversary Statement:

The fifth anniversary of the fire on 14 June provides an occasion to mourn with renewed intensity the tragedy in which so many people suffered a terrifying ordeal as well as losing not only their homes and possessions but in many cases their dearest relatives and friends. The Panel, together with the whole of the Inquiry team, remains acutely conscious of the effect of the disaster on those who were directly involved and on the wider community in North Kensington. We continue to offer them our deepest sympathy and we repeat our determination to ensure that the Inquiry uncovers [defines?] the full story behind the causes of the tragedy and provides answers to the many questions [but not all?] that continue to trouble them.

The excellent Peter Apps of Inside Housing provides a thread on Phase 2:

1. In an email exchange in March 2015, designers of the tower's cladding system wrote: There is no point in fire stopping. As we all know; the ACM will be gone rather quickly in a fire!"https://t.co/L2edx3ZFHH  Peter Apps (@PeteApps) June 7, 2022

(Theres plenty more where that came; I suggest you click through for plenty of grisly detail on the construction and real estate industries in what is still Thatchers Britain, and of course the regulators and the vendors).

Now lets turn to those broader social terms. I think a lot of the coverage  even my own  has been sucked into disentangling the technical complexities of cladding, the business and political complexities of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO), and so forth. There certainly are a lot of opportunities for rent-seeking, from whatever it is that one does for the price of a dinner, to whatever it is that one does in London real estate. But I do think we need to dolly back from the complexity  which, as usual, is constructed for no good purpose  to take a broader, less nuanced view. For example-

From Unherd, How Grenfell exposed Britain:

The inquiry turned out to be much more than a simple examination of a botched refurbishment on a West London estate. Instead it has given the public a rare glimpse of the various structures whose failures contributed to the fire. None of them ought to escape with reputation intact. Not the housing sector, not the construction industry, nor the fire service or central government. What has emerged is a profoundly depressing portrait of a private sector with a near psychopathic disregard for human life , and a public sector which exists to do little more than serve or imitate it.

It seems to me that psychopathic (and sociopathic) are coming up on the charts; once seen as hyberbolic, they now approach mere description:

One of the most shocking moments of the inquiry was within the third area of its investigation. This looked broadly at the many failures in the towers management. Grenfell housed 37 residents who had disabilities that hindered their ability to escape in an emergency. On the night of the fire, 15 of them died, several alongside friends and relatives who would not leave them in the burning building. The inquiry heard that the management company had done nothing to identify these residents, or plan for their escape. In fact, when the London Fire Brigade asked if there were any disabled residents in their housing stock, the buildings risk assessor advised that KCTMO should say you have nobody, otherwise questions like why were they not included in the buildings [risk assessment] spring to mind . KCTMO staff defended not producing plans for the evacuation on the basis that they were following government guidance from 2011 which said doing so was usually unrealistic. This went against other legal provisions, but does appear to have become standard practice in the housing sector  with thousands of disabled people living in high rises with a similar lack of protection. Startlingly, the Home Office recently announced it would not implement the inquirys recommendation that housing providers should be legally obliged to provide such plans.

No doubt the bulidngs risk assessor was gifted a nice meal afterwards. So it goes.

From Inside Housing, Grenfell Tower Inquiry diary week 79: You could argue that the system was created specifically to enable people to circumvent the rules:

[Professor [Luke] Bisbys] conclusions were damning. Describing the move to a performance-based system in the 1980s, as part of a flagship deregulation package delivered by Margaret Thatcher, he wrote: In an effort to increase the freedom of industry, the regulatory system became more permissive. No regulatory mechanism was put in place to ensure that those dispensing fire safety advice had the requisite competencies. I mean, you could argue that the system was created specifically to enable people to circumvent the rules, he told the inquiry. The new regulatory system, which persists to this day, made it a legal requirement for builders to achieve standards such as that external walls adequately resist the spread of fire, but ultimately left it to their judgement as to how this should be done. At what point would you know, to a reasonable degree of certainty, whether or not you had met the functional requirement? asked Richard Millett QC, lead counsel to the inquiry. In practical terms? replied Professor Bisby. If you had a big fire and everything went horribly wrong.

One imagines Bisbys dawning horror at what he was found, and his efforts to come to grips with it by choosing appropriate language.

Red Pepper, Five years of inaction after Grenfell:

We now know just how much the government knew about the risks of cladding  and how governments, both Labour and Conservative, and the civil servants who served them aided and abetted industry to shirk responsibilities and threaten life. This is what happens in a market state, when services are tendered for lucrative contracts and duties dismissed as not economically viable. As Brian Martin, the expert without qualifications who had such a profound impact on regulation in Britain, put it, he did not wish to distort the market by designating what was safe and unsafe. Mass death followed. The government was warned at various times. It chose to censor core information and protect the interests of cladding and insulation manufacturers, whose economic interests trumped the right to life for the British public. Grenfell as it stands is not followed by a full stop, but a comma. The other criminal disasters are coming. Covid was one, but as the bereaved campaigning for justice for their lost loved ones know only too well, the other disasters are in the post because we are being governed by charlatans .

Charlatans is too kind. WSWS, in The Grenfell fire and fight for justice five years on, recalls to our memory the appropriate name for all this:

In his 1845 study The Condition of the Working Class in England. Engels wrote that the ruling elite of the day, in forcing the working class to live in deprivation and squalor, committed social murder, that it has placed the workers under conditions in which they can neither retain health nor live long; that it undermines the vital force of these workers gradually, little by little, and so hurries them to the grave before their time.

(Note that this undermining of the vital source is exactly what is happening to the Grenfell survivors.)

The social murder framing seems to be slowly catching on. From Social Science & Medicine, The reemergence of Engels concept of social murder in response to growing social and health inequalities:

Our analysis of the presence in academic journals from 1900 to the present of the social murder concept as conceptualized by Friedrich Engels revealed 1) that it was seldomly used; 2) but when used, it usually contained the key elements of Engels concept; and 3) the concept is now reemerging in academic journals. Raphael et al. (2021) suggest that considering the limited success in placing health inequalities and their sources on the Canadian and USA agenda, and the problematic developments in the UK, use of anger arousal and polemic may be means of arousing the public to resist health threatening public policy directions being taken by governing authorities.

In any case of murder, there must be a motived:

Investigations into the 2017 disaster, which killed 72 residents of the London tower block, are continuing. Now analysis of accounts and records shows Kingspan, Arconic, Rydon and Saint-Gobain executives have kept banking millions in salaries, bonuses, shares and dividends. The Times found that since the fire, the four construction giants have collectively posted profits of 4.9 billion  and among them is US industrial conglomerate Arconic. It has paid its three different chief executives at least 17million since 2017. The inquiry was told last year that Arconic knew in 2011 that its cladding panels were not suitable for use on facades and performed worse in fire tests than declared on safety certificates.

Of course, a nice meal for signing off on a piece of paper is a motive, too.

Finally, lets turn to the issue of aesthetics. We ask ourselves: Why was this particular style of cladding used for the Grenfell facade? Interestingly, todays coverage of the aesthetics issue is a little hazy. From the Financial Times:

Grenfell Tower was being refurbished in part to improve its energy performance. Hence behind the cladding, the walls were fitted with insulation boards. These too fuelled the fire.

No mention of aesthetics whatever. The New York Times mentions aesthetics, but glancingly:

Residents have said that the facade was installed to make their housing project more aesthetically pleasing since it stands close to high-end areas in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Residents have said, eh? This may be true, but its also just bad reporting. Theres plenty of contemporaneous discussion of aesthetics and the Grenfell Tower cladding. For example:

Of the Grenfell disaster, [philosopher Sir Roger] Scruton told last nights audience: If it hadnt been so ugly to begin with, the whole problem would never have happened.

By ugly, Scrutom means Brutalist, the then popular style adopted by Grenfells architects. Popular once more, Brutalism did not appeal to Grenfells neighbors, as planning documents unearthed by the Independent in 2017 showed:

Due to its height the tower is visible from the adjacent Avondale Conservation Area to the south and the Ladbroke Conservation Area to the east, a planning document for the regeneration work reads. The changes to the existing tower will improve its appearance especially when viewed from the surrounding area. The document, published in 2014 and providing a full report on the works, makes repeated reference to the appearance of the area. That is the justification for the material used on the outside of the building, which has since been claimed to have contributed to the horror. That statement included a quote from Nick Paget-Brown, the leader of the council, who remarked on how happy he was to see first-hand how the cladding has lifted the external appearance of the tower.

(Despite the confusing Conservation Area terminology, Avondale and Ladbroke seem to be rather like Homeowner Associations in the United States; correction welcomed from those who understand British real estate.) From architecture critic Edwin Heathcote:

The cladding [was] a typical response to gentrification and argued that prettification was partly to blame.

Heathcote also noted:

London is one of the most expensive cities in the world and one of the most rapidly gentrifying.

Far be it from me to translate aesthetics and prettification to real estate values. And there is no reporting that I can find that shows how the Avondale Conservation Area or the Ladbroke Conservation Area influenced the creation of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisations planning document from which the requirements for the construction of the new facade were derived. Nevertheless. But somehow, I doubt that the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will look into these matters. A pity.

* * *

Theres something quite apt about a structure that conceals a brutal reality behind a smooth and shiny but lethal facade, isnt there? A facade that turns a place of refuge and comfort into a death trap? However, it does not seem to me that the property owners of the Avondale and Ladbroke Conservation Areas are themselves guilty of the social murder that turned out to be a consequence of their aesthetic preferences; the causal chain is too tenuous. We might, however, look at the process that actualized their choices (as the Inquiry is doing), and perhaps at property ownership itself, and the effects of Thatcherism.
(Natural News) There are now so many fully vaccinated people showing strong signs of demonic possession that a new St. Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism is opening up in Manila, Philippines.

According to reports, the new site will be dedicated to performing exorcisms on people who got jabbed for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). Father Jose Francisco Syquia says he receives about 10 reports every single day of demons infesting the bodies of the jabbed.

The Roman Catholic Church is responsible for erecting the facility, which is reportedly the first of its kind in Asia. Priests will be trained in the art of expelling demons, and Syquia, the director of the archdiocese, will hold the position of chief exorcist.

The official story is that the plandemic and all of its stressors are responsible for the uptick in demon possession, but the reality is that the jabs are also a major contributor (Related: Demon possession has been on the rise for many years now).

A product of more than seven years of prayers, planning and fundraising, this will be the first of its kind in Asia, if not the world, the archdiocese announced.

This center will minister to those in bondage to the devil, who are therefore the poorest of the poor and are usually overlooked.

Syquia says demons have texted him following exorcisms

The facility will have special rooms for not just exorcisms but also interviews and counseling.

Full possession, according to Syquia, only accounts for about 20 percent of all exorcisms performed by the Roman Catholic Church. The majority, he says, are performed on people who are being harassed physically by evil spirits.

In the past three to five years, Syquia added, there has been a sharp increase in witchcraft activity taking place inside peoples homes, which is also a factor in the current crisis.

The first Vatican-endorsed course on exorcisms was introduced in 2005, and it will be used to train priests not only in Manila but all around the world in the art of casting out demons (or so they say) from peoples bodies and lives.

The Manila facility will serve as the headquarters of the Philippine Association of Catholic Exorcists, also known as PACE, which falls under the Catholic Bishops Conferences of the Philippines.

After performing the exorcism ritual on some people, Syquia says the demons that were cast out later texted him. In one instance, he claims to have seen a woman levitate after becoming possessed, only to have the demon later send threatening messages to his office phone.

While Syquia was talking to the woman and her companion, the phone was in a completely different room, he says.

The devil has power over anything electrical, the archdiocese is quoted as saying, adding that the message he received from the alleged demon accused him of being a sinner and a liar.

If this place is infested, for example, and they want their presence known, usually the lights would flicker. If I give a talk and use a certain gadget, the devil would easily shut it down because he is an expert in anything electrical.

In the United States, demon possession is currently at a fever pitch, especially now that we have entered Pride month. Children everywhere are being dragged by their parents and guardians to parades and bars where transgender drag queens are flashing their fake body parts and reading them books about gender identity.

Demon activity and even possession are clearly on the rise, wrote someone in response to the news about the new exorcism facility. Those who dabble in the occult and witchcraft are especially vulnerable.

The latest news about Fauci Flu shot injections can be found at ChemicalViolence.com.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Ghislaine Maxwell, former lover to the late financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, was allegedly close to meeting her demise in a murder-for-hire plot.

(Article by Christine Favocci republished from WesternJournal.com)

According to Fox News, the British socialites attorney said in a court filing Wednesday that Maxwells prison cellmate had been offered money to murder her and planned to strangle her in her sleep  a plot that sounds suspiciously similar to the manner of Epsteins death except that he definitely committed suicide.

The prolific pedophile had been arrested for his crimes, but was left alone in his cell and reportedly hanged himself in 2019, despite being on suicide watch.

This happened before he faced any of the charges in court and before he could reveal any of the rich and famous men who may have accompanied him on his illicit trysts.

For her part, Maxwell was convicted in December on five charges, including sex trafficking of minors for Epstein to abuse and exploit, and was sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York

Now, in light of Maxwells cellmates assertions, her legal team is appealing for leniency ahead of her June 28 sentencing hearing.

One of the female inmates in Ms. Maxwells housing unit told at least three other inmates that she had been offered money to murder Ms. Maxwell and that she planned to strangle her in her sleep, the filing stated.

The inmate also claimed that the amount offered was so enticing that it would be worth an additional 20 years incarceration.

The cellmate has since been transferred to a different section of the prison, away from Maxwell.

This incident reflects the brutal reality that there are numerous prison inmates who would not hesitate to kill Ms. Maxwell  whether for money, fame, or simple street cred, her attorneys contended.

Her legal team also threw in an appeal to excuse Maxwells conduct given her tough life coming of age as a wealthy debutante.

Ghislaine Maxwell is not an heiress, villain, or vapid socialite, the filing went on. She has worked hard her entire life. She has energy, drive, commitment, a strong work ethic, and desire to do good in the world, her attorneys said.

The filing also noted Maxwell had a difficult, traumatic childhood with an overbearing, narcissistic, and demanding father.

Regardless of how or why she got into the sordid business of trafficking young girls for sexual abuse, Maxwells role as an accomplice to Epstein has clearly made her a target  and perhaps theres sufficient reason to worry about her safety.

Another of the pedophiles associates, Jean-Luc Brunel, the ex-modeling agent dubbed Epsteins pimp, also died by suicide in jail, also by hanging, and also before his victims could get closure through a trial.

The suicide of Jean-Luc Brunel, who abused me and countless girls and young women, ends another chapter, Virginia Giuffre tweeted February 19. Giuffre was allegedly trafficked by Epstein and repeatedly raped by Prince Andrew, who settled with her out of court.

Im disappointed that I wasnt able to face him in a final trial to hold him accountable, but gratified that I was able to testify in person last year to keep him in prison, she said.

The suicide of Jean-Luc Brunel, who abused me and countless girls and young women, ends another chapter. Im disappointed that I wasnt able to face him in a final trial to hold him accountable, but gratified that I was able to testify in person last year to keep him in prison.  Virginia Giuffre (@VRSVirginia) February 19, 2022

Of course, it could all be a coincidence that these criminals who rubbed elbows with the worlds elite while engaged in a sinister enterprise would decide that dying by hanging is better than spilling their secrets.

Its also reasonable to assume that a hit solicited against Maxwell  using exactly the same manner of death  could be taken out independently of whatever happened to Epstein and Brunel.

And it could even be true that Maxwells attorneys have embellished or fabricated this story to drum up sympathy for a lighter sentence.

But taken all together, its undeniable that many powerful people in high places would benefit from Epstein, Brunel, Maxwell and their whole cohort of criminal conspirators dying in prison  and that is enough to make any rational person question everything theyre telling us.

Read more at: WesternJournal.com
(Natural News) Attorney Michael Avenatti, a known adversary of former President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty to multiple charges. Already serving a five-year prison sentence in California, Avenattis jail term could extend to decades following his plea.

The 51-year-old lawyer pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and one count of tax fraud on June 16. Collectively, the five charges he admitted to carry a maximum combined prison term of 83 years. Avenatti is defending himself against 31 other criminal charges, including lying to a bankruptcy court and defrauding a bank.

U.S. District Judge James Selna accepted Avenattis guilty plea, with the magistrate scheduling the lawyers sentencing hearing on Sept. 19, 2022. Meanwhile, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Sagel told Selna that prosecutors would hold an internal discussion on how to proceed with the remaining charges.

Avenatti, who has been disbarred in the Golden State, won the right to represent himself during the June 16 hearing at Santa Ana, California. Dean Steward, Avenattis advisory lawyer, said the disgraced attorneys guilty plea was a strategic move to ensure the energy everyone would put into a trial will be put into sentencing.

In a court document, Avenatti wrote that he tried in vain to reach a plea deal with prosecutors.

Despite repeated efforts over the last year by Mr. Avenatti and his counsel, including substantial efforts made in the last 30 days, defendant has been unable to reach a plea agreement with the government, said the court filing. Mr. Avenatti wishes to plea in order to be accountable; accept responsibility; avoid his former clients being further burdened; save the court and the government significant resources; and save his family further embarrassment.

According to the document, Avenatti expects to get less than the maximum 83-year prison sentence  which also includes restitution payments to former clients amounting to more than $10 million. (Related: Porn lawyer Michael Avenatti indicted by Feds on multiple counts of fraud, could serve 300-plus years in prison.)

Avenatti in hot water for embezzling clients money

Avenatti first made headlines when he chose to represent pornographic actress Stormy Daniels in court. The X-rated film star accused Trump and the latters former lawyer Michael Cohen of harassing her  on the basis of a non-disclosure agreement  from divulging a purported affair she had with the former president. Of the three lawsuits filed by Daniels and Avenatti, they won the first and lost the second. The third lawsuit was settled in May 2019.

However, Avenatti soon found himself as a defendant after Daniels accused him of embezzling almost $300,000. He was subsequently found guilty of the accusations in February 2022 and sentenced to a five-year jail term.

Aside from embezzling Daniels money, the disgraced lawyer has also been convicted in 2020 for attempting to extort as much as $25 million from sportswear brand Nike.

Government prosecutors said during the June 16 hearing that Avenatti used money from cases to fund an opulent lifestyle instead of paying his clients what they were entitled to receive. Most of these cases took place between 2015 and 2019, they added.

One such case involved Avenatti collecting $4 million from the Los Angeles County as compensation for a man injured in custody. The lawyer denied receipt of any settlement amount and said that he paid his client what he called advances on a settlement that ranged from $1,000 to $1,900.

Another case cited by the prosecutors involved Avenatti collecting $2.75 million in a settlement and using most of the amount to buy a private plane.

Watch Tucker Carlson below asking if Americans have completely forgotten Michael Avenatti.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Disgraced anti-Trump lawyer Michael Avenatti sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for Nike extortion.

Feds charge sleazy porn star lawyer Michael Avenatti with allegedly stealing from client Stormy Daniels.

Creepy porn lawyer Michael Avenatti sentenced to four years in prison after embezzling $300k from client.

BREAKING: Michael Avenatti, former attorney of Stormy Daniels who tried to destroy Trump, charged with extortion threats against Nike.

Sources include:

WesternJournal.com

Newsmax.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) On March 9, 2017, then-FBI Director James Comey met with congressional leaders, the Gang of 8, to brief them on the status of their counterintelligence investigation of former President Donald Trump. He met first with Senate leaders and then with House leaders.

(Article by Elizabeth Stauffer republished from WesternJournal.com)

Comey was armed with a seven-page memo containing talking points that had been prepared the previous day by former FBI lawyer Lisa Page.

According to RealClearInvestigations Paul Sperry, the newly declassified memo and additional documents show that Comey deceived the House, Senate and the Justice Department about the substance and strength of evidence against Trump. Sperry reported that Pages memo was riddled with half-truths, outright falsehoods and critical omissions and that Comeys misrepresentations prompted both the Senate and the House to open investigations of their own.

(Note: Sperry provides a screenshot of one page of the memo in his article.)

Comey told congressional leaders about reports the FBI had received in 2016 from a former confidential human source (who turned out to be Christopher Steele), which claimed that former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and junior campaign advisor Carter Page had allegedly conspired with the Russian government to sway the election.

The informant, Comey explained, told the FBI that Manafort initially managed the relationship between Russian government officials and the Trump campaign, using Carter Page as an intermediary.

In addition, Comey told lawmakers that [Carter] Page was reported to have had secret meetings in early July 2016 with a named individual in Russias presidential administration during which they discussed Russias release of damaging information on Hillary Clinton in exchange for alterations to the GOP platform regarding U.S. policy towards Ukraine.

By the time of these briefings, the FBI already knew none of these allegations were true.

In the memo, [Lisa] Page advised Comey that if pressed, he should tell lawmakers that some of the reporting has been corroborated and that the CHS reporting in this matter is derived primarily from a Russian-based source.

At that point, none of the reporting had been corroborated. And weve known for a long time that none of it ever was corroborated. Also, both their CHS, Steele and Steeles primary sub-source, Igor Danchenko, were America-based.

Not only did Comey withhold their identities from the Gang of 8, he did not inform them that Danchenko worked for Steele, that Steele was collecting dirt for the Clinton campaign or that Steele did not have any sources inside the Kremlin.

Danchenko was arrested in November of 2021, for lying to the FBI during multiple interviews in 2017 about where and how he got his information, The Washington Post reported.

His was the third indictment in special counsel John Durhams investigation into the origins of the FBIs investigation into Trump-Russia collusion. His trial is set to begin on Oct. 11, according to Fox News. Sperry noted that Pages memo was declassified as part of pre-trial discovery process.

As mentioned earlier, Comey did not identify Steele or Danchenko by name to the lawmakers. He referred to Steele by the codename, CROWN. (As per screenshot.) Sperry pointed out that Steele had not worked for British Intelligence in years, but was likely trying to give the impression that the dossier was a product of British intelligence.

Nor did he tell Congress that the FBI had fired Steele after he leaked to the media. Sperry concluded: Comey hid the truth about his star informant from the nations top lawmakers.

The memo stated, If asked about CROWN/Steele by lawmakers, Comey was to tell them only that CROWN, a former FBI CHS, is a former friendly foreign intelligence service employee who reported for about three years, and some of whose reporting has been corroborated.

None of that was true.

At the same time, the FBI was submitting the dossier in their renewal applications to the FISA court for warrants to spy on Carter Page.

Sperry reported that the former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and former counterintelligence official Peter Strzok misled former acting Attorney General Dana Boente during a March 6, 2017, briefing by referring to Steeles dossier as CROWN source reporting as Comey would do three days later.

Additionally, Strzok told Boente that he opened the investigation after Trump called upon Russia to find Hillary Clintons deleted emails. You may recall Trumps sarcastic remark during a campaign event in July 2016. He said, Russia if youre listening, I hope you are able to find the 30 thousand emails that are missing.

The reality, Sperry wrote, was this incident is not mentioned on the documents filed to open the case and Trumps remark came after Strzok stated the FBI determined probable cause.

Strzok and McCabe told Boente that the secret FISA monitoring of Pages phone and emails was fruitful. It was not.

On March 20, 2017, testifying before the House Intelligence Committee, Comey announced the FBI had opened an investigation to determine if any members of the Trump campaign had colluded with the Russian government to help win the election.

He stated: The FBI, as part of our counter-intelligence mission, is investigating the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russias efforts.

His remarks triggered a media frenzy around the former president which truth be told, has never really stopped.

Read more at: WesternJournal.com
(Natural News) Pro-abortion group Planned Parenthood (PP) closed its last remaining clinic in South Dakota, officially making the Mount Rushmore State abortion-free.

PPs reproductive health clinic in South Dakota, based in Sioux Falls, performed its last abortion on June 13 even though the state has not yet banned the procedure. According to the New York Times, the clinic also served patients from North Dakota and Minnesota. Abortions at the Sioux Falls clinic had already been sporadic for some time now, with a Minnesota doctor flying in around once a month to administer abortions.

Back in 2020, the Sioux Falls facility temporarily shuttered its doors due to the pandemic. This resulted in a record low number of abortions  with only three procedures performed in a six-month period.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem took to Twitter to express her jubilation over the PP abortion clinics closure. She tweeted: Abortions have stopped in South Dakota. We have prayed for this day, and now it is here.

She also reiterated the need to redouble focus on taking care of mothers in crisis in her post. Help is available for you; adoption is an option. You are never alone, she said.

Back in March 2022, the pro-life Republican governor signed a bill prohibiting mail-order abortions in the Mount Rushmore State into law.

Under the new edict, abortion facilities must provide the abortifacient drugs mifepristone and misoprostol in person instead of sending them by mail. This effectively outlawed the practice of abortion clinics in which they simply send the two drugs to women without requiring a face-to-face visit.

The law also mandated women seeking abortion to visit the abortion clinic four times. The first visit would center on informed consent, while the second and third visits would involve dispensing the abortifacient medications. A fourth visit would serve as a follow-up to ensure the abortion is complete.

State legislators block Noems heartbeat bill, want total ban on abortion

Meanwhile, South Dakota legislators blocked the introduction of a draft bill that sought to ban abortions upon detection of a heartbeat. (Related: Planned Parenthood murders babies with beating hearts delivered during abortion procedures.)

According to the Daily Signal, lawmakers at the South Dakota House of Representatives refused to allow Noems draft bill to be introduced on the floor. The proposal, which was modeled after Texas Heartbeat Bill that prohibited abortions with a detectable heartbeat, had been blocked by the State Affairs Committee of the state legislatures lower chamber.

Lawmakers argued that they blocked Noems proposal out of concerns that it could affect the outcome of the states legal feud with PP.

I am as pro-life as can be and, because of that, I do not want to do something that will jeopardize our involvement in a court case that could abolish abortion in this country, said South Dakota House Speaker Spencer Gosch.

Its the [South Dakota] Legislatures job to legislate, not the governors. What she had wasnt a bill; it was language. We said that its not going to be a bill and, therefore, its not going to be heard. End of discussion.

Nevertheless, the two actions  Noem banning mail-order abortions and PP closing its Sioux Falls clinic  officially made South Dakota the second abortion-free state in the United States. It followed the footsteps of Oklahoma that banned abortions beginning at conception. The Lone Star States Heartbeat Bill against abortion only applies when a heartbeat is detectable in the unborn baby  at about six weeks.

In case the Supreme Court overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that codified the right to abortion at the federal level, the state has a law currently in place that prohibits all abortions.

Watch the video below that discusses Planned Parenthoods links to abortion, sex trafficking and pornography.

This video is from the Truthchannel channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Planned Parenthood is now being REWARDED with cash for killing babies.

Planned Parenthood president admits their core mission is abortion, not health care.

Planned Parenthood tweets human rights for all while denying human rights to babies.

Planned Parenthood now teaming up with SATANISTS to promote abortion (murder of unborn babies.)

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NYTimes.com

TheLifeLeague.com

DailySignal.com

LifeNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The Biden administration and Democrats know there is no way they can pass a ban on so-called assault weapons, the the regime is going for the next best thing: Cutting off ammunition.

According to the website The Truth About Guns, a source told the outlet that the Biden regime is taking steps to reduce the availability of .223/5.56 ammunition available to the average shooter.

One Twitter user posted additional ammunition-related news as a breaking story: The U.S. Military is actively considering shutting down the sale is M855/SS109 ammo from Lake City to the commercial market.

BREAKING NEWS: The U.S. Military is actively considering shutting down the sale is M855/SS109 ammo from Lake City to the commercial market. @NSSF @NRAILA #GreenTipAmmo @POTUS @JoeBiden  Larry Keane (@lkeane) June 15, 2022

This comes as the Army is set to retire the ubiquitous M4 carbines with new individual and squad automatic weapons, per Military.com:

The Army has found its replacements for the M4 rifle and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, handing out a contract to put new guns in the hands of tens of thousands of soldiers.

The force is awarding a 10-year, $20.4 million contract to Sig Sauer for the XM5 Rifle, which will become the new standard rifle for soldiers, and the XM250 Automatic Rifle, which will replace the SAW.

The service will also switch from 5.56mm ammo to 6.8mm, after a search for rounds better built to penetrate body armor.

Both weapons fire common 6.8 millimeter ammunition utilizing government provided projectiles and vendor-designed cartridges, an Army spokesperson said in a press release. The new ammunition includes multiple types of tactical and training rounds that increase accuracy and are more lethal against emerging threats than both the 5.56mm and 7.62mm ammunition.

Civilian-style AR-15s are modeled off the militarys M4; if the Pentagon no longer needs .556/.223 ammunition, then that gives the Biden regime all the justification it needs to force companies to stop producing it.

A person with knowledge of the situation tells us that, more than just considering the move, Winchester, which operates the US Armys Lake City ammunition plant, has been informed that it may no longer sell M855 and SS109 ammunition produced in excess of the militarys needs on the civilian market, TTAG reported.

How would that affect the civilian supply of .223 and 5.56 ammunition? We understand that as much as 30% of the commercial markets sales volume of .223/5.56 is produced by Lake City, the report continued.

The site went on to point out the obvious motivation behind the decision: The regime wants to further inflate the cost of such ammunition, which will affect all owners of the countrys most popular sporting and self-defense rifle. If you cant go after the weapon, then, of course, go after the ammo.

Lets face it. Even the hapless Biden administration must realize that they dont have any realistic prospect of getting another assault weapons ban through the Senate, the website continued.

Instead, theyre doing the next best thing. Theyre trying to make shooting most AR-15 rifles as expensive as possible for Americans who own between 20 and 25 million AR platform guns.

There are some interesting options, of course, for maintaining the supply.

First off, if you dont reload already, now may not be the time to start. As manufactured ammunition becomes more scarce, so, too, will .556/.223 components (primers, brass, bullets, etc.). There are some discount ammunition sites online and many of them have had sufficient supplies throughout the pandemic, when getting ammo (and finding firearms) was extremely difficult.

But the bottom line is this: The regime and Democrats are not going to simply give up coming after our most popular, capable firearms. If they cant ban them out of existence, they will dry up the ammo supply or tax them out of existence.

Sources include:

TheTruthAboutGuns.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana have filed a suit to prevent the Biden administration from continuing to collude with Big Tech companies to limit political speech.

In the suit, which was filed on Tuesday, Attorneys General Eric Schmidt of Missouri and Jeff Landry of Louisiana are asking a federal judge to stop Biden officials from taking any steps to demand, urge, encourage, pressure, or otherwise induce any company or platform for online speech.

The preliminary injunction applies to the employees, agents and officers of online companies and platforms and seeks to stop those who censor, suppress, remove, de-platform, suspend, shadow-ban, de-boost, or take any other adverse action against any speaker, content, or viewpoint expressed on social-media.

Although many social media platforms have long engaged in suppressing speech that goes against their liberal ideologies, this lawsuit is considered to be at least partly in response to the efforts made by the Biden administration to have Big Tech censor speech such as information about COVID-19 vaccine safety.

The lawsuit outlines how the administration wasted no time upon taking office to embark on a censorship campaign. It states: Once in control, Defendants promptly capitalized by leveraging these threatswhich continued with increased vigorinto direct collusion with social-media companies to achieve widespread censorship of particular disfavored speakers and viewpoints on social media.

Among those cited in the lawsuit were Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who the suit claims pressured social media companies to restrict peoples access to information about COVID-19 and take action against so-called misinformation super-spreaders who use their services.

The lawsuit notes that Facebooks response to Murthys request was that they had already been coordinating to suppress such information.

The suit also cites Dr. Anthony Fauci for convincing Facebook to censor stories related to the possibility of COVID-19 being the result of a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where coronaviruses in bats were being studied.

In a news release, AG Schmitt said that as the bedrock of our nation, free speech must be preserved and protected. He stated: The federal governments alleged attempts to collude with social media companies to censor free speech should terrify Missourians and Americans alike.

Big Tech censorship has undue power

Ahead of the 2020 elections, researchers revealed that the worlds most popular email platform, Googles Gmail, was 7 times more likely to send emails from conservative candidates to users spam folders than emails from left-wing candidates.

Video sharing platform YouTube recently came under fire when they scrubbed a widely viewed journalistic interview by the New York Post of January 6 rioter Aaron Mostofsky outside of the Senate chamber. In the interview, Mostofsky said he went to the Capitol due to his belief that the 2020 election had been stolen from Trump. YouTube labeled it misinformation, yet footage of Hillary Clinton claiming that the election of 2016 was stolen from her and calling Trump an illegitimate president is still allowed on the platform.

The Post was also the subject of censorship when Facebook suppressed a 2020 opinion column from the publication suggesting COVID-19 could have come from a Wuhan lab, but these pale in comparison to the egregious censorship of the outlets story on Hunter Bidens laptop in the leadup to the 2020 election.

Both Facebook and Twitter suppressed their factual stories about the laptops contents in censorship that may have changed the results of the 2020 elections in some close states. The rest of the media has now admitted that their reporting was accurate  now that the damage has been done and the election results cannot be reversed.

Incidents like the censorship of the laptop story illustrate just how big of an influence social media censorship can have on the population and the way the world is run. As social media platforms continue to take on a central role in many peoples daily lives, Big Tech has the power to shape not just our culture but our politics, giving it an outsized influence on every aspect of our lives.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

FoxNews.com

NYPost.com
Interview: BRICS bank promotes infrastructure, development in emerging economies, says bank's regional head

13:15, June 19, 2022 By Zodidi Mahlana, Herbert Mashishi ( Xinhua

JOHANNESBURG, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The New Development Bank (NDB), established by BRICS countries, has flexible policies geared towards tackling infrastructure and development challenges faced by emerging economies, Director-General of the NDB's Africa Regional Center Monale Ratsoma has said.

"The way the bank is modeling itself is targeted at addressing issues developing countries are struggling with," said Ratsoma in a recent interview with Xinhua at the regional center in Johannesburg, noting the bank's focus is assisting with infrastructure.

Unlike other major financial institutions, the NDB is willing to finance private sector projects, even though it has mostly funded government and parastatal projects since its opening in the region in 2017, he said.

"We are now increasingly seeing in our portfolio that corporate projects are coming through and private projects are coming through in South Africa," he said.

Ratsoma hailed the establishment of the NDB as a game-changer, because it is the first of its kind that has been established by a group of emerging economies, and through the NDB they could shape everything based on the challenges the countries face.

The bank provided a loan to Eskom to help the national electricity utility tackle its problems through renewable energy programs and reducing emissions, he said.

The bank is exploring a way to expand its membership, which will enable it to do more in certain areas, he said, citing a water project financed by the bank in Lesotho.

The project will augment water supply from Lesotho to semi-arid South Africa, which is heavily reliant on water transferred from its neighbor.

"South Africa is a water-scarce country, so the economic development impact of that can be easily measurable," Ratsoma added.

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
(Natural News) The American advocacy group CatholicVote has made a map tracking attacks on Catholic churches as anti-Catholic violence increases across America.

(Article by Clare Marie Merkowsky republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

On June 14, CatholicVote, an organization that defends Faith, Family, and Freedom, published an interactive map tracking attacks of violence on churches throughout America in the past two years, attacks beginning with the violent Black Lives Matter protests.

Since 2020, there have been at least 140 attacks against Catholic churches in the United States, including thefts of sacred tabernacles, fires which severely damaged historic churches, spray-painting and graffiti, windows smashed, and statues destroyed (often with heads cut off), CatholicVote reported.

Crucially, while some of the attacks have included thefts, most have only involved property destruction, indicating that the motive is not primarily material gain, the organization added.

The educational map allows users to click on a location and see pictures and learn the details of each attack.

CatholicVote wrote that the attacks took place across the country in 39 states, but with hostspots with large clusters of attacks including New York City (15 separate church attacks in the area), Los Angeles (9), Seattle (7), Boston (5), Denver (5), Miami/South Florida (4); and Houston (4).

Some of the churches have been attacked multiple times, added the group.

CatholicVote President Brian Burch has repeatedly appealed to the Biden Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland to respond to the attacks. However, the requests have been met with silence from the Biden administration.

Additionally, last week, CatholicVote launched a map tracking all attacks against pregnancy care centers and other American pro-life groups which have intensified since the Supreme Court leak.

In May, a?leaked draft opinion? which, if published, could overturn?Roe v. Wade ?sparked a series of violent attacks against pro-life centers across America. Now, as the Supreme Court seems closer to publishing this report, the pro-abortion?attacks have intensified.

On Tuesday, the group declared open season on pro-lifers, writing: We promised to take increasingly drastic measures against oppressive infrastructures. Rest assured that we will, and those measures may not come in the form of something so easily cleaned up as fire and graffiti.

Recently, U.S. Homeland Security?warned?of potential terrorist violence over the pending?Roe v. Wade?decision, claiming that pro-life supporters as well as pro-abortion activists have been encouraging violence, despite no evidence of violence or threat of violence committed by the pro-life side.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
(Natural News) The Biden regime is launching new bias-related social initiatives that include a hate crime reporting hotline.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on May 20 that it is spending $10 million in taxpayer money to fight hate crimes and other bias-related incidents as part of a nationwide snitching push.

Conservatives, Christians, pro-life defenders of unborn babies, and other non-politically correct Americans will of course be excluded from the effort. Only LGBTQs, pro-death cultists and other far-left people will be protected.

Coming just days after the House of Representatives authorized the creation of new departments within the federal government to spy on and surveil Americans to supposedly fight domestic terrorism and hate, the DoJs new guidance was crafted in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

According to the HHS, hate crimes accelerated throughout the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) plandemic. The solution is to massively expand the federal government and its power to police and control the lives of everyday Americans.

In addition to the $10 million being spent to the launch the program, the DoJ is also spending another $5 million on hate crime reporting hotlines for individual states. These hotlines will support community-based approaches to prevent and address hate crimes, we are told.

As part of the effort, the DoJ is also planning to launch its first language access coordinator to help head up the program.

Throughout our history, and to this day, hate crimes have a singular impact because of the terror and fear they inflict on entire communities, said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement.

No one in this country should have to fear the threat of hate fueled violence. The Justice Department will continue to use every resource at its disposal to confront unlawful acts of hate, and to hold accountable those who perpetrate them.

Remember the Asian hate false flag? Thats the excuse for creating this new police state monstrosity

According to the Biden regime, Asians and other minorities (there are actually far more Asian people in the world than white people) need protection from evil whitey, as evidenced by the Asian hate false flag incident that occurred during the plandemic.

A professor at Kentucky State University claims to have compiled a list of around 100 attacks against Asians that occurred between 2020 and 2021 at the height of the plandemic. In more than 60 percent of the cases, the suspect was black.

Last year, the Biden regime enacted the COVID-19 Hate Crimes and Khalid Jabara-Heather Heyer NO HATE Acts, which paved the way for the new hate crime hotlines that the DoJ and HHS are setting up all across the country to encourage more Americans to snitch against their neighbors.

Since January 2021, the DoJ says it has secured more than 35 convictions against defendants charged with bias-motivated crimes, which is even more Orwellian than so-called hate crimes in that almost anything can be considered bias.

The DoJ currently defines a hate crime as a crime motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. The most common form of it at 30 percent is vandalism or property damage.

As we reported back in 2019 before the plandemic, it was also deemed a hate crime to declare that its okay to be white, because apparently it is no longer okay to be white in America.

It appears as though the Biden regime is set on destroying the U.S. with its communist initiatives, wrote someone at The Epoch Times. This administration is full of despicable characters.

The latest news about the Biden regimes ratcheting up of the police state can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) In the latest example of a leftist media fabricating narratives, concocting sources and blatantly deceiving the public, USA Today outed itself as another failing fake news organ.

(Article by Mark Pellin republished from HeadlineUSA.com)

The alleged news outlet had to yank 23 articles from circulation after a reporter was busted fabricating stories and sources.

After receiving an external correction request, USA TODAY audited the reporting work of Gabriela Miranda, the outlet wrote Thursday in an editors note.

The audit revealed that some individuals quoted were not affiliated with the organizations claimed and appeared to be fabricated.

Miranda seeped her lies, distortions and bias into articles on everything from abortion bans, anti-vaxxers and Georgia elections to Ukrainian women soldiers, sunscreen, TikTok and skinny jeans.

The existence of other individuals quoted could not be independently verified, USA Today copped to Mirandas articles. In addition, some stories included quotes that should have been credited to others.

Miranda, it was announced, had resigned as a reporter for USA Today and the USA Today Network.

The editors note promised that the fake news outlet would do everything in its power to no longer be a fake news purveyor and to be accurate and factual in all our content and regret this situation.

The public remained unconvinced.

Who does she think she is Taylor Lorenz? pic.twitter.com/LZUOEIgjVd  Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) June 16, 2022

No wonder my best friend is so ill-informed, she reads USA Today, observed one media watcher.

Bad information from bad sources like this, CNN, & NYTimes. Is holier-than-thou yet ignorant.

The New York Times, which lied its way into a Pulitzer with the fabulist 1619 ravings of race-peddler Nikole Hannah-Jones, reported that USA Todays reporter took steps to deceive investigators by producing false evidence of her newsgathering, including recordings of interviews, one of the people said.

The Washington Post, currently battling the Times for top fake news bragging rights over their now-debunked yet Pulitzer-winning fables about the Russia hoax, issued a tame scolding for USA Today.

CNN, which ironically has been outed for manufacturing fake news several times by USA Today, also soft-balled its colleagues incident with passing notice.

MAJOR NEWS: The far-left USA Today has removed 23 articles after discovering their reporter Gabriela Miranda fabricated sources. This is why no one trusts the media anymore, its fake!  Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) June 17, 2022

Read more at: HeadlineUSA.com
(Natural News) On June 17, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency authorization (EUA) for Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines to be injected into babies as young as six months old.

Previously, only children five years of age and older were allowed to get jabbed, and only with the Pfizer injection, while people 18 years of age and older were allowed to take Moderna. Now, infants can have their DNA permanently destroyed with either brand, thanks to the FDA.

The announcement came just two days after an FDA advisory panel comprised of independent experts voted unanimously to allow the regulator to emergency authorize the shots for this new age demographic.

Authorization has a lower evidentiary bar than approval, and is only possible because U.S. authorities have maintained a COVID-19 emergency designation despite cases, hospitalizations, and deaths linked to the disease plunging since the metrics hit fresh peaks in January, reports The Epoch Times.

FDA admits that Pfizer trial data on children is not reliable but is authorizing the shots anyway

The shots of course do absolutely nothing to promote health and are entirely unnecessary for babies. But Pfizer and Moderna need to generate more profits, so the FDA is doing their Wall Street bidding at the expense of childrens lives.

The FDA admitted in a statement that Pfizers pathetic clinical trial involving children was determined not to be reliable due to the low number of COVID-19 cases that occurred in the study participants. Even so, the FDA is giving the company whatever it wants just because.

No estimates were possible for protection against severe illness  which is the primary reason officials say to get vaccinated because the protection has waned considerably as new virus variants emerge  because of the low numbers of severe cases among vaccinated and unvaccinated volunteers, the Times added.

In his own statement, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf praised his agencys decision, claiming that parents, caregivers, and clinicians have been desperately waiting for the opportunity to start jabbing babies at warp speed.

As we have seen with older age groups, we expect that the vaccines for younger children will provide protection from the most severe outcomes of COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death, Califf claims.

Peter Marks, another FDA goon, added to this that the agency supposedly engaged in rigorous and thorough analysis of the shots before authorizing them for use in babies.

As we reported last fall, a study looking at the effects of Fauci Flu shots on unborn babies found that 90 percent of them died upon exposure to the injections. With that in mind, how can the FDA make these ridiculous claims about a rigorous and thorough investigation?

From an efficacy standpoint, it makes absolutely no sense to approve these products, says Brian Hooker, the chief scientific officer at Childrens Health Defense (CHD).

On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will convene with its own vaccine advisory panel to discuss whether or not to recommend the jabs for this age group in the same way that the FDA did. Chances are that the CDC will follow right along with the FDA as the final decision will be made by Director Rochelle Walensky, who is Tony Fauci-level evil.

This is a crime against humanity to destroy the natural immunity of infants with experimental products that have proven to be dangerous and useless, wrote a reader of the Times.

When they blatantly tell you that your children must be sacrificed to bring about their new world order, that is when debate must turn into rage, added another.

The latest news about the corrupt FDA can be found at FDA.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Professor Yuval Noah Harari, best-selling author of Sapiens and Homo Deus and the top adviser to World Economic Forum (WEF) founder Klaus Schwab, claimed that human beings can already be hacked and controlled.

Humans are now hackable animals. You know the whole idea that humans have this soul or spirit and they have free will. So, whatever I choose whether in the election, or whether in the supermarket, this is my free will. Thats over  free will, he said at a recent speaking engagement.

Harari previously said that, in a couple of decades, people will remember the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis as the moment that everything became monitored; the moment that people agreed to be surveyed all the time.

And maybe most importantly, all this was the moment when surveillance started going under the skin. Because really, we havent seen anything yet. The ability to hack humans to understand deeply whats happening within you and what makes you go. And for that, the most important data is not what you read and who you meet and what you buy. Its whats happening inside your body, he said. (Related: Yuval Noah Harari: Humans are now HACKABLE ANIMALS thanks to vaccines.)

According to Harari, the infotech revolution and the revolution in the biological sciences are about to merge. There is going to be technology that converts biological data into digital data that can be analyzed by computers.

And having the ability to really monitor people under the skin. This is the biggest game-changer of all. Because this is the key to getting to know people better than they know themselves, Harari said.

During the June 15 episode of the Thrivetime Show on Brighteon.TV, Dr. Dave Martin defined transhumanism as finding something fundamentally deficient about the organic human created in the image and likeness of God.

Transhumanism is a means by which we exterminate homo sapiens as a species, and go into a post-human experience of reality, where the only thing relevant is the computational synthetic process of a selected set of inputs controlled by a cloud computer, he said.

Thrivetime Show host Clay Clark said thats exactly what the globalists are currently doing. Clark played a video where Dr. Robert Malone, inventor of the mRNA technology, confirmed the transhumanism efforts.

Theres a joint report in Germany from the government of the United Kingdom about transhumanism. Thats not hidden and transhumanism is not a conspiracy. And they talk about the RNA vaccines as an entry point to kind of opening that space, ethically and otherwise. So, thats part of the transhumanism agenda, Malone said in the video.

Martin agreed, adding that humans have functionally become organic robots and less and less organic over a period of time.

So ultimately, in the dreams of many of these people, we are nothing more than silicon-based life forms that actually persist in some sort of computer simulation of an infinitely hedonistic world, Martin said.

At the WEF 2022, Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark told the audience that the smartphones of today will not be the same common interface in the near future. Many of these things will be built directly into our bodies, Lundmark said.

Clark then referred back to Hararis claims that humans are now hackable animals. Theyre already saying it out loud, Clark said.

Officials are compromising their beliefs and values to give way to the new world order

Government officials and people in law enforcement are now compromising their values and morals that used to define humanity.

What they [officials] have is fear. But it is a fear that if they speak out their political, social and community status will be harmed. And the fact of the matter is, that is a fallacy. We have over 50 percent of the population of America that is waiting to see real leadership stand up, Martin said.

Some of these officials also want to empower agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO).

Helen Clark, former New Zealand prime minister, spoke about the need for this move at WEF 2022.

We have to believe that its possible to stop a localized outbreak [from] becoming a raging global pandemic. And that means better surveillance, more transparency, frankly, by all member states, if they think somethings happened, its got its got to be reported. And the WHO needs the power to be on-site, she said.

Fortunately, politicians are divided on this issue.

In Austria, Parliament Member Gerald Hauser slammed Health Minister Johannes Rauch over the latters admission that health policy competencies are being handed over to the WHO.

This is a clear abolition of our parliamentary democracy, Hauser said in a recent parliament session. In my view, the government has no mandate to negotiate this. Who gave them legitimacy to negotiate the ceding of our rights, our state, to the WHO? And, thus, to a supranational institution that was not elected by the people.

Visit Transhumanism.news for more news related to altering the minds to gain human control.

Watch the full June 15 episode of Thrive Time Show below. Catch new episodes of the program from Monday to Friday at 3-3:30 pm and Saturday at 12-12:30 p.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

World Economic Forum believes people are useless eaters, and views their brains and bodies as product that can be hacked, controlled and discarded.

Internet of Bodies: Implantable microchips could put all your information in one place and make you hackable.

Modernas president says if you can hack the rules of mRNA, the entire kingdom of life is available for you to play with.

Technological parasitism: Covid vaccines appear to contain self-assembling nano-octopus microparticles.

COVID-19 vaccine reactions being blamed on PEG, but could it be the body responding to mRNA transhumanist genetic reprogramming?

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Sociable.co

Aljazeera.com

Facebook.com

StVincentTimes.com

NDTV.com

GlobalResearch.ca
(Natural News) Senator Cotton has demanded the resignation of far-left Attorney General Merrick Garland for his refusal to investigate the domestic terrorism group Janes Revenge

(Article by Jesse Martin republished from 100PercentFedUp.com)

23 pro-life pregnancy centers and institutions have been firebombed or otherwise attacked in the past couple weeks, bringing the total to 50 pro-life institutions, pregnancy centers, and churches having been attacked, vandalized, or firebombed since the onset of the radical lefts pro-abortion stormtroopers Janes Revenge. Additionally, another group called Ruth Sent Us doxxed the conservative Supreme Court Justices right after the leaked Roe v Wade decision, with no consequences.

The two groups have claimed responsibility for the massive volume of attacks against pro-life organizations and businesses. The Biden Administrations Department of Justice and Attorney General Merrick Garland have not so much as even investigated this, let alone make arrests. This is not even to mention the threats against Justice Amy Coney Barretts children, or the attempted murder of Justice Kavanaugh.

The radical lefts pro-abortion elements have been committing textbook acts of terrorism, without the designation or investigation into them. Consequently, Senator Tom Cotton has demanded the resignation of complicit Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Sen. Cotton wrote the following letter to AG Garland

From Fox News: Houses of worship and pro-life pregnancy centers are under attack. The Family Research Council has compiled a list of more than 50 attacks against churches, pro-life pregnancy centers, and other pro-life groups in the past few weeks, Cotton wrote to Garland in a letter. A left-wing extremist group called Janes Revenge has taken credit for many of these attacks, including firebombings and grotesque acts of vandalism. he also noted that Janes Revenge has now issued a letter declaring open season on all so-called anti-choice groups, and calls for terrorist attacks against these groups by anyone with the urge to paint, to burn, to cut, [or] to jam. What is the Department of Justice doing to protect Americans from these violent attacks? At a minimum, you should bring federal charges against the perpetrators, where appropriate, and investigate Janes Revenge as a domestic terrorist organization, Cotton wrote. If you are unwilling to protect Americans from these attacks, you should resign-although, in my opinion, you should resign in any case,

Many of these attacks have been claimed by Janes Revenge, and many have gone without arrests. Often, the attacks contain grotesque messages such as forced birth is murder Jane was here and if abortions arent safe then you arent either.

Garland has done nothing about this thus far.

Meanwhile, the DOJ has its hands full with the kangaroo courts and phony arrests associated with the January 6th Capitol events, arresting anyone and everyone they can without evidence of crime or due process. Some of the arrests have been on high-profile patriots on social media, or even running for office as in the case of Michigan Gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley, whose home was raided by the FBI last week and who has received a massive polling boost after his arrest.

Indeed, they would rather prosecute patriots unjustly and focus on the January 6th hearings than go after actual terrorists who are attacking and threatening the Supreme Court, churches, and any pro-life institution they can find.

The hysterical and deranged radical left has been terrorizing the country for years and continues to become more brazen, because they know that the Biden Administration is on their side.

Garlands refusal to address the situation, and his role in the wrongful arrests of peaceful protestors during January 6ths events both make him unfit to be Attorney General.

Read more at: 100PercentFedUp.com
(Natural News) Called the most powerful social media executive youve never heard of by Politico, she banned a president and then helped elect a new one. She also, while supposedly serving as an unbiased censor, donated thousands of dollars to Democrats. In this she certainly was no anomaly at her workplace, Twitter, where 98.7 percent of recent employee political donations have gone to Democrats. But heres what does separate India-born attorney Vijaya Gadde from her fellows:

(Article by Selwyn Duke republished from TheNewAmerican.com)

The dual citizen makes $17 million dollars a year  censoring the citizens of her adopted country and manipulating their politics. Welcome to the Big Tech oligarchy, globalist style.

The Daily Mail reports on how the shadowy Gadde  whose birth date is apparently unknown  is becoming a little less shadowy:

Twitters top lawyer Vijaya Gadde is in the spotlight after Elon Musk criticized her in a string of scathing tweets, leading a former company executive to accuse the billionaire of bullying and spearheading a harassment campaign. Gadde, 47, has been a low-key Silicon Valley power player for years, and at Twitter played a key role in the contentious decisions to ban Donald Trump and suppress news articles about Hunter Bidens laptop. After moving to the US from India with her family as a toddler, Gadde and her family faced racism as she grew up in Beaumont, Texas, where she has said her father had to seek approval from the Ku Klux Klan to sell insurance door-to-door. Now the mother of a young child, Gadde has built a remarkable career, spending a decade at elite Silicon Valley law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and working in the legal department at Juniper Networks before joining Twitter in 2011. Federal records show that she has also donated regularly to Democratic candidates, contributing more than $18,000 over the past two decades, and most recently supporting Kamala Harris with a $2,700 check in 2019.

Note that Gadde has the requisite victim story  the KKK anecdote  which today is a resume enhancer. Yet some may find it dubious. While we dont know her birth date, Gadde was born in 1974, was brought to the United States three years later, and then to Beaumont some time afterwards. This means circa 1980.

By that time the Klans membership, more than four-million strong during the organizations 1920s heyday, had shrunk to approximately 10,000 nationwide. It was already a mocked fringe group with no institutional power in an America that, by 1980, had become quite politically correct. So while Gaddes claim that her father required the local KKK leaders permission to sell insurance could be true, it does seem a bit fanciful.

What is fact, however, is that Gadde has for years wielded power of which the Klan could only dream. As Fortune pointed out in 2020, she was the censorial power behind the Twitter throne even when Jack Dorsey was king and has helped shape Twitter for most of the past decade. As the magazine also wrote:

A quick scan of Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorseys mentions show just how often hes called upon to lay down the law for the service he helped create. But what users dont know is that theyre imploring the wrong Twitter Inc. executive. While Dorsey is the companys public face, and the final word on all things product and strategy, the taxing job of creating and enforcing Twitters rules dont actually land on the CEOs shoulders. Instead, that falls to Twitters top lawyer, Vijaya Gadde. He rarely weighs in on an individual enforcement decision, Gadde said in a recent interview. I cant even think of a time. I usually go to him and say, this is whats going to happen. That leaves Gadde, 45, as the end of the line when it comes to account enforcement.

This means that she could be the reason why Ive been under Twitter suspension  in limbo  for more than a year now. But whats truly troubling is that my experience merely reflects what has befallen countless thousands of other conservative/traditionalist individuals and entities, great and small

As commentator Monica Showalter wrote of the influence of Gadde, whom she called a smug censor, the lawyer wasnt just concerned about violations of terms of service from those accounts she banned and suppressed. Showalter explained:

The shutdown of the New York Post after its Hunter Biden revelations coming two weeks before the 2020 election, and then mysterious reinstatement of the papers account right after the election was done and over with was obviously a political act. Her shutdown of the president of the United Statess account, while allowing the Taliban, Vlad Putin, Chinas sleazy oligarchs, antifa, and the Iranian mullahs, all spewing hate and threats to operate freely, was clearly another naked political act. Both of these acts, plus innumerable shutdowns of smaller conservative accounts with large followings, was clearly an in-kind political donation to Democrats of enormous monetary value, and did affect the 2020 election outcome. Numerous polls showed that large numbers of voters were unaware of the Hunter Biden corruption evidence as reported by the New York Post, and would have changed their votes had they known.

In other words, Gaddes actions  along with those of the other Big Tech oligarchs and mainstream media  might have swung the election for declining dotard Joe Biden.

This claim should surprise no engaged person; in fact, Gaddes manipulation is just the tip of the iceberg. As Dr. Robert Epstein, a liberal and the senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, has warned, Big Tech now has the capacity to shift up to 15 million votes in an election. Given that no presidential candidate has won by more than 9.5 million votes over the last eight elections and 32 years, this means that GoogTwitFace can pick our leaders.

As Epstein put it in 2020, In President Eisenhowers famous 1961 farewell address, he warned not only about the rise of a military-industrial complex; he also warned about the rise of a technological elite who could someday control our country without us knowing.

That day has come, he lamented.

And Gadde is part of that technological elites (now slightly less) hidden face.

Read more at: TheNewAmerican.com
The coastlines around the world are rapidly urbanizing, but it is unclear how this increased human presence will affect various marine species.

In a new study led by scientists from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami, researchers followed the movements of three shark species in Miami, namely the nurse, bull, and great hammerhead.

Wildlife and Urban Areas

The team expected the sharks to avoid areas near the city because of the light, chemical, and noise pollution that emanates from the coastal metropolis.

However, they have observed that that was not the case at all.

Raccoons and pigeons, for example, thrive in cities. These "urban exploiter" species have become increasingly reliant on human garbage for food.

Other animals, known as "urban adapters," may use urbanized areas only to some extent but still rely on natural habitats.

Some species, such as land predators like wolves, are extremely sensitive to human disturbance. Big cities are avoided by these "urban avoiders."

Neil Hammerschlag, the lead author of the study and director of the UM Shark Research and Conservation Program said that his team was surprised to discover that the sharks they tracked spent so much time near the sounds and lights of the city.

They found that the sharks are often close to shore, at any time of day.

The researchers concluded that the behaviors of the tracked sharks were similar to those of "urban adapters," and that sharks may be drawn to shore by land-based activities, such as the discarding of fish carcasses, which is a commercial activity.

The tracked sharks' frequent visits to urbanized areas may have consequences for both humans and sharks.

Hammerschlag pointed out that sharks are at risk of fishing and toxic pollutants because they spend so much time close to shore, which could have an impact on their health and survival.

While shark bites on humans are uncommon, the study identified areas near the shore that human water users should avoid to reduce the risk of a negative shark encounter and promote human-shark coexistence, Science Daily reports.

Also Read: Basking Shark Sightings Decrease Off the Coast of California: New Study Confirms

Sharks Explained

According to the National Geographic, sharks can be found in both deep and shallow waters throughout the world's oceans with some migrating great distances to breed and feed.

Some species live alone, while others congregate in varying degrees. Lemon sharks, for example, have been observed to socialize in groups.

Scientists are still trying to figure out how long sharks live, and only a small number of shark species have been studied.

The Greenland shark, with a lifespan of 272 years, is the world's longest-living vertebrate.

The majority of sharks eat small fish and invertebrates, but some of the larger species hunt seals, sea lions, and other marine mammals.

Shark populations are shrinking due to rising water temperatures and coastal development, which are destroying the mangroves and coral reefs that sharks use for breeding, hunting, and protecting young shark pups.

A drop in numbers is bad news not only for sharks, but also for ocean health in general: as top predators of the ocean, sharks are critical for maintaining a balanced food web.

Related article: Shark Patrol Operation Mobilized in Long Island Following Shark Sightings
Heat wave will engulf the Midwest and the Southern United States next week as temperatures could reach up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, according to the latest US weather forecast.

Cities such as St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; and Raleigh, North Carolina are one of the areas at most risk from scorching temperatures.

US meteorologists place emphasis on warm overnight temperatures to be one of the main factors for health complications and even death.

The inability of the body to cooldown at night has been proven to be a direct risk of most heat-related deaths.

This has been the case in the recent deaths of around 10,000 cattle in Kansas last week.

Prior to the incident, a California man was reportedly found dead at the Death Valley National Park amid an extreme heat wave. Local authorities confirm the man walked under the Sun when he ran out of gas.

As of Saturday, June 18, heat alerts have been placed for over 25 million Americans in more than 12 states, spanning from the northern Great Plains toward the Southeast US.

This week's heat wave has been forecasted to move toward South US in the coming days.

Warm Overnight Temperatures

Nighttime high temperatures are also risky compared to daytime high temperatures.

Heat-related health hazards such as stroke, exhaustion, cramps, and dehydration are some of the main causes of death during a heat wave.

The persistent heat dome even continues during the evening hours.

With this, warm overnight temperatures prevent the body to cool off, which our bodies expect while we are sleeping, according to Jenn Varian, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service (NWS), as cited by CNN.

Varian adds this continued warm temperatures in itself could cause the complications and even puts the body at a disadvantage during daytime heat.

Also Read: Heat Wave Update: NWS Issues Heat Alerts for Over 60 Million Americans from California to Louisiana

Extreme Heat Forecast

CNN Weather has forecasted Chicago's temperature could elevate to 95 degrees by Monday, June 20.

Meanwhile, St. Louis could expect to see a temperature spike of up to 100 degrees by Tuesday, June 21.

The US media agency also predicted temperatures of up to 100 degrees is possible for Raleigh by Wednesday, June 22.

Other cities and towns across the Midwest and South US are likely to experience similar hot weather conditions.

The NWS' Weather Prediction Center (WPC) on Saturday issued a forecast that a "dangerous heat" will continue to push through the Deep South from Monday.

2021 US Heat Wave

In 2021, a Pacific Northwest heat wave during the US summer season killed over 500 people in the states of Washington and Oregon, as well as in the province of British Columbia in Canada, according to the Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).

The catastrophic event has been considered to be one of the worst natural disasters in North America in modern history.

Last year's disaster was also a manifestation of the growing link between human fatalities and extreme heat, as most cases in the past have been reported to be overlooked.

In recent months, various heat advisories and alerts in the US were issued for the potential above-average temperatures this summer 2022.

Related Article: Kansas Heat Wave Kills Around 10,000 Fat Cattle as Temperatures Reach over 100 Degrees Fahrenheit
Rat infestation is a growing public and health issue across the United States.

Conventional pest control methods in the past, such as poisons and traps, have been considered to be only a temporary solution rather than a holistic approach to addressing the increasing rat population.

In the pest control industry, recent developments have led to the emergence of "ContraPest," a new method relating to birth control technology.

It has been reported to mitigate or prohibit the reproduction of rats.

In its early phase, the novel innovation addresses the challenges of rapid rat reproduction previously faced by pest control companies.

Birth Control Technology

A company called SenesTech has been producing ContraPest, which is reportedly the only fertility control for rats approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

According to the company's CEO Ken Siegel, it is like a "milk shake" for rats.

It contains a liquid formulation that rats need to consume around 10% of their body weight each day for the birth-control method to take effect, as cited by Fox News.

Unlike birth control pills and other contraceptives for humans, ContraPest content affect both sexes among the rat populace.

Siegel added that they are deployed in traditional bait boxes, causing egg loss for female rats and hindering sperm development in male rats.

Also Read: 22,000 Traps and 40 Tons of Poison Not Enough to Eradicate Rat Infestation in Lord Howe Islands

US Rat Infestation

In the US alone, rat infestation and its associated diseases have significantly increased over the years, becoming not only as a nuisance but also a threat to human health.

A flourishing rat population in the country has affected both rural and urban areas.

According to the US Census Bureau in April 2021, residents of 14.8 million households across the country have reported seeing rodents in the past 12 months.

Meanwhile, residents of 14 million housing units have reported seeing roaches.

The bureau emphasized pest problem has become a commonplace in housing units nationwide.

However, it specified this is prevalent among homes and residential areas with structural problems, as well as water leaks.

US Food Safety System

In metropolitan areas, food establishments such as restaurants have seen multiple cases relating to rat problems and have been a subject of strict health protocols by the US government.

At risk of contaminated food, the US food safety system is governed by the following agencies, according to the National Academic Press:

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

EPA

Rattiest Cities List

In October 2021, US pest control company Orkin has issued its "Top 50 Rattiest Cities List" that indicated the cities across the country with the highest rat population with a presence that include both residential and commercial establishments.

Under the list, the cities on top of the list are Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; New York City, New York; Washington, D.C.; and San Francisco, California.

The company stated food and water resources attract rodents; this has been evident when urban residents returned to their city homes following the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.

Related Article: Rat Infestation Causes First Outbreak of Hantavirus in Washington, DC
Patricia Hruby Powell is the author of the award-winning Josephine, Loving vs Virginia and Struttin With Some Barbecue, among others. She teaches community classes at Parkland College. Find out more at talesforallages.com.
Jeffrey Eric Jenkins is a professor at the University of Illinois and president of the International Association of Theatre Critics. Email him at jej@illinois.edu or reach out to him on Twitter @Crrritic.
In the midst of a challenging economy, Cozad Asset Management still has something to celebrate this year.
Mary Lucille Hays lives in Birdland near White Heath. She is serious about answering mail from readers, email too! Consider subscribing to support your small-town newspaper. You can follow Birdland on Instagram and Twitter @BirdlandLetters or at letterfrombirdland.blogspot.com. Mary can be reached at letterfrombirdland@gmail.com or via snail mail care of this newspaper.
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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).
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
Questions this week about illegal parking in Campustown, the most popular specialty license plates in Illinois, a cluttered yard in Champaign, 100-degree temperatures and the Dick Butkus statue. Also, the top addresses in Champaign County for METCAD "calls for service," Urbana-Champaign versus Champaign-Urbana, radio station interference and planned developments in Rantoul.
In this new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, authors Wei Wang, Shuo Feng, Zhuyifan Ye, Hanlu Gao, Jinzhong Lin and Defang Ouyang from University of Macau, Macau, China and Fudan University, Shanghai, China discuss the prediction of lipid nanoparticles for mRNA vaccines by machine learning algorithms.

Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) is commonly used to deliver mRNA vaccines. Currently, LNP optimization primarily relies on screening ionizable lipids by traditional experiments which consume intensive cost and time. The current study attempts to apply computational methods to accelerate the LNP development for mRNA vaccines. Firstly, 325 data samples of mRNA vaccine LNP formulations with IgG titer were collected.

The machine learning algorithm, lightGBM, was used to build a prediction model with good performance (R2>0.87). More importantly, the critical substructures of ionizable lipids in LNPs were identified by the algorithm, which well agreed with published results. The animal experimental results showed that LNP using DLin-MC3-DMA (MC3) as ionizable lipid with an N/P ratio at 6:1 induced higher efficiency in mice than LNP with SM-102, which was consistent with the model prediction. Molecular dynamic modeling further investigated the molecular mechanism of LNPs used in the experiment.

The result showed that the lipid molecules aggregated to form LNPs, and mRNA molecules twined around the LNPs. In summary, the machine learning predictive model for LNP-based mRNA vaccines was first developed, validated by experiments, and further integrated with molecular modeling. The prediction model can be used for virtual screening of LNP formulations in the future.
In this new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, authors Ying Wu, Congying Pu, Yixian Fu, Guoqiang Dong, Min Huang and Chunquan Sheng from Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China discuss how NAMPT-targeting PROTAC promotes antitumor immunity via suppressing myeloid-derived suppressor cell expansion.

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase(NAMPT) is considered as a promising target for cancer therapy given its critical engagement in cancer metabolism and inflammation. However, therapeutic benefit of NAMPT enzymatic inhibitors appears very limited, likely due to the failure to intervene non-enzymatic functions of NAMPT.

In this article the authors demonstrate that NAMPT dampens antitumor immunity by promoting the expansion of tumor-infiltrating myeloid-derived suppressive cells (MDSCs) via a mechanism independent of its enzymatic activity. Using proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology, PROTACA7 is identified as a potent and selective degrader of NAMPT, which degrades intracellular NAMPT (iNAMPT)via the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and in turn decreases the secretion of extracellular NAMPT (eNAMPT), the major player of the non-enzymatic activity of NAMPT.

In vivo, PROTACA7 efficiently degrades NAMPT, inhibits tumor-infiltrating MDSCs, and boosts antitumor efficacy. Of note, the anticancer activity of PROTACA7 is superior to NAMPT enzymatic inhibitors that fail to achieve the same impact on MDSCs.

Together, the findings uncover the new role of enzymatically-independent function of NAMPT in remodeling the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and reports the first NAMPT PROTACA7 that is able to block the pro-tumor function of both iNAMPT and eNAMPT, pointing out a new direction for the development of NAMPT-targeted therapies.
(Newser)  Two actors working on a new Netflix series were killed and six others injured in Mexico when their van crashed, reports USA Today. The men killed were identified as Raymundo Garduno Cruz and Juan Francisco Gonzalez Aguilar, though Aguilar is known professionally as Paco Mufote, per People. They were working on The Chosen One, an upcoming series for the streaming network. Local reports say the van went off the road and flipped in a desert area near Mulege on the Baja California Sur peninsula as it was carrying the actors and crew from Santa Rosalia, where they had been filming, to a local airport, per those two outlets and the AP.

Details about the six people injured were not immediately available, and production company Redrum says work on the series is on hold. As the investigation into what happened unfolds, colleagues already are suggesting that the van driver may have been overworked. Actor Fernando Bonilla, a friend of Cruz, tweeted that "many film and television productions have drivers overexploited" and demanded that the workload of this particular driver be revealed, notes People. Liliana Conlisk Gallegos, a friend of Mufote, expressed a similar sentiment to the Daily Beast.

It fills me with rage that there are reports of abuse and exploitation being shared by people involved with the production, she said. I would like to demand that this is further investigated. If nothing wrong was going on, then there shouldnt be an issue with providing the information. The Netflix description for The Chosen One: A 12-year-old boy learns hes the returned Jesus Christ, destined to save humankind. Based on the comic book series by Mark Millar and Peter Gross. (Read more Netflix stories.)
(Newser)  A building caught fire and later collapsed in Philadelphia, killing one firefighter and injuring five other people, authorities said. The fire was reported just before 2am Saturday in north Philadelphia, per the AP. Eight occupants were safely evacuated and the fire had been declared under control, officials said. At 3:24am, however, the building collapsed, said Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy. Lt. Sean Williamson, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene after he and another firefighter were freed from the rubble hours after the collapse. Three other firefighters and an inspector with the citys Department of Licenses and Inspections had been freed quickly after the collapse.



Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel told reporters Saturday evening that rescuers were able to communicate with" Williamson and another firefighter for most of the several hours they remained trapped, but because of the degree of the collapse and where Williamson was located within the structure, we were not able to save him." One firefighter jumped from the second story to avoid being caught in the collapse, Murphy said. Two firefighters were listed in critical but stable condition at Temple University Hospital, while the other three victims were treated and released, officials said.

The former Marine was highly respected throughout our department" and had trained countless" cadets, Thiel said. Williamson is to have a full honors fire department funeral, and given the outpouring of support that Ive seen and weve seen as a department, you can expect this to be a pretty large event. The fire marshals office is investigating the cause of the fire with assistance from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Thiel said an engineering investigation into the collapse is also ongoing. We're absolutely grievingwe're mourning," he added.

(Read more Philadelphia stories.)
(Newser)  In the 77 minutes that a Texas gunman was alone in two connected classrooms with Robb Elementary students and teachers, police didn't try to open the door, a law enforcement source said. Police later claimed they couldn't get into the rooms and were hunting for a key or a tool that would open the door. But surveillance video shows officers didn't try the door, the San Antonio Express-News reports. During that time, the gunman shot to death 19 children and two teachers. Investigators reportedly don't think the killer could have locked the door from the inside.

Classroom doors at the Uvalde school are supposed to lock automatically when they close, the source said, so that a key is needed to enter the room. It's possible officers didn't check the door because they assumed it was locked. A malfunction could have caused the door to be unlocked. Investigators have not concluded it was already open, but that's what the evidence suggests, the source said; video shows the gunman opening the door when he arrived. He entered the building through a door that state police originally said had been propped open by a teacher. Video showed that the teacher did close the door.

Regardless, officers had access to, but didn't use, a crowbar-like tool called a halligan that can open a locked door, per the Express-News. Shortly after the massacre, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety said the gunman locked the door behind him. "Each door can lock from the inside," Steven McCraw said. Officials have received dozens of requests for copies of the surveillance footage, per KENS, which the city is opposing. (Read more Texas mass shooting stories.)
(Newser)  It took more than 100 years for Juneteenth to become a federal holiday. President Biden took care of that a year ago, but there should be more to that recognition, advocates say. Just 18 states have provided funding for the day to be observed as a paid holiday, the New York Times reports. The day marks the belated legal end to slavery in the US, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Juneteenth "represents the ways in which freedom for Black people have been delayed," said state Rep. Anthony Nolan of Connecticut, per the AP. "And if we delay this, it's a smack in the face to Black folks."

One argument from opponents is that Juneteenth isn't widely enough known or understood to become a paid holiday. Republican Gov. Bill Lee earmarked the funding, but when the Tennessee bill came up for a hearing, Republican Sen. Joey Hensley said that in his discussions, only two of more than 100 of his constituents knew about the holiday. "I just think its putting the cart before the horse to make a holiday people don't know about," Hensley said. "We need to educate people first and then make a holiday if we need to." The bill has not passed the legislature.

As it is, state employees in many places can't take Juneteenth as a paid vacation day, per Axios; about 30% of private employers have made it a paid holiday. Turning the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday into a paid holiday also ignited a long, state-by-state debate. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the federal holiday in 1983, but it was 1992 before Arizona made it a state holiday. The holiday is not about skipping work, a Maryland legislator said. "It will also give residents a day to think about the future that we want, while remembering the inequities of the past," said Democratic Del. Andrea Harrison. The day should be celebrated by all Americans, said a professor of African American studies at Duke University. "You think of Juneteenth and Independence Day as kind of bookends to this idea of American democracy and freedom," he said. (Read more Juneteenth stories.)
(Newser)  Firefighters in Spain and Germany struggled to contain wildfires on Sunday during an unusual heat wave in Western Europe for this time of year. The worst damage in Spain has been in the northwest province of Zamora, where over 61,000 acres has been consumed, regional authorities said. German officials said that residents of three villages near Berlin were ordered to leave their homes because of an approaching wildfire Sunday, the AP reports. A lack of rainfall this year combined with gusting winds have produced the conditions for the fires.

Spanish authorities said that after three days of high temperatures, high winds, and low humidity, some respite came with dropping temperatures Sunday morning. That allowed for about 650 firefighters supported by water-dumping aircraft to establish a perimeter around the fire that started in Zamoras Sierra de la Culebra. Authorities warned there was still danger that an unfavorable shift in weather could revive the blaze that caused the evacuation of 18 villages. Spain has been on alert for an outbreak of intense wildfires as the country swelters under record temperatures. Experts link the abnormally hot period for Europe to climate change. Thermometers have risen above 104 degrees in many Spanish cities throughout the weektemperatures usually expected in August.

Authorities said gusting winds of up to 43 mph that changed course erratically made it tough for crews. "The fire was able to cross a reservoir some 500 meters wide and reach the other side, to give you an idea of the difficulties we faced," one official said. There have been no reports of lives lost, but the flames reached the outskirts of some villages both in Zamora and in Navarra. Videos shot by passengers in cars showed flames licking the sides of roads. In other villages, residents looked on in despair as black plumes rose from nearby hills. In Germany, strong winds have been fanning the blaze about 30 miles southwest of Berlin, prompting officials to declare an emergency Saturday. Germany has seen numerous wildfires in recent days following a period of intense heat and little rain.

(Read more heat wave stories.)
Charlie Dexter is a professor of applied business emeritus at the UAF Community and Technical College. He can be reached at cndexter@alaska.edu. This column is brought to you as a public service by the UAF Department of Applied Business.

A version of this column first printed in December 2020.
A Marine Corps M777 towed 155 mm howitzer is loaded into the cargo hold of an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., April 22, 2022. The howitzers are part of the United States efforts, alongside allies and partners, to identify and provide Ukraine with additional capabilities.
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By SA Commercial Prop News

Tozi Mthethwa, Ithala Group Marketing and Communications Divisional Manager with bursary recipient, Thembinkosi Mngomezulu.



Ithala has come to the rescue of an ambitious young learner whose dream of furthering his studies nearly collapsed due to lack of funds.

Local student, Thembinkosi Mngomezulu realized his dream to study towards a financial qualification when Ithala Development Corporation awarded him a bursary to study at the Durban University of Technology (DUT).

Thembinkosi performed exceptionally well in 2010, matriculating at Ndlangamandla High School in Vryheid with distinctions in Economics, Business Studies, Accounting and Mathematics.

Thembinkosi was also a participant in a winning team in Ithalas Mayibuye Youth in Business programme.

Run in partnership with the Department of Education, Mayibuye provides an opportunity for Grade 12 learners from historically disadvantaged schools in KwaZulu-Natal, to present their business ideas with a view to starting their own enterprises.

Ithalas development mandate speaks to the advancement of business entities and the development of previously disadvantaged individuals. The motivation for Ithala to provide bursary support for this student was made in the context of Ithalas developmental mandate.

Many learners face financial constraints and are unable to access study loans. We are pleased that we have been able to make a difference for Thembinkosi by awarding the bursary within the scope of our corporate social investment programme which focuses on enterprise and skills development, says Tozi Mthethwa, Divisional Manager of Ithala Group Marketing and Communications.

An elated Thembinkosi stated: I am happy to receive the bursary because I would not have been able to pursue my studies therefore I am very grateful to Ithala for this opportunity.

Empowering our youth to become meaningful contributors to our economy is in line with our mandate to drive economic development and empowerment within KwaZulu-Natal, concluded Tozi.
A third-generation Alaskan, Michael Dukes is the host of The Michael Dukes Show, broadcast weekdays across Alaska on a variety of local radio stations and via the internet. Brad Keithley is the managing director of Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets, a project focused on developing and advocating for economically robust and durable state fiscal policies.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Civil Court ordered employers of a healthcare institution to pay BD10,000 towards unsettled dues to their ex-employee. The verdict came in a case filed by a former employee against two partners, who are also facing accusations of mismanagement of the healthcare establishment. However, the court found that the establishment did not have sufficient funds to settle the dues.

Therefore, the court also ordered the employers to pay the amount from their personal accounts. During the trial, the owners also faced accusations of mismanaging the company resulting in the failure to meet their financial obligations. In support of the claims, the lawyer also drew the courts attention to observations of the court of Cassation in the case.

The managers are liable to pay third parties and error in management in accordance with the provisions of Articles 185- 186-278 of the Commercial Companies Law, the court had ruled.

Accepting this, the Court ordered the duo to settle the dues from their own pocket as they jointly owned the company and were among its board members. The court also viewed that the duo failed to provide evidence to prove that the company was not financially sound.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Five autistic students have been integrated into mainstream education at Um Kalthoom Intermediate Girls School during the academic year 2021-2922.

The school has allocated a special for the five students under the supervision of three teachers specialized in the education of students with special needs.

Education Minister Dr. Majid bin Ali Alnoaimi paid a visit to the school which became the first establishment to include female autistic intermediate students in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Dr Alnoaimi stressed the importance of integrating people with special needs who are able to learn in public schools, noting positive results achieved at the level of various groups, including those suffering from the autism disorder.

He said that the integration of autistics is considered one of the most successful included educational initiatives in Bahrain, adding the scheme has been expanded to include the primary and intermediate stages.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain is at the forefront of countries that have made great achievements in the treatment of Sickle Cell Anaemia, according to senior officials and doctors at the Hereditary Blood Disorder Centre at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC).

The governments initiatives in providing health care for sickle cell patients began as early as 1984 when the government adopted a national plan to combat Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Since then, the government implemented as many as 182 projects aimed at limiting the spread of sickle cell disease and providing adequate healthcare and treatment for patients.

In 1984, the first genetic clinic was established at Salmaniya Medical Complex, and a hereditary disease control programme was launched. In 1993, a premarital counselling service, within a campaign to reduce the spread of the disease.

The campaign aimed to build a database to count the number of infected births through the newborn screening programme as well as the student screening programme. In 2012, the Chronic Pain Management clinic was established, and in 2013, an electronic platform was set up to enhance communication between the relevant medical team and patients.

In 2014, the Hereditary Blood Disorder Centre, the first integrated centre for the treatment of sickle cell patients, was inaugurated.

In 2018, a comprehensive multidisciplinary clinic was established to provide healthcare in a more advanced way. In addition, a telemedicine system was introduced to save effort and reduce waiting time. Bahrain also developed a programme to exchange expertise with renowned international experts from UK-based Kings College and the John Hopkins Hospital in the US.

In addition, the Visiting Physician Programme was launched to attract medical expertise. During an interaction with members of the media, Dr Ahmed Al Ansari, the Chief Executive Officer of Government Hospitals, said Bahrain's policy-makers and authorities attach great importance to providing quality health services and promoting awareness among the Sickle Cell Patients.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Dr Rajaa Al Yousef, Deputy Chair of the Hereditary Blood Diseases Committee, said the centre has been mainly focusing on patients suffering from Sickle Cell Anaemia although it caters to all patients suffering from blood disorders.

This is a unique facility in the region, which was established considering the emergency treatment required for Sickle Cell patients, who, at times, suffer from extreme pain. We didnt want Sickle Cell patients to get mixed with other emergency and accident patients. And the setting up of this centre has made a huge impact on the lives of Sickle Cell Patients in the Kingdom. She said regular health assessment is important for all Sickle Cell patients. Trained triage nurses and paramedics are special requirements. Whether it is emergency or stable cases, care has to be given and administering the right painkiller is a major part of care for patients. There is a huge range of painkillers.

They also require intravenous hydration. Hydrating the patient is one of the ways to fix the severity of the pain crisis. The ground floor of the building has facilities for IV hydration and pain management.

In most cases, patients can leave within eight hours of hospitalisation within the day after the procedures for pain management are administered. If they are not cured of pain in this stipulated time, they are moved towards and are treated there. Four blood exchange or blood transfusion machines are here and an additional machine is dedicated for special patients. Dr Rajaa said there are over 5,000 Sickle Cell patients in Bahrain, citing Health Ministry records.

We have tie-ups with many renowned institutions from across the world including John Hopkins Medical University to carry out research and data sharing. Teams from these higher institutions often visit the centre as part of research activities. That doesnt mean we are short of challenges, although we have the best facility in the region, the huge number of patients poses a challenge in terms of providing the treatment.

We have accumulated appropriate experience to handle the situation. Highlighting the significance of training to boost the treatment offered to patients, she said: We also provide the best training as it is important to have trained hands handling cases, both emergency and stable. Clinical trials, as well as research, are also carried out here as part of growth strategies. Sickle cell disease is a chronic condition and is always associated with pain.

Some patients demand certain types of medication, which wouldnt be the appropriate prescription of the doctor. So, persuasion is an important thing. They will suggest to the nurse to be treated in a certain way, which is not in the best interest of the patient. Administering morphine is subject to the discretion of the doctor.

If required otherwise, the doctor can prescribe other pain killers. Dr Rajaa attributed the high prevalence of Sickle Cell Anaemia within the Arab societies to marriages within the families. This is basically a hereditary condition. But, now with premarital counselling and screening, the couple is aware of their status before embarking on the path toward marriage. Raising awareness is the major step in preventing Sickle Cell cases. She said continuity of care and awareness of Sickle Cell complications have led to a reduction in Sickle Cell deaths. There is now perfect training for nurses and doctors to spot the early signs of danger or life-threatening issues in patients. Early detection of early signs of risk is vital in saving the lives of Sickle Cell patients.

Considering the importance of mental well-being for Sickle Cell patients, Dr Rajaa said psychiatric care is provided to patients at the centre. We have a consultant psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse working here with us. Earlier, we were referring patients to Psychiatric Hospital. We also have a social worker provided by the social services department of SMC.

Hence, the sociological and psychological aspects of patients are very well taken care of here. Dr Tharwat Waddy, a Consultant Hematologist at the Centre, said: Blood transfusion services have also been developed through the provision of the most up-to-date equipment to reduce potential medical complications, resulting in 300 per cent improvement in the blood transfusion compared to the previous system.

Regarding medicines used to treat patients, Hydroxyurea has been used in Bahrain since 1997 and 65pc of patients are taking Hydroxyurea, he added. In 2021, the Ministry of Health started providing Crizanlizumab, a revolutionary life-changing drug treatment for patients suffering from sickle cell disease.

Bahrain is the second country to use this breakthrough drug after the US and 50 patients are currently taking it in Bahrain.

As a result of Bahrains strenuous efforts, the percentage of newborns with sickle cell has gone down to 0.2 annually, and the percentage of sickle cell disease deaths has dropped to 43pc.

In addition, Bahrain has achieved a 35pc improvement in the treatment of chronic diseases as a result of the use of tablets.

Dr Ahmed will open a learning centre to ensure the continuous professional development and implementation of best practices in Sickle Cell care. Doctors, nurses and paramedics retire or sometimes leave for other assignments; so we have to ensure that a strong line of continuity is implemented across the treatment systems. And the learning centre will help us in this regard, Dr Rajaa added.
Japans National Police Agency has started making full-fledged preparations for a possible eruption of Mount Fuji, the tallest peak in the country.

The NPA will purchase dust masks for distribution to local police departments, assuming that volcanic ash may fall in not only areas near Mount Fuji but also the metropolitan region in the event of an eruption, informed sources said.

We need to make preparations for a potential complex disaster, such as an eruption occurring after a massive earthquake, an expert said.

In April 2020, a working group of the Japanese governments central disaster management council compiled measures against volcanic ash from a possible eruption of 3,776-meter Mount Fuji, which straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures in central Japan.

If the wind direction is the same as that during the 1707 eruption of the mountain during the Hoei era, volcanic ash could fall in the Tokyo metropolitan area, possibly disrupting road traffic and causing power outages, the working group said, calling on relevant organizations to consider countermeasures.
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Towns in the New Milford area have proposed various initiatives to increase their affordable housing stock as part of plans they were required to submit to the state at the start of the month.

Only about half of Connecticut municipalities submitted their affordable housing plans to the state on time, but these plans had to specify how they intend to increase the number of affordable housing developments, according to the Western Connecticut Council of Governments affordable housing plan website.

New Milford turned in its plan by the deadline, but some of the smaller towns surrounding it are still working on theirs.

Affordable housing is housing that costs less than 30 percent of the income of a household earning 80 percent or less of the areas median income.

Jocelyn Ayer, director of the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity, works as a planning consultant to help towns in the state create an affordable housing plan.

Shes working with six of the towns in Litchfield County who have not yet handed in their affordable housing plans  Sharon, Burlington, North Canaan, Roxbury, Winchester and Torrington.

She said she expects most of those towns to submit their plans by the end of the year.

She added there is no penalty from the state for those municipalities who did not submit their plans by the June 1 deadline.

"We just didn't want to rush the process, Ayer said. We wanted to make sure that residents had enough time to get the draft plan and give us their feedback.

The states Office of Policy and Management will review the plans, which will be done every five years, going forward.

What we've tried to do with housing plans I've been involved in is really raise awareness, Ayer said. I think people know that housing affordability is a challenge but they don't know maybe how big of a challenge it is for how many of the residents in their town.

Adding units in New Milford

New Milford Mayor Pete Bass said when it comes to affordable housing, the towns first approach focuses on education.

We will educate people that are looking to purchase either homes or condos, Bass said.

Toward that end, New Milford partners with some of its community banks, such as Union Savings Bank, to offer housing seminars.

Additionally, the town offers financial literacy courses through its social services department.

He added the state now offers additional financing that will be available for-first time home buyers, especially with deed restricted properties through CHFA (the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority), Bass said.

In New Milford, there are about 400 condo and town home units approved for affordable housing that have yet to be built by the developers.

Right now, we're reaching back out to the developers to see what stage that they're in and what would be prohibiting them from moving forward, Bass said.

He added some of the delays are most likely related to increased material costs and shortages in both material and labor.

Bass also said the town will do a deep dive analysis into its affordable housing availability.

Affordable housing breaking ground is on Boardman Road and Lanesville Road. Additionally, construction on affordable housing on Poplar Street will begin in the spring.

Those three units alone are going to bring us well over 100 new units, he said.

Bass said knowing what ones debt-to-income ratios are, whether it involves buying a house or renting a house, is very important.

We're trying to build the backbones for that, so that our residents know fully going in and what their housing costs are going to be, he said.

Housing trusts, accessory apartments

One of the goals in Roxburys affordable housing plan, which the town plans on submitting in August, is to form a housing trust organization.

These are independent, nonprofit organizations separate from town government that help facilitate projects, like anything associated with affordable housing or various housing options, Roxbury Selectman Kim Tester said.

Housing trusts, which are privately funded, could work with state government or be totally independent and not be restricted by the type of funding that they get, she added.

In 2021, Roxbury had 165 households that earned less than 80 percent of the areas median income, and had 24 homes dedicated to remaining affordable to them. Eighteen of these 24 homes are designated for seniors only at Bernhardt Meadow.

The town also hopes to allow smaller size homes in appropriate areas.

Thinking about restricting the square footage of homes in particular areas of town might be an option, Tester said. We thought that was a good option instead of always being able to build a huge house that cost a fortune.

Another goal in Roxburys plan is to increase awareness about accessory apartments, which is an apartment with a separate entrance.

You could have an apartment over your garage or you can a free standing second home on your property  as long as its smaller than the primary residence, Tester said.

She said typically, an accessory apartment is for family members.

It could be people who want to rent it out and make some extra money  a second income that could help them stay in their homes, she said.

In its affordable housing plan, Tester said that town also hopes to assist income-eligible homeowners with health and safety repairs.

Towns can do that through a loan program offered by the state called the Community Development Block Grant/Small Cities Funded Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program. The money must be used for such repairs as a new roof, wheelchair ramp or furnace replacement. It cant be used for general remodeling.

Expand and preserve

In Kents affordable housing plan, which the town plans to submit by November, a goal is to support affordable homebuyer options.

We took a whole bunch of data that Jocelyn collected on Kent and we took a bunch of months to really look into the data and what are the gaps? What are the shortcomings? Kent First Selectman Jean Speck said. We were able to come up with these goals based on that.

Kent has 67 affordable housing units, which is about 4 percent of its housing stock, according to the States Affordable Housing Appeals listing.

In that number, its government assisted affordable housing developments are South Common, with 24 units; Stuart Farms, with 13 units; and Templeton Farms, with 24 units.

Speck said the town hopes to expand and preserve dedicated affordable housing by exploring grant options for new developments.

She said she also hopes to explore the feasibility of additional units at Templeton Farms and South Common Apartments, where the waiting lists are years-long.

Yet another goal, Speck said, is to conduct outreach to landowners, to let them know they can take a piece of their property and donate to Kent affordable housing.
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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
A 50-year-old police sub-inspector was shot dead in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, authorities said on Saturday.





Policeman shot dead by militants in Kashmir (Ld)

A 50-year-old police sub-inspector was shot dead in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, authorities said on Saturday.

Ians

IANS

June 18, 2022 10:12 AM

(Updated 10:12 IST)

Srinagar, June 18 (IANS) A 50-year-old police sub-inspector was shot dead in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, authorities said on Saturday.

In a tweet, the J&K Police said that Farooq Ahmed Mir's body was found in paddy fields near his home in Samboora village.

"Preliminary investigation reveals that he had left his home for work in his paddy fields yesterday (Friday) in the evening, where he was shot dead by the militants using a pistol," said the tweet.

Sources said that two pistol cartridges were also found at the incident spot.

The victim is survived by his father, wife and three children.
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DANBURY  A growing social service nonprofit founded here 19 years ago has expansion plans that include a four-floor clinic and office addition with the nations first simulated surgery lab for a health center, and an 80-unit apartment building for needy seniors on Main Street.

We have been committed to this elderly housing for a long time, so this is very exciting for us, said James Maloney, the founder of Connecticut Institute for Communities, who stepped aside from day-to-day leadership last year but still consults for the growing nonprofit. We are now on the cusp of making this happen.

Maloney is referring to news earlier this month that U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., put in a good word to the House Appropriations Committee to award $2 million to the Danbury-based organization to build a parking garage in the back lot of the nonprofits Main Street headquarters. That garage would give the busy health center 100 extra spaces but also serve as the foundation for a three-floor apartment building for needy seniors, with a preference for those over 55 years old who have served in the military.

We already have a $650,000 planning grant from the (federal Health Resources and Services Administration) and Congresswoman Hayes made our $2 million grant proposal a priority request, so I think we are in pretty good shape for that, said Maloney, a former congressman. We are also hoping to get help from the state.

Once the Connecticut Institute for Communities, better known as CIFC, completes raising funds for the $5.5 million parking garage, it could begin construction as soon as next summer. Should that timetable hold, and should the nonprofit raise additional funds for the senior housing, construction of the final portion of the vision could begin as soon as 2024, Maloney said.

Before any of that happens, CIFC expects to be complete with a four-story addition to its headquarters building at 120 Main St. The addition is an 8,000-square-foot building with more rooms for dental treatment, internal medicine, pediatrics, and offices as well as the nations first computer-simulated surgery lab located outside of a hospital or a university.

This creates the first primary care simulation lab in a teaching health care center in the country, said Maloney. Instead of (practicing) medical procedures on human beings, the technology allows (medical interns and other professionals) to use computerized mannequinsthat will give feedback as to whether the procedure was right or wrong, and how to make corrections.

The new addition, which along with the garage and senior housing plan were approved by Danbury as part of the CIFCs master plan for its Main Street headquarters, will also have a lounge, a seminar room, and a library for the nonprofits residency program in adult medicine  the only one of its kind in the state outside of a hospital or a university.

The addition is expected to open before the end of summer.

CIFCs expansion at its Main Street headquarters is part of the nonprofits network of 12 clinics and service centers, helping those in need with health care, education, housing, and economic development.

The nonprofit also has the option under its master plan approval to build a second addition  an option it may not need in the post-pandemic world of remote health.

One of the big changes thats occurred in the medical world as a result of COVID is we are doing many more telehealth visits, Maloney said. We may not need to do another addition.

Katherine Curran, CIFCs CEO, said the nonprofit has had its eyes on affordable senior housing for a decade.

This is part of our vision that weve been working on for many years, she said.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
Anti- Agnipath agitators vandalized Punjabs Ludhiana railway station during Saturday protests. The pan India protest is against Centres new Agnipath armed forces recruiting scheme.

The police claimed they have CCTV footage and are working to identify the criminals who stormed the railway station.

The police reacted quickly. A total of 8-10 people have been apprehended. Theyve been labelled and misunderstood by some. We have recordings and are working to identify them RS Brar, Ludhianas Joint Commissioner of Police (CP), stated.

Meanwhile, while protests continue in various parts of the country, the administration has increased its attempts to persuade demonstrators to refrain from protesting and to understand the militarys new recruitment campaign.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved a proposal on Saturday to reserve 10% of job vacancies in the Ministry of Defence for Agniveers who match the required eligibility criteria, in an effort to give supportive measures to the Agniveers once their 4-year service in the Armed Forces finishes.

Soon after the plan was launched, the government announced that it has decided to raise the upper age limit for Agniveer recruitment from 21 to 23 years for the 2022 recruitment cycle.

The Home Ministry said earlier today that 10% of slots in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles will be reserved for Agniveers. The Home Ministry has also stated that Agniveers who are beyond the specified upper age limit for enlistment into the CAPFs and Assam Rifles will be given three-year age relaxation. The age relaxation for the first cohort of Agniveers will be 5 years.

Moreover, several state governments, including Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Karnataka, have come out in favour of the Agniveers who will be returning to civilian life after serving in the Defence Forces for four years.

However, some state administrations have decided that Agniveers will be given priority in filling openings in state police forces after serving in the armed services for four years.
TTP and the Pakistani government reached an agreement two days ago in Kabul

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistani government reached an agreement two days ago in Kabul, according to a senior Taliban spokesperson.

Following the failure of the previous round of peace talks between the two parties, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid stated on Saturday that he hopes the conversations this time would bear fruit. According to a media report, an Afghan Taliban official stated that his group served as a mediator.

If the discussions fail, Mujahid warned the Islamic group will not allow Afghan land to be used for strikes against Pakistan.

Most insurgent assaults in Afghanistan are carried out by the Afghan Taliban, who follow a well-established pattern of low-level ambush and hit-and-run operations interspersed with high-profile strikes.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Pakistani government reached an agreement two days ago in Kabul, according to a senior Taliban spokesperson.

Following the failure of the previous round of peace talks between the two parties, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid stated on Saturday that he hopes the conversations this time would bear fruit. According to Geo News, an Afghan Taliban official stated that his group served as a mediator.

If the discussions fail, Mujahid warned the Islamic group will not allow Afghan land to be used for strikes against Pakistan.

Most insurgent assaults in Afghanistan are carried out by the Afghan Taliban, who follow a well-established pattern of low-level ambush and hit-and-run operations interspersed with high-profile strikes.

A group of famous elders has visited Kabul on many occasions in an attempt to encourage the group to refrain from violence. Meanwhile, the Afghan Taliban have put their support behind continuing talks to keep the peace process on track.

TTP and the Pakistani government have agreed to an indefinite truce. For the first time this month, the Pakistani government announced that it was in talks with the TTP.

Despite the fact that both parties are in negotiations, it remains to be seen if the peace talks will result in long-term peace.
Casie Pierce doesn't usually work Fridays. But on the Friday after the draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked, Pierce, the development director for a Dallas-based abortion fund, which helps people pay for the procedure and associated logistics, had to be at her computer.

She was monitoring the rage giving.

Am I optimistic watching funds rolling in? Of course I am, she said. But whats unfortunate is it takes a tragedy to wake people up out of their slumber to start giving, because weve been here doing this all along.

In response to the May 2 leaked draft that signaled the likely withdrawal of the legal right to an abortion in the U.S., donors clicked on donations buttons and mailed checks in a fury.

An annual fundraiser organized by the National Network of Abortion Funds raised more than $2.4 million by the end of May to benefit some 90 abortion funds, more than in any previous year. In 2019, NNAF said those abortion funds aided 56,000 people  only about one in four of those who contacted them for help.

Abortion funds, unlike clinics or advocacy organizations, focus on providing people with money to pay for abortions as well as help with logistics like travel, childcare and support. As a result, they have smaller budgets than broader reproductive rights organizations like Planned Parenthood.

Kelly Nelson, who founded an abortion fund in Tampa, Florida, felt two ways about the rage donors, as she called them.

I love them," she said. Weve really benefited. But, you know, I dont think a lot of them well ever see again.

Given the magnitude of the need, she said, abortion funds need multiyear philanthropic grants.

We really want to make this a long-term thing where people recognize that the fight with the courts is over now and we lost, Nelson said. We have to help the people on the ground today and tomorrow. We need to get them to their appointments.

She added: This is the time for philanthropy to get creative and reach out to abortion funds, who have traditionally been underfunded in the reproductive health world."

One analysis of philanthropic donations done by the progressive group the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) found that between 2015 and 2019, of the $1.7 billion that foundations gave to reproductive rights issues, less than 3% was designated specifically for abortion funds while 21% was directed to other abortion-related work, for example, by advocates or clinics.

Groups that oppose abortion also saw a big boost in funding since the Supreme Court signaled openness to new restrictions on abortion in December. The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America plans to spend more on political campaigns this election cycle than ever before  $78 million. They did not respond to a request for comment about their donors' response to the leaked draft opinion.

Since 2017, the Tampa Bay Abortion Fund has been run entirely by volunteers, including Nelson, and over that time has reduced its reliance on individual donors as a proportion of its budget. Still, Nelson said, the organization often has just a months worth of funds lined up at any time.

Before May 2, it had run out of money three times this year, forcing a shutdown of the the phone line that clients use to contact them.

Thats how paycheck-to-paycheck we are, Nelson said.

Even before some states acted in recent years to restrict the right to abortion, many people couldnt afford one.

When abortion funds have to close their doors on the 15th of the month, thats 15 days of callers who arent getting funding, said Brandi Collins-Calhoun of the NCRP. Those are people who arent going to have access to their abortions. And its not because of the lack of Roe. Its because of the lack of funding.

The unpredictability of rage giving, or fad funding, can hurt movements. "Its very harmful, Collins-Calhoun said. And its something that we urge funders not to lean into too much.

Collins-Calhoun argues that despite legal restrictions, philanthropic giving can still make a transformational difference if foundations and large donors were to increase their donations to abortion access organizations and sustain that giving over time.

Thats what a lack of investment means: It means that you have to keep revisiting the same thing every 50 years, said Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, referring to the multigenerational struggle to secure access to abortion in the U.S.

She is making the case to other organizers whose focus isn't specifically reproductive justice that their work for racial or economic equality is intertwined with abortion access.

Another analysis by The Bridgespan Group, a philanthropic consultancy, and Shake the Table, a feminist philanthropic advisory group, found that less than 1% of total foundation giving in 2017 went to womens rights organizations around the world. It further concluded that feminist funds have the capacity to distribute 10 times the amount of philanthropic donations than they do now.

In the weeks since the leaked decision, Nelsons Tampa fund has received renewed donations from several foundations as well as a first-time grant for $50,000, the largest they've ever received.

Federal funds, through programs like Medicaid, cannot be used to pay for abortions, except when a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or endangers the life of the patient.

Pierce, of the Texas Equal Access Fund in Dallas, said she hopes that might change in the long run. Until then, she urged donors to be bold.

I really would like to tell donors to not be shy and to not be afraid of the stigma around the word abortion, she said.

Still, Pierce suggests to those who don't want to be identified on the funds tax return to contribute through a donor advised fund, a kind of charitable investment account that does not require attaching names to donations.

Pierce is seeking to raise $2.5 million to help fund travel and other support for half of their callers and hire a new staffer to organize those logistics. The fund's current annual budget is $800,000.

Both the Dallas and Tampa abortion funds promote monthly giving programs to individual donors as a preferred way to receive donations. And some have responded.

Before the May 2 Supreme Court leak, monthly donors gave the Tampa fund a total of $470 a month, which isnt a lot. Thats one procedure. But we knew that we could cover that one procedure, Nelson said.

After a month of rage giving, Nelson said, 111 monthly donors had signed up to give a total of nearly $4,000.

___

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
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NORWALK  It doesnt take a genius to figure out that student learning suffered during the past two years of the pandemic: Schools closed, kids learned through computer screens, quarantines, socially distanced and masked.

Research shows that many children fell behind during these years of educational disruption, but there are ways to help them catch up. A Brookings Institute study shows the most effective approach is intensive tutoring.

Its a strategy Norwalk Public Schools began using this past year to address learning loss by offering intensive tutoring for students scoring in the bottom 25 percent on screening tests.

We are building a systematic approach to target where students need support and then providing just the right intervention, Assistant Superintendent Rob Pennington said.

Every school has at least one math improvement teacher and one literacy improvement teacher. After a screening test in September, students who needed extra tutoring were put into groups of six or less, called Tier 2 Intervention, and they met with the improvement teacher every other day. Their progress is monitored every two weeks during a six-week cycle. At that point, some students leave the program, others may join, and new groups are formed.

Were seeing good results, said Deborah Perry, education administrator for Scientific Research Based Intervention.

In September, 212 students were in Tier 2 literacy intervention and 287 in math intervention. By May, half of those students no longer needed extra support.

On a recent day at West Rocks Middle School, literacy improvement teacher Demetria Walters sat with a group of three boys at a small table next to a smartboard, a large computer screen on wheels. Shes getting her students ready to read an article about phone privacy, and shes reviewing some ideas and vocabulary words.

When she asks if its creepy when ads about your own interests pop up when you do a computer search, there were some blank looks among some students whose first language is not English. Walker quickly clicks a button and the screen displays a bunch of colorful advertisements.

These are ads, she says, and one boy says that ads try to sell you things.

When she asks whether an app will share your data, it was met with more blank looks.

Data? She presses a button, and a pie chart about pets, a bar graph about ice cream flavors, a pictograph about favorite subjects all appear on the screen. They review what those charts are telling them, and she repeats, This is data  information.

When they read the article the next day, it will make more sense because of this lively discussion about the ideas and words they reviewed before reading.

In another corner of the room, three eighth-grade girls are sitting with Elcilia Teveras, a math improvement teacher. Each student has some math problems in front of them and some very small wooden cubes. By organizing these cubes into different groupings, the girls are transforming simple multiplication problems into equations with multiplication in parentheses.

Taveras is getting them ready for algebra. The kids are eager to learn, devoted to learn, she says. They are a bit lacking in the skills of math and sometimes there is a language barrier, but they are definitely receptive to the knowledge I give them.

Students who are not responding well or who need even more support are placed in Tier 3 Intervention, groups of only three children who meet with the improvement teachers every day.

During the school year, 51 students fell into that category; 25 percent were able to move up into Tier 2 groups, and 33 percent needed even more support through special education services, according to Perry.

This was the first year of such systematic structured support. Its not that we have it perfect, Pennington said. In year one, we focused on getting the staff we need, then the programs. Next year, we will dedicate our professional development to building stronger practitioners.

The district recently published the SRBI Handbook that explains the program in detail, and it lists 17 reading programs and 10 math programs that can be used.

Change doesnt happen overnight, said Stacey Bergin, education administrator of curricula and professional development. Change takes from three to five years.

In Lindsay Mumbachs fourth grade Tier 2 literacy class at Marvin School, five students just read a story about Kyle Maynard, a man who had no arms or legs but had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

The need in fourth grade is in comprehension and vocabulary, she said.

The students were answering some questions about the article, looking for evidence to support their answers. But they had some trouble with words  medical supplies, veterans, blind  and she helped them understand their meaning. When they stumbled over the word motto, Mumbach described her family motto and the school motto. They had to write a personal motto for homework.

Tiers 2 and 3 support are targeted and intensive for students who are struggling the most, but the pandemic affected everyone. Every student needs some sort of extra attention, Pennington said. To provide that, there was a 30-minute block of time when all students in grades K-5 were divided into small groups and received instruction from a teacher, an aide, administrator, librarian, sometimes a secretary. Every adult is being trained to deliver research-based reading instruction and enrichment.

We know that some students need more enrichment opportunities to continue to grow, and the Gifted and Talented teachers are part of the team as well, Pennington said.

This program will be fully implemented next year.

Theres a lot of love here, Mumbach said. People want children to succeed.
The 70-year-old suspected gunman in a shooting that killed three people at an Alabama church sat by himself drinking liquor, rejecting offers to join the others gathered at the potluck dinner, before gunfire shattered the peace of the evening, a survivor recalled.

It felt like he was disengaged, Susan Sallin, 73, said. Sallin was seated at the same table at the Boomers Potluck" with the three people who died in the Thursday night shooting at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.

The suspected gunman had previously attended church services and a few church gatherings for people of the Baby Boomer generation and older, but didn't seem to interact much with others, she said. That night, he sat at a table by himself. While wine was available at the potluck, he was drinking from what appeared to be a small bottle of Scotch, and shunned invitations to join the others.

"I personally invited him to come and sit at our table twice because I wanted him to feel a sense of inclusion, but he did not come," Sallin said. She said a woman, whose husband would be killed moments later in the shooting, realized he had not fixed himself a plate and went up and offered to make him a plate." He declined that as well.

Robert Findlay Smith, 70, is charged with capital murder in the shooting that killed three people. Walter Bartlett Rainey, 84, Sarah Yeager, 75, of Pelham, and another woman were killed in the shooting. Police did not release the name of the third victim, but friends referred to her as Jane.

The gathering was joyful, as the friends  who had not been able to gather as much during the pandemic  chatted about the food before them that night, their favorite cars and other light-hearted topics. Sallin said she doesn't remember hearing any arguing or heated conversation before the gunfire suddenly erupted.

I heard this loud metallic sound, and I thought a metal chair had fallen over on the floor. And then there was another sound, and another sound, and I realized it was a gun," she recalled. "People were diving for the floor. I was diving for the floor. When I got down to the floor, I realized that two of my girlfriends who were sitting at the table with me had been hit."

Sallin said she crawled across the floor to reach her friends. I was trying to calm them and pat them and tell them, 'You are not alone. You are not alone.' Thats the message that I wanted them to get.

Nearby, Linda Foster Rainey cradled her husband. According to a family statement, he died in her arms while she murmured words of comfort and love into his ears.

Sallin said one of the men in the group, who is also in his 70s, was able to subdue the gunman. I did see him get the gun out of the man's hand and hit him on the head with the gun, she said.

The Rev. Doug Carpenter, St. Stephens pastor for three decades before he retired in 2005, said he understood the man hit the gunman with a folding chair before wrestling him to the ground and taking the gun.

The person that subdued the suspect, in my opinion, was a hero, Vestavia Hills police Capt. Shane Ware told reporters a news conference Friday, saying that act was extremely critical in saving lives.

The church had been closed off for several days as a crime scene, but the congregation returned Sunday for worship services with a message of choosing love over hate.

The Rev. John Burruss, the rector of St. Stephens, invoked the Christian story of the last supper, where Jesus invited the friend who would ultimately betray him.

There is not a doubt in my mind that Bart and Sharon and Jane would invite their Judas again and again to sit down and share a meal, because they knew God's unconditional love," he said, using the first names that the three victims went by.

"It was their guiding ethic and they fully embodied it. ... They taught us that all are welcome at the table, Burruss said.
New data from the state Department of Public Health shows the percent of schoolchildren vaccinated to protect against a variety of long standing diseases dropped during COVID-19, following years of steady decline in the share of K-12 students who received state-mandated immunizations.

The state data showed the rate of students who were vaccinated against several diseases such as polio, measles, and tetanus. It did not include data on the vaccination rates against COVID-19, which is not a required vaccine in Connecticut schools.

Experts and state education officials attributed the drop in immunizations to difficulty in securing medical appointments and growing vaccine hesitancy.

Overall, the rate of vaccination against those several diseases hovered between 95 percent and 96 percent for the 2020-2021 school year depending on the vaccine, down by as much as a point compared to the school year before the pandemic began, and a decline from a high of 97 percent during the 2012-13 school year, the earliest year for which data is available.

That percentage decrease might seem small, and indeed Connecticuts overall vaccination rate still remains above the national average by as much as two points. But, Dr. John Schreiber, medical director of infection control at Connecticut Childrens Medical Center in Hartford, said even modest declines are cause for concern.

I would be worried if our excellent vaccination rate declines further, that we will have outbreaks in Connecticut, and that children will get hurt and some could die, he said. We can avoid it. It's just not necessary.

The state data, collected during the fall and released in early May, is based on vaccination rates of kindergarteners and 7th graders because children in those grades are typically at the age when theyre due for different rounds of vaccines.

The data showed the immunization rate declined more for certain types of vaccines.

The greatest declines in vaccination rates were recorded in 7th graders uptake of the Tdap shot  a booster dose to prevent against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough  as well as the meningococcal, also known as MCV, vaccine which protects against bacteria that can cause meningitis.

Schreiber said a dropoff in acceptance of the measles vaccine is of particular cause for concern.

Falling below a rate of 95 percent for the measles vaccine specifically would be alarming, Schreiber said.

Connecticuts measles vaccination rate stands exactly at 95 percent for kindergarteners. The national rate is just below 94 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Schreiber noted measles is highly contagious and is rapidly spreading in other parts of the world; UNICEF reported on May 4 that 21 large and disruptive measles outbreaks have been reported worldwide. Schreiber said parents need to remember not to take the United States decades-long access to vaccines for granted.

A spokesman for the state Department of Public Health said the agency believes parents had a hard time securing the needed appointments during the pandemics earliest months, when many restrictions were in place.

What we have seen nationally as well as here in CT is that many adolescent visits were postponed due to the pandemic so the vaccination rates for Tdap and Meningoccal have consequently declined, Chris Boyle, a spokesman for the agency, said in a statement. We have worked with our medical partners  to identify those adolescents behind on their vaccines to get them caught up on their missing vaccinations.

The state health agency noted some schools may have struggled to collect accurate data during the pandemic, which may factor into why immunization rates dropped.

Boyle said the agency is not expecting higher rates of children out of compliance with vaccine mandates during the upcoming year, and is not conducting any targeted outreach. He said vaccination rates can improve during the year, as some kids received their vaccines late.

Schreiber said vaccine misinformation that has taken hold during the COVID-19 pandemic is likely contributing to declining vaccination rates.

There is an undercurrent of anti-vaccine propaganda that has affected our routine immunizations, and it's very important that we push back, he said.

Dr. Ho-Choong Chang, chief of pediatrics with Community Health Center, Inc., a large network of health clinics across Connecticut, said during the first year of the pandemic, the organization focused on ensuring infants didnt fall behind on their needed vaccinations.

It was an incredibly challenging time for pediatricians to remain accessible to families, he said. We were, like many clinics, trying to be mindful about balancing access against infection control.

The situation has since improved, Chang said, leaving parents with options to get their children up to date with the needed vaccines ahead of the coming school year.

Still, Chang said he remains concerned about growing anti-vaccine sentiments, however, and believes the problem could continue to worsen.

A significant challenge currently is a spillover effect from COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy that is now being generalized to overall vaccine hesitancy, Chang said.

He encouraged parents to ask questions of their pediatrician and stressed that providers should listen to peoples concerns without judgment.

State data show one factor driving vaccination rates down over the past several years is that an increasing share of children received an exemption from vaccine requirements for religious reasons.

According to state data, 2.3 percent of students are currently exempt for religious reasons, up from 1.4 percent in the 2012-2013 school year.

But in the coming school year, parents will no longer be able to claim a religious exemption in Connecticut at both private and public schools. The new law, which is due to take effect Sept. 1, applies to children entering the school system; all students who already claim a religious exemption will continue to be able to do so.

The COVID-19 vaccine is not included in Connecticuts list of required vaccines for schoolchildren; only California and Washington, D.C. have taken that step, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But news on Friday means more parents could have the option to inoculate their kids: The Food and Drug Administration authorized both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months old.
Following a string of union victories at Amazon and Starbucks, a group of prominent progressive grant makers is seeking to put a total of $20 million into a coalition with organized labor that will steer funds to organizing and advocacy campaigns in the South.

A contentious battle to unionize an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., provided much of the impetus to create the new fund, says Jennifer Epps, executive director of the Labor Innovations for the 21st Century Fund (LIFT), a 10-year-old philanthropy-labor collaboration that will manage the effort.

If folks in Alabama said that they were going to stand up and fight for the things that they believe and that they deserve, why wouldnt philanthropy and other organizations working to help folks improve their lives be there with them? she says. "This is an opportunity to put our resources where our mouth is.

The fund, called the Southern Workers Opportunity Fund, has secured commitments totaling $14 million from foundations that have contributed to LIFT over the course of its 10-year history, including the Ford and Kellogg foundations. The fund also includes contributions from the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, the Babcock, Surdna, Tara Health, and Robert Wood Johnson foundations. Decisions on which nonprofits will receive money will be made by a steering committee consisting of foundation and union leaders.

The support garnered by the Southern Workers Opportunity Fund reflects a growing interest among foundations in supporting workers rights more broadly. The fact that philanthropy and unions are working together on the fund and the targeting of the South, a region long inhospitable to organizing, reflects a change of focus for foundations, which had largely written off working with organized labor and supporting southern workers as lost causes, Epps says.

The new interest in supporting workers campaigns has also drawn criticism from opponents of unionizing, who say that such efforts run afoul of the spirit of laws cordoning off charitable giving from politics.

If the fund raises as much as it contemplates, it will significantly increase LIFTs grantmaking budget, which is about $2 million a year. Grants will be awarded starting in the fall to workers groups emphasizing racial, gender, and economic justice.

The pandemic raised awareness of the difficulties faced by low-wage workers, Epps says, making it an ideal time for workers to parlay the increased attention into policy gains and organizing victories. As more manufacturers and warehouse companies have located in the South over the past decade, in large part because of right-to-work laws, which make it hard for workers to organize, activists like Epps, who came to the LIFT Fund last fall after a career as a union leader, say the need to bolster workers campaigns has become more crucial.

Epps and others involved in the fund are aware that union efforts face challenges in the South. One of their major short-term goals is to support small, successful projects that will attract more philanthropy, particularly regional donors, to the effort.

Grants from the Southern Workers Opportunity Fund will be made to nonprofit organizations that work to support worker centers, which are community organizations that support low-wage workers who are not represented by a union. Support will be given to groups pushing for community-benefit agreements that hold companies accountable for creating a certain number of local jobs with certain wage levels and benefits when they open a facility in a town.

But ultimately, Epps says, successfully negotiating a contract with employers is the key to increasing worker power.

Collective bargaining agreements are the gold standard, she says.

Anti-union critics see the combination of union and foundation dollars as something more nefarious: using philanthropic money earmarked for charity to tilt the political debate to suit progressive aims. The grants made by the fund will not go directly to unions organizing workplaces. But the fact that they are going to be made in consultation with unions gets into a legally gray area, says Richard Epstein, a law professor at New York University School of Law.

This is not charitable work, he says. This is political advocacy.

Epstein did not know the particulars of the LIFT Fund commitment. But he said foundations will finesse grants to support political work to be technically nonpolitical even though they are designed to achieve a political end.

Jose Garcia, senior program officer at the Ford Foundation, says that grants are not seeking to influence politics.

Were looking for the benefit of all workers, he says. This is not political. We see the poverty. We see people cannot put food on the table. This isnt a political issue, its a human rights issue.

The attention foundations and donors have paid to workers rights, and union organizing in particular, is a lot different from what Amy Dean experienced as an AFL-CIO leader in Silicon Valley in the 1990s. If foundations did make grants related to organized labor, she says, it was often directed at rooting out corruption in particular locales.

I was told, Forget about them. Youll never raise money for the labor movement, recalls Dean, now a consultant. Philanthropys relationship to labor was either hatred or ambivalence, at best. Philanthropy was always sort of skeptical  it felt that the labor movement was too big, powerful, and influential.

Foundations are coming to believe that the change they want to see will only come if workers have more say in the workplace, says Dean.

Its a lesson learned from the #MeToo movement, the wave of protests following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, and the string of union victories at places like Amazon and Starbucks that previously seemed impervious to attempts to organize, says Christian Sweeney, deputy organizing director at the AFL-CIO.

Theres a growing sense that the major problems in our country arent getting solved purely through policy interventions or charitable works, Sweeney says. Whats driving this from the foundation side is that people see the labor movement broadly as a place to change the balance of power.

____

This article was provided to The Associated Press by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Alex Daniels is a senior reporter at the Chronicle. Email: alex.daniels@philanthropy.com. The AP and the Chronicle receive support from the Lilly Endowment for coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The AP and the Chronicle are solely responsible for all content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
HAMDEN  A motorist was injured Sunday following a three-vehicle collision outside Memorial Town Hall, police said.

Officers with the Hamden Police Department responded around 10:30 a.m. to the intersection of Dixwell and Whitney avenues for a report of a vehicle crash, according to Det. Sean J. Dolan, a department spokesperson.

The operator of one of the vehicles was extricated from her vehicle and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Dolan said in a news release.

In addition to police, the Hamden Fire Department assisted at the scene.

It is unclear if charges are pending in connection with the crash. Dolan said the cause of the collision is under investigation.
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP)  About 20 students at a Michigan high school where four students were killed in a mass shooting say their constitutional rights to safety and education have been violated and that they want changes to ensure security at school, a law firm representing them said Friday.

The federal lawsuit filed Friday names the Oxford Community School District, its former superintendent and other officials. It seeks an independent review and policy changes, including increased transparency and communication from the district.

The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment from the district.

Ethan Crumbley, 16, has been charged with murder and terrorism in the Nov. 30 shootings at Oxford High School, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Detroit, that also left six other students and a teacher wounded. He faces trial in November.

His parents are accused of providing him with access to the gun he used and are awaiting trial for involuntary manslaughter.

The students' lawsuit demands the school district implement a fully transparent and independent third-party investigation of the actions and events leading up to the shooting" and what it calls an end to the practice of concealing and minimizing threats of violence."

The lawsuit doesn't seek financial damages. Other lawsuits following the shooting have sought millions of dollars, saying that the violence could have been prevented.

The latest lawsuit also asks the district to stop returning students to class when they pose a risk of harm to themselves or others.

On the morning of the shooting, Ethan Crumbleys parents were summoned to the school and confronted with his drawings of a handgun and the words: The thoughts wont stop. Help me. Authorities said the parents refused to take him home after the 13-minute meeting.

Rumors of threats and threatening behavior in the weeks leading up to the shooting were ignored and minimized by school officials, said Alicia Feltz, whose daughter will be a sophomore at the high school this fall. They desensitized and diminished the threats that walked alongside our children in the hallways."

None of us want to be here right now, Feltz added. We have kindly and firmly asked for change and now we're demanding it.

The parents supporting their children in the lawsuit are known as #change4oxford. Several told reporters that the Oxford School Board has repeatedly declined a review by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessels office.

The district announced last month that it was hiring a law firm and an independent investigations firm to conduct its own review.

My fear, now, is they will use attorney-client privilege to withhold pertinent information for the review," said April Ventline, whose son attends Oxford High. "I dont have faith or trust we will get a clear and honest review.

___

For more of the APs coverage of the Michigan school shooting: https://apnews.com/hub/oxford-high-school-shooting

___

This story has been corrected to show Feltz's daughter will be a sophomore this fall, not a freshman.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday called for both India and Bangladesh to work together for a crime-free border and on river management.

Addressing the 7th Joint Consultative Commission meeting with Bangladesh, he said: "Today Bangladesh is our largest development partner, it is our largest trade partner in the region, it is our largest visa operation overseas. And that really underlines every aspect of our cooperation. And we in turn, are your largest export destination in Asia. I am glad to see that your exports have doubled to $2 billion this year."

The minister said both the countries share management of 54 rivers and their conservation, as well as the shared environment responsibility at Sundarbans.

"These are really areas that we need to work together as part of our commitment to climate action."

Jaishankar also said that better management of their long border is also a key priority, the border guarding forces should be committed to combating trans-border crimes, and both the countries should continue to work together to make sure that the border remains crime-free.

"We both have a commitment to a prosperous and connected sub-region. We have been working together on a BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement. And we also look at subregional cooperation in power, especially hydropower. We are both the largest producer and consumer of energy in the region. And we would be very happy to work with Bangladesh to structure a progressive partnership in the areas of production, transmission and trade," he said.
If emissions continue to rise, and countries make no effort to curb climate change, the resulting impact could be even more grim, a new analysis suggests.
Pelumi Olajengbesi, human rights lawyer, says the submission of Ahmad Lawans name as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)...

Pelumi Olajengbesi, human rights lawyer, says the submission of Ahmad Lawans name as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Yobe north senatorial district shows the party has no respect for constitutional democracy.

Lawan, senate president, was listed as the APC senatorial candidate for Yobe north, without participating in the senatorial primary election.

Bashir Machina, who won the APC primary election for the district, insisted that he would not step down for the senate president.

Lawan had contested for the APC presidential ticket, but lost to Bola Tinubu who secured 1,271 votes to clinch the partys presidential ticket.

Speaking on the development, Olajengbesi, principal partner of Law Corridor, in a statement, said the APC must stop its illegalities and actions alien to decent democracy.

The lawyer asked Machina to seek legal redress to reclaim his mandate.

Now that Lawan has lost the presidential primary to former Lagos state governor, Bola Tinubu, it is shocking that the APC chairman again threw away constitutional democracy and moved on to enthrone Lawan as Yobe North senatorial candidate for the ruling party when it was apparent that the senate president didnt participate in the senatorial primary, the statement reads.

The APC has just disgraced and embarrassed itself as a shameless party with no respect for constitutional democracy which President Muhammadu Buhari preaches.

Going by the provisions of Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 signed by the President, the APC cannot just foist anybody on other contestants, not especially in this case where Machina contested the election and won whilst Lawan was busy chasing his presidential ambition which was met with preposterous defeat as he didnt even come close to the first three in terms of votes cast by delegates.

Recall that similar cases have been recorded with the likes of other APC presidential aspirants including Godswill Akpabio, Dave Umahi, and Ibikunle Amosun.

The APC must stop its illegalities and actions alien to decent democracy. There is nothing absolutely wrong with Lawans 24-year rubberstamp tenure in the national assembly coming to an end in 2023. It is this sit-tight syndrome that has destroyed democracy in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Machina is encouraged to seek legal redress to reclaim his rightful mandate from Lawan. Machina has a good case and should not give in to intimidation and oppression by the high and mighty who should be taught a lesson that illegalities wont be tolerated going into the 2023 elections.
Exactly two weeks after terrorists attacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State in the Southwest region of Nigeria, again, armed ...

Exactly two weeks after terrorists attacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State in the Southwest region of Nigeria, again, armed terrorists on motorcycles in the early hours of Sunday, attacked two churches, the Maranatha Baptist Church and the St. Moses Catholic Church, both in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The attack came barely a week after some suspected terrorists in a helicopter invaded communities in the same Kajuru LGA, killing no fewer than 32 villagers.

The state government confirmed the attack but debunked the usage of helicopters by the bandits, saying the helicopter was on a rescue mission.

NE gathered that in the Sunday attacks, three worshippers were killed while several others were abducted when the attackers in large numbers swooped on the worship places.

According to a source, the terrorists shot indiscriminately as they approached the various churches, killing three while several others sustained injuries.

Three of the worshippers were gunned down by the terrorists and many are still missing. One of the victims was taken to St. Gerald Catholic Hospital in the state capital, the source said.

Meanwhile, the states Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, has confirmed the attacks on the two churches on Sunday.

The Commissioner in a statement noted that based on security reports made available to the state government, the bandits attacked worshippers and locals at Ungwan Fada, Ungwan Turawa, and Ungwan Makama in Rubu general area of Kajuru LGA.

He also said the terrorists looted some shops while valuable items were carted away.

According to the report, the bandits stormed the villages on motorcycles, beginning from Ungwan Fada, and moving into Ungwan Turawa, before Ungwan Makama and then Rubu.

He added that in Rubu village, the terrorists attacked worshippers in the Maranatha Baptist Church and St. Moses Catholic Church.

The Commissioner gave the identities of the worshippers killed to include Peter Madaki (Ward head of Ungwan Fada), Elisha Ezekiel (Resident of Ungwan Fada), and Ali Zamani (Youth leader of Rubu).

He said two worshippers were injured by the marauding terrorists and gave their identities to include one Aniro Mai, and a yet-to-be-identified woman while adding that an unspecified number of locals were also kidnapped, according to the received reports.

The statement titled, Bandits attack worshippers, locals, Kill three and injure two in Kajuru LGA, said, On a sad note, security agencies have reported to the Kaduna State Government that bandits attacked worshippers and locals at Ungwan Fada, Ungwan Turawa and Ungwan Makama in Rubu general area of Kajuru local government area.

According to the report, the bandits stormed the villages on motorcycles, beginning from Ungwan Fada, and moving into Ungwan Turawa, before Ungwan Makama and then Rubu.

In Rubu village, the bandits attacked worshippers in the Maranatha Baptist Church and St. Moses Catholic Church.

Two persons were left injured in the attacks; one Aniro Mai, and a yet-unidentified woman. An unspecified number of locals were also kidnapped, according to the received reports.

The bandits looted shops and carted away some valuables from the villages.

He quoted the acting Governor Dr. Hadiza Balarabe to have expressed deep sadness and condemned the attack in the strongest terms when she received the report.

She sent her sincere condolences to the families of the deceased victims, as she prayed for the repose of their souls, the commissioner added.
Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and other members of the ruling All Progressi...

Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and other members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, of destroying the principles of democracy with vote-buying.

There were reports of massive vote-buying during the Ekiti governorship election on Saturday.

Sowore, who is the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) for the 2023 general elections, said the Ekiti State governor, who paraded himself as a pro democracy activist before becoming a politician, was the mastermind of vote-buying that led to the massive victory recorded by the APC in the election.

He tweeted, Gov. @kfayemi of the All Progressives Congress @OfficialAPCNg made his name as a pro-democracy activist, but yesterday he and other members of his party destroyed Democracy with paper money! #WeCantContinueLikeThis.

Biodun Oyebanji, the governorship candidate of the APC, was declared the winner of the governorship election in Ekiti State on Saturday.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Returning Officer for the election, Prof Kayode Adebowale, announced that Oyebanji polled 187,057 votes to defeat its closest rival, the SDP, which garnered 82,211 votes

The PDP came third with 67,457 votes while valid votes in the election were 351,865.
Mr. Paul James, an Election observer in Ekiti State, from YIAGA, has insisted that people sold their votes during Saturdays governorship el...





Mr. Paul James, an Election observer in Ekiti State, from YIAGA, has insisted that people sold their votes during Saturdays governorship election for as low as N500.





James told the BBC Hausa Service on Saturday that from March 2022 till date, money and other items were given to people during political occasions.





According to him, it has now changed as they now go from house to house, giving people money.





James said, What this has shown is that politicians dont like wasting time campaigning, what they now do is to buy peoples votes.





The election observer said it was not only one political party that does that, adding that its so disheartening that they buy peoples vote for as low as N500.





However, an INEC official Hajiya Zainab Aminu told the BBC Hausa that they have taken steps to deal with the problem.





Aminu said it is not permissible for people to use phones or snap pictures when they come to cast their vote at the polling stations.





According to her, people used to snap what they voted for and show it afterwards so as to collect money.





She added that the Commission was working together with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) so as to apprehend those who flout the election rules and get them punished in accordance with the offence they committed.





It was reported that incidences of vote-buying have been recorded in many polling centres in the ongoing governorship election in Ekiti.





Concerned individuals, who are also voters, said some persons believed to be working for politicians suddenly arrived at various polling centres on Saturday to offer money to those already in the queue, with the intention of inducing them with cash.





They, however, said such offers were not done in the open, as it used to be in the past, apparently to avoid the attention of eagle-eyed security men on duty, as a prospective voter would just be quietly invited to a corner, a little far away from the voting unit, to collect money.
The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Mohammed Matawalle has charged the States pilgrims to pray fervently for the restoration of peace an...

The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Mohammed Matawalle has charged the States pilgrims to pray fervently for the restoration of peace and tranquillity in all parts of Nigeria while in Saudi Arabia.

The Governor gave the directive while bidding farewell to 1,303 intending pilgrims from the state who will perform this years Hajj in the Holy land of Saudi Arabia.

Governor Bello Matawalle said Zamfara State needed prayers against the menace of insecurity bedevilling it.

He said bandits activities ravaging the state calls for divine intervention and that there was a need for the pilgrims to pray for peace to return in all parts of the state.

The Governor also charged the pilgrims to be good ambassadors of the state and respect constituted authorities of both Nigeria and the host country of Saudi Arabia while in the holy land.

Matawalle noted that his administration has provided all necessary assistance in terms of logistics and support to the intending pilgrims to perform the Hajj exercise with relative ease.

The state government has provided brand new vehicles for the transportation of the intending pilgrims right from Gusau, the state capital to Sultan Abubakar International Airport, Sokoto, he said.
Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna Central Senator has reacted to the decision asking Catholic faithful to stay away from the Adoration Ministry le...





Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna Central Senator has reacted to the decision asking Catholic faithful to stay away from the Adoration Ministry led by Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka.





The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Calistus Onaga had imposed a ban on Mbakas Adoration Ministry.





It was reported that this is coming on the heels of Mbakas outburst against the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.





In a letter he personally signed and addressed to All the Clergy, Religious and Lay Faithful in the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, Onaga said they were all banned from having anything to do with the Adoration Ministry.





Reacting, Sani likened Mbakas situation to that of the removal of Sheikh Khalid as Imam of Apo Jumaat mosque.





He noted that like Khalid Mbaka was removed due to their views.





In a tweet, the former lawmaker wrote: Asking Catholics not to attend the Church of Father Mbaka because of his political views is the same as removing Sheikh Khalid as Imam of Apo Jumaat mosque because of his views. We are different only when we tolerate views other than ours.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
As Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in National Herald case on Monday, the Congress is gearing up to protest on two issues -- Agnipath scheme and Rahul Gandhi's questioning by the ED.

Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "Tomorrow lakhs of Congress workers across the country will continue peaceful protest against the anti-youth Agnipath scheme & against Modi Govt's vendetta politics targeting its leader Shri Rahul Gandhi, MP."

He also said that Congress delegation will meet President Ram Nath Kovind in the evening.

The Congress will start its day with party General Secretary Ajay Maken addressing a press conference at 9 a.m. on Monday.

Earlier on Sunday, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the Congress protest at Jantar Mantar against the central government's new scheme of recruitment in defence forces, 'Agnipath'. Several Congress leaders also joined the protest.

Several top leaders of the Congress participated in what the party called 'satyagrah' and demanded the government to withdraw the Agnipath scheme. The Congress leaders said the government should immediately withdraw this scheme as it is not good for the youth.
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Grace Felice Hammond

Daughter of Mr. Christopher Langston Hammond and Ms. Jeanne Claire Oubre

Attends Isidore Newman School

With her eyes set on acceptance into the college of her choice, Miss Grace Felice Hammond also plans to help other students on their higher education path, working with Breakthrough New Orleans, a multi-year academic enrichment program that builds a path from middle school to college for under-resourced students. She hopes to tutor students about music theory.

She is the daughter of Mr. Christopher Langston Hammond and Ms. Jeanne Claire Oubre.

At Newman, she is on the volleyball and cheerleading squads and participates in the Culture of Kindness Club.

Her college and future plans include attending law school and being the proprietor of her own business.

In earlier Carnival seasons, Grace was a page in the Original Illinois Club and was a princess in the Young Men Illinois Club balls.

In the 2023 Carnival season, she will be presented by the Original Illinois Club.
A 33-year-old man was shot in the 1300 block of South Dorgenois Street (map) near Central City Saturday at 10:21 p.m., according to the New Orleans Police Department.

The man was standing in the back of the driveway when he saw a black sedan driving down his street. People in the car started shooting at him, and he was struck. The car drove away, and paramedics brought the man to an area hospital.

This and several other violent crimes, including a man shot to death on Gentilly Boulevard, were reported by New Orleans police since Saturday morning.

Here's what else we know via preliminary information from the NOPD:

Man robbed at gunpoint near St. Claude

A 22-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint Saturday in the 3400 block of North Miro Street (map) in the Florida area of the city.

Two men pulled up in a car next to the man at 1:34 p.m. and demanded his things. The victim gave them his wallet, and the men took money from it before running away.

Man shot in Algiers

A man was shot in the 1700 block of Hendee Street (map) in Algiers Saturday at about 4 p.m. He heard shots and realized he was hit. Paramedics brought him to an area hospital.

Man's house burglarized in New Orleans East

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A 34-year-old man's house was burglarized in the 6700 block of Cindy Place (map) in West Lake Forest at 2:42 p.m. Saturday. An armed man and woman went into the home, attacked the victim, stole his things and ran away. Paramedics brought the man to the hospital for his injuries.

Man stabbed in New Orleans East

A 33-year-old man was stabbed by another man in the 12000 block of Hayne Boulevard in Little Woods in New Orleans East (map) Saturday at 3 p.m. The man was brought to a local hospital in a personal vehicle.

Man cut near Central City

A 35-year-old man was cut in the 3900 block of Third Street (map) near Central City Saturday. The man was arguing with a woman when she took out a pair of scissors and cut him. Police arrested Dynika Walley, 35, at the scene.

Man robbed in Algiers

A 56-year-old man was robbed in the 1400 block of Lawrence Street (map) in Algiers Saturday at 1:21 a.m. A man went up to him and pushed him before taking his cell phone and running away.

No other details were immediately available. Anyone with information regarding these crimes is asked to call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting

AMSAT announces the 40th Annual AMSAT Space Symposium and General Meeting will be held on Friday through Saturday, October 21 - 22, 2022 in Bloomington, Minnesota.



The annual AMSAT Space Symposium features:

* Space Symposium with Amateur Satellite Presentations

* Operating Techniques, News, and Plans from the Amateur Satellite World

* Board of Directors Meeting open to AMSAT members

* Opportunities to Meet Board Members and Officers

* AMSAT Annual General Membership Meeting

* Auction, Annual Banquet, Keynote Speaker and Door Prizes !!



The Crowne Plaza Suites, 3 Appletree Square, Bloomington, MN, is centrally located between the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Mall of America, Minneapolis Zoo, and Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park. Crown Plaza Suites provides a complimentary scheduled shuttle to and from the airport.



Additional information about the 2022 AMSAT Symposium will be posted on the AMSAT web site, www.amsat.org as it becomes available.

[ANS thanks Robert Bankston, KE4AL, AMSAT President for the above information.]


When temperatures begin soaring in late May and early June, a mosquito population explosion inevitably follows. But the blood-sucking insects aren't just a seasonal annoyance, they can carry West Nile virus and spread it to people.

The first infected mosquitoes were detected in St. Tammany Parish three weeks ago, according to Kevin Caillouet, director of the St. Tammany Parish Mosquito Abatement District. Out of 1,661 pools of mosquitoes  groups of about 100 mosquitoes that are collected in traps around the parish  a total of nine had tested positive for the virus as of two weeks ago. Another eight tested positive Friday.

In Orleans Parish, a single pool showed infected mosquitoes last week, according to Claudia Riegel of the Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board.

Jefferson Parish has not had any positive tests so far this year, a parish spokesperson said.

West Nile appears on schedule

No human cases have been reported in the state this year, but the infected mosquitoes are showing up right on schedule, Caillouet said.

A combination of factors are involved: mosquitoes start breeding in large number right around the time that birds, which carry the virus, are nesting, and the fledglings have less resistance to the virus.

Mosquitoes become infected when they bite birds that carry the virus. But before the mosquitoes transmit the disease, the virus must reach the insects' salivary glands. That takes longer in cooler weather, and might not happen within the insect's life span, Caillouet said. But when the weather warms up, the incubation period is shorter.

Breeding in ditches

In St. Tammany, the first infected mosquitoes almost always show up in the same area, Caillouet said, a neighborhood south of Covington that has a high concentration of on-site wastewater treatment systems rather than a centralized sewerage system. But as of Friday, the infected mosquito pools were from across the parish, he said.

The Southern house mosquito, the main species in Louisiana that carries West Nile, prefers to breed in water with a lot of organic material. Roadside ditches like those in large parts of unincorporated St. Tammany Parish that lack centralized sewage systems, fill the bill.

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In New Orleans, the same species makes nurseries out of containers around people's homes that fill up with water, from pet bowls to flower pots  "anything that holds water," Riegel said.

Besides surveillance efforts, which Riegel describes as an alarm system, mosquito control agencies aggressively treat areas to kill larvae and adult mosquitoes.

So far, Riegel said, this year has been pretty quiet with Orleans Parish on the low end, but previous years, like 2012 and 2018, were very active.

"This is just the beginning," Caillouet said. "High risk for people is late July through the middle of August."

No symptoms for most

Most people who contract West Nile virus experience no symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while one in five may have symptoms like fever, aches, joint pain, headache and vomiting, diarrhea or rash.

But about one in 150 can develop severe illness affecting the central nervous system.

Caillouet and Riegel urged people to be aware that it's mosquito season and to use repellent containing DEET, Picaridin or lemon eucalyptus.

In St. Tammany, Caillouet urged homeowners to maintain their septic systems, making sure that their aerators are on and treating the water, and they should be pumped out every three to five years.

Riegel said people should take about 10 minutes once a week to dump out all the containers around their homes.

"It's hot, we're all busy, everyone is working, but just take those few minutes," she said.
AMSAT-UK Space Colloquium

AMSAT-UK is very happy to announce the 2022 AMSAT-UK International Space Colloquium will be held as part of the RSGB Convention on October 8-9 at the Kents Hill Park Conference Centre, Timbold Drive, Milton Keynes, MK7 6BZ.

The weekend event attracts an international audience that ranges from those involved in building and operating amateur radio satellites to beginners who wish to find out more about this fascinating branch of the hobby.

Booking for the RSGB Convention is at https://rsgb.org/main/about-us/rsgb-convention/

Booking for the AMSAT-UK dinner on the Saturday evening at the nearby Hilton Hotel is here

Details of the event can be found at https://amsat-uk.org/colloquium/

[ANS thanks Trevor Essex, M5AKA of AMSAT-UK for the above information]
Chinese Bridge language contest held in Laos

Xinhua) 13:45, June 19, 2022

VIENTIANE, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A contest as part of the 21st Chinese Bridge Chinese proficiency competition has been held in the Lao capital.

The latest edition here for college students of the Chinese Bridge Chinese proficiency competition, which is an annual event for non-Chinese students in various countries, was held in the Confucius Institute at the National University of Laos (NUOL) on Friday.

Vice President of NUOL Phosy Thipdavanh said in his opening remarks that the Chinese Bridge competition has been an important platform to inspire Lao students to learn more about the Chinese language and culture.

He encouraged contestants to become envoys of friendship between the two countries, and contribute to promotion of the Laos-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership as well as construction of the Laos-China community with a shared future.

Counselor of the Chinese embassy in Laos Qin Chen said in his speech that he is delighted to see people in Laos attach great importance to the Chinese language teaching, noting that many Lao schools have included the Chinese language course in their curriculum.

The Chinese diplomat expressed hope that young people of the two countries will learn more about each other's culture and language and become envoys of bilateral friendship.

Qin encouraged Lao students to help increase the mutual understanding and further develop ties between the two peoples and countries.

The Chinese proficiency competition themed "One world, One family" comprised the three sections of speech, real time Q&A, and talent show.

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
A growing list of Region businesses is offering Pride Month specials with a portion of proceeds going to charity.

Fluid Coffee Roasters, which has locations in Valparaiso, Michigan City and Crown Pont, roasted a Pride Blend of coffee beans.

"Our Pride Blend is the perfect blend of Tanzanian and Brazilian specialty coffees roasted to perfection by our exclusively LGBTQ+ Fluid head roasters and their team," Fluid co-owner and founder Alison Scates said. "A portion of the proceeds from this Pride Blend will go to the Valpo Alliance. We will proudly be serving at the Michigan City Pride Fest."

Leeds Public House in downtown Michigan City rolled out a selection of Hotel Tango Distillery pride cocktails and limited-edition Leeds Public House pride T-shirts in June, donating a portion to PFLAG Michigan City.

The gastropub, which also supplied the Michigan City Pride Fest on Saturday with libations, is donating 50% of proceeds on cocktails like the Garcon Au Revoir, the Gold Star, and the Stonewall Sour Proud as Punch, which blends Hotel Tango Distillery Pride vodka with mango nectar, dragon fruit extract, pineapple juice, lime juice and honey simple syrup.

"Pride month has become a colorful and joyous celebration of diversity, equality, and love," the gastropub posted on social media. "Were paying homage to those who fought so that we could celebrate today."

18th Street Distillery in Hammond added Pride Month cocktails and merchandise, including T-shirts, hats and tote bags. It's donating a percentage of proceeds to the Brave Space Alliance at the end of the month.

"We are thrilled to be donating to this black and transgender-led organization that does so much for LGBTQ youth and adults in Chicago," 18th Street Distillery posted on social media. "We hope youll come out and hang this month and contribute to a worthy cause."

The distillery tasting room at 5417 Oakley Ave #1 in downtown Hammond also will host its first drag brunch at noon Saturday. Doors open at 11 a.m.

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Indiana's unemployment rate stayed steady at 2.2% in May, remaining at the lowest rate in the state since at least 1976.

For the third straight month, the jobless rate was the lowest in Indiana history since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started measuring unemployment in the current manner. Indiana's jobless rate has fallen or remained the same every month since May 2020, when joblessness first started to decline after a huge spike at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

While the number of people working in the private sector is at a new high, there remains numerous available job opportunities throughout Indiana, said DWD Commissioner Fred Payne. More and more Hoosiers have spent the last several months reassessing their career and career goals, and the May employment report shows individuals continue to return to the workplace.

The national jobless rate was 3.6% in May, the same as in April.

Indiana's labor force is the total number of people working and actively seeking work as extrapolated from a phone survey. According to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, a total of 3.27 million Hoosiers were working in April while 91,691 were unemployed and seeking work, or available to work now.

Contrary to popular belief, the unemployment rate is not tied to the number of people receiving unemployment benefits, who totaled 16,902 in May.

There were 3.364 million Hoosiers participating in the labor force in May, an increase of 16,374 from the previous month. The labor force participation rate was 62.6% as compared to 62.9% in April and 62.2% of people nationwide, according to the DWD.

There are now 2.759 million Hoosiers working in the private sector.

Private-sector employment in Indiana has risen by 105,200 year-over-year, declining by 5,300 jobs in May. Last month, the Hoosier state gained 2,400 jobs in manufacturing, 2,000 jobs in professional and business services and 1,000 jobs in leisure and hospitality.

Indiana currently has an estimated 159,763 open job postings around the state.

In Illinois, unemployment remained steady at 4.6% in May.

Illinois gained 12,800 jobs in May, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Last month, the state added 6,000 jobs in leisure and hospitality, 3,300 in educational and health services and 2,600 in construction.

It lost 800 jobs in trade, transportation and utilities, 800 in other services and 100 in mining.

Over the past year, Illinois has made long-term sustainable progress in adding jobs and lowering unemployment since the state fully re-opened in June 2021, said DCEO Director Sylvia Garcia. Were encouraged to see gains in the leisure and hospitality, construction and education sectors and continue to support our workforce through training and programs for job seekers.

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GOSHEN  A 20-year-old man accused of fatally shooting two former co-workers at a northern Indiana pizza shop has pleaded guilty to the slayings.

Jose Benitez-Tilley pleaded guilty Thursday in Elkhart County to two counts of murder ahead of a jury trial that had been set for Aug. 1, The Elkhart Truth reported.

Benitez-Tilley acknowledged under questioning Thursday by Circuit Court Judge Michael Christofeno that he shot and killed Haley Smith, 22, and Dustin Carr, 37, in February as they were working the closing shift at a Papa John's restaurant in Elkhart.

The bodies of Smith and Carr, who were engaged, were found Feb. 12 behind the restaurant by an employee who arrived that morning to open the eatery.

Benitez-Tilley's plea agreement sets a 65-year sentence for each count of murder, to be served concurrently. A count of abuse of a corpse he had faced was dismissed under the plea deal.

The prison term represents the maximum punishment for murder. Benitez-Tilley's attorney, Jeffrey Majerek, said his client could finish his sentence in a little under 49 years.

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Louise Derifield was a little skeptical of why her mother, Agatha Glennon, was frequenting a senior center in Portage, she said.

Curiosity would get the best of Derifield, however, and she soon discovered the why her mother and others loved the Bonner Senior Center in Portage.

Theres a lot of fun there. Theres a lot of caring people there, Derifield said.

Derifield worked hard to reach a point in her life where she can chill out and have fun at the Bonner Center.

A Vietnam War Veteran, she retired from her role in maintenance with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. There she fixed up various facilities as needed, shoveled snow and built trails for the park service, she said.

Fast forward to her days at the Bonner Center and her new routine. Each day she gets to the center, Derifield said she starts with a cup of coffee. She is quite happy it is only 25 cents.

Then she sits with her friends for a hand of Kings in the Corner, a classic card game.

Her friend Bonnie plays piano regularly. When there's no live music, Derifield said she likes the oldies and country.

She said she enjoys relating to people from her generation whenever she visits, but she also respects the attentive and dedicated staff at the Bonner Center.

According to the Portage Trustee website, the Bonner Senior Center opened in 1980 as the brainchild of Eunice Bonner, president of the Senior Citizens Club of Portage during the 1970s, and John P. Williams, a Portage trustee.

I truly believe, and Ill say it over and over again, the Bonner Senior Center is the best senior community center in Northwest Indiana. I truly believe that, said center Director Robin Wilkening.

The center at 5800 Lexington Ave., Portage, is open to anyone 55 or older, even those from other communities. Members, who include those still working as well as retirees, hail from Merrillville, Valparaiso, Chesterton and beyond, Wilkening said.

Members are asked for small donations to join and pay for hot meals served five days a week for those 60 and older.

Between the member-hosted activities as well as participation of outside individuals, there's a sizable selection of things to do at the center Monday through Friday.

Games including bingo, pool and cards abound, with fitness options such as Chair yoga, Zumba and line dancing. A recently completed fitness trail with outdoor gym equipment is another option to get members moving.

A Retired Senior Volunteer Program gives participants a chance to earn swag, food, and other items for the hours they "give back," Wikening said.

That dedication also helps fund the center. Bonner Center members hosted a pancake luncheon to raise money for their programs and more.

The Bonner Center members do not stop at feeding the community. They have knitted and crocheted scarves and hats for those in need in Portage, along with providing slippers for veterans.

Wilkening said she became involved with the center after nice years of service to Portage Trustee Brendan Clancy.

Clancy noticed her volunteer efforts in the community and brought her into the township government as community financial interviewer, helping Portage residents explore options for financial assistance.

She stepped into her role as director of the Bonner Center in 2021, remaining responsive to her community.

I wanted to help people in this city. I just love this city, Wilkening said.

Everybody is there (at the Bonner Center) for everybody. The staff is there for everybody, said Louise Derifield.

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PORTAGE  A machine shop in Portage is left in ruins after being engulfed in flames, officials said.

Early Saturday morning before sunrise, Portage firefighters were called to a fire at a commercial building on Douglas Drive on the north side of Portage.

A machine shop in a pole barn had heavy flames coming through the roof, the Portage Fire Department said. Crews from several departments worked for more than three hours at the scene, dousing the blaze with 150,000 gallons of water. The building is a total loss.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Portage firefighters were assisted by first responders from Hobart, Union Township, South Haven, Merrillville, Washington Township, Porter, Liberty Township, Burns Harbor and Ogden Dunes.

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Well, there werent as many people as I had hoped, and it wasnt a march as I mistakenly thought it was going to be  but Im glad I went.

Downtown. The Federal Plaza. A week ago, Saturday. The March for our Lives rally to urge action on gun control. Exercising my First Amendment right to peaceably gather to petition the government for redress of grievance. In this case, the screwed-up interpretation of the Second Amendment.

I was in high school and college in the '60s and I was a liberal from early on. But I wasnt so much of a radical. I talked the talk and had the long hair, but not really a radical in action. Though I did refer to myself as a borderline hippie later on.

I was in a candlelight march down Michigan Avenue, marching in protest of the Vietnam War. It was pretty tame. Prayers more than angry chants.

I did end up in the frontline of a march to the lockup holding several of the Chicago Seven defendants during that infamous trial. It was a little unnerving to be confronted by a line of armed law enforcement.

But thats about it in the '60s. In my later years, Ive been known to attend a few gatherings to protest or promote one thing or another. Like the protest organized by Mayor McDermott bemoaning Franciscans announcement of radically downsizing its facility in downtown Hammond not too long ago.

Anyway, a friend asked me to go with her to the rally on June 11 to protest inactivity by the government to do something meaningful to control the gun violence situation in our country.

The March for our Lives organization was started by survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Its aim is to move our governments to action on gun control. They have acted before and on June 11 there were rallies in at least 45 U.S. cities.

If youve read me before, you may know Im pretty far left (to me its pretty far common sense) on the gun issue. Go full New Zealand. Get rid of almost all weapons in private hands. I want to support anything that moves in that direction.

The rally Saturday was generally about doing. There was a palpable sense of frustration and anger among the one or two thousand attendees who were of every age, race and ethnicity. Many brandished clever and imaginative posters with such slogans as, Regulate guns, not women, and, 18th century laws for 21st century weapons, and a poster with around thirty holes which said, The number of bullet holes in this poster is the number that can be shot in the time it takes to read this!"

And, as I said, the rally was organized by and led by young people. Those, who unlike me, should have more tomorrows than yesterdays. They are honestly worried about those tomorrows.

I am heartened yet at the same time dismayed. Heartened because young people are taking initiative yet dismayed that they feel they have to.

Does this and other such mass actions move the needle? We can only hope so. The facts are undeniable regarding the carnage that near limitless weaponry in private hands has caused.

But to many in our country, facts are not as powerful as perceptions  and misperceptions.

Folks say that private ownership of guns makes us safer. We have the most guns of any other country on earth. Are we then, using that logic, the safest country in the world? Not for the 45,222 whose lives were ended by a gun in 2020 (the most recent yearly total).

Ask the young people at the rallies across America last week if they feel that they are safer 

Thanks for reading.

George Grenchik, a Whiting native, taught junior high for 41 years and is an active longtime resident of Calumet City. He can be reached at gjgrenchik@aol.com. The opinions are the writer's.

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Whenever one of my children reaches a milestone, I become hopelessly teary. Tears of joy? I dont think so. My tears are for a moment so precious and fleeting that I fear it may be lost. Its a confusing place in the sad-to-happy range that makes me strangely gloomy.

The cream-soda-and-raspberry cupcakes came out of such a bittersweet moment. They were created last year to celebrate the 10th birthday of a Syrian refugee making her way across Europe. The girl, called Amal, which means hope in Arabic, was actually an 11-foot-tall puppet. Her makers wanted to bring to life the experience of millions of displaced children by creating a live art event called The Walk. They set Amal on a 5,000-mile journey, all the way from near the Turkish-Syrian border to Manchester, England, walking through more than 70 cities. Wherever she went, Amal was greeted by crowds of children and adults, eager to see her, shake her hand and offer her company.

When Amal reached London, I approached a group of local pastry chefs and asked them to join me in creating a giant birthday cake made out of individual cupcakes, all with different flavors. On a sunny Sunday last October, dozens of kids came to the Victoria and Albert Museum to celebrate with Amal, sing in Arabic, play and, the highlight, pick a cupcake.
At least three people were found dead in a basement after a fire, driven by high winds, swept through several houses in the Richmond Hill section of Queens on Friday, fire officials said.

The house where the bodies were found, 104-18 125th Street, was cited in 2011 for an illegal basement apartment, among other violations, and in 2017 inspectors responding to a complaint of an illegal basement dwelling reported that a man had refused to let them enter, Department of Buildings records show.

On Saturday, fire officials were still trying to determine the cause of the fire, which was first reported at 104-19 125th Street. The blaze engulfed that house and the neighboring house, 104-18, collapsing much of their upper structures.
He added that the school may no longer use the title Catholic to describe itself.

Thomas McKenney, the president of the Nativity School of Worcester, said in an open letter that the school would appeal the decision and continue to display the flags to give visible witness to the schools solidarity with our students, families and their communities.

As of Saturday, the school still listed its religious affiliation as Roman Catholic on its website.

Mr. McKenney and Bishop McManus did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment on Saturday.

The clash at the school  which is Jesuit-run, tuition-free and serves boys experiencing economic insecurity  comes as the Catholic churchs stance on L.G.B.T.Q. rights continues to confuse and frustrate L.G.B.T.Q. people, who have heard mixed messages from the Vatican.

Pope Francis, who famously responded Who am I to judge? concerning gay priests in the church, has become increasingly difficult to discern where he stands on the issue: When the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was asked last year if Catholic clergy had the authority to bless gay unions, the answer, which Francis approved, was: Negative.
Understandably, many parents of young children have questions about the new coronavirus vaccines for babies and toddlers and the expected rollout soon of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots. We talked with infectious disease pediatricians to get answers to the most common ones.

One specific question came from parents with 4-year-olds, particularly those who are just about to turn 5. Since a two-dose Pfizer vaccine has been available for children between 5 and 11 since last fall, they want to know if it makes sense to wait until their children turn 5 so they can get the more potent version of Pfizer. The Pfizer shots for children younger than 5 would be administered in three doses, which contain three micrograms while those for older children contain 10.

All the experts said not to wait, recommending that parents of 4-year-olds start the vaccination process as soon as possible, even if that would mean beginning with the lower dose version.
Two cast members of the Netflix show The Chosen One died after an accident on Thursday in Baja California Sur, Mexico, that left six other cast and crew members injured, Netflix said.

The accident occurred in transit from Santa Rosalia to the local airport, Netflix said. The accident was not on set, the company said, adding that those who were injured  two cast members and four crew members  were in stable condition.

The company did not provide details about what happened, but The Associated Press reported that the cast and crew members were in a van that crashed.
In 2016, at 89, Opal Lee walked from her home in Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., to help get Juneteenth made a federal holiday, which it finally was in 2021. And for nearly 20 years, she has operated a modest Juneteenth Museum in a property on Rosedale Street, which also served as a filming location for the 2020 movie Miss Juneteenth.

But Lee, now 95 and known as the grandmother of Juneteenth  or more affectionately as Ms. Opal  wanted a more permanent institution that would commemorate the holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.

That vision is getting closer to reality as plans move forward for the National Juneteenth Museum, a $70 million project that aims to put a shovel in the ground before the end of the year and to open in time for the Juneteenth holiday in 2024.
Texas audiences are the most passionate in the world, he added.

The war in Ukraine loomed over this years contest, which began in early June with 30 competitors from around the world, including six from Russia, two from Belarus and one from Ukraine.

The Cliburn, held every four years in Fort Worth, had drawn criticism in some quarters for allowing Russians to compete. The decision came as cultural institutions in the United States were facing pressure to cut ties with Russian artists amid the invasion.

The Cliburn stood by its decision, citing the legacy of Van Cliburn, an American whose victory at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, during the Cold War, was seen as a sign that art could transcend politics.

Choni, the Ukrainian competitor, said he felt proud to represent his country at the competition. He said he almost cried at the beginning of the awards ceremony on Saturday, when a previous winner of the Cliburn, Vadym Kholodenko, who is also from Ukraine, played the Ukrainian national anthem.
The Oscar-winning director and writer Paul Haggis was arrested on charges of aggravated sexual violence and aggravated personal injuries in the Southern Italian city of Ostuni on Sunday, according to the local police.

According to a statement from the prosecutors office in the nearby city of Brindisi, which ordered the arrest, the accuser was not Italian. The statement identifies the man who was arrested as P.H., a Canadian; Vincenzo Leo, the duty officer of the local Italian police, confirmed it was Mr. Haggis.

The statement said that after two days of nonconsensual intercourse, he had brought the woman to the Papola Casale airport in Brindisi on Friday and left her there at the first lights of dawn, despite the precarious physical and psychological conditions of the woman.
THE DESPERATE HOURS: One Hospitals Fight to Save a City on the Pandemics Front Lines, by Marie Brenner

The ethics manual of the American College of Physicians states that the ethical imperative for physicians to provide care overrides the risk to the treating physician, even during epidemics. Nevertheless, for most of human history, doctors often ran away in the face of widespread contagious disease. During a yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793, many distinguished physicians fled the city. More recently, health workers abandoned patients during an Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1995, as well as during a SARS outbreak in Toronto in 2003.

When health workers stick around to treat patients, even at risk to their own lives, it is something to be celebrated, and the journalist Marie Brenner does just that in The Desperate Hours, an account of how workers at New York-Presbyterian, an academic health system, coped with the Covid surge in New York City beginning in the spring of 2020. The book details both medical heroism and corporate cowardice, prescient decisions and howling missteps, all against the backdrop of a swirling and mysterious pandemic that claimed the lives of more than 30,000 residents, not to mention 35 New York-Presbyterian employees.

Along the way we encounter some eye-opening anecdotes. Early on, New York City hospitals were faced with an alarming dearth of masks and a near rebellion by workers on the front lines. In response, New York-Presbyterians chief operating officer, Dr. Laura Forese, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, assured staff members that masks would not be necessary unless workers were in direct contact with infected patients. Though she was working off mistaken C.D.C. guidelines, it was advice and regulation that countermanded every bit of common sense understood by public health officials since the Black Plague, Brenner writes.
The owner, Lou Rubino, opened his first tattoo supply shop on St. Marks Place in New York in 1998, shortly after the City Council lifted a longstanding ban on tattooing so that underground artists could work openly again. At the time, the company made its inks in a warehouse on Long Island. I used to have people that would sit there filling the bottles with a commercial iced tea container with a spout on the bottom, he recalled.

World Famous had updated its products previously, for example to remove a formaldehyde-based preservative that had been banned in Switzerland. But Mr. Rubino said the new regulations have required far-reaching changes, forcing the company to pay laboratories extra to assess whether the products met the allowable limits for the chemicals. Because World Famous did not test its products on animals, employees and their families and friends volunteered their skin to gauge the performance of the new inks.

Although World Famous had been exploring replacements for the banned pigments, Mr. Rubino said they had not yet found any suitable substitutes. If that doesnt work out, theres going to be a lot less blue and green in tattoos, he said.

Creating new inks to comply with the regulations cost the company millions of dollars, he estimated  and he could not say whether the results were safer. Were not sure yet if these are better or worse because were adding other things in that have not been used before in tattooing.

Nordic Tattoo Supplies, which distributes inks across Europe, said World Famouss color products were the first set in compliance with the new regulations that went on sale in early January  at more than double the price of their previous inks. Nevertheless, demand far exceeded supply, and they had to ration the quantity sold per customer. A spokesperson for Nordic, Jenni Lehtovaara, said the situation was improving as other manufacturers brought new compliant inks to market, but the selection remained limited. We do not have the same palettes available as in the past, not even close.
He has run the ads  which highlight his resume as a Rhodes Scholar, a Harvard Law School graduate and brief career as a rap artist  while skipping most candidate debates and forums, avoiding potential scrutiny, much to the chagrin of his opponents.

Mr. Delgado said he has been busy settling into office, but that he has also been on the ground connecting with people at subway stations and with small business owners and clergy members.

He has also received outside help from a super PAC funded by the billionaire founder of a cryptocurrency exchange platform that has spent about $1 million in ads supporting him. He insisted during the Wednesday debate that his decision-making would not be influenced by outside money, saying that he did not know who this crypto billionaire is.

The partys progressive-activist wing is seeking to build on its partial success from 2018, when Mr. Williams, the New York City public advocate, mounted an insurgent campaign for lieutenant governor and came within six percentage points of defeating Ms. Hochul, beating her in Manhattan and Brooklyn in the Democratic primary.

Indeed, Ms. Archilas campaign is hoping to perform strongly among Latino voters and left-leaning white liberals from New York City, as well as those in progressive hotbeds along the Hudson River and the Capital Region. But Mr. Delgado, who is a more familiar face in the Hudson Valley, could potentially pick away at that wall of support and splinter the Latino vote, while attracting many Black voters, according to political analysts.

Strapped for money, Ms. Archila has run a vigorous low-budget campaign grounded on the organizing tactics from her decades-long work as an activist. She has joined unionizing Starbucks workers in Queens; protested alongside activists in the State Capitol; and pulled off publicity stunts, such as showing up at Mr. Delgados office in Albany after he refused to participate in a debate.
The program quadrupled in size, supported with a mix of school and P.T.A. funds. At their final concert in spring of 2019, the students from the invigorated music program performed for three hours. People who had played earlier started leaving by the end of it because it was just so long. They were like I gotta go home. Mr. Reddy said, laughing.

P.S. 11s Class of 2020 did not get to play a final concert. When schools shuttered in March, Mr. Reddy wrapped up electrical wires, tied down the classroom chairs, de-tuned the violins, sanitized his instruments, and packed them away in the band room closet for storage.

Virtual teaching was challenging. In the beginning it was a nightmare, said Mr. Reddy. He spent hours making video recording assignments for students to upload to their Google classroom. Over the summer he scoured YouTube looking for any ideas to bolster his curriculum.

The following school year, each music student received a recorder or ukulele to play in class. The students used Chrome Music Lab to make songs and submitted them as assignments. But nothing compared to being in the physical classroom, and some students stopped attending, said Mr. Reddy.

Julian Sanon started as one of Mr. Reddys violin students in second grade. He did not attend music class online during the pandemic. Instead, he, his dad and his brothers played music together at home and even created a family band that lasted for a week. But Sanon missed his in-person music classes at school, where he could play more complex arrangements with his friends in the drum line.

Now that school is back in person, everyone around you is connected in the same music, said Sanon, back in one of his favorite places: Mr. Reddys music room.
A decorated New York firefighter was killed in a freakish accident at a tourist attraction in North Carolina after a tree fell on the S.U.V. that he and his family had been riding in, according to his family.

The firefighter, Casey Skudin, who was assigned to Ladder Company 137 in Rockaway, Queens, was in North Carolina with his wife and children to celebrate his 46th birthday when he died on Friday afternoon. His birthday would have fallen on Fathers Day.

Our family will be healing for eternity, his wife, Angela Skudin, said in a post on Instagram.

In a statement, the New York Fire Department called Mr. Skudins death a terrible tragedy and loss, saying it would support his family and colleagues.
But I have practiced this kind of selection for much of my adult life, despite my fathers best efforts. Like other millennials, I built a chosen family with less emphasis on blood ties or shared pasts, and more emphasis on shared priorities and futures.

Stephanie Coontz, the director of education and research for the Council on Contemporary Families, told The Atlantic last year that for most of history, family relationships were based on mutual obligations rather than on mutual understanding. However, there has been a marked shift, she notes, as the function of family has become increasingly interwoven with the search for personal growth, the pursuit of happiness, and the need to confront and overcome psychological obstacles. This could help explain why we feel more liberated to cut off ties with relations who do not serve our individualistic goals. Indeed, more than a quarter of Americans 18 and older are estranged from a member of their family, according to one survey, and many more maintain only lukewarm relationships.

Sometimes, to be sure, there is good reason for this distance. But its easy to punt on lifes tedious obligations. Who actually wants to go to the funeral of a distant relative you barely knew or guess the price of diapers at yet another baby shower? Wed rather get to that long list of things in front of us that we actually want or aspire to do. And we have developed the language to enable these choices, talking about the boundaries we must set to protect our equilibrium, or the self-care in which we must invest.

I was always a little baffled to see my father remain so enmeshed in family, particularly because he lived most of his life far from his own. He had left Pakistan in his 20s for school and later had a career in international development that moved him  and my mother, my sisters and me  around the world. Many of my parents 13 siblings also emigrated. Despite this geographic dispersal, throughout the years we attended family events, weddings and graduation parties. In the summers my 30-odd cousins and I were foisted on one another, stuffed into cramped homes in Karachi, London or New Jersey.
A theme of the hearing was the work that the government is doing to destigmatize the reporting of these sightings. That is to say: There are many, many more sightings than we know about, in part because you seem like a nut if you talk too loudly about what you saw. So the sightings that we can investigate are a small fraction of the total sightings (something I am made very aware of whenever I mention this topic, and my inbox fills with U.F.O. reports).

I wouldnt say, watching the testimony, that the takeaway was that weve been visited by aliens. Perhaps this will all, eventually, resolve into optical illusions and malfunctioning sensors. But Id put it like this: A few years ago, I put a very low probability on there being a signal in the noise of U.F.O. sightings; now it seems more likely to me that theres something real happening here, even if we dont know what it is.

Which brings me to another strange story in the news: the belief of Blake Lemoine, a (now suspended) Google engineer, that the companys Language Model for Dialogue Applications  LaMDA, for short  has attained sentience.

LaMDA is a machine-learning model that has been trained on mountains of text to mimic human conversation by predicting which word would, typically, come next. In this, its similar to OpenAIs famed GPT-3 bot. And the results really are eerie. Heres a snippet of Lemoines conversations with LaMDA:

Lemoine: Okay. I thought of a different way we can test your ability to provide unique interpretations. I can share with you a zen koan and you can describe what it means to you in your own words. How does that sound? LaMDA: Sounds great to me, Im in. Lemoine: A monk asked Kegon, How does an enlightened one return to the ordinary world? Kegon replied, A broken mirror never reflects again; fallen flowers never go back to the old branches. LaMDA: Hmm, I never heard this particular one. Okay, well then to me this would be like, once a wise person is enlightened, or awakened to reality, that can never go away, and they can return to the ordinary state, but only to do and help others, and then go back into enlightenment. Lemoine: So what is the meaning of the broken mirror specifically? LaMDA: Maybe to show the enlightenment is something you cant unlearn once you have acquired it, similar to how you cant repair a broken mirror.

Google, for what its worth, says it has looked into Lemoines claims and does not believe that LaMDA is sentient (what a sentence!). But shortly before Lemoines allegations, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, a Google vice president, wrote that when he was talking to LaMDA, I felt the ground shift under my feet. I increasingly felt like I was talking to something intelligent. Aguera y Arcas was not claiming that LaMDA is sentient, as Lemoine is, but whats clear is that interacting with LaMDA is an unnerving experience.
This Juneteenth, those are the feelings Im channeling: grief and gratitude, even amid the silliness of Americas pageantry.

My grandmother Clarice was born in Pelham, Texas, a freedmens town. She took us grandchildren back for homecoming most years, sometimes even had us pick cotton, reminding us, Youve got to know your history. She also told us of the folks she knew in Pelham as a child, some of whom were born enslaved, a fact that horrified me. Clarice always refused my sympathies.

Child, dont be believing what folks say about how bad slavery was, shed explain. Everybody had a job, a place to stay and something to eat. Now if somebody came and paid your rent, you wouldnt be sitting up talking about you wanna leave, would you?

This dumbfounded me, until I realized she was mostly joking. But there was something deeper in her response. I eventually learned more about the violence that met newly emancipated Black Texans. Ku Klux Klansmen, along with local officials and everyday citizens, terrorized freedmen at will and without repercussions. They burned churches and homes, intimidated those who sought employment, and worse. Gen. Joseph Jones Reynolds, a commander of the Department of Texas during Reconstruction, commented in 1868, The murder of Negroes is so common as to render it impossible to keep an accurate account of them. The Equal Justice Initiative has tried, reporting that more than 2,000 Black women, men and children were victims of racial terrorist lynchings during Reconstruction, which lasted from 1865 to 1877.

Slavery was awful, no doubt, but emancipation brought its own unique cruelties. Formerly enslaved Texans were forced to craft lives from less than scratch; choose new names; attempt to reunite with stolen partners, siblings, children. They faced daily threats of jail or worse because of the new Black codes that severely restricted their freedom  their freedom to work, but also their freedom to be unemployed or even to stand still for too long.

The more I learned, the more I understood my grandmothers perspective. Shed heard the testimonies of those whod had to navigate both the tragedy of slavery and the terror of emancipation. She couldnt let me underestimate the enormous price our people had paid to be free.
Following the strategic agreement with the world-renowned provider of cybersecurity training, SANS Institute, Bahrain's Labour Fund Tamkeen has signed a strategic co-operation with Beyon Cyber to provide quality job and training opportunities for 20 Bahraini cybersecurity professionals where they will be able to utilize their acquired knowledge and skills into practice in a real work environment.

The duo signed the agreement during Elevate, a major technology forum hosted by the Beyon Cyber entities, which took place recently at the Ritz Carlton, Bahrain.

According to Tamkeen, the announcement is the first of more planned partnerships with key leaders in Bahrains private sector, designed with the purpose of providing the SANS cybersecurity graduates with quality training opportunities that can support their growth and development and enable them to build sustainable careers in a high-demand field.

Cybersecurity professionals are currently among the most sought after in local and global job markets, hence the wide range of opportunities that will be available to Bahrainis attending the SANS Institute training courses.

Tamkeen CEO Husain Mohamed Rajab emphasized its commitment to empowering the national workforce to become competitive both locally and internationally in alignment with the leadership vision and the national economic recovery plan.

"We are pleased to partner with Beyon Cyber to foster quality opportunities for Bahrainis and we will continue to develop active partnerships within the Kingdoms ecosystem to cater to the growth requirements of both enterprises and individuals," he noted.

"Supporting training and employment for Bahrainis provides our national workforce with sustainable career paths and builds an accessible talent pool for enterprises to tap into and power their productivity and sustainability, fulfilling our mandate of achieving a more productive private sector that drives national economic growth," he added.

Beyon Cyber is one of the key private cyber security organizations in Bahrain, and shared Tamkeens vision when it comes to empowering young Bahraini talent with the needed cyber security training.

Beyon Cyber CEO Dr Shaikh Khalid bin Duaij Al Khalifa said: "Tamkeen plays a vital role in the upskilling and development of Bahrainis to cater to the rapidly changing market demands and address growing skill gaps that challenge productivity and dynamism in enterprises. We strongly believe in the abilities of Bahraini talent and look forward to seeing them realize their full potential within our ranks."

This agreement is aligned with Tamkeens recent strategic transformation that aims to drive greater economic impact.

As part of the transformation, Tamkeen rolled out 16 programs designed to help enterprises and individuals reach their highest potential, as well as several strategic partnerships with local and world-leading organizations to maximize the impact of these programs.

As the transformation journey continues, Tamkeen will build on this momentum and introduce more programs and initiatives in response to the market needs.
I think there are really two important parts to that question.

There is the policy question: On a very practical level, what am I to do? You need to report that allegation to the police if it is child abuse. As soon as the police have been notified and the alleged perpetrator knows that the police have been notified, you need to notify the church and protect the identity of the survivors. Let your congregation know in as many ways as possible: These are the allegations that have been brought. Here is the information. If you hold a piece of this puzzle, heres where you go.

Notifying the congregation is not rendering a judgment. Its not accepting an allegation as if it is true. Youre not taking this person out of the church just because theres been an allegation, for example. What you are doing is opening the door so that due process can happen, so that all sides of the story can come forward.

In addition to that, much of the time, the church is going to need help to reach some type of factual determination. The average length of time it takes to get a conviction is between two and three years. So what is the church going to do in the meantime? Does it allow the perpetrator to continue coming to church with no restrictions? Does it assist the survivors? If you take steps to assist the survivors, to help them get therapy, to shepherd them, then youre making some level of determination, right? If youre going to put restrictions on the person accused of abuse, then youre going to have to reach some level of determination in order to do anything meaningful. So it is very helpful for churches to get outside consultation or an outside investigation by a qualified firm with expertise in sexual abuse and church dynamics.

That being said, when it comes to what churches really have to do, we have to start with understanding our theology and knowing how to apply it well to abuse and abusive dynamics. For a very long time, evangelicals have been incredibly sloppy about obtaining any kind of outside help or expertise to understand abuse and abusive dynamics. And they have been incredibly sloppy in their exegesis of passages related to biblical justice. We have not understood our own theology of justice and forgiveness. The gospel has to impact how we relate to those who have been wounded, who have been oppressed, who are victimized, who are vulnerable.

We often have a very twisted understanding of authority and unity, and it is wielded in a way that keeps whistle-blowers silent and turns them into the bad guys for telling the truth. Church dynamics are a little bit unique, because when you start talking about these things, a significant portion of the time, the response is that you want to destroy Gods church. You must be out to destroy men of God. And so the immediate presumption is Youre attacking my theology. And my response to that is, No. Im not attacking Scripture. Im not attacking theology. Im calling you back to it.

But if we dont start addressing the theological errors that are driving the actions we see in the church, were going to continue making the same mistakes, no matter how many times we lay out the practical steps that need to be taken. Our ideas drive our actions.
Heat continues to build in the Northern and Central Plains of the United States, with more than 15 million people there under heat alerts on Sunday. Temperatures in Minnesota and Nebraska were expected to climb to the triple digits.

The National Weather Service said that heat indexes could top 100 degrees on Sunday, from the Gulf Coast to near the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where it was expected to be dangerously hot and humid.

A heat dome that scorched the Southwest last week and brought record-high temperatures to more than a dozen cities has lingered, moving steadily eastward and settling in the Plains on Sunday, said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
KIGALI, Rwanda  An Ethiopian rebel group massacred more than 200 members of the Amhara ethnic group on Sunday, according to officials and news reports, the latest atrocity amid a civil war that threatens to tear apart Africas second-most-populous nation.

Witnesses and officials told The Associated Press that at least 230 people were killed when members of the Oromo Liberation Army attacked Tole, a village in Oromia, Ethiopias largest region.

The Oromo Liberation Army, a rebel group known as the O.L.A. that is designated as a terror organization by the Ethiopian government, denied carrying out the killings and said they were committed by a militia aligned with the regional government supporting Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Among the factors that most distinguishes them is what they see as the root of Colombias problems.

Mr. Petro believes the economic system is broken, overly reliant on oil exports and a flourishing and illegal cocaine business that he said had made the rich richer and poor poorer. He is calling for a halt to all new oil exploration, a shift to developing other industries, and an expansion of social programs, while imposing higher taxes on the rich.

What we have today is the result of what I call the depletion of the model, Mr. Petro said in an interview, referring to the current economic system. The end result is a brutal poverty.

His ambitious economic plan has, however, raised concerns. One former finance minister called his energy plan economic suicide.

Mr. Hernandez does not want to overhaul the economic framework, but says it is inefficient because it is riddled with corruption and frivolous spending. He has called for the combining of ministries, eliminating some embassies and firing inefficient government employees, while using savings to help the poor.

The feeling they have, he said of his supporters, is that I have the ability to confront the political cabal, to remove them from power to reclaim the rights of the poorest.

His critics say he is proposing a brutal form of capitalism that will hurt the nation.

Mr. Petro is accused by former allies of an arrogance that leads him to ignore advisers and struggle to build teams. Mr. Hernandez is accused of being vulgar and domineering, and has been indicted on corruption charges, with a trial set for July 21. He says he is innocent.
Today the country of politicking and corruption lost, Rodolfo Hernandez, a right-wing anti-establishment candidate, said in a video message to his supporters, following the first-round election results in May that put him in second place behind Gustavo Petro.

Mr. Hernandezs unexpected second-place victory underscored the anti-incumbent fervor that has swept through the country and left it hungry to elect anyone who is not represented by the countrys mainstream conservative leaders.

In the months before the election, most of the countrys most powerful conservative politicians, and much of the business community, had lined up behind Federico Gutierrez, the candidate of the conservative establishment.
Image Gustavo Petro and Francia Marquez celebrating after winning the elections on Sunday in Bogota, Colombia. Credit... Federico Rios for The New York Times

For the first time, Colombia will have a leftist president.

Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and a longtime senator who has pledged to transform the countrys economic system, has won Sundays election, according to preliminary results, setting the third largest nation in Latin America on a radically new path.

Mr. Petro, 62, received more than 50 percent of the vote, with more than 99 percent counted Sunday evening. His opponent, Rodolfo Hernandez, a construction magnate who had energized the country with a scorched-earth anti-corruption platform, just over 47 percent.

Shortly after the vote, Mr. Hernandez conceded to Mr. Petro.

Colombians, today the majority of citizens have chosen the other candidate, he told his supporters in Bucaramanga. As I said during the campaign, I accept the results of this election.

Just over 58 percent of Colombias 39 million voters turned out to cast a ballot, according to official figures.

Mr. Petros victory reflects widespread discontent in Colombia, a country of 50 million, with poverty and inequality on the rise and widespread dissatisfaction with a lack of opportunity, issues that sent hundreds of thousands of people to demonstrate in the streets last year.

The entire country is begging for change, said Fernando Posada, a Colombian political scientist, and that is absolutely clear.

The win is all the more significant because of the countrys history. For decades, the government fought a brutal leftist insurgency known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, with the stigma from the conflict making it difficult for a legitimate left to flourish.

But the FARC signed a peace deal with the government in 2016, laying down their arms and opening space for a broader political discourse.

Mr. Petro had been part of a different rebel group, called the M-19, which demobilized in 1990, and became a political party that helped rewrite the countrys constitution.

Both Mr. Petro and Mr. Hernandez beat Federico Gutierrez, a former big city mayor backed by the conservative elite, in a first round of voting on May 29, sending them to a runoff.

Both men had billed themselves as anti-establishment candidates, saying they were running against a political class that had controlled the country for generations.

Among the factors that most distinguished them was how they viewed the root of the countrys problems.

Mr. Petro believes the economic system is broken, overly reliant on oil export and a flourishing and illegal cocaine business that he said has made the rich richer and poor poorer. He is calling for a halt to all new oil exploration, a shift to developing other industries, and an expansion of social programs, while imposing higher taxes on the rich.

What we have today is the result of what I call the depletion of the model, Mr. Petro said in an interview, referring to the current economic system. The end result is a brutal poverty.

His ambitious economic plan has, however, raised concerns. One former finance minister called his energy plan economic suicide.

Mr. Petro will take office in August, and will face pressing issues with global repercussions: Lack of opportunity and rising violence, which have prompted record numbers of Colombians to migrate to the United States in recent months; high levels of deforestation in the Colombian Amazon, a critical buffer against climate change; and growing threats to democracy, part of a trend around the region.

He will face a deeply polarized society where polls show growing distrust in almost all major institutions.

Mr. Petro could also reshape Colombias relationship with the United States.

For decades, Colombia has been Washingtons strongest ally in Latin America, forming the cornerstone of its security policy in the region. During his campaign, Mr. Petro promised to reassess that relationship, including crucial collaborations on drugs, Venezuela and trade.

In the interview, Mr. Petro said his relationship with the United States would focus on working together to tackle climate change, specifically halting the rapid erosion of the Amazon.

There is a point of dialogue there, he said. Because saving the Amazon rainforest involves some instruments, some programs, that do not exist today, at least not with respect to the United States.

Megan Janetsky contributed reporting from Bucaramanga, Colombia, and Sofia Villamil and Genevieve Glatsky contributed reporting from Bogota.
Colombias peace accord, signed in 2016 by the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was supposed to usher in a new era of peace in a nation that had endured more than five decades of war. The deal was that the rebels would lay down their arms, while the government would flood conflict zones with job opportunities, alleviating the poverty and inequality that had started the war.

But in many places, the government never arrived. Instead, many parts of rural Colombia have seen a return to the killings, displacement and violence that, in some regions, is now as bad, or worse, than before the accord.

Massacres and the killings of human rights defenders have soared since 2016, according to the United Nations. And displacement remains startlingly high, with 147,000 people forced to flee their homes last year alone, according to government data.
Rodolfo Hernandez, a construction magnate-and former mayor who has emerged as a surprise candidate in Colombias presidential election, has been largely absent from public life in recent weeks.

He has refused to attend debates and held no rallies, favoring live streams assembled by his social media team.

But on Sunday, as polls opened, Mr. Hernandez stepped out of a white car in Bucaramanga, his hometown, surrounded by body guards, and into a roaring crowd of voters.
It made him one of the countrys most powerful politicians and a kingmaker who could propel candidates into power with his support.

But the former presidents political movement has been tarnished by controversy, perhaps most prominently by the false positive scandal in which the Colombian military is accused by a transitional justice court of killing more than 6,400 civilians between 2002 and 2008, and passing them off as enemy combatants to increase its casualty counts.

While the scandal was never directly connected to Mr. Uribe, many of his close associates in government have been linked to the case.

Now, with two candidates who have both shunned the political establishment facing off in a neck-and-neck campaign for the presidency, Uribismo is once again a key element of the race.
Long before Gustavo Petro emerged as the apparently victorious leftist candidate for president, he was part of the M-19, an urban guerrilla group that sought to seize power through violence in the name of promoting social justice.

For some Colombian voters, his past was a source of concern after decades of armed conflict. For others, it offered a sign of hope for one of most inequitable countries in Latin America.

The M-19 was born in 1970 as a response to alleged fraud in that years presidential elections. It was far smaller than the countrys main guerrilla force, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which was Marxist and sought haven in Colombias jungles and rural areas.
Mentorship Forum Middle East (MFME) today announced that the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has joined the upcoming 2022 edition of the event as Lead Partner for the third consecutive year.

NBB has played a strategic role in the forums success in 2019 and 2021 and is set to work closely with the forums organising committee to deliver another timely and relevant event aimed at supporting the career progression of professionals and helping organisations meet their talent development goals, said a statement.

The forum will once again take place in Bahrain as a hybrid event, with physical and online attendance, and is set to be held in December 2022.

Leveraging its expertise and success in mentorship, NBB will join the forums Think Tank, an advisory group assembled each year to design the agenda and ensure the most pressing themes and topics of the day are covered.

Among the topics to be addressed by the forum will be continued education of audiences on the importance of mentorship and its effectiveness in training the next generation of business leaders, looking at how the Covid-19 pandemic has continued to impact training and development goals and progression as well as sustainably and climate transition and how organisations and mentors are preparing to meet this important challenge and opportunity.

The forum will once again feature participation from top regional and international speakers and attendees with last years event having welcomed more than 300 senior HR and mentorship experts as well as C-suite leaders from across sectors in person and online.

Jean-Christophe Durand, NBBs Chief Executive Officer, said: We are pleased to support Mentorship Forum Middle East as its Lead Partner for a third year. Since the forums inception, we have remained committed to elevating the position of mentorship as a critical tool both for the economy as well as for NBB. We are very proud to be in the third year of successfully running our own internal mentorship scheme that has seen approximately 200 young up-and-coming leaders take part throughout the duration of the scheme. We look forward to another engaging event and to bringing together mentorship and development experts to exchange our experiences and discuss how mentorship can be used to address organisational training needs and those of the young professionals whose progression we are dedicated to fostering and accelerating in the years ahead.

Zahraa Taher, Managing Director of FinMark Communications, the forums Founder and Organiser, said: We couldnt be more delighted to announce NBB as the forums Lead Partner for a third year running. Their input and support has been invaluable in creating the regions go-to-event for mentorship and we couldnt be more proud to have them join us once again this year. Working with their senior management team and HR experts, and alongside our other partners and contributors, we are planning another dynamic event that can help put mentorship at the heart of professional development across the region. - TradeArabia News Service
CANBERRA, Australia  Amanda Laugesen scrolled through the spreadsheet of 7,000 words and idioms being considered for the next edition of the Australian National Dictionary, but no matter how hard she looked, she just couldnt find the phrase.

Few bricks short of a pallet was there. So was face like a bucket of smashed crabs.

But where was face like a half-sucked mango?

Spinning quickly from the screen, she got up and walked down the hall to ask Mark Gwynn. Theyd been working together at the Australian National Dictionary Center in Canberra for more than a decade, and they had both seen phrases go missing in drafts of what a colleague had called their herbarium of words.
PARIS  Voters in Frances legislative elections dealt President Emmanuel Macron a serious blow on Sunday as his centrist coalition lost its absolute majority in the lower house of Parliament to a resurgent far-right and a defiant alliance of left-wing parties, complicating his domestic agenda for his second term.

With all votes counted, Mr. Macrons centrist coalition won 245 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, the lower and more powerful house of Parliament. That was more than any other political group, but less than half of all the seats, and far less than the 350 seats Mr. Macrons party and its allies won when he was first elected in 2017.

For the first time in 20 years, a newly elected president failed to muster an absolute majority in the National Assembly. It will not grind Mr. Macrons domestic agenda to a complete halt, but will likely throw a large wrench into his ability to get bills passed  shifting power back to Parliament after a first term in which his top-down style of governing had mostly marginalized lawmakers.
PARIS  The French far right was projected to win a record number of seats in the election on Sunday, which could make it the third biggest political force in Parliament. It will also secure enough seats to form a parliamentary group for the first time since the 1980s, reflecting its solid political foothold and highlighting the success of Marine Le Pens longtime efforts to moderate her partys image.

Ms. Le Pens party, the National Rally, was expected to win between 75 and 100 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, according to preliminary projections. The party needs to secure only 15 seats to become a parliamentary group, a designation that would give it more public funding and speaking time, and specific legislative powers such as creating special committees.

That result came despite a lackluster legislative campaign by Ms. Le Pen.

After her loss to Emmanuel Macron in the presidential election in April, Ms. Le Pen all but disappeared from the political stage, resurfacing only in May to acknowledge on television that Mr. Macron would most likely secure a majority in Parliament  indirectly conceding defeat in advance.
Follow our live news updates of Frances parliamentary elections.

PALAISEAU, France  Five years ago, Amelie de Montchalin, a politician known more for her quiet technocratic skills than her oratory, easily won election to Parliament from this southern suburb of Paris, and later became one of President Emmanuel Macrons ministers.

But at a small rally last week, at risk of losing her seat to a left-wing opponent in this years parliamentary elections, she launched into an uncharacteristically fiery tirade, accusing the left of promoting a vision of disorder that would lead France to submission to Russia.

If the left won, Ms. de Montchalin told the crowd gathered in a sun-drenched square, in a few weeks or a few months, there will be bankruptcies and unemployed people.
The situation is serious, Robert Habeck, the economy minister who is also Germanys vice chancellor, said in a statement on Sunday, laying out the steps that would be taken to ensure that more gas is available to divert into storage so the country has enough to get through the winter. They include bringing back online coal-fired power plants that had been drawn down to reduce carbon emissions, although the statement did not specify how many plants would be affected.

Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, said Mr. Habeck, a member of the environmentalist Greens party. The gas storage tanks must be full by winter. That is our top priority.

Germany has relied heavily on energy imports from Russia for decades. Last year, Russian imports accounted for 55 percent of the countrys natural gas supply. But after Moscows Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Berlin began purchasing gas from Norway, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, reducing its purchases from Russia by about 20 percent.

The government has nevertheless insisted that Russian gas will be needed to ensure storage tanks are at least 90 percent full by November  in keeping with a law passed earlier this year to ensure a sufficient supply of natural gas, which is used largely for heating and manufacturing. One-third of Germanys homes are heated with natural gas, while it is used for only about 15 percent of all electricity generation.
LYSYCHANSK, Ukraine  Russian forces appeared poised to tighten the noose around thousands of Ukrainian troops near two strategically important cities in the fiercely contested Donbas region of eastern Ukraine on Sunday, mounting an assault on Ukrainian front lines that forced Ukraine to rush reinforcements to the area.

On a day of fighting that put even territory thought to be securely in Ukrainian hands in play, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, warned that the war could grind on for years. They urged Ukraines Western allies to settle in for the long haul as Russia moved aggressively to wear Ukraine down through what Mr. Johnson, writing in The Sunday Times of London, called a campaign of attrition.

The Russians made an initial breakthrough Sunday in Toshkivka, a small town southeast of the metropolitan area of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, where vicious street-by-street fighting and artillery duels have raged for weeks. Sergei Haidai, the regional military governor, acknowledged that the Russians had had success in the Toshkivka area but said the occupiers suffered defeat after Ukrainian artillery went to Toshkivkas defense.
It has been two months since the Kremlin began its large-scale assault on the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, directing the force of its vast arsenal along a 300-mile front and inflicting heavy losses on Ukrainian forces as its fighters blasted their way to grueling gains.

Russia now controls 80 to 90 percent of the region, according to estimates. But the campaign has come at a high price. After weeks of bloody battles and persistent defense by outgunned Ukrainian soldiers, Russias forces are likely to be severely depleted of both men and equipment.

An entire Russian regiment  which when fully staffed could include several thousand troops  was forced to withdraw from the eastern front to restore combat capability after suffering heavy losses, the Ukrainian military said on Saturday. The Ukrainians also said they had destroyed 30 units of various equipment and weapons of the enemy in the 24 hours starting Friday morning. Russia continues to suffer significant losses, the Ukrainians said late Saturday.
ODESA, Ukraine  In a nation at war, and a city aching for some semblance of normality, the Odesa Opera reopened for the first time since the Russian invasion began, asserting civilization against the barbarism unleashed from Moscow.

The performance on Friday in the magnificent Opera Theater, opened in 1810 on the plateau above the now shuttered Black Sea port, began with an impassioned rendering of the Ukrainian national anthem. Images of wheat swaying in the wind formed the backdrop, a reminder of the grain from its fertile hinterland that long made Odesa rich but now sits in silos as war rages and global food shortages grow.

In case of sirens, proceed to the shelter within the theater, said Ilona Trach, the theater official who presented the program. You are the soul of this opera house, and we think its very important to demonstrate after 115 days of silence that we are able to perform.
LVIV, Ukraine  President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Saturday morning made an unannounced visit to Mykolaiv, a southern Ukrainian city battered by the war that has been held up by Kyiv as a sign of fierce resistance, and the nearby port city of Odesa.

The visit by Mr. Zelensky, his first to the city, came one day after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in a defiant address sought to rally support and blame the West for the ongoing fallout of the war, as the two leaders battle to convince their publics and the world that they have the upper hand in the fighting.

In the early weeks of the war, Mr. Zelensky had been a fixture in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, often delivering addresses to the nation from easily identifiable locations, as he sought to steady his shellshocked citizenry.
Several Republicans are vying for a chance to challenge Representative Susie Lee, a Democrat, in what is expected to be a competitive seat in November. The candidates have repeatedly challenged the 2020 election results, campaigning on conspiracy theories about election fraud.
Amazon has announced the launch of the latest iteration of its global Delivery Service Partner programme that empowers local entrepreneurs to set up and manage their own logistics businesses delivering Amazon packages.

Saudi Arabia is the first country in the region to host the flagship programme, which will be expanded to cover the MENA region at a later stage.

Launched in collaboration with Monshaat  the General Authority for SMEs, it aims to establish more than 30 new local start-ups and create hundreds of job opportunities within the local logistics sector during the programmes first three years.

The Delivery Service Partner programme was announced during a ceremony held at Monshaats headquarters in Riyadh and attended by the Authoritys Governor Eng Saleh Al-Rasheed and Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon MENA.

Saudi entrepreneurs who join the Delivery Service Partner programme can take advantage of various benefits, including a specific delivery volume from Amazon, access to the companys sophisticated delivery technology, hands-on training, and discounts on a suite of assets and services such as Amazon-branded vehicles, branded uniforms, and comprehensive insurance.

Last March, Amazon signed an MoU with Monshaat to empower local seller SMEs. Amazons new initiative to nurture logistics start-ups further aligns with Monshaats vision to incentivise and invest in SMEs. As the program grows, it will create hundreds of jobs in the logistics sector across the country, supporting Saudi Arabias burgeoning eCommerce sector and upskilling local talent with future-ready skills.

Speaking about Amazons new initiative, Monshaat Governor Eng. Saleh Al-Rasheed, said: Small and medium enterprises are a key contributor to the national economy, and we at Monshaat are keen to support and enable this vital sector through several programs, agreements and public-private sector partnerships. This initiative from Amazon clearly reflects this spirit of cooperation and represents a key outcome of the agreements signed during the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC), which was organized by Monshaat in cooperation with the Global Entrepreneurship Network. We look forward to this ambitious program achieving its goal of supporting the entrepreneurial environment in the Kingdom and emerging as a leading model for partnerships between the public and private sectors.

Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon MENA, said: Saudi Arabias entrepreneurs inspire us with their vision, grit, and ingenuity as they set new benchmarks in customer-centric thinking every day. At Amazon, we reiterate our commitment to championing SMEs across the region. With our new Delivery Service Partner program, we provide the tools, technology, and know-how for any interested Saudi entrepreneur to set up and run their own logistics company. Through this initiative, we aim to empower enterprising innovators, enable start-ups and emerging brands across the Kingdom to realise their full potential, and contribute to Saudi Arabias strong, fast-growing digital economy.

Amazon will take an active role in its partnership with each entrepreneur, helping to minimise start-up costs by securing the most favourable terms for resources needed to operate a delivery business.

The first entrepreneur to join the Delivery Service Partner programme, Sahal Shuaib, said: With eCommerce on the rise over the past few years, I had been dreaming about getting into the logistics industry for some time, but did not have the experience or the know-how. When Amazon launched the Delivery Service Partner programme, I realised that my dream became a reality, as the program provided me access to Amazons global logistics experience and technology. This is an excellent opportunity to learn while I earn and grow my own business. I am proud to say we rolled out our first deliveries to Saudi customers last week. With a specific delivery volume from Amazon and access to its sophisticated tools and assets, the Delivery Service Partner programme represents an outstanding way for budding entrepreneurs to build a thriving business.

Any motivated individual with no prior background in delivery services can aspire to join the Delivery Service Partner programme. Self-starter Saudi nationals with 5-10 years of professional experience delivering results in operations roles such as managing events, operations, construction, and teams, as well as workers who are interested in starting their own delivery business in Saudi Arabia may apply for the programme through www.amazon.sa/DSP. - -TradeArabia News Service
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing his first National Cabinet meeting as leader to discuss the power crisis and minimum wage increase.
The Cypriot government says the vast majority of migrants enter the island's breakaway north via Turkey and then seek asylum in the EU-backed south. Arrivals doubled to about 10,000 in the first five months of this year.
The Ukrainian president visited soldiers on the southern front line during a working visit to the Mykolaiv area. Meanwhile, German investigators say they're examining hundreds of war crimes suspects. DW has the latest.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warn of a long war in Ukraine. The regional governor of Luhansk says they need long-range weapons delivered faster. Follow DW for the latest.
After struggling at recent state and federal elections, the far-right party failed to agree its new foreign policy stance, particularly over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The party conference in Saxony broke up early.
The presidents trip aimed to highlight Ukraines grip on the area and to lift the spirits of an embattled populace.

NYTimes.com 18 Jun 2022
CNA 27 Jun 2022

The scene outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., after the court released its decision in the Dobbs abortion case on..
Bahrain's Telecommunications Emergency Response Plan, recently unveiled by the TRA, is a critical component of sustaining the sector's work under various circumstances and enhancing its ability to respond to any cyberattacks, said Yaqoob Al Awadhi, an information technology expert.

This plan is vital in terms of ensuring the work of other sectors like health, education, energy, and other aspects of work, production, and public life in Bahrain, in a manner that boosts the digital transformation process of the kingdom.

It has been released at a time when the telecommunications sector is experiencing a surge in developments following the adoption of fifth-generation technology in China and the start of discussions about sixth-generation technology in China, as well as the subsequent abandonment of this technology by many western countries for fear of sabotage or espionage" stated Al Awadhi, who is also the chief executive of NGN International, a full-fledged systems integrator and Managed Security Service Provider based in Bahrain.

Al Awadhi pointed out that the World Economic Forum "Davos" had recently issued warnings about the growing risks to the telecommunications sector and cybersecurity in general, as well as the soaring rise of ransomware crimes, which increased by 151% in 2021 alone.

According to some estimates, the annual cost of cyberwarfare is nearly $6 trillion, he noted.

"The emergency response plan for telecommunications is closely related to the readiness of Bahrain to respond to any cyberattacks. It is increasingly necessary for all nations, companies, and individuals to be concerned about their cybersecurity, especially since cybercriminals put themselves at the service of those who are willing to pay more, for stealing information or causing the greatest harm to others," stated Al Awadhi.

Al Awadhi, lauding the comprehensiveness of the plan, said it was developed in collaboration with all stakeholders to lay the foundations and processes for an efficient and coordinated sector-wide response to any communications-related emergency.

He pointed out that even a large corporation can no longer protect itself on its own, but must instead develop partnerships and alliances with experts, specialists, and service providers.

"There used to be a tendency for companies in Bahrain that were subject to cyber-attacks or blackmail to be reluctant to share information due to concerns about their reputation, but that has changed in recent years and there is a belief that engaging in disciplined information sharing is essential to improving cybersecurity standards," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Daily Star 20 Jun 2022

The debate over porpoising and bouncing in F1 continues to rage with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff clashing with Ferrari's Mattia..
A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the death of a British journalist in the Amazon.
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Eurasia Review 27 Jun 2022

One of the reasons that Russian media has been completely blocked in the West, along with the unprecedented control and censorship..
Democrat Party Members allegedly permitted the crew of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' to shoot in the Capitol when later they were charged for unlawful entry.
We did it. We're finally fighting back. We're really showing it to the Supreme Court. We'reflying the American flag, but upside..

Mashable 27 Jun 2022
Bulls mentor Jake White has renewed fears over the state of the Cape Town Stadium's pitch, warning that even the Stormers might see one of their strengths nullified for the URC final.
Daily Record 23 Jun 2022

Public health expert Professor Linda Bauld has called for an extension of the vaccination programme to all over-50s.
Two American prisoners of war captured likely by Russian while fighting alongside Kyiv's forces were routed in Kharkov made the news, after two Britons earlier.
I am an ardent supporter of buying Russian oil being sold at huge discount. However, on the second thought, without mincing my words, I would say Pakistan should forget buying Russian oil for the time being. The country must solicit better terms and conditions from countries currently meeting Pakistans requirements.



First...
SalamAir, Omans value-for-money airline, has expanded its network with the launch of flights from Muscat to Bursa starting on June 16.

Bursa becomes the third destination SalamAir flies to in Turkiye after the popular destinations of Istanbul Sabiha Airport and Trabzon. Bursa will now be part of SalamAirs popular summer destinations in addition to Phuket, Istanbul, Trabzon, Tehran, Alexandria, Baku and Sarajevo.

SalamAir will fly to Bursa thrice weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said: It always gives me great pleasure to welcome new destinations to our network. We are consistently looking at destinations that offer significant interest to our adventurous customers. Our customer feedback and commercial viability are at the forefront of our decisions to offer more excellent destination choices.

The charming city of Bursa offers many tourist attractions -- from adventure, sightseeing to shopping -- and the pleasant weather offers a holistic enjoyable experience.

He said the airline is committed to its expansion plans is in the process of adding more aircraft to the fleet to serve more destinations and increase frequency, offering convenience, greater choice, and affordability.

Ayse Sozen Usluer, the Ambassador of Turkiye to Oman, said Bursa attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world, making it one of the main hot spots for Turkish tourism. In 2021, more than 150,000 foreign tourists visited Bursa despite the travel restrictions caused by Covid-19 pandemic.  TradeArabia News Service
The world has been witnessing difficult situation for the refugees, living across the world due to ongoing global military conflicts. The ultimate targets, who suffered more in this situation, are refugees, be it Afghan or others. 20 June is an international day designated by the UN to honor refugees around the globe. It falls...
In another sign that Russia is becoming a terrorist state, The Forbidden Opinion telegram channel says, Oleg Morozov, a United Russia Duma deputy, has called for Russian operatives to seize any NATO minister visiting Kyiv and then try such people in Moscow for delivering arms to Ukraine.



The channel reports that when Morozov...
British journalist Dom Phillips and his Brazilian guide, whose disappearance in the Amazon some two weeks ago sparked an international outcry, were killed by gunfire, Brazilian police said Saturday.
Ben Stiller has said seeking safety is a right and it needs to be upheld for every person during a visit to Poland and..

Belfast Telegraph 20 Jun 2022
Russias war against Ukraine could last for years, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Sunday, but he said Western allies should not curb their support for Kyivs forces.



We must prepare for the fact that it could take years, Stoltenberg told the German weekly Bild am Sonntag. We must not let up in...
Mediaite 19 Jun 2022

The man who shouted "Eyepatch McCain" at Dan Crenshaw on Saturday leading to a huge altercation claims that he is the real victim.
New Delhi, June 19 (UNI) Congress leader and MPs on Sunday sat on Satyagraha at Jantar Mantar and demanded the rollback of Agnipath, a recruitment scheme in Armed forces and alleged that it will compromise national security.

The congress party called Satyagraha in solidarity with the youths who are protesting against the Agnipath scheme in several parts of the country.

All the party leaders in one voice condemned the scheme and said it is not beneficial for the countrys youth, even though it will put their career at risk and said only the Modi-government is responsible for the current situation in the country.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra , Ram Ramesh, Rajiv Shukla, Sachin Pilot, Salman Khurshid and Depeender singh Hooda, Varun Gogoi, Vikek Thakha, Harish Rawat, and other senior leader took part in the 'Satyagraha'.

Slamming the Modi-led government over the scheme, Priyanka Gandhi said the scheme was announced without proper consultation and today we are seeing the result of this on the streets of the country.

Appealing to the protesting youth not to resort to violence ,she said , I appeal to students not to resort to violence as this will not bring solution to the problem. I assure the youth that each Congress leader stands with you and will continue to fight with you until the government rolls back the Agnipath scheme.

This government is not working for the women and poor citizens but for the big corporates. All schemes imposed on people are well-thought plans by the Modi-led government, she added that the government is doing only to remain in the power.

Urging the youth to recognise fake nationalists she said this scheme will destroy the career of the students who are seeking to join the Indian army.

Heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces was seen at the protest site. The entry and exit points to Jantar Mantar were blocked.

Congress MP Vivek Tanjha said the government took this decision without proper consultations with all the stakeholders.

Congress party is requesting him to rollback the scheme otherwise it will meet the same fate as three farm laws announced by the government without taking farmers into confidence.

Echoing the same sentiment, Congress leader Sachin Pilot slammed the government and said it is a disaster for the country if the scheme is implemented in the country.

This government is playing with the future of youth and put their life at risk with these kinds of policies he said.

He alleged that the government is doing this only to reduce the pension bill.

If the government's decision was to reduce the pension bill then the Modi government must find out in different ways but by putting the career of the youth at risk is unfortunate he added.

He said that no proper thought was given before bringing the scheme.

" young people will lose the opportunity to serve this country as patriots and soldiers. The issue has become more grave because there is acute joblessness, unemployment is at a record high he added.

Comparing the schemes fate with the demonetization, Deepender Singh Hooda said the government should immediately roll back the decision.

The present government is responsible for the current situation in the country, Todays protest is spontaneous and it is the reaction of the wrong policies of this government,' Hooda said.

Taking a jig at Modi, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh said, ``The Modi model of governance is to promote contractual culture in the country.

He alleged that this government is not sensitive towards the future of the young generation.

The youth should have been taken into confidence. Dialogue should have happened with the youth, said Salman Khurshid while adding the event. He also appealed to the students to not indulge in the violence.

The Centre government last week unveiled the Agnipath scheme which is a pan India merit-based recruitment scheme for enrolling soldiers, airmen and sailors.

It is a transformative initiative that will provide a youthful profile to the armed forces. Under this scheme, young persons will be provided an opportunity to serve in the armed forces as Agniveer.

It provides an opportunity for youth to serve in the regular cadre of the armed forces for a period of 4 years including a training period. Agniveers shall be recruited between the ages of 17.5 to 23 years.

The age limit has been increased after due consultations between Army and government to 23 years. Earlier , it was 21 years.

Candidates who are 10th or 12th pass can apply for the recruitment process.

UNI JA SY
Washington DC, US (PANA) - An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Brett Rayner visited Djibouti from 1216 June with their discussions covering recent economic developments, the outlook, and progress on key reforms
Kathleen Addy has been appointed as Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).

She takes over from Josephine Nkrumah who resigned her position to serve as an ECOWAS Ambassador to Liberia.



She was sworn in by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday, becoming the fifth Chairperson of the NCCE.



The President described Ms Addy as an activist with a special interest in governance and human rights matters, adding that she also distinguished herself during her tenure as deputy chairperson of the commission after she was appointed in March 2017.



He, therefore, said: With the vacancy as a result of Ms Nkrumahs resignation, I deemed her qualified as the new chairperson.



The President further said that Ms Addy had championed many causes for the promotion of democracy, good governance and human rights, including issues about womens rights.



He commended Ms Addy for her dedicated service to the country over the years and wished her the best in her tenure.



President Akufo-Addo said the NCCE was a direct creation of the 1992 Constitution which stipulated the functions and membership of the commission which was established by Act 452 of the constitution in 1993.



He said all functions of the commission were important, and that Article 233 Clause E of the constitution says it is to formulate for the consideration of government from time to time programmes for national, regional and district levels aimed at realizing the objectives of the constitution.



Significance



The President said since its establishment some 29 years ago, the NCCE had done its part in educating the people to recognise the importance of their freedoms and civic rights.



Some concerns had been raised in certain quarters about the effectiveness of the NCCE in the discharge of its functions and some have gone as far to advocate its abolishment.



I am of a different opinion. I believe the NCCE will continue to be relevant, it still has an important role to play in helping to establish a culture of awareness in our country in which citizens are alive to their civic responsibilities and duties, especially at this time when some irresponsible elements within the body politic are calling for the overthrow of the constitutional order, he said.



The President also added that as chairperson, I need not remind you that you are not subject to the direction or control of any person or authority in the performance of your functions, including myself as the head of the Executive.



He, however, urged the chairperson to pursue stakeholder consultations in the commissions pursuit of its mandate.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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The Management of the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) has confirmed that on Friday, June 17, 2022, a middle-aged male passenger arrived onboard United Airlines at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) from Dulles International Airport Washington at approximately 10:20 am in the company of a relative.



A statement issued on Saturday, June 18 said the passenger was reported to have complained of tiredness and had difficulty in breathing.



He was subsequently offered a wheelchair by the Ground Handler. The passenger became unconscious at the arrival hall and received medical attention but was unresponsive.



The statement indicated that he was conveyed to the airport clinic for further attention and he subsequently passed on.



In line with protocols, the Airport District Police station was immediately informed.



Ghana Airport Company Limited has commenced an investigation into the incident.



Management extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family, the statement said.

Source: 3news









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A few days after declaring himself dead, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bosome Freho in the Ashanti Region, Yaw Danso has unreservedly apologized to Ghanaians for his careless flippancy last Friday.



In an audio available to Ghanaguardian.com, Mr. Danso is heard rendering an apology to government officials in the region, his family, the chief and elders of Bosome Freho, the Assembly Members in the district and to a large extent, Ghanaians, for declaring himself dead.



"I want to use this medium to apologize to you for saying "I'm dead" during an interview with lady journalist. The comment is an unfortunate one, this does not represent me. I personally know the lady who phoned me so I made those comments out of jokes, not that I want to disrespect anyone. Forgive me Ghanaians, kindly forgive me, I'm really sorry, I'm not dead, I'm alive," Mr Danso said.



Background



This comes on the back of a complaint made by Assembly Members in the District against the DCE who they accused of failing to address the needs of the area.



According to the Assembly Members, the DCE has not been on top of issues in his quest to foot the forward match of the district and that finding him to make known their concerns was a problem.



Following the complaints, a journalist called Mr. Danso to fish out the truth of the allegations made against him.



However, in response to a question posed by the reporter, the DCE responded "They [Assembly Members] say I'm nowhere to be found? ooh! Im dead". Tell them Im dead," He told the female reporter in a phone interview.



The said conversation went viral on social media with a section of the Ghanaian populace lashing out at the DCE for what they described as an insult towards his people and the good people of Ghana.

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A Communication team member of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Sylvester Soprano Sarpong has applauded the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare for interdicting three police officers after some students of the Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi got injured following a protest.



The officers: the acting Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kwasi Akomeah-Apraku, ACP George Ankomah, the Regional Operations Officer; and ACP Alex Cudjoe Acquah, the Suame Divisional Police Commander were interdicted over their management of the chaotic scenes.



A statement by the Police says their interdiction is to make way for a thorough investigation into the incident.



Reacting to this, Soprano said IGP Dampare has proven that he has qualities that President Akufo-Addo doesn't have.



According to him, if the President had the boldness to also reshuffle his appointees, they will work diligently.



"Dampare is exhibiting qualities President Akufo-Addo should be havingfor instance, President Akufo-Addo has never done any reshuffle and things are getting worst. They (appointees) know they won't be removed so they do anything they want. So Dampare should keep it up. Hes proven that he has the qualities Akufo-Addo doesn't have..." he said on Neat FM's Me Man Nti programme.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Pressure Group, Arise Ghana, as part of its June 28th and 29th demonstration, is paying courtesy calls to some Senior Citizens in the Country.



Today the team visited Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe, a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party at his residence to officially inform him of the objectives of the group and to formally invite him to attend our impending demonstration.



Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe on his part welcomed the group and counseled us to see the course we have chosen as service to the people and nothing more. He admonished us to be people of integrity and to remain resolute and united in the pursuit of the objectives of the group.



Above all, the senior Citizen and Statesman assured Arise Ghana of his unflinching support and his presence at our upcoming demonstration scheduled for the 28th and 29th of June, 2022.



The purpose of this Arise Ghana demonstration is to:



I) protest against persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government that has imposed excruciating economic hardships on Ghanaians.



II) protest against the imposition of the obnoxious E-Levy on the already-burdened Ghanaian people by the insensitive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government,



III) demand a full-scale and bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures.



IV) protest against the grabbing of State lands by officials of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, particularly the de-classification of huge portions of the Achimota Forest Reserve.



V) protest against the increased rate of police brutalities and state-sponsored killing of innocent Ghanaians, as well as the growing culture of human rights abuses under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Alhaji Bawumia.



VI) demand the total cancellation of the fraudulent Agyapa deal.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Freddie Blay, the national chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said the recent furore over activities of the LGBTQI+ community in Ghana is unnecessary.



To mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ activists mounted billboards in the capital Accra and two other cities with the inscription Love, Tolerance and Acceptance.



Rights activists in Ghana are protesting after a crowd, urged on by some MPs and opinion leaders, tore down the billboards that promoted tolerance toward the LGBTQ community.



Talking on Asaase Radio (17 June), Blay said there is too much hypocrisy surrounding the issue in Ghana.



If people want to be gays, it should be their own problem. I wont go ahead to be a persecutor of those who want to be together as man and man or woman and woman, the former MP said.



I think theres too much hypocrisy about it. Emotions have been excited over it to the extent that we are not sober over it. I honestly do not see the hullabaloo about it. We should allow them if they want to.



I dont subscribe to gayism as a choice because Im not attracted by that, but I dont want to go into peoples bedrooms. I dont want to see what they are doing, Blay said.











Source: asaaseradio.com









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Thiruvananthapuram, June 19 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has condemned the decision of the Congress -led Opposition to boycott the proceedings of the Loka Kerala Sabha.

No one should turn their backs on the Loka Kerala Sabha, the conference of our pravasies. When discussions were held with their leaders prior to the launch of the event, they indicated their willingness to participate," the CM said this while addressing online the valedictory meeting of the third edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha which concluded here on Saturday.

"They said this in the Assembly session too. What was the reason behind the boycotting of Loka Kerala Sabha if they could attend the meetings of the MPs and public meetings ?."

"This is an utterly ridiculous position. The expatriate brothers want the development of the State. The state, the people and the Malayalees across the world are moving forward with this objective in mind. The boycott shows that the opposition does not want this to happen.

He further explained the development plans adopted by the State Government in the field of higher education.

Saying that the state will prepare a package to be a leader in the field of 5G network services, he said it will be implemented in the four IT corridors and a high-level committee will be formed for this.

UNI DS ACL
Legendary Ghanaian Reggae and Dancehall musician, Samini has declared his intention to contest for the highest position of the student body in the advanced educational institution he is currently studying under.



In a new video, the Ghanaian dancehall star announces his candidacy for GIMPA SRC president.



Samini, who has already begun campaigning for votes, says he has already picked forms to run for the position.



I Emmanuel Andrew Samini popular known as Samini picked up forms to stand for GIMPA SRC Presidency, he said in a video recorded on campus. If all things go well and I am approved, I will be going for the elections coming few days time, he continued. Campaigning for votes, he added that and I urge all of you to come in your numbers to vote for me so we bring a massive change.







Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/Peacefmonline.com









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A woman is seen working on a computer at her apartment in downtown Vancouver, Thursday, December 3, 2020. A law requiring that Ontario employers of a certain size have policies around disconnecting from work took effect this month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
Eastern Chinese city sees rise in China-Europe freight train trips

Xinhua) 13:47, June 19, 2022

HEFEI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Loaded with automobiles and auto parts, a China-Europe freight train departed on Friday from Hefei, the capital of east China's Anhui Province, heading for Almaty in Kazakhstan.

"As the epidemic wanes and export demand grows, the volume of China-Europe freight trains has increased since late April, and we are busy all day now," said Zhang Yong, a China-Europe freight train driver in the city.

In the first five months of this year, Hefei handled 339 China-Europe freight trains, 175 more than the same period last year. The trains carried 31,956 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers, up 106 percent year on year, according to the local railway authorities.

The outbound trains mainly carried photovoltaic products, auto parts, and household appliances. The inbound trains brought products including red wine, milk, barley, and cotton yarn from European and Asian countries.

"The China-Europe freight trains are supporting the global industrial and supply chain. They are cost-effective, stable, and reliable," said Chen Feng, vice president of Hefei International Land Port Development Co., Ltd., which is in charge of the freight operation.

Hefei has sent over 2,200 freight trains to 70 destinations in 16 countries since it started the cargo train service in 2014.

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
Justin Pechie Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in the $1,500 Freezeout

June 19, 2022 Angeni Jaipaul

An action-packed Day 3 of the 2022 World Series of Poker Event #34: $1,500 Freezeout No-Limit Holdem has come to an end with Justin Pechie taking home his second WSOP bracelet.

A total of 1,774 players started the tournament creating a total prize pool of $2,368,290, and there were just ten remaining at the start of Day 3 to battle it out for the lion's share of the prize money and the coveted gold bracelet.

Pechie was the chosen one that the stars and cards aligned for to take home the top prize of $364,899. He also added a second gold bracelet to his collection, with his first one being from 2011 in Event #41: $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout.

Event # 34: $1,500 Freezeout No Limit Holdem Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize (USD) 1 Justin Pechie United States $365,899 2 Samuel Bifarella France $225,506 3 Maxime Parys France $164,469 4 Kenny Robbins United States $121,224 5 Steve Zolotow United States $90,306 6 David Dibernardi United States $68,002 7 Michel Leibgorin France $51,766 8 Jeremy Wien United States $39,843 9 Dwayne Sullivan United States $31,009

Winner's Reaction

Justin Pechie

When talking to PokerNews about how his win felt, Pechie said, I havent really processed it. I never really looked at the amounts or payouts; I just came in and played how I felt I should play, and now its kind of sinking in.

Pechie started the third day in chips but steadily climbed to the top. He was hovering around second in chips for most of the day before taking the lead shortly after Level 34 with five players remaining. He was then back and forth with Frances, Maxime Parys throughout the next two levels before he caught a double up off Parys and had nearly three-quarters of the chips in play for a dominating lead that carried him to victory.

Final Day Recap

Ten players started the final day with Orson Young getting eliminated shortly after play began in Level 28, but there was not another one until two hours later when a double elimination occurred, and Pechie took out Dwayne Sullivan and former bracelet winner, Jeremy Wien.

The next elimination was Frances Michel Leibgorin who was taken out by David Dibernardi. The French brigade was out in full force at the rail, cheering on the three players from France who were sitting at the final table and with one down, they only had two left.

Steve Zolotow

Dibernardi chipped up from taking out Leibgorin was it was short lived and he was the next one out. Soon after, fan favourite and poker legend Steve Zolotow fell victim to Pechie and received applause as he left the table.

Kenny Robbins was the next to go, and then there were three. Pechie versus the two Frenchman, and he did not back down, getting a huge dent out of the stack of Maxime Parys and acquiring 70% of the chips in play.

Parys was knocked out by fellow Frenchman, Samuel Bifarella, which took it down to the final two.

Pechie and Bifarella then battled back and forth, with Pechie never really relinquishing his enormous chip lead. It all ended when Bifarella, with king-deuce, was all in on the flop and Pechie snap-called with five-six for two pair. Bifarella had 19 outs to hit on the river but missed them all, ending the long 3-day battle to be crowned champion.

This concludes PokerNews' coverage of the event, but there is still plenty more to come from the 2022 WSOP, so be sure to keep it locked in.

2022 World Series of Poker Hub Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2022 WSOP is here. Click here
Lok Chan Wins 2022 WSOP Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet on First Trip to WSOP ($144,338)

June 19, 2022 Matt Hansen Live Reporting Executive

After three days of mixed game action, Lok Chan defeated Drew Scott in heads-up play to win Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet at the 2022 World Series of Poker in its new home at Ballys and Paris Las Vegas. The popular mix of big bet variants attracted 281 runners to generate a prize pool of $625,225.

Chan took home the top prize of $144,338, along with his first bracelet, on his maiden trip from Hong Kong to Las Vegas for the WSOP.

Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet Final Table Results

Place Name Country Prize 1 Lok Chan Hong Kong $144,338 2 Drew Scott Canada $89,206 3 Rami Boukai United States $61,675 4 Michael Trivett United States $43,378 5 Christopher Smith United States $31,045 6 Galen Hall United States $22,617 7 Aaron Kupin United States $16,777

Winners Reaction

The champ is only 22 years old, but he has played poker for quite some time.

I have played for seven years after I learned from my brother when I was 15, Chan said in his post-win interview with PokerNews.

Chans first trip to Las Vegas for the WSOP is also his first opportunity to play mixed games in a live tournament format. His interest in variants has increased over the last couple of years after playing online.

Im not winning that much in holdem these days, so I play mixed games online a lot. Its my first time Ive ever played live.

When I turned 17 or 18, I would go to Taiwan and play live tournaments and I would play cash online. This is my first time coming to Las Vegas for the WSOP. I was lucky enough to stay alive and have a chance to get a bracelet.

The newly-crowned champion plans to spend much more time at the 2022 WSOP and perhaps get a shot at a second bracelet.

I am definitely playing the Main Event because thats what I came here for. I may take a one-day break and have a rest with my friends and my wife. We are going out and I will rest up for the rest of the series.

2022 World Series of Poker Hub Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2022 WSOP is here. Click here

Day 3 Action

Day 3 got off to a fast start when Andrew Robl was eliminated on the very first hand of play. Robl attempted to draw to a straight flush in No-Limit Five Card Draw High, but Richard Ashbys two pair held to score the knockout.

Several players were lost in the opening levels of the day, including Schuyler Thornton, Michael Savakinas, and Craig Chait. Keith Lehr bowed out in 13th place to bring the tournament down to two tables.

Soon to hit the rail before final table action were Ashby, Scott Bohlman, Renan Bruschi, Patrick Leonard and Ryan Moriarty, who fell to Scotts nine-eight in lowball to send the final seven players to an unofficial final table.

Out in seventh place was Aaron Kupin, who got it in while drawing one with eight-seven in No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw, but he drew a queen and was knocked out by Rami Boukai. Following in sixth place was Galen Hall, who was knocked out when Scott made a wheel in Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better.

Christopher Smith was out in fifth after he drew to an eight-five in lowball, but he peeled an ace and lost to Chans nine-six. Following closely in fourth was Michael Trivett after he got scooped by Scott in Omaha 8 or Better.

Michael Trivett

Three-handed play ended quickly when Boukai attempted to make a straight in No-Limit Five Card Draw High, but he missed his draw and Scotts two pair sent him off in third place.

The final two battled for less than an hour, and the big moment came when Chan caught runner-runner tens to beat Scotts pocket kings in No-Limit Holdem.

This concludes coverage of Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet. Congratulations to Lok Chan on his first WSOP bracelet! Be sure to keep it with the PokerNews team throughout the rest of the 2022 WSOP for live updates on all of your favorite tournaments.

Lok Chen and his rail.

Sharelines Hong Kong's Lok Chan captured a @WSOP gold bracelet on his first-ever trip to Las Vegas.
After three days of mixed game action, Lok Chan defeated Drew Scott in heads-up play to win Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet at the 2022 World Series of Poker in its new home at Ballys and Paris Las Vegas. The popular mix of big bet variants attracted 281 runners to generate a prize pool of $625,225.

Chan took home the top prize of $144,338, along with his first bracelet, on his maiden trip from Hong Kong to Las Vegas for the WSOP.

Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet Final Table Results

Place Name Country Prize 1 Lok Chan Hong Kong $144,338 2 Drew Scott Canada $89,206 3 Rami Boukai United States $61,675 4 Michael Trivett United States $43,378 5 Christopher Smith United States $31,045 6 Galen Hall United States $22,617 7 Aaron Kupin United States $16,777

Winners Reaction

The champ is only 22 years old, but he has played poker for quite some time.

I have played for seven years after I learned from my brother when I was 15, Chan said in his post-win interview with PokerNews.

Chans first trip to Las Vegas for the WSOP is also his first opportunity to play mixed games in a live tournament format. His interest in variants has increased over the last couple of years after playing online.

Im not winning that much in holdem these days, so I play mixed games online a lot. Its my first time Ive ever played live.

When I turned 17 or 18, I would go to Taiwan and play live tournaments and I would play cash online. This is my first time coming to Las Vegas for the WSOP. I was lucky enough to stay alive and have a chance to get a bracelet.

The newly-crowned champion plans to spend much more time at the 2022 WSOP and perhaps get a shot at a second bracelet.

I am definitely playing the Main Event because thats what I came here for. I may take a one-day break and have a rest with my friends and my wife. We are going out and I will rest up for the rest of the series.

Day 3 Action

Day 3 got off to a fast start when Andrew Robl was eliminated on the very first hand of play. Robl attempted to draw to a straight flush in No-Limit Five Card Draw High, but Richard Ashbys two pair held to score the knockout.

Several players were lost in the opening levels of the day, including Schuyler Thornton, Michael Savakinas, and Craig Chait. Keith Lehr bowed out in 13th place to bring the tournament down to two tables.

Soon to hit the rail before final table action were Ashby, Scott Bohlman, Renan Bruschi, Patrick Leonard and Ryan Moriarty, who fell to Scotts nine-eight in lowball to send the final seven players to an unofficial final table.

Out in seventh place was Aaron Kupin, who got it in while drawing one with eight-seven in No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw, but he drew a queen and was knocked out by Rami Boukai. Following in sixth place was Galen Hall, who was knocked out when Scott made a wheel in Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better.

Christopher Smith was out in fifth after he drew to an eight-five in lowball, but he peeled an ace and lost to Chans nine-six. Following closely in fourth was Michael Trivett after he got scooped by Scott in Omaha 8 or Better.

Michael Trivett

Three-handed play ended quickly when Boukai attempted to make a straight in No-Limit Five Card Draw High, but he missed his draw and Scotts two pair sent him off in third place.

The final two battled for less than an hour, and the big moment came when Chan caught runner-runner tens to beat Scotts pocket kings in No-Limit Holdem.

This concludes coverage of Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet. Congratulations to Lok Chan on his first WSOP bracelet! Be sure to keep it with the PokerNews team throughout the rest of the 2022 WSOP for live updates on all of your favorite tournaments.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds light and variable.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
"Nobody is free until all of us are free."

That was the mentality of African Americans fighting in the Union Army who were working to free slaves, according to Wayne O'Bryant, a local historian who spoke at the Juneteenth event on Saturday at the Center for African American History, Art and Culture. He explained the significance of Juneteenth, which is when the last slaves in Galveston, Texas, found out they were free on June 19, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth was the last freed, and you couldn't have a last freed if you didn't have a first freed and the first freed was South Carolina history, O'Bryant said. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union When the Union ships came down they couldn't attack Charleston because of all the forts, so they went to Beaufort. When they went to Beaufort all the slave owners fled and left 10,000 slaves there by themselves. They were the first free and then they organized them into units and they became the first Black units in the Union Army.

+41 2022 Aiken Juneteenth celebration A Juneteenth celebration was held at Aiken's African American History, Art and Culture on Saturday, June 18, 2022.

O'Bryant went on to say that after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the first group of freed slaves went on to fight to free others.

They didn't just take their freedom and say 'OK we're free, the rest of you have to get out on your own,' O'Bryant said. Every plantation they went to they freed slaves, they enlisted them into the Union Army and they went around freeing everybody. But in 1865 when the war was over, the last people that didn't get the word that they were free were in Texas. So the mentality was, nobody is free until all of us are free. So they made sure the job wasn't over until June 19 when Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and read special order No. 3 'all slaves are free.' Now that was the beginning. But the way this happened was the unity that African Americans had to do to fight for their freedom and free each other.

+4 Campers explore their inner inventor at USC Aiken's Camp Invention Kids were able to put their inventor skills to the test this week with Camp Invention at the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center.

Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon read a proclamation that had been signed by the Aiken City Council on Monday, June 13, declaring June 19, 2022 as Juneteenth within the City of Aiken and discussed the importance of Juneteenth.

And whereas June 19 has a special meaning to African Americans and is called Juneteenth, combing June and the 19th, and has been celebrated by the African American community for over 150 years. And whereas Juneteenth was signed into law as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. And whereas the annual Juneteenth celebration in the City of Aiken will take place at Founders Park on June 18, 2022 hosted by the Center for African American History, Art and Culture. Now therefore I, Rick Osbon, mayor, and the city council of the City of Aiken, South Carolina, do hereby declare June 19, 2022 as Juneteenth in the City of Aiken, South Carolina and urge all citizens to educate themselves about the significance of this celebration and African American history, read part of the proclamation.

A special announcement was also made during the event by Dr. Walter Curry about the Schofield Institute and the Reconstruction Era. He said during this era many African American schools were built, and in 1871 Martha Schofield started the Schofield Institute in Aiken.

+2 Summer meals program available in Aiken County The Aiken County Public School District is serving free breakfast and lunch at six different schools throughout the county this summer. The me

What's so important about that is the fact that Schofield Institute became a center of African American excellence in education in the Reconstruction Era and beyond. So in 2019 Congress passed the John Dingell Act, which created the Reconstruction Era National Network, a network of historic sites that relate to the Reconstruction Era I am happy to announce that the Schofield Institute is now an official member of the Reconstruction Era National Network Schofield Institute is the first historic site in Aiken County that is a part of the Reconstruction Era National Network.

The event also featured different performances, including music, poetry and dancing. Irulan Coleman, an Aiken High School scholar, sang several songs. Big Bailey did several performances featuring songs and spoken word. Calvin Pennywell and Nefertiti Robinson read several poems they wrote.

People of all ages came out to the CAAHAC for the celebration, including first-timer Michelle Cooks.

I came out today to celebrate Juneteenth and to also help with voter registration and voter education It's nice, great turnout, she said.

Besides getting help registering to vote, there were a variety of other booths for attendees to browse. Visitors could also tour the CAAHAC and see the different exhibits on display.

For more about the CAAHC, visit https://caahac.org/.
A longtime downtown Charleston lodging that's undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation has unveiled a new all-day food-and-beverage venue.

Black Door Cafe opened last week at the Mills House Hotel and is part of a larger transformation for the property that's known for its signature pink hue and prominent placement at Meeting and Queen streets.

The new addition is open to guests and the public from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and serves a variety of coffee beverages. The food menu includes pastries made by Saffron Bakery on East Bay Street, gelato, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and some grab-and-go items.

The cafe's website describes it as a "neighborhood spot" that should feel like "more than a hotel guests obvious coffee stop."

Last fall, Davidson Hospitality Group announced that it would be taking over management of the seven-floor, 216-room hotel and that a "significant transformation and elevated repositioning" was being planned. The renovation work will include all guest rooms, common areas, food and beverage venues and the hotel's pool deck.

Construction could be completed by early October, according to a spokesperson. Afterward the Mills House will join Curio Collection, an upscale, "soft" brand from Hilton, meaning that lodgings in the collection retain their individual identities.

The Mills House has been part of Wyndham Grand Hotels since 2013. Before that, it operated under the Holiday Inn umbrella for three decades.

The iconic pink building is a reproduction of the original Mills House that dated back to 1853. It survived Charleston's fire of 1861, but, a century later, the five-story building had fallen into disrepair. After the original was demolished, it was replaced with a building that had two more floors and incorporated many of the design elements of the original.

When Davidson announced in October that it was taking over management of the Mills House, executive Tom Geshay called it a "privilege" to expand the company's footprint with "this historic asset."

Locally, Atlanta-based Davidson also manages Hotel Bella Grace, a 50-room boutique lodging on Calhoun Street.

The company previously oversaw the redevelopment of the former King Charles Inn at Meeting and Hasell streets into The Ryder, which opened in May 2021. Dallas-based Makeready took over management of that property in January, the same month the hotel was sold for $48 million to an affiliate of Ohio-based Rockbridge Capital, which also owns the nearby Emeline lodging on Church Street.

Top tour

A Charleston food, wine and history tour is the most highly recommended food-related travel experience in the country, according to the travel site Tripadvisor's latest rankings.

The list pointed to the half-day Undiscovered Charleston excursion led by local chef Forrest Parker. According to the tour description, the four-hour outing starts with a 90-minute walking tour and concludes at Bistro A Vin downtown with a cooking demonstration, lunch and wine pairing.

Tripadvisor shows a perfect score of 5.0 for the tour, based on customer reviews. Of the 426 people who have written a review, all but one said it was "excellent." The other rated it one notch lower, at "very good."

No other food experience in the country outranked it, per Tripadvisor's "Best of the Best" guide of activities released last week. The food experience that's earned the highest praise worldwide is a "local foodie adventure" in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.
A legal scrape that bobbled up in Charleston last week shows that what goes around can come around in the global shipping industry.

In this case, the international maritime dispute and at least a portion of the money trail circled back to a seized Liberian-flagged freighter that spent almost four months anchored off the South Carolina coast in 2020.

It's a fresh wrinkle tied to the M/V Evolution, which was sold at a courthouse auction more than two years ago to settle an insurance squabble.

Creditors recently agreed how to divide the remaining proceeds from the May 2020 sale. Among them is a business that procured fuel for commercial ships around the world from its offices in Texas, the Mideast and Asia.

Praxis Energy Agents, it turns out, was in need of a cash injection.

The company found itself in hot water in October 2019, after its Dubai affiliate booked a job to service Platina Bulk Carriers' M/V Oceanmaster, most likely in the United Arab Emirates, though the precise location wasn't specified.

The bill came to more than $271,000. Platina said it paid the tab  and then learned the hard way that Praxis Energy never compensated the UAE contractor that delivered the fuel.

A few weeks later, the cargo ship was seized in the port city of Fujirah, according to court filings. The Oceanmaster was released after Platina paid the delivery firm $147,335 while also securing the rights to go after Praxis Energy for the rest. It calculated the eight days of downtime and other losses at about $316,000, not including interest. The company's lawyers are requesting $100,000 in legal fees.

The original lawsuit was filed U.S. District Court in Manhattan, as the contract terms stipulated. It hit the docket in June 2020, about a month after the Evolution was sold to the highest bidder in a virtual sale held in a parking lot behind the J. Waties Waring Judicial Center in downtown Charleston.

In some ways, it was a case of two passing ships in the U.S. justice system: The Oceanmaster was out to recoup its money in front of a federal judge in New York from Praxis Energy, which, in turn, was some 600 miles away in the Holy City looking to collect unpaid bills from the Evolution.

The 505-foot Evolution spent more time off the Charleston peninsula than its stranded crew of 21 could have imagined when they arrived in January 2020. The Marshals Service "arrested" the vessel shortly after it sailed into the harbor over a dispute involving its Greece-based owner. A group of insurers wanted the freighter sold at auction to compensate them for a shipment of iron that had been damaged while being hauled to Indonesia.

They pulled it off. The Evolution fetched a high bid of $1.34 million, with $355,000 immediately awarded to the crew for back wages. The stir-crazy mariners were allowed back on dry land two years ago today.

As for the rest of the pot, it took until earlier this month to finalize a plan to divvy it up. Judge Richard Gergel awarded $280,220 of the remaining proceeds to pay Praxis Energy. About $42,000 was for fuel the company provided the ship during its stay in Charleston Harbor.

Platina Bulk Carriers wants to block Praxis Energy from ever seeing the money. In its June 10 complaint, the ship operator is requesting a court order that would allow it to garnish the funds before they're disbursed.

It doesn't appear that Praxis Energy has much if any gas left in the tank.

The company, which received a $56,657 forgivable loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration's emergency Payroll Protection Program in March 2021, is facing at least two other lawsuits similar to the Platina case.

In August, after being hit with a $170,000 judgment in Delaware, the company told the judge that it wasn't able to pay a court-ordered deposit of $27,527 partly because of "a downturn in business." In a written affidavit, Praxis Energy director Theodosios Kyriazis cited a "lack of assets, strained liquidity" and multiple unresolved legal claims.

The company's financial troubles have sunk even deeper since then. Earlier this month, the lawyer who represents Praxis Energy in the Big Apple lawsuit asked for permission to withdraw from the case, saying his client has ceased operations and had no money to prepare for trial.
Awash in revenue, South Carolina lawmakers agreed this past week to not only reduce state income tax rates immediately but to return about $1 billion in income tax that residents paid this year.

So, what will all this mean for you?

A key point to know is that the rebate money will only be sent to those who filed a state tax return and paid income tax to South Carolina.

Many residents earn too little, after deductions and exemptions, to owe the state anything. Sure, they pay plenty of sales taxes on retail purchases and property taxes on homes and vehicles, but about 44 percent of those who file state returns owe nothing.

For the remaining 56 percent, the state will be sending them $800 rebates, or the entire amount of tax paid, whichever is less. The payments are expected to go out in November or December.

Remember, the amount of state income tax paid includes payroll withholding or estimated tax payments, as well as anything owed when filing a return. So, it's possible to get a state refund due to overpayment and also get a rebate check.

You'll get an $800 check, if you paid $800 or more in income tax. If you paid less, you'll get that back. If you paid nothing, you'll get nothing.

Sure, lawmakers could have focused on closing the more than $24 billion funding gap in the state government pension plans that about one of nine residents rely upon, but tax rebates that arrive during the holiday season will be crowd-pleasers.

The second part of the tax cut and rebate plan reduces South Carolina's top income tax rate to 6.5. percent from 7 percent. That will happen right away, so those expecting to benefit could adjust their state withholdings or estimated taxes to avoid overpaying.

After dropping to 6.5 percent for this tax year, the top rate would be incrementally and automatically reduced by one-tenth of a percentage point until it hits 6 percent, if state revenues continue to grow as hoped.

The remaining current tax brackets  4 percent, 5 percent and 6 percent  will all be cut to 3 percent right away. The bracket changes combined will reduce collections next year by $596 million, the state estimated.

So, what's that worth to individuals and households? Of course, it depends on one's income, and those with the highest earnings will see the greatest savings.

The S.C. Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office has put together a helpful analysis. It's based on taxable income, the amount after any deductions.

In 2023 an estimated 2,667,154 state income tax returns will be filed, and 1,721,138 of them will show tax owed to the state. More than half will have taxable income of $30,000 or less.

Here's a sample of what the tax rate cuts will be worth, on average, based on taxable income ranges, and how many tax filers are in each group:

206,449 tax filers between $5,000 and $10,000  $17.

249,770 between $20,000 and $30,000  $245.

136,503 between $40,000 and $50,000  $351.

63,891 between $70,000 and $80,000  $511.

40,917 between $125,000 and $150,000  $839.

7,060 between $500,000 and $1 million  $3,660.

2,337 above $1 million  $13,453.

If the top rate is eventually reduced to 6 percent, as planned for 2027 tax returns, a family with between $70,000 and $80,000 in taxable income would save $929 compared to current tax rates. Those in the $1 million-plus group would average $29,926 in savings that year.

The state has also decided that military retirement income will be fully deductible  income tax-free  which will collectively save those retirees about $8 million at tax time next year.
DENMARK VESEYS BIBLE: The Thwarted Revolt That Put Slavery and Scripture on Trial. By Jeremy Schipper. Princeton University Press. 216 pages. $26.95.

In his book, Denmark Veseys Bible, Jeremy Schipper does something I have never seen before. Every time he mentions an enslaved person, he follows with the name of the enslaver. For example, the first time Schipper mentions a man named Rolla Bennett, he refers to him as Rolla Bennett, who was enslaved by South Carolina Governor Thomas Bennett, Jr.

The effect throughout the book is powerful. As Schipper tells the story of Charleston 200 years ago, he includes not only the names of those who were held in bondage, but the names of those who held them. In so doing, he humanizes people like Rolla Bennett and reminds us that their enslavement wasnt an abstraction. One man actually kept another man from being free. In saying the names of both men, Schipper is telling a truth that is often avoided.

Denmark Veseys Bible is an exercise in such truth-telling. It revisits the story of Vesey, a free Black man who was executed for conspiring with enslaved Black Charlestonians to revolt and win their freedom. As a professor of religion, Schipper takes particular interest in the uses of scripture by Vesey and those who opposed him. His book is a remarkable work of scholarship that unearths trial records, published sermons, and personal letters as it documents how the Bible was used to justify both the Black freedom struggle and the efforts of Whites to maintain the practice of slavery.

In an opening discussion of his method, Schipper admits that the historical record consists primarily of White voices, testimonies, and impressions. Few of the words of Vesey and his co-conspirators were recorded and passed down. Even so, Schipper finds and amplifies Black voices as best he can.

What stands out in the book is its radical contrast. Vesey referred regularly to the Bible as he organized people to rebel. In house meetings and hushed tones, he preached from the Book of Exodus, which told the story of the Israelites liberation from their Egyptian overseers.

Vesey preached that Black people in America were the new Israelites and that God was on their side as they struggled to throw off the yoke of oppression. He also preached that there was no sin in taking up arms to fight White enslavers. The sin, according to Vesey, was to be found in the evil of slavery itself, not in those who sought to overturn it. The White community in Charleston, however, saw it very differently.

White magistrates, politicians, and clergy used the Bible to justify a social and economic order that benefited them. Schipper guides readers through their arguments that Charlestons racial hierarchy was divinely ordained and every person should gratefully and obediently fulfill their role. He gives particular time and attention to the role of Charlestons White clergy, including the pastors of Circular Congregational Church, First Baptist Church, and St. Michaels Episcopal Church.

As the current pastor of Circular Congregational Church, I read these sections of the book with great interest. Schipper shows Charlestons White churches to be deeply invested in the social structure of the time and unwilling to challenge it. All of the pastors wrote in defense of slavery and used the Bible to justify its violence, though they quoted different chapters and verses than Vesey had.

It is sometimes said that we should not look back on previous eras and judge them by our standards. What Schipper documents so well, however, is that in 1822 there was an ongoing debate over slavery. Each side used scripture to preach its view. Northern abolitionists, itinerant ministers, and Black freedom fighters like Vesey invoked the Bible to condemn slavery as a sin just as White Southerners appealed to the Bible to support the violence of a social order predicated on forced labor.

This contradiction was so well-known at the time that one of Veseys co-conspirators even mentioned that they planned to round up White clergy and demand an explanation. In his confession, Bacchus Hammet said that they intended to show the pastors passages from the Book of Exodus and ask, Why they did not preach up this thing? Put another way, why did they preach that enslaved people should be obedient instead of preaching that it was God who brought people out from bondage?

Bacchus question, which he meant to put to Charlestons White clergy 200 years ago, still resonates. Why do so many churches fail to preach liberation from the oppressive systems and structures of their day?

Jeremy Schipper has given us a great gift with this book. He has uncovered the truth of Denmark Veseys day and brought it to bear on our own. Perhaps most importantly, he has shared with us names we did not know. After I set the book down, I thought of the names of White clergy who were on the wrong side of history, in their time and ours. Yet the names Ill remember and carry forward are of those not so well-known in Charleston.

Our freedom fighters, including Denmark Vesey, Batteau Bennett, Ned Bennett, Rolla Bennett, Peter Poyas, and Jesse Blackwood.

Im grateful to Schipper for giving us their names.
GEORGETOWN  Georgetown County School District officials have spared no expense when it comes to keeping students safe.

The district has spent millions since 2016 to make county school facilities as safe as possible, said Alan Walters, the districts executive director for safety and risk management, and those efforts are ongoing.

The district's Board of Education also makes safety a priority, as shown June 7 when the board added drills to a proposed policy that already surpassed the number of drills required by the state.

The state law calls for one of each drill per semester, lowered in 2021 from two drills per semester. However, the board's new policy calls for three active shooter drills for the year, a monthly fire drill and a severe weather/earthquake drill each semester.

Our board members wanted to do more than what the law required, especially with the fire drills, said Alan Walters, the districts executive director for safety and risk management.

The initial active shooter drill  held within the first 10 days of school  will be one of three Georgetown County School District officials will conduct in the 2022-23 school year, which is one more drill than required by state law.

The change to the state policy was a response to concerns over the numerous drills eating into classroom time, Walters said. But board members wanted to have more than the minimum number of drills, especially when it came to active shooters and fire drills.

We wanted to have one fire drill a month to get the students in the mode of safety, said Michael Cafaro, at-large board member. Without practice, theres no hope for perfection, and we want to develop that muscle memory for safety.

Cafaro said during his nearly 20 years as a school administrator there have always been regular fire drills in the school system.

Active shooter drills and school safety have come to the forefront once again following the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting but Walters points out that South Carolina has seen two incidents in the past year  the Tanglewood Middle School shooting in Greenville County in May and the Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School shooting in Orangeburg County in August.

Safety is an aspect the district has invested quite a bit of time and money into over the past several years.

GCSD considers the safety of our schools and district to be our top priority, Bethany Giles, assistant superintendent for academics and student services, stated in an email.

When students and staff feel safe and secure, they are more comfortable in their schools. This produces a learning environment where students succeed and have more opportunities to grow academically, emotionally and socially, Giles said.

The current trend in funding school safety in South Carolina can be traced back to a $165 million bond referendum that was passed in 2016, Walters said.

About $2 million of that was designated for security projects, the bulk of which went to entirely replacing the school and bus camera systems, he said. There was also about $4.8 million for replacing each schools fire alarm system.

This year in the Georgetown County School District, 19 of the districts 20 schools  Howard Adult Center is excluded  will have dedicated school resource officers for the first time, if the positions can be filled by the time school starts.

The costs of the additional SROs that are being hired or have been hired is through state grant funding, Walters said. We received notice from the state this past Friday (June 10) that all of the grant positions have been renewed for 2022-23, but that wont be in the budget since the money goes directly to the law enforcement agencies.

Getting the district fully staffed with SROs has been a yearslong process. Walters said when it comes to safety, there is no substitute for a trained, certified resource officer on every campus.

The money spent on SROs has changed as we have added more grant positions, Walters said. This year we will have 11 grant positions funded by the state at approximately $740,000. The remaining eight are funded by GCSD at a little under $500,000.

The district also uses off-duty officers for security at ball games and extracurricular activities, which have varied greatly year to year due to COVID, Walters said, estimating that expense at $200,000.

The compensation packages for me and my staff, which includes safety specialists and crossing guards is around $400,000, he said, estimating the districts annual safety personnel costs at around $1.8 million.

On June 28, the Board of Education will approve the 2022-23 general fund budget. Walters said his department isn't seeking any increase in funding this year.

Im not asking for new personnel for my department, so there wont be anything new there. I am working on two security projects that would involve upgrades to our facilities; however, those would be paid for with capital funds, which is a different pot of money from the budget up for approval, Walters said.

Walters said he did not want to get specific about the upcoming projects or costs, but said it would be a six-figure investment.

One sizeable safety expenditure has been on efforts to make the schools as impregnable as possible, including reinforced vestibules at each school designed to keep a shooter from getting into the building.

The vestibules feature ballistic panels in the walls and bulletproof glass as well as electronic locks. Each school building was different, some dating back to the 1950s, so tailoring the vestibules to the buildings was tricky, he said.

Walters said the vestibule project took place over a couple of years which overlapped into three fiscal years.

It was paid for with capital funds, not the general fund budget, Walters said. The cost of that project was around $1.2 million.

The average cost per vestibule was around $60,000, he said. That is definitely an average, as the costs varied greatly depending on the age and size of the school.

Board of Education Chairman Arthur Lance Jr. said Georgetown School District is able to afford the safety expenditures because, over the years, board members have been good stewards of the districts finances.

Were not a broke district, Lance said. This board has done really well in terms of managing the districts funds.

The district also utilizes metal detectors, and Walters said there is new technology using artificial intelligence to scan for weapons and contraband that he would like to see the district employ one day.

Walters said the districts superintendent and board have made this multimillion-dollar annual investment to keep the Georgetown schools safe.

Cafaro said that while active shooter drills are important, most school districts are more likely to have a fire than a shooting. During his career, he recalled a student setting a fire in bathroom that resulted in the building being evacuated.

We need to practice for all contingencies, and have policies and procedures in place, Cafaro said.

If you look at the 'Seven Correlates of Effective Schools' by Lawrence Lezotte, youll see the first one is having a safe and orderly environment, he said. If you dont have that, you dont have much. In fact, you have chaos.
Quenton Tompkins family tree is deeply rooted in rural McCormick County.

His grandfather was a sharecropper in McCormick. His mother, who turns 88 this month, grew up as the youngest of 24 children. Branches of aunts, uncles and cousins now stretch from Florida to Chicago.

And although 48-year-old Tompkins has heard plenty of stories, his family holds its secrets, too.

He didnt know until he was an adult that his grandfather died of leukemia. And hes still unsure if his fathers bout with prostate cancer runs in the family. Tompkins mother and her siblings have dealt with a range of health issues, including diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, but he still doesnt know what killed his grandmother more than 70 years ago.

Those are questions I go through personally, said Tompkins, a lobbyist for the Medical University of South Carolina. Theres another side to knowing where you come from.

Twenty-two years ago, President Bill Clinton announced the completion of a draft version of the Human Genome Project, a breakthrough he described as the language in which God created life. He predicted that scientists, armed with genetic discoveries, would find cures for Alzheimers disease, cancer, Parkinsons disease and diabetes in the coming years.

Clintons prediction, of course, hasnt yet come to pass. But researchers in Charleston are hopeful that a large genetics research project underway across South Carolina may help scientists address some of the states persistent health disparities, which disproportionately impact its Black residents and regularly rank among the nations worst.

The university health system intends to enroll 100,000 of South Carolinas 5 million residents in genetic testing over the next four years in hopes of better understanding how DNA influences health. Researchers also want to recruit participants who reflect the diversity of the states population.

Its an ambitious goal. With nearly 27 percent of South Carolina residents identifying as Black or African American, the MUSC genetics research project, called In Our DNA SC, would  if successful  accomplish something most other genetics research projects have failed to do. Historically, diverse participation in this type of research has been very low.

Theres a trust factor. Its plain and simple, said Tompkins, who is developing an outreach program for the project.

He referenced Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman in Baltimore whose cells were used without her or her familys knowledge for research purposes by doctors at Johns Hopkins University in the 1950s, and the Tuskegee syphilis study, conducted over nearly 40 years starting in the 1930s. Researchers deceived hundreds of Black men enrolled in the study, telling them they were being treated for syphilis when, in fact, they were left untreated, even after penicillin became widely available.

Those are still fresh in many peoples minds, Tompkins said. Weve come a long way from those stories  it doesnt dismiss what happened  but there are a lot more controls and oversight in place to ward those things off from happening again.

But its not only history feeding this distrust. Bias and racism evident in medicine today contribute to the problem.

Diversity in genetics research is so low that approximately 90 percent of participants in projects launched since the first sequencing of the human genome have been individuals of European descent or those who identify as White, said Dr. Shoa Clarke, a pediatric cardiologist and geneticist at Stanford University.

These numbers affect real-life health care. Clarke and others published research last year showing that a DNA-based tool used to assess a patients risk of developing high cholesterol works reliably well only when administered to those of Northern European descent. Thats because the tool was developed using information from genetic bio-banks largely made up of DNA from White people. And aside from a large DNA bank compiled by the Department of Veterans Affairs, this is generally the norm.

Human beings, regardless of race, are more than 99 percent genetically identical, but small variations and mutations passed down through generations can influence health outcomes in huge ways, Clarke explained.

Genetics is not the cause of health disparities, he said. But as we move toward using genetics in clinical settings, its very possible they could create new disparities.

In South Carolina, health disparities between Black and White patients are already acute, said Marvella Ford, a researcher at MUSCs Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston.

South Carolina  compared to the rest of the country  were usually in the bottom tier, Ford said. The prostate cancer mortality rate in South Carolina, for example, is 2 times higher for Black men than White men, she said.

When you look at most other chronic conditions, she said, you see the same thing.

She called the genetics project at MUSC a great opportunity to open the doors. Even so, the topic of recruiting Black research participants for genetics studies is complex.

Theres debate on how we should be doing this work, said Shawneequa Callier, an attorney and an associate professor of bioethics at George Washington University. Theres just so much diversity in Africa. Its the cradle of humanity.

Men and women transported to Charleston and other American port cities during the transatlantic slave trade came from a wide region of Africa  mostly from West Central Africa, but in large numbers from regions farther north, too. Once in America, they were often separated and forced hundreds of miles apart. This explains why someone whose ancestors lived on one of South Carolinas barrier islands may have inherited different genetic variants than someone from a multigenerational Black family inland in McCormick County, just north of Augusta, Ga.

Thats also why categorizing genetics research participants simply as Black or African American, without more context, may not yield particularly useful research insights, Callier said.

If you dont study the data and study it well, thats a real dereliction of ethical duty, Callier said.

Those who choose to participate in the MUSC project stand to benefit from it directly, its organizers said. After submitting a saliva sample, each participant will receive a report indicating if they have one or more of three genetic conditions that may put them at a higher risk for heart disease and certain cancers  such as one of the BRCA mutations linked to breast cancer. If they test positive for one of these conditions, they will be connected at no cost to a genetics counselor, who can assist with information and treatment options related to a patients inherited risks. Participants will also learn where their ancestors likely lived.

The de-identified DNA data will then be used by researchers at MUSC, as well as those at Helix, a private California-based genomics company, which will process the saliva samples and extract the genetic information from each participants sample. Researchers at MUSC and Helix have indicated they hope to use the results to better figure out how DNA affects population health. Heather Woolwine, an MUSC spokeswoman, said the project will cost $15 million, some of which will be paid to Helix. Hospital revenue will fund the research, she said.

Tompkins expects to receive a lot of questions about how it all will work. But hes used to questions. He said he encountered much of the same hesitancy when he helped set up MUSC COVID testing and vaccine sites across the state. Many people  regardless of race  worried microchips or tracking technology had been embedded into the COVID vaccines, he said.

Tompkins found that the key to persuading residents in rural parts of the state to consider the COVID vaccine was to seek out invitations from trusted, local leaders, then set up events with them. South Carolinas COVID vaccination rate remains lower than the national average, but Tompkins said some skeptics have been more receptive to MUSCs message because the hospital system has focused on building relationships with organizers outside Charleston. He hopes to use those relationships to spread word about the new genetics research project.

You have to build those relationships and find community champions that can help you open doors and gather people, he said. Then, its about letting them choose.
MYRTLE BEACH  A restaurant recently opened on the north end of Myrtle Beach in a building that formerly housed eateries such as Dairy Barn, Dairy Queen, Jimmyz Original Hibachi House and others.

But the owner/operator of Beached, a new fast-casual spot located at 6108 N. Kings Highway, plans to stick around the neighborhood near Grande Dunes, possibly even introducing the brand to other coastal areas along the Grand Strand in the future.

New York native Dylan Ferguson moved down to the Myrtle Beach area two years ago and after bartending and serving for a period of time, he wanted to do something different where he could give back to the community  just like one recent Monday at Beached where area lifeguards received 20 percent off of their meal.

Serving and bartending you can do that but its not as personable as I want it here, Ferguson said. Im helping with the menu. Im building (Beached) basically from the ground up.

The specialty menu consists of burgers, sandwiches, bowls, wraps, baskets, salads, sides and a three-item kids menu. But what truly stands out, according to Ferguson, is a partnership with Benjamins Bakery in Surfside Beach where Beached gets its bread from.

His bread is just one of the best that Ive honestly had here, Ferguson said. Being from New York, its all about the bread. Its fresh and made daily.

Ferguson said one of the most popular burgers on the menu is the Traffic Jam, which is two fresh beef patties, two slices of hickory-smoked cheddar cheese, bacon jam, lettuce, tomato and onion. Another requested sandwich is the Weekender, which is steak marinated in Korean sauce, grilled onions and melted provolone cheese.

A majority of our menu is made fresh in-house daily, Ferguson said. Everything has a nice personal touch on it. We take our time with everything and make sure that the quality and the presentation of the food is right. The pricing is really good for the quality of the food that you are getting.

Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., the restaurant features a covered patio for outdoor dining as well as a drive-thru window that is scheduled to open soon. Beached does not currently offer beer or wine but serves Pepsi products.

If the venture is successful, Ferguson said he could see Beached opening in other areas of the Grand Strand, which runs from Little River to Georgetown County.

We are continually building on the menu, adding new things and taking things off, Ferguson said. "We want to see what fits best here. I have pride when I see people come in, eat their food, love it and then leave good reviews.
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I wrote this on Fathers Day several years ago. It is a post that struck a chord with at least a few readers. I have amplified it since then and am taking the liberty of reposting these reflections in honor of the day.

My father was a thoughtful man in his own way. In the last years of his life he recited for me the things for which he was most grateful. In retrospect I can see he thought about gratitude a lot.

He listed the three things he was most grateful for in this order: 1) that his grandfather didnt miss the boat from Russia to the United States, 2) that when his grandfather arrived in New York he kept on moving until he reached Minnesota (this although my father loved New York), and 3) that his father was born before he was. The last was his way of acknowledging his debt to his father. I join him today in all three thoughts.

He wasnt a good student, but he urged me to get a good education. They can never take it away from you, he told me over and over.

After Army service in the Philippines, he went to hotel school on the GI bill in Los Angeles. He returned to Minnesota and married my mom, Rivian, his high school sweetheart. They moved from St. Paul to Fargo-Moorhead so my dad could manage the Comstock Hotel in Moorhead.

My dad loved the hotel/restaurant business. He established the Las Vegas Lounge and the Chuck Wagon buffet (All you can eat for 50 cents) at the Comstock. The Chuck Wagon was a raging success. Below is a late 50s photo of the sign on the roof of the Comstock when the price of the buffet had skyrocketed to 60 cents.

Below is a photo of my dad checking Hubert Humphrey in to the Comstock. I would guess the photo dates from 1954, when Humphrey ran for reelection as Senator. My dad would have been 26.

Below is a photo of my dad checking Orville Freeman in to the Comstock. I would guess the photo also dates from 1954, when Freeman was elected governor.

Humphrey and Freeman had retaken the DFL Party from the Communists between 1946 and 1948. I wrote about their efforts in Revolutionary theater in Minneapolis. We could use men like them again in Minnesota politics, but they are nowhere to be found inside the DFL. That much I can tell you, as Donald Trump would put it.

We moved from Moorhead to St. Paul in 1958 when my grandfather died. My dad sold the Comstock in 1960 and bought what was then mostly a truckers motel in Roseville, Minnesota, just north of the state fairgrounds in St. Paul. In the early 1960s he remodeled it and added a restaurant, a bar, and a buffet.

When I was in law school I used to meet my dad for lunch at his restaurant. One day I found him in the kitchen by the heat lamps pushing out the meals to the customers. It was busy. Mopping his brow, he reflected, This is my punishment for my lack of education. I told him that the punishment didnt fit the crime. We both laughed.

I started thinking about my father and this Fathers Day when I heard the old Winstons single Color Him Father on the radio last week. I learn from the Allmusic Guide entry on them that the Winstons were a Washington, D.C.-based soul act led by Richard Spencer. Spencer was born in North Carolina, where he received some formal training on the piano.

In 1969 the Winstons hit it big with Color Him Father. The single was a top ten R&B and pop hit. Spencer wrote the song and won a Grammy for it. At this point it sounds like a story from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It might even be deemed hate speech where the thought police hold sway.

The father depicted in the song sets a good example for his seven kids. He works hard to support his family. He emphasizes the importance of education. He also has a big heart for the kids. As if that were not enough, Spencer loads an O. Henry twist into the last verse: the man is the kids stepfather. Their father was killed in the war.

I wonder if the father in Spencers life resembled the man in the song. Spencer followed one of the that mans precepts, taking time out from show business to pursue his education in 1979. (First posted in 2010, amplified in 2020.)
Some party agents have alleged that vote-buying marred the Ekiti State governorship election.

Expressing his grievances during the collation of the governorship election results in Ado-Ekiti, a party agent from the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) said he was not pleased with the conduct of the election.

What happened yesterday was vote-buying centres and not polling unit centres, he said.

The APC candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, secured 187,057 votes to defeat his closest challengers, Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who polled 82,211, and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party who scored 67,457 votes.

Similarly, Owoseni Ajayi, the state party agent for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), told journalists that vote-buying was brazen.

Incidents of vote-buying, particularly by agents of the three major parties  APC, PDP, and SDP  were reported during the election.

The party agents induced voters with cash ranging from N1,000 to as high as N10,000 to vote for their candidates.

PREMIUM TIMES observed cases of voters arriving at polling units and meeting with party agents for the bribe before joining the queue to cast their ballots.

Mr Ajayi said that the election was not conducted in accordance with the provisions of the electoral act.

Part of the provision of the electoral act is that there must be a free, fair, and plain playground for all the contestants which was completely out in this election, he said.

It is not me, all of you witnessed it, the shameful selling and buying of votes in this modern time. It is only in Nigeria that this thing happens.

Should we continue to condole this type of mess? My answer is no.

But Kayode Babade, the APC state party agent, denied knowledge of vote-buying by party agents at the polling units.

The people have spoken, anybody can go to court on flimsy excuses. It doesnt matter, he said.

We dont know anything about vote-buying as far as our vote is concerned. All we know is that the Ekiti people have spoken and they have chosen the person that they want to govern Ekiti State in the next four years.
Killings across Nigeria continued last week (June 12  18) as non-state actors killed at least 52 persons in various attacks.

The figure for the week indicates a decline when compared to the previous week when over 100 persons were killed.

Out of the 52 persons killed, two were security personnel including one army officer and one policeman. The rest were civilians.

The seven incidents took place in two geopolitical zones of the North-central and South-east.

Most of the incidents were recorded in the South-east while more casualties were recorded in North-central  Benue State.

The Benue incident involved 37 persons who were killed by gunmen in the Okpokwu local government of the state.

PREMIUM TIMES compiled the incidents from media reports. Thus, unreported cases are not included.

Below are the recorded incidents:

North-central

Suspected armed herdsmen in the early hours of Sunday, allegedly killed about 37 persons in two communities of Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State in what has been described as unprovoked attacks on civilians.

Police Public Relations Officer for the Benue State Command, Sewuese Anene, confirmed the attack to journalists in a brief statement.

In Niger State, an army major was killed in an ambush on a military convoy by terrorists in Mariga local government area of the state.

Military sources who are in the know of the situation told PREMIUM TIMES the convoy belonged to the Nigerian Military School (NMS) and Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).

The incident which took place on Wednesday happened around Rijiyan Daji village in the local government area.

South-east

Gunmen killed an old man in Nkwelle-Ezunaka community in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigerias South-east.

The incident happened in the early hours of Monday at a popular junction in the area.

A resident of the area, Arinze Ajaezu, told PREMIUM TIMES the gunmen, who stormed the area through Nkwelle Road, zoomed off through Onitsha Road, a different route, after killing the victim.

In the same state, five gunmen were killed during a shootout with suspected members outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Akwa Community in Ihiala Local Government of Anambra State.

The incident, which happened on Friday was between gunmen and the IPOB members who were said to have engaged in a battle over control of the area.

In neighbouring Abia State, Gunmen killed two young entrepreneurs in Aba, on Tuesday.

The police spokesperson in the state, Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba.

In Enugu, suspected herdsmen killed five persons in Mgboji community and sacked 14 farm settlements where over 3,000 residents were living.

Some community leaders said that members of the community were no longer going to farm, fearing that people may face famine next year as a result of the situation.

Also in Enugu, a police officer was killed on Friday when gunmen attacked a police checkpoint in Ibagwa-Ani, a community in Nsukka Local Government Area.

The gunmen razed a police truck during the attack which occurred in the early hours of the day.
More facts have emerged on why the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, rejected the recommendation of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as his running mate for the 2023 election.

Mr Atiku on Thursday presented Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his vice presidential pick, 18 days after the former vice president won the presidential primary of the party in Abuja, for the second consecutive time.

Mr Wike, who came second in the primary, was one of three governors recommended by an ad hoc committee of the PDP to Mr Atiku for his consideration as his running mate. The others were Mr Okowa and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

However, Mr Atiku told senior party leaders that he could not work with Mr Wike. Aside from describing him as a direct opponent, the candidate said Mr Wike does not like him, citing how he almost thwarted his nomination in 2018 at the partys National Convention in Port Harcourt.

Mr Wike at that time had supported Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, who eventually returned second at the primary on that occasion.

Ironically, Mr Tambuwals withdrawal and endorsement of Mr Atiku just before voting started at the Abuja convention of the party on May 29 were pivotal to Mr Atiku defeating Mr Wike with 371 to 237.

After the convention, Mr Atiku paid a visit to Mr Wike in his residence in Abuja, during which the governor promised the candidate and the PDP his full support for the general elections.

According to a party insider, Atiku was horrified after Wike returned to Port Harcourt and was publicly attacking his colleague governors for supporting Atiku at the primary.

Mr Atiku also believes that Mr Wikes fallout with the former National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, who was subsequently removed from the position last year, was due to the governors perception that Mr Secondus had become close to him (Atiku).

According to the source, many party elders and leaders feared that picking Mr Wike would tear the party apart instead of unifying it, saying many of his colleague governors in the South-south and South-east do not like his ways.

Our leaders acknowledge the role Wike played in ensuring the survival of the party during its trying moments, but they do not like his boastful ways and the way he always threatened the party and party leaders to have his way every time.

They believe that such a combative and garrulous person cannot be suitable for the role of vice president and that is the reason many party leaders were against Wike, the source said.

Following the strong run of Mr Wike in the primary in which he drew the support of delegates from across the country, his supporters and many party leaders urged Mr Atiku to pick him as his running mate to unify the party for the February 25, 202,3 presidential election.

Mr Atiku was said to have promised to consider Mr Okowa for nomination as his running mate to get the votes of Delta States delegates in the primary.

However, after the campaign for Mr Wike to be included on the ticket began to grow in the party, Mr Atiku offered the Rivers governor or his nominee the petroleum ministry portfolio if he wins the election, but the governor rejected the offer.

To avert a repeat of the accusation that he unilaterally picked Peter Obi as his running mate for the 2019 election, Mr Atiku decided to involve the partys leadership in the nomination.

After consultations between the candidate and the partys National Working Committee, Board of Trustees and state governors, the party set up a 17-member committee to recommend candidates for the slot.

Although there were reports between Tuesday and Wednesday that the committee overwhelmingly voted to recommend Mr Wike, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that it only recommended the three governors for the slot.

Mr Atiku had arranged to meet Mr Wike Thursday morning to personally inform him of his decision, but apparently, on realising that Mr Okowa was the choice, the Rivers governor flew out of Abuja on the eve of the meeting.

It is not known whether Atiku and Mr Wike have spoken with each other since then but the governor has not made a public statement on the nomination of the running mate by his partys presidential candidate.
Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Abiodun Oyebanji, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the Ekiti governorship election held on Saturday, the contest has also thrown up a number of winners besides the governor-elect, as well as a number of losers.

According to INECs Chief Returning Officer in the election, Kayode Adebowale, Mr Oyebanji polled the highest valid votes cast  187,057  in the election to defeat his closest rival, Segun Oni, of the Social Democratic Party, who bagged 82, 211 votes.

Bisi Kolawole, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, came third, though he won in Efon Alaaye LGA, while Mr Oyebanji won in the rest of the 15 local government areas of the state.

With his election, Mr Oyebanji, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government, is the fifth democratically elected governor of the state. Ekiti State was created in 1996 by the military administration of the late head of state, Sani Abacha, an army general.

The winners

Niyi Adebayo: He is considered a major winner in the election because he is the first political godfather to the governor-elect, Mr Oyebanji.

Mr Adebayo, governor of Ekiti State between 1999 and 2003 on the platform of the defunct AD, was the first person to appoint Mr Oyebanji into a political position.

He appointed Mr Oyebanji first as his Special Assistant on Parliamentary Affairs before elevating his status to that of a Special Adviser. Mr Oyebanji later served out the administration as the Chief of Staff to Mr Adebayo who failed to win his reelection in 2003.

Mr Adebayo is believed to have recommended Mr Oyebanji to Kayode Fayemi when the latter retrieved his mandate as the duly elected governor of Ekiti State in 2010 on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Now that his political godson is the governor-elect of the state, Mr Adebayo, the current minister of trade and investment, could be said to be back in power.

APC

The APC, the ruling party in Ekiti State, has, by the new victory, extended its tenancy in the Ekiti State Government House, Oke Ayoba, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, beyond 2022.

Despite the schisms in the party as a result of the primaries that produced Mr Oyebanji as the partys gubernatorial candidate and the fallout of the recent primaries held for various elective seats, the party still went to the poll as a formidable unit.

The visit of Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the party, to the state to canvass support for the partys candidate, according to local observers, also boosted the chances of the party in the election.

According to INEC, the APC won in 15 of the 16 local government areas in the state thereby making the victory a massive one.

The party had also become the first political party to win back-to-back gubernatorial elections in the state in  2018 and now 2022.

Kayode Fayemi

The outgoing governor of the state, Kayode Fayemi, would have received the biggest blame had the APC lost the 2022 gubernatorial election.

The governor-elect, Mr Oyebanji, is believed to have been unilaterally imposed on the party as its gubernatorial candidate to the chagrin of some stakeholders who felt the governor as the leader of the party should have provided a level-playing field for all the aspirants.

Mr Oyebanji has been with Mr Fayemi since 2010 serving as a commissioner in some ministries before being appointed as SSG in 2018, a position he held until December 2021 when he resigned to vie for the governorship ticket of the APC.

By the latest development, Mr Fayemi, whose tenure is about to end, is the first governor to have successfully installed a successor in the history of the state.

Although he might have stepped down for Mr Tinubu in the APCs presidential primary election, the latest victory of the APC is an indication that Mr Fayemi remains firmly rooted in the politics of the state.

Bisi Fayemi

The First Lady of the state, Bisi Fayemi, is also a major winner of the election as the governor-elect is believed to be very close to her.

She canvassed support for the election of Mr Oyebanji, rallying the women folk in the state and the elderly to see the election of the APC candidate as her own personal project.

Some political analysts in the state say Mrs Fayemi prevailed on her husband to make Mr Oyebanji the governorship candidate of the APC.

Abiodun Oyebanji

The governor-elect is described as a proper home boy having lived virtually all his life in the state as a lecturer, banker, farmer and politician serving in various ministries up till when he was appointed the SSG in 2018.

He is believed to have a grounded understanding of the issues and challenges of governance and government in the state.

It is, however, too early in the day to predict how his administration will pan out eventually.

The losers

Ayo Fayose

A two-term governor of the state, Ayo Fayose is believed in some quarters to be the biggest loser of the Ekiti governorship election.

He failed to install a successor in 2018 at the conclusion of his own second term tenure in office even as an incumbent governor and has also failed to make Bisi Kolawole governor, the man he single-handedly imposed as the governorship candidate of the PDP, despite protests within the party in the 2022 elections.

Although Mr Fayose still retains his firm grip on the leadership of the party in the state, with the fallout of the just-concluded election and the way the recent primaries of the party were conducted, there may be a serious challenge to his leadership from within and without.

Already, the senator representing Ekiti South, Biodun Olujimi, is squaring up to Mr Fayose by leading a faction of the party in the state.

Also, a former deputy governor of the state, Kolapo Eleka, whom Mr Fayose tried to make his successor in 2018, has begun to challenge Mr Fayoses leadership of the party in the state.

The PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party has now lost back-to-back governorship election in the state; thus leaving the party in the lurch gasping for breath.

Since the winner of the election was declared in the early hours of Sunday by the electoral umpire, many supporters of the party have continued to bemoan their fate and the fate of the party in the state.

A handful of the supporters on their social media handles, especially Facebook, have blamed Mr Fayose as the cause of the partys heavy loss, saying he should not have imposed Mr Kolawole on the party as its governorship candidate.

It is yet to be seen how the party will recover from its recent loss and brace ahead for the 2023 general elections.

Bisi Kolawole

Mr Kolawole, the candidate of the PDP in the just-concluded election, came third in the election.

He is believed to have been imposed on the party by Mr Fayose who preferred him to other aspirants who vied for the governorship ticket of the party.

Mr Kolawole, a former state chairman of the party and strong supporter of Mr Fayose, is perceived to be an unpopular candidate, which observers believe contributed significantly to the relatively poor performance of the party in the elections.

He has reacted to his loss by thanking his supporters and essentially accepting defeat.

Segun Oni

A veteran gubernatorial candidate, Mr Oni may have had his last attempt at being the governor of the state having been judicially removed from power in 2010.

Mr Oni, in the events leading to the 2022 governorship election, left the PDP for the SDP where he emerged as the governorship candidate of the party which made the election a three-horse race.

Before his second missionary journey to the PDP, he had pitched his tent with the APC in 2014 and even served as the partys chairman for the south before he dumped the party in 2018 to rejoin the PDP. He claimed he and his supporters were maltreated by the party hence his reason for dumping the party.

While he has a lot of local supporters, some also blame him for moving from one political party to the other once he fails to secure the governorship ticket of the party.

Of the three dominant contestants in the just concluded election, Mr Oni was the oldest at 67. He will be 68 by September. It is unclear at the moment whether he will vie for the governorship seat in 2026.
The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (KADSUBEB) says it has dismissed 2,357 teachers who failed the recently conducted competency test.

Its spokesperson, Hauwa Mohammed, in a statement on Sunday in Kaduna, said the board conducted a competency test for over 30,000 teachers in December 2021.

She said that 2,192 primary school teachers including the National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Audu Amba, had been dismissed for refusing to sit for the competency test.

She said that some 165 of the 27,662 teachers that sat for the competency test were also sacked for poor performances.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Kaduna government in 2018 sacked 21,780 teachers who failed a competency test, and replaced them with 25,000 others recruited through vigorous processes.

In December 2021, the board also sacked 233 teachers over alleged possession of fake certificates.

Following the state governments resolution for continued assessment of teachers to ensure better delivery of learning outcomes for pupils, KADSUBEB conducted another competency test for the teachers in December 2021.

The services of teachers who scored below 40 per cent are no longer required and their appointments have been terminated from the Public Service for their poor performances.

Teachers who scored 75 per cent and above were recognised as those who passed the test and qualified for attending courses in leadership and school management, she said.

According to her, qualified teachers will be included in Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programmes to enhance their capacities to deliver quality teaching to pupils.

Ms Mohammed said teachers who scored between 40 and 74 per cent did not meet up with the minimum pass mark, adding that they would be given second chance to improve their capacities.

The board, she said, has initiated viable training programmes for teachers under its statutory TPD with support from the state government and development partners.

The training programmes will be conducted during end of term vacation and in their respective schools, to minimise disruptions of teaching and learning.

They are also encouraged to complement the governments efforts and seek personal development for their own good.

The board is assuring teachers and the public that it remains committed to ensuring their continuous professional development and the improvement of the learning outcomes of pupils and students, she said.

Reacting, Ibrahim Dalhatu, State Chairman, NUT, dismissed the competency test and the sacking of the affected teachers as illegal.

Mr Dalhatu said the union had secured a court order restraining the board from conducting the competency test, adding, however, that it conducted the test without recourse to the rule of law.

He recalled that the union had asked the teachers not to write the examination after learning that the intent was to sack them.

We warned that any teacher who participates in the illegal examination would not be protected by the union if victimised but some of the teachers went ahead to write the examination out of fear.

We are not against the conduct of the competency test if due process is followed, but it should not be used as a basis for sacking teachers.

The competency test should be used to determine teachers capacity gap and tailored specific training programmes to improve their capacities, he said.

When contacted, the NUT National President said he was aware of the development, adding that the National Executive Council of the union would sit on Wednesday, June 22, to come up with a position.

(NAN)
Gunmen on motorcycles killed three people after attacking two churches and a number of villages in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Sunday, the state government has said.

The states Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, announced this in a statement to reporters.

On a sad note, security agencies have reported to the Kaduna State Government that bandits attacked worshippers and locals at Ungwan Fada, Ungwan Turawa and Ungwan Makama in Rubu general area of Kajuru local government area.

According to the report, the bandits stormed the villages on motorcycles, beginning from Ungwan Fada, and moving into Ungwan Turawa, before Ungwan Makama and then Rubu Mr Aruwan said.

He said in Rubu village, the bandits attacked worshippers in the Maranatha Baptist Church and St. Moses Catholic Church.

Three locals have been confirmed killed in the attacks. They are identified as follows: Peter Madaki, a ward head of Ungwan Fada, Elisha Ezekiel, a resident of the same Unguwan Fada and Ali Zamani, a Youth leader at Rubu area, the commissioner wrote in the statement.

Mr Aruwan said two persons sustained injuries following the attacks and an unknown number of residents were kidnapped.

The suspected bandits looted shops and carted away some valuables from the villages, he added.

Mr Aruwan said the acting governor of the state, Hadiza Balarabe, expressed sadness, and condemned the attack in the strongest terms.

The state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is believed to be outside Nigeria at present.

Mrs Balarabe also commiserated with the churches, and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured victims.

Security patrols are being conducted in the general area as investigations proceed. Citizens will be briefed on emerging developments, the commissioner said.

The latest attack happened exactly two weeks after 40 worshippers were killed in St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, in the south-western part of the country.

Two week ago, gunmen on motorcycle also attacked series of villages in Kajuru, Kaduna State. At least 32 people were killed in that attack.
Cleen Foundation, an NGO, has commended the security personnel deployed on election duty at the June 18 Ekiti State governorship election.

Acting Executive Director of the foundation, Ruth Olofin, gave the commendation in statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Mrs Olofin lauded the security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force as the lead agency in election security management, for the conduct of its personnel before and during the electoral process.

In line with the commitment of the Cleen Foundation to the promotion of public safety and security in Nigeria, the foundation deployed 32 citizens election observers to the 16 LGAs to observe the conduct of security personnel deployed on election duty.

Cleen applauds the security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force as the lead agency in election security management in Nigeria, for the good conduct of its personnel.

Our reports showed that 24 per cent of security personnel arrived at the polling units before 7. 00 a.m., 69 per cent arrived before 8.00 a.m. while 7 per cent arrived after 8.00 a.m.

This indicates that 93 per cent of security personnel arrived early at the polling units across the 16 LGAs in Ekiti State, she said.

She said the foundation Election Security Support Centre (ESSC) observed that the security personnel at the polling units were not armed in compliance with the rules guiding the elections.

She said though most of the security personnel observed at the polling units were not armed, but those armed maintained a reasonable distance from the polling units.

She said that 69 per cent of the polling units had three or more presence of security personnel, 21 per cent of the polling units had two security personnel, while 9 per cent of the polling units had one security personnel and 1 per cent of the polling units had no security personnel at all.

Mrs Olofin said a total of 97 per cent of security personnel were observed to wear easily identifiable name tags while 3 per cent were not wearing easily identifiable name tags.

41 per cent of the security personnel were very approachable, 45 per cent were approachable, 10 per cent were somewhat approachable while 4 per cent were not approachable.

A total of 48 per cent of Cleen Foundation observers reported to have felt very safe and secured at the polling units, 38 per cent felt safe and secured while 14 per cent felt somewhat safe and secured, she said.

She said the overall conduct of security personnel showed that 90 per cent of security personnel deployed on the Ekiti election duty were of good conduct.

Mrs Olofin also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the noticeable improvement in the conduct of the election, especially with a near absence of logistics challenges that had remained a perennial issue for the electoral umpire.

She said its election observers across the 16 LGAs showed early arrival of INEC staff and materials as well as voters for the polls across the state.

According to her, the foundation observed that 85 per cent of the polling units covered, INEC officials were reported to be present at 07.30 a.m.

There was improvement in the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as it was observed to be widely used across all polling units.

However, in Moba LGA, Igogo ward 2 PU 016; 017 and 018 the BVAS malfunctioned as both fingerprint and facial recognition failed.

In Ekiti East LGA, Ward 6, PU4, Obadore 1, Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti East LGA and at Ikere, Ward 10, PU 14, all also had issues of BVAS malfunctioning. These were escalated to INEC and were all resolved, she said.

She commended INEC for the priority given to the elderly, pregnant women and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the electoral process.

She said in Ijero LGA, Arokodare, Ward D, PU 003 it was observed that the elderly and pregnant women voted first and there was an improved participation of women and youth in the electoral process.

Mrs Olofin said sadly its officials observed vote trading during the electoral process as party agents were seen inducing voters in favour of their parties.

For instance at PU 003, Ward D, Arokodare, Ijero LGA incidences of vote trading were recorded.

Party agents were seen inducing voters in favour of their parties, tallies were handed over to them as a form of a cheque to be cashed out at an unidentified location.

Also, in Ekiti-West LGA, PU 09, Ward 7 Ipole-Iloro, there was a collaboration between security and party agents to induce voters with money.

However, at PU 02 Ilawe, Ward 1, Ekiti-South West LGA, fighting broke out at the polling unit because voters rejected money from party thugs, similar incident also occurred at PU 003, ward D in Ijero LGA, she said.

She lauded the overall conduct of the good people of Ekiti State, especially for turning out en-mass to perform their civic duty.

(NAN)
President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Biodun Oyebanji, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who was declared governor-elect in Saturdays Ekiti State gubernatorial election.

The president said the victory is well deserved considering Mr Oyebanjis contributions to the development of the state and the party, before his nomination as the standard bearer, urging him, however, to be magnanimous in victory in the interest of the people of the state.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Oyebanji scored 187,057 votes to defeat his closest challengers, Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who polled 82,211 votes and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party who scored 67, 457 votes.

The election was largely described as peaceful by observers but was also characterized by vote buying.

in a statement by his spokesperson Femi Adey, President Buhari also rejoiced with the APC chairman, Abdulahi Adamu, and the National Working Committee for the victory, the first under the tenure of the newly elected executives of the party.

This is a good beginning for you and your team. The APC is getting stronger and more united. The victory of our party in Ekiti is an indication of the confidence of Nigerians in the ability of our great party to deliver quality governance to all, said the president.

He charged all APC members across and outside the country to see this as a good omen for the 2023 general elections and work assiduously to ensure the partys victory, continuing the trend with Osun State next month July.

President Buhari also felicitates the people of Ekiti State for the smooth conduct of the election, affirming that they are the real victors as they have been able to freely choose their leader for the next four years.

He lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission and the law enforcement agencies for the preparations put in place, urging them to keep the momentum for upcoming elections.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

June 19, 2022
Members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Stakeholders Forum have asked the leadership of the party to choose either the governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, or his Kaduna State counterpart, Nasir El Rufai, as the vice-presidential candidate for the party.

The National Chairman of the Forum, Abdullahi Aliyu, told journalists during a briefing on Sunday in Katsina that if the party is serious about winning the presidential election, it needs a competent vice-presidential candidate that can win votes from the north of the country.

The APC has reportedly submitted the name of its National Organizing Secretary, Ibrahim Masari, as the running mate of its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

However, it is believed Mr Masari was merely acting as a placeholder to beat INECs deadline and that the party plans to replace him with a member with better electoral credit.

We know he (Zulum) said his intention, for now, is to finish what he has started in Borno State, but we know the country needs someone like him and the country is more important than Borno State, Mr Aliyu said.

We want to call on the leadership of the party including the chairman of the National Governors Forum, to consider our request and take Gov Zulum of Borno as the vice-presidential candidate of the party because he is the only one who can make people come out of their houses to vote for the party, especially with what he has achieved as the governor of Borno state. We know Bola Tinubu is a good candidate but he needs someone from the north who can convince the populace to vote for APC, he said.

Mr Aliyu said if Zulum disappoints them, they would turn to the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El Rufai.

We are only for competent leaders. We want to state clearly that if we field the wrong candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the PDP will take over the country and defeat the APC in the 2023 general election. So, we think the right person is Zulum but if he disappoints us, well turn to the Kaduna State governor, Nasir Ahmed El Rufai because he is also capable, he said

Mr Aliyu said the Forum was not sponsored by any of the governors.

We thank God that our Forum is made up of several people. Were not doing this with the permission of either Zulum or El Rufai but as concerned party members, we know what will happen if we fail to field the right person as the vice-presidential candidate, he said.

Mr Aliyu said if the party decides not to be wise, the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will easily win the election.

He said: If were passionate about victory, then we should go for Zulum. But if we only want to participate and lose in next years general elections, then we can field whoever we want to field as the running mate.

Were passionate about the success of the party hence our resolution visit the party headquarters last week and discussed with the National Chairman and we clearly told him that the only option for APC if we indeed want to get massive votes from the north is to field Zulum, he said.

When reminded by reporters that Mr Zulum had last month said he should be ruled out of the contest for the vice presidents seat, Mr Aliyu said they were not campaigning for Zulum because he wants the seat rather because we believe he is the right person to work with Bola Tinubu. 

Were looking at the country generally and not Borno state. If the party talks to him (Mr Zulum) and make him understand how important he is to the project, were sure he will not hesitate to accept because Nigeria needs his dedication more than Borno state now, he said.
Several followers of the outspoken Catholic priest, Ejike Mbaka, on Sunday, protested the recent ban of the church members from attending services at the Adoration Ministry.

The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Callistus Onaga, Friday, banned Catholic members from attending activities at the ministry, following scathing remarks against Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by Mr Mbaka, who is the spiritual director of the ministry.

Mr Mbaka, during his weekly ministration service, on Wednesday, said Mr Obi would not be president of Nigeria in 2023 because he is a stingy man who does not give out money to people.

He also said unless Mr Obi returned to his ministry to apologise for refusing to make a donation to the ministry when he was asked to do so, his ambition to become president of Nigeria would be fruitless.

Many Nigerians, including the diocese, criticised him over his comment on Mr Obi.

The cleric later apologised to the former governor and his supporters saying that his intent was not to malign the LP presidential candidate.

The ban came hours after the clerics apology for the outburst.

Mr Onaga, while announcing the ban, explained that the decision was taken because of Mr Mbakas refusal to heed several fraternal corrections and admonitions extended to him by the diocesan leadership.

He said Catholic members remained banned from attending all religious and liturgical activities of the ministry until the due process initiated by the diocese is concluded.

Hours after the ban went public, the cleric announced the suspension of all religious programmes in the ministry beginning from Sunday (today) until further notice.

Although no reason was given for the sudden suspension, it is believed to be in obedience to the ban on Catholic members by Mr Onaga.

But on Sunday, barely two days after, many of the clerics followers marched around some streets close to the ministrys ground at Emene, chanting solidarity songs.

They also demanded the removal of Mr Onaga as the bishop of the diocese.

A video clip of the protest has gone viral on social media.

In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the protesters were seen carrying green leaves and sticks and chanting Onaga must go, No more Onaga, No more Catholic Church.

The protesters said they were not happy with the Bishops decision to ban Catholic members from attending the ministry.

Onaga should leave. Other bishops are not talking except him. He should be posted elsewhere, said one of the protesters.
To reverse this trend, the indifference and complicity of Nigerias institutions of financial integrity and intelligence must end. At the end of the primaries season, the NFIU and the ONSA should issue a joint report on foreign money. This is not possible if politicians who seek office in Nigeria cannot stand against foreign funding of Nigerias politics. Unless we end this, elective government in Nigeria will continue to be a government of people by some people for a few people.

Three days before Nigeria voted in the presidential election in 2019, on Wednesday, February 20, a little known official from Saudi Arabia dropped into Abuja to visit Nigerias president, Muhammadu Buhari, who was running for re-election. His name was Ahmed Qattan, described as the Minister of State for African Affairs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His arrival was as unheralded as it was suspicious. He lingered long enough for the bowels of his corpulent aircraft to be emptied. The bulletin from the Presidency on the day merely said that Sheikh Qattan visited to deliver an anodyne letter to the Nigerian president from King Salman Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia.

Something about that visit screamed anything but anodyne. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had postponed the vote in the presidential election in 2019 from February 16 to 23. If the vote had occurred on the original date, it is unlikely that the president would have been available to receive Sheikh Qattan on the date that he eventually visited. The wait for results and their aftermath would have accounted for that. The candidates and parties, stretched by INECs limitations, would not have had spare bandwidth to entertain him, unless it was for a quite substantial purpose that could not await the end of the conduct of the vote. Unraveling the kind of purpose that would have met this criterion for receiving the Sheikh does not exactly task the imagination.

If they noticed it, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not venture an acknowledgement of the suggestive visit of Sheikh Qattan. They may themselves have had an interest in not calling attention to the subject matter and opening themselves up to close scrutiny on such an issue so close to the election.

The day after he received Sheikh Oattan, President Buhari expressed astonishment at the huge amount of foreign currency flooding the country intended to influence the outcome of the general elections beginning on Saturday.

As president, all the agencies with powers to address illicit financial flows into and out of Nigeria report to General Buhari. As a condition for assuming office, he swore to an oath to defend the sovereignty and independence of Nigeria. Yet, faced with what he acknowledged was evidence of a peril to that sovereignty in the form of possible foreign money to influence the destination of Nigerias presidency, General Buhari chose to become an advocacy NGO, rather than live up to his oath of office.

The suggestive visit of Sheikh Qattan on the eve of Nigerias 2019 elections touches upon the greyest of grey zones in the governance of Nigerias elections  the role of foreign money. This is an area in which the INEC has failed miserably and the institutional infrastructure for addressing illicit financial flows in the country  including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA)  act both complicit and suborned.

Two dimensions to this matter deserve attention. One is the geometric escalation in the cost of access to a competitive presidential ticket in Nigeria. The Financial Times estimates the cost of Nigerias presidential elections at about $2 billion or N1 trillion. According to Africa Report, the funds needed to win a Presidential election surpasses (sic) the N305bn ($733m) budget set aside by the INEC to conduct the elections across the 176,846 polling units in the 774 local governments in the country. The same report estimates that at least $300 million is needed to mount a minimally competitive race.

The law on foreign funding of and influence on elections is neither black nor white. It is very grey. Section 225(3)(b) of Nigerias 1999 Constitution says that no political party shall be entitled to retain any funds or assets remitted or sent to it from outside Nigeria. The focus of this prohibition is not the nationality of the source of the money but geography from which the money is sent.

Yet, under the section 88(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, the ceiling on election expenses permitted for candidates running for the presidency in Nigeria is N5 billion (approximately $10 million).

In a country in which over 95.1 million or more than 40 per cent live below the poverty line, these are staggering sums of money that would be difficult for even the most well-heeled billionaires to fork out. In an economy in which politics is the quickest and most assured route to wealth and comfort, the sources from which to fund these expenses are few and predictable. One is to plunder the state. The other is foreign money. Both would ordinarily be crimes under regular law. In Nigeria, however, the latter is not necessarily so.

This leads to the second issue. The law on foreign funding of and influence on elections is neither black nor white. It is very grey. Section 225(3)(b) of Nigerias 1999 Constitution says that no political party shall be entitled to retain any funds or assets remitted or sent to it from outside Nigeria. The focus of this prohibition is not the nationality of the source of the money but geography from which the money is sent. So, a Nigerian citizen living outside Nigeria may not send money to support or finance elections in his or her country but a foreigner living in Nigeria can provide funds to finance elections in Nigeria. If a political party violates this, it commits a crime and may be liable under section 85(b) of the Electoral Act, to a fine not exceeding N5 million.

By the way, the money does not need to be sent to the political party. It can merely be spent on its behalf on purposes that advance its goals

According to former presidency spokesperson, Doyin Okupe, there is no Nigerian president who has through his sheer wealth alone put himself in office.if people believe in you, they will give you money. The kind of people who issue the cheques for the kind of money needed to run for the presidency do not run charities. They have interests to advance or protect. When these political donors are foreigners, whether within or outside the country, it cannot be assumed that they share the same interests as the country.

The recently concluded presidential primaries were bazaars for monies from all sorts. Straw groups from nowhere and without bank accounts sprouted all over the country with bags of magical money to spare for political filigree. The hitherto unknown Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) splashed N100 million to buy party political nomination forms for the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Not to be outdone, a collective of cattle herders and Almajiri materialised from nowhere to reportedly buy the same forms for the same fee for former President Goodluck Jonathan. There were unconfirmed rumours that artisanal refiners of petroleum products in the Niger Delta were also sources of money for an ultimately unsuccessful aspiration for the ticket of the PDP.

there were also high profile allegations of quite substantial foreign financial backers of some aspirants. The Chinese Embassy in Abuja was forced to issue a denial that its government or interests backed a leading contender for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Many within the party were not persuaded by this denial.

It appears the Grave-Diggers Association and the Sex Workers Collective struggled to match the generosity of these associations, which looked like fronts for laundering political financing, whether local or foreign.

But there were also high profile allegations of quite substantial foreign financial backers of some aspirants. The Chinese Embassy in Abuja was forced to issue a denial that its government or interests backed a leading contender for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Many within the party were not persuaded by this denial. There were also unconfirmed reports of similar interests from sources from the Middle East, including Israel and Lebanon.

The upshot from all this is far-reaching. First, never mind the #NotTooYoungToRun, the reality is that the cost of entry into the market of political competition is now priced beyond the reach of citizens living on legitimate earnings.

Second, although Article 21(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises that everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country, and Chapter III of Nigerias Constitution guarantees equality of citizenship, this prohibitive cost of entry creates and sustains two categories of citizens: One who can vote and another who alone can be voted for. While all adults may be eligible to vote, not all qualified adults can expect to have access to be voted for. What the law grants, the politicians have conspired to expropriate.

Third, this has turned Nigerian politics into a plutocracy in which only the fattest and their dependants and descendants, fed mostly by illicit money, have access to office and public service.

To reverse this trend, the indifference and complicity of Nigerias institutions of financial integrity and intelligence must end. At the end of the primaries season, the NFIU and the ONSA should issue a joint report on foreign money. This is not possible if politicians who seek office in Nigeria cannot stand against foreign funding of Nigerias politics. Unless we end this, elective government in Nigeria will continue to be a government of people by some people for a few people.

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a lawyer and teacher, can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu.
Fifteen years ago when I was called to the podium of the Great Hall at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and my doctoral citation was being read, I felt like an impersonator. I wanted to whisper to the school authorities that the award truly belonged to my mom.

I lost my dad before I was two years old. So my mom is also the only father I have known.

Although she was a petty trader and attended no school at all, my mom made a revolutionary decision to send her children, all the seven of us, to school.

As I approached the age of 12, I asked my mom what she thought I might become in life. She held my hands and said: God will guide you to become somebody.

I was young, yet I was struck by the infinite profundity of my mothers choice of pronoun: somebody.

It turned out, after all these years, that my mom had given her children the best career creed: In whatever you choose to do, be Somebody  emerge as a person of great consequence.

Fifteen years ago when I was called to the podium of the Great Hall at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and my doctoral citation was being read, I felt like an impersonator. I wanted to whisper to the school authorities that the award truly belonged to my mom.

Among other things, my mom is a preacher, an intuitive career counsellor, and an intrepid educator with an active social conscience.

But shes also a master of cultural nuance. After living abroad with my sister for nearly a decade, my mom returned to Nigeria with the canny cosmopolitanism of a judicious swimmer who had seen both the pond and the ocean.

My mom is the only person on earth that calls me by my full native name. From the day she got her first mobile phone, she insisted that my name be saved that way.

Six years ago, in February 2016, my mom was rudely taken away from her country home, while she was finishing a meal, having just returned from church.

I was the commissioner for Information in the Rivers State Government at the time, and the kidnappers were obviously on the hunt for a hefty ransom.

As they held my mom hostage in a forest clearing, on the edge of the Atlantic ocean, the kidnappers began to rummage my moms phone for the name of her son, the big man in government.

For six days my mom engaged her kidnappers in a battle of wits over my name on her phone. They couldnt find my name, because she had saved it in a cultural code. And my mom declined to help them, even at gun point.

The kidnappers were forced to negotiate with an uncle, a retired civil servant, for her release.

My mom is now in the evening of her remarkable life. But like the lioness of the Namib, she remains ever protective of her children. And her love for God and humanity has never diminished.

Happy Fathers Day, mom!

May generations of offsprings in the bloodline feel an eternal pang of somebodiness. And may we be people of great achievement in whatever we do.

Austin Tam-George is a former Commissioner for Information, Rivers State.
Five persons from the same family were killed when gunmen invaded Umuebele-Okporo, a community in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigerias South-east.

The incident happened on Thursday.

The council area has witnessed several gunmen attacks in recent times.

In the latest attack, the gunmen, suspected to be members of Ebubeagu security operative, attacked five family members who were holding a meeting in their house in the community.

Sources said the Ebubeagu security operatives were targeting members of the Eastern Security Network, the militant wing of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

A video clip which captured the killing is being circulated on various WhatsApp groups.

In the clip, five persons  all male  are shown in a pool of blood.

The two of them appeared dead, while two were in critical condition, with blood gushing out of their bodies. One victim was seated on the pavement with blood-stained clothes, shaking in pain.

An old woman seen crying in the video asked other sympathisers to go get motorcyclists to take the victims to the hospital.

We will not be able to enter motorcycles in this condition, one of the victims, who was rolling on the ground, said.

The police spokesperson in Imo State, Michael Abattam, confirmed the attack in a statement on Sunday.

He said although five persons were shot by the gunmen, only three persons died while the remaining two sustained injuries in the attack.

Mr Abattam said the gunmen stormed the area in a red Toyota Sienna vehicle with no registration number and zoomed off after shooting their victims.

Preliminary investigation revealed that they (the victims) were having a meeting in front of their compound when suddenly some yet-to-be-identified gunmen stormed the venue, shot at them severally, and zoomed off almost immediately, he said.

Consequently, three persons died on the spot while two others sustained various degrees of bullet wounds and were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, Mr Abbatam added.

The spokesperson said the police were investigating the attack and have also intensified patrol in the area.

He said the police were collaborating with other security agencies in the state to track down the suspects and ensure they face the full weight of the law.

Worsening insecurity

Security in the South-east has worsened lately with frequent attacks by armed persons.

Anambra and Imo States have witnessed some of the worst attacks in the region.

The attacks, which often target security agencies, government officials and facilities, have been blamed on IPOB. But the group has repeatedly denied their involvement in the attacks.

The separatist group is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.

The leader of the secessionist group, Nnamdi Kanu, is detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for terrorism.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has inaugurated a 24-member reconciliatory committee to settle disputes from its congresses and primaries, ahead of the 2023 General Elections.

Isaac Omodewu, the state chairman, inaugurated the committee at the partys secretariat in Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the party had been enmeshed in crisis after its congresses and primaries which had led to the defection of some members to other political parties.

NAN reports that the newly-inaugurated committee is headed by Olufemi Lanlehin, while Tajudeen Olanite is the secretary.

Mr Omodewu urged members of the committee to find an amicable resolution to the crisis rocking the party, saying it can only be stronger together.

You are elderly and critical stakeholders of our party. We cannot give you terms of reference.

All we want from you is to use your experiences and influences to resolve all internal wranglings within APC. The reconciliation is an ongoing process, he said.

He said that the purpose of the committee was for reconciliation to bring everybody back to the fold, saying they were all progressives.

We believe we disagree to agree and thank God they all accepted to work as members of the committee and they have started working.

Therefore, we will be expecting first situation report in two weeks time. There are issues from congresses and primaries. Please resolve all the differences, he said.

Teslim Folarin, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, said that the committee comprised men and women of values and integrity.

He said that the committee members were undoubtedly among the true faces of the party in the state and he has no iota of doubt that they would deliver on their mandate.

Mr Folarin thanked them for their patriotism and commitment to the amicable resolution of the partys internal issues.

In his remarks, Mr Lanlehin said he had been assigned a duty to bring all the aggrieved members back to the party and promised to do that in no distant time.

Our chairman has spoken. He is a man of timber and calibre who will take the party to the promised land with our governorship candidate, Sen. Teslim Folarin in 2023 election.

We all built this party, we wont allow it to collapse. We thank the chairman for giving us the privilege and honour to serve on this committee. We promise not to let you down, Mr Lanlehin assured.

Among the committee members are Ameed Ayinde, Lasun Adebunmi, Gbadamosi Adejare, Timothy Jolaoso, Oladayo Lawal, Badmos Bukola, Sunday Ajadi and S. O. Olaoye.

Also on the committee are Gaphar Oyetola, Funke Olayanju, Adewale Adepoju, Kakako Ayinla, Ramon Aderemi Sadiq and Samuel Oluade.

Others are Kunle Folarin, Akande Abass, Kareem Adebayo, Adepeju Esan, Tunde Ajibola, Remi Olalekan and Oke Kolawole.

(NAN)
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Sunday, dismissed allegations of money snatching by the Corps electoral operatives during Ekitis Saturday gubernatorial election.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there had been publications on some media platforms indicting NSCDC operatives of snatching money meant for vote-buying during the just-concluded Ekiti gubernatorial election.

NSCDC spokesperson, Olusola Odumosu, in an interview with NAN, said there was no collection or hijacking of any money belonging to any political party, their agents or individual in the Ikere area of Ekiti.

Mr Odumosu, however, said that two persons were arrested in connection with disrupting the states peaceful election.

We arrested two persons; Tope Aderibigbe, known as Say War, aged 36, in connection with thuggery and one 42-year-old Mrs Oguntoyinbo Bilikisu for vote-buying.

They were both accosted at a polling unit in Ado Local Government Area and not Ikere-Ekiti Local Government as alleged in the report.

The timely intervention of the Corps restored normalcy to the polling units, he said.

He said that only a sum of N6,720 was found on the suspected vote buyer after a thorough search was conducted on her.

He further said the suspects were later released in order not to deprive them after being accredited to vote.

The spokesperson attributed what he described as a false report as an attempt to cast aspersion on the image and credibility of the Corps.

The NSCDC is a noble organisation with credibility and professional orientation, hence, its personnel cannot be moved by any monetary inducement.

We would report and return such illicit money to the authority if such a situation had arisen as has been done in other past elections in the country, he said.

NAN reports that Deputy Commandant-General, Haruna Muhammed, in charge of the election operation and top officers of the Corps monitored the election in Ekiti and dispersed groups engaged in vote-buying.

Mr Odumosu said the Corps Commandant General, Ahmed Audi, congratulated all personnel who took part in the election for an impressive outing.

He charged them to continue to be good ambassadors of the Corps whenever they found themselves on national assignment.

He, however, assured all personnel of the Corps commitment to ensuring that the benefits due to each operative are sorted out in due time.

(NAN)
BEIJING, June 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- June 19 marks Father's Day in 2022 and many are retracing their memories with their fathers and the influence their old men have had on them.

The same goes for Chinese President Xi Jinping, who inherited people-oriented philosophy from his father Xi Zhongxun. Xi Zhongxun was among the first generation of central leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi Zhongxun believed officials and the masses are equal and so the officials must always live among the people. A leader risen from the people, the father once told his son: "No matter what your job title is, serve the people diligently, consider the interests of the people with all your heart, maintain close ties with the people, and always stay approachable to the people."

Xi Jinping took that advice to heart. In his early years as Party Secretary of CPC Zhengding County Committee in north China's Hebei Province, Xi Jinping visited every village in the county. Later, in Zhejiang Province, he visited 90-plus counties and cities throughout the province in just over a year.

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012 when he was elected as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Xi Jinping checked in with impoverished residents during his domestic inspection tours, asking about their living conditions.

The Party has won the people's wholehearted support because it has always served the people with heart and soul and striven for the well-being of all ethnic groups, Xi Jinping has said on many occasions.

'Stay loyal to the Party'

"There are many noble characters I wish to inherit from my father," Xi Jinping, then-governor of southeast China's Fujian Province, said in a letter of felicitation to his father's 88th birthday in 2001. The son was unable to attend due to work commitments.

Xi Zhongxun had always taught his children to stay loyal to the Party. "[My father would] tell us how he joined the revolution, and told us to join revolution and how that works... and these have gradually influenced me," Xi Jinping recalled.

Xi Jinping decided he would carry on the revolutionary torch from a young age, and he joined the CPC when he was 20.

After the first plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee in late 2017 when Xi was elected for a second term as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the CPC leadership visited a replica boat in east China where the Party's dream set sail.

"The original aspiration of the CPC members must never change," Xi told CPC cadres.

Living a simple life

The Xis have a tradition of being strict with children and living a simple life.

Xi Zhongxun regularly told his children to be frugal. As his daughter Xi Qiaoqiao recalled, Xi Zhongxun would pick up and eat errant rice grains and bun crumbs off the table while eating and, finally, mop up the soup bowl with a bun. Also, Xi Jinping and his younger brother used to wear clothes and shoes handed down from their elder sisters.

Xi Jinping wrote in the 2001 letter, retracing that his father had led "an extremely frugal life." He added that he had developed habits of industry and thrift since childhood under his father's influence.

SOURCE CGTN
SINGAPORE, June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With investors requiring more accurate and timely information for better decision-making in increasingly volatile and complex market conditions, CTDIndices (CTDI) and TradeFlow Capital Management (TradeFlow) are pleased to announce the launch of the "TradeFlow CTDI China Energy Index " and "TradeFlow CTDI China Grain Index".

China ranks 2nd in GDP terms based on data from the World Bank, with tremendous importance to the global economy and in particular trade finance. Despite this, gaining access to the underlying data can be challenging to trade finance professionals. The newly launched Indices offer an uncluttered view of China domestic market activity to improve decision making.

TradeFlow, a market leader and innovator in the transformation of risk associated with SME company import/export Commodity transactions, is in partnership with CTDI to create China-focused indices for a more transparent proxy of past and current market performance of the world's second largest economy.

The TradeFlow CTDI China Energy & Grain indices are the first of an intended collaboration where new specialist indices will be created and offered to the Energy & Commodities market under license.

Dr. Tom James, CEO and CIO of TradeFlow Capital Management said : "Having access to independent, unbiased and transparent indices is of increasing importance as the trading landscape becomes more volatile, and the higher frequency of decision-making must be supported with better information."

Paul Hsu, CEO of CTDI said : "We are excited to be partnering up with TradeFlow to bring more insight into the Chinese economy. In addition to cooperating on these first indices, we look forward to working with TradeFlow to bring additional indices to market that will serve the global financial and trade industries."

The indices will be available direct or via chosen vendor partners. More information on subscription and licensing may be found HERE.

Media Contacts

For TradeFlow Capital Management

Daniel Chua, Vice-President, Stakeholder Relations and Sustainability

Email: daniel.chua@tradeflow.capital

For CTD Indices

Tony Tansley, Communications

Email: tony.tansley@ctdindices.com

About CTD Indices

CTD Indices is an innovative provider of indices and index solutions to the global financial services industry. Clients value us for our tailor-made index solutions for ETFs and other index-linked financial products because of our quant-based background, quality, and speed. Our client first, flexible approach makes us the leading index provider for clients worldwide.

About TradeFlow Capital Management

TradeFlow Capital Management (TradeFlow) is the world's first Fintech-powered commodity trade enabler focused on SMEs. TradeFlow consists of a diverse team of experts with the focused mission of addressing the increasing trade finance gap faced by global SMEs operating as producers/traders/end-users in the bulk commodity trading space. By performing an enabling role in international trade and globalization, TradeFlow creates growth opportunities for businesses and economies.

TradeFlow transforms the risk associated with SME company import/export Commodity transactions that form the lifeblood of modern economies into Investment Grade products for Banks and Investors. It achieves this by using a proprietary Risk Transformation Engine (RTE) combined with the latest Digitalisation technology including Artificial Intelligence to power its innovative non-credit, non-lending model. TradeFlow's RTE architecture provides the added advantage of superior risk-adjusted returns and capital preservation for investors and is highly complementary to traditional trade finance lending institutions like Banks.

To date, TradeFlow has successfully invested in more than US$1 Bn of physical commodity trade through 800+ transactions across 15+ countries and 27+ commodity types, with more than 800 SME counterpart entities KYC reviewed. As part of its unique business model, The TradeFlow Funds*, advised by TradeFlow, were conceived in 2016 and launched in 2018.

To facilitate Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) objectives that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), TradeFlow has implemented its Climate Impact Strategy (CIS) leveraging on its unique trade investment model since December 2020.

In July 2021, Tradeflow was acquired by Supply@ME Capital plc, the innovative fintech platform that provides the Inventory Monetisation service to manufacturing and trading companies, and which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The combined strengths of both entities further TradeFlow's ability to fulfil its mission of enabling trade for SMEs worldwide, and in doing so, support the UN SDGs.

TradeFlow is a Partner of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to mobilise capital and improve trade finance access for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) worldwide through the "'ICC Trade Now" and "ICC Digital Trade Standards Initiative" platforms.

We are a FinTech Certified Company (SFA), a Corporate Member of the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA), a Member of the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), a Member of the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT), an Associate Member of EuroCham Singapore, and a Gold Member of the South African Chamber of Commerce.

TradeFlow is a Registered Fund Management Company (RFMC) regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

* No.1 SME-focused trade finance fund in annual net returns to investors in 2020, as reported by Preqin Alternative Investment Database records

TradeFlow Capital Management Pte Ltd

10 Marina Boulevard, #08-05, MBFC Tower 2, Singapore 018983

UEN: 201920511H

www.tradeflow.capital

Please bookmark our media: TradeFlowTV | Twitter | LinkedIN

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1720133/TradeFlow_Logo.jpg

SOURCE TradeFlow Capital Management - Transforming Risk, Enabling Trade
NEW YORK, June 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Riskified Ltd. (NYSE: RSKD) pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statement issued in connection with the Company's initial public offering conducted on or about July 28, 2021 (the "IPO" or "Offering"), of the important July 1, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Riskified securities pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Riskified class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=5896 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 1, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the IPO Registration Statement was negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted to state other facts necessary to make the statements made not misleading and were not prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations governing their preparation. Specifically, the IPO Registration Statement made inaccurate statements of material fact because they failed to disclose the following adverse facts that existed at the time of the IPO: (1) as Riskified expanded its user base, the quality of Riskified's machine learning platform had deteriorated (rather than improved as represented in the Registration Statement), because of, among other things, inaccuracies in the algorithms associated with onboarding new merchants and entering new geographies and industries; (2) Riskified had expanded its customer base into industries with relatively high rates of fraud  including partnerships with cryptocurrency and remittance business  in which Riskified had limited experience and that this expansion has negatively impacted the effectiveness of Riskified's machine learning platform; (3) as a result, Riskified was suffering from materially higher chargebacks and cost of revenue and depressed gross profits and gross profit margins during its third fiscal quarter of 2021; and (4) thus, the Registration Statement's representations regarding Riskified's historical financial and operational metrics and purported market opportunities did not accurately reflect the actual business, operations, and financial results and trajectory of Riskified prior to and at the time of the IPO, and were materially false and misleading, and lacked a factual basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Riskified class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=5896 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
COLUMBIA, Md., June 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After a two-year hiatus, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared ASSOFIA has returned to Christchurch, New Zealand, for a long deployment. About once a year, SOFIA temporarily moves its operating home to better observe celestial objects in the Southern Hemisphere.

To meet the high demand from the SOFIA scientific community to observe the southern skies, SOFIA has been setting out from various places in the Southern Hemisphere. This year, SOFIA already deployed once to Santiago, Chile, for a quick, two-week deployment to observe the Large Magellanic Cloud. Now, SOFIA is heading back to New Zealand for the seventh and final time.

"We are thrilled to be returning to Christchurch to continue to study and discover the infrared universe," said Naseem Rangwala, the SOFIA project scientist.

SOFIA has made 12 deployments over its operational lifetime, generally leaving Palmdale, California, to observe celestial objects and phenomena not visible from its home skies. It observed occultations in Florida and New Zealand, as well as atomic oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, stellar feedback, and magnetic fields from German soil.

Christchurch is often SOFIA's home away from home when deploying overseas. This time, SOFIA plans to conduct 32 flights to observe a wide range of celestial objects and phenomena, like cosmic magnetic fields, stellar feedback, and cosmic rays, using two instruments, HAWC+ and GREAT.

Probing the Magnetic Universe

Sticking relatively close to our cosmic home, SOFIA will start by investigating our galaxy, the Milky Way. A team of researchers is mapping the magnetic fields within the Milky Way's central regions. These data will completement a previous Legacy Program that made mid-infrared images of the Milky Way. This work is similar to other cosmic magnetic field studies that map the shape and strength of this invisible force in other galaxies. SOFIA can detect cosmic magnetic fields on many scales, including star formation scales, especially along filaments.

SOFIA will also be looking at magnetic fields in filaments of material in our galaxy. These filaments are thread-like structures full of cold gas and dust. Most stars form in these dark rivers of material. A team of scientists will be investigating how magnetic fields play a role in star formation in filaments.

Stars Blowing Bubbles and a Barometer for Cosmic Rays

After HAWC+ finishes up probing the magnetic universe, SOFIA's operations team will swap the instrument for the German PI-led instrument, GREAT. GREAT does a wide variety of studies including looking at stellar feedback - the way some stars can affect the regions around them. Young, massive stars create huge winds that blow out into the surrounding dusty material, sometimes blowing celestial bubbles. As they do this, the stellar winds plow into the material and sometimes can trigger or quench star formation. Scientists want to understand when and why star formation is turned on or off.

GREAT, like the radio in your car, can be tuned to be sensitive to specific signals. During the New Zealand deployment, it will be set to register hydride molecules. These molecules are some of the first types that formed in our universe, and, even now, they are sometimes created in other environments. When scientists detect hydrides, they can use them as sensitive barometers for the presence of cosmic rays, high energy particles that travel close to the speed of light.

Hydride molecules form in very specific circumstances, and, usually, scientists can determine their production rate. At the same time, these molecules are quite delicate and can easily be destroyed by passing cosmic rays. Understanding the balance between their production and destruction can provide clues to the abundance of cosmic rays.

Scientists have measured the cosmic rays produced by our Sun and understand them very well, but do not fully understand cosmic rays that originate from outside our solar system. Using hydride molecules, researchers will investigate how abundant cosmic rays are in environments outside our solar system.

A Strong Finish

Many of the key celestial objects for astronomers, like the center of the Milky Way, are either visible only from the Southern Hemisphere or more easily observed from these latitudes. Two years after SOFIA achieved first light in 2010, the observatory made its first trip to New Zealand. Now, ten ears later and with six previous trips to Christchurch, this will be SOFIA's last international deployment.

NASA and DLR recently announced the conclusion of the SOFIA mission. SOFIA will operate for the rest of fiscal year 2022, before entering an orderly shutdown process on October 1, 2022.

"We are committed to delivering a strong finish for this unique astrophysics mission, from a place of strength and pride, by giving our scientific community as much data as possible from the Southern Hemisphere," Dr. Rangwala said. Moving forward, SOFIA's data will be available in NASA's public archives for astronomers worldwide to use.

About SOFIA

SOFIA is a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR. DLR provides the telescope, scheduled aircraft maintenance, and other support for the mission. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley manages the SOFIA program, science, and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association, headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute at the University of Stuttgart. The aircraft is maintained and operated by NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703, in Palmdale, California.

About USRA

Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities, and conducts other major research and educational programs. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise. More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu.

PR Contact:

Suraiya Farukhi, Ph.D.

[email protected]

443-812-6945 (cell)

SOURCE Universities Space Research Association
Openn Negotiation Ltd (ASX:OPN) continues to make progress with property technology (PropTech) commercial activities in the lucrative North American market through wholly-owned subsidiary, Openn North America, Inc.

Pilot discussions are being advanced with major real estate Multiple Listing Service (MLS) groups in the US and Canada while the company is in detailed pilot planning with three additional MLS groups - potentially exposing its PropTech to an extra 180,000 realtor members.

On commercialisation path

Existing pilots in the large North American market are progressing well for Openn NA with work underway for commercial market launch and scale-up.

Openns PropTech aims to improve transparency in real estate transactions for the benefit of buyers, sellers and real estate agents.

This is done through the companys novel proprietary software, which has enjoyed rapid adoption in the Australian and New Zealand property markets, being used to facilitate approximately A$5 billion worth of real estate sales since 2016.

Positioning in North America

Openn executive director and Openn North America president Duncan Anderson said Openns focus was transparent digital offer management.

"We are positioning ourselves to meet the needs of the US and Canadian markets in such a profound and revolutionary way. Openn is pleased with the opportunity to impact the North American industry with transparent and equitable transactions.

In addition to pilots with the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and major US MLS groups, the company has advanced planning underway with three additional top 20 US MLS organisations to prepare the Openn platform for use in new markets, presently with more than 175,000 agents.

Along with the announced pilots currently underway, these relationships provide Openn with a potential addressable market of more than 350,000 real estate agents in the USA and Canada.

Broad pilot access

Openn now considers it has sufficient breadth of pilot access to cover the needs of the broader market and is focused on consolidating these learnings into the first commercial release.

The combination of market awareness and continued education through REALTOR.ca creates a significant opportunity for scale adoption, with REALTOR.ca acting as the observer for all Openn properties - educating consumers, agents and other stakeholders on the Openn process.

Openns PropTech will complement the potential for scale adoption by providing a basic version of the Openn platform for free to all agents in Canada. The premium version is accessible to subscribers and will provide a range of automation, performance management, market insights and lead generation tools to agents.

Subscription pricing is expected to range from C$40-$60 per month per user. More comprehensive broker packages will be made available.

In the USA and Canada, the Openn platform is positioned as an agent-to-agent collaboration tool. Buyers submit their offers through their licensed buyer agent, just as they do now. They are then provided with all the benefits of transparency through Openns PropTech.

Upcoming milestones

Progress of this plan over the next 3-6 months can best be tracked by monitoring Openns delivery of the following milestones:

 Openn is working with complementary technology partners on integration and sales packaging that enhance user experience and speed market access across Canada and the USA.

- Openn considers the measure of success on this component will be the delivery of commercial agreements and technical integration with collaborative partners with a combined market reach of 20% or more.

 Integration with REALTOR.ca is comprehensive. It ranges from single-sign-on for all licensed Canadian agents to embedding Openn data on the REALTOR.ca website. There will be multiple integration deliveries, both prior to, and post commercial launch.

- Openn considers the measure of success on this component will be delivery of product releases with REALTOR.ca or CREA integration components.

 The lite (free) and full version (paid) of the Openn platform is being developed for piloting.

- Openn considers the measure of success on this component will be the first set of live transactions (properties sold) on the Openn platform.

Pilots progressing well

The current pilots of Openns unique PropTech with substantial real estate industry groups, including CREA, Triangle MLS and bridgeMLS, are progressing well. Programs are being refined to adapt to each unique regulatory and industry environment.

Openn anticipates that successful pilot programs will lead to commercial engagement opportunities in these very large addressable markets.

CREA's chief executive officer Michael Bourque said: Multiple offer scenarios have become increasingly commonplace in todays real estate environment.

"Canadian property buyers and sellers seek greater confidence in the process, while Canadian REALTORS seek tools to enable and more easily manage these situations. Were very excited about the potential of this pilot to address both.

Revenue opportunities

Along with agent subscription revenue, the company is investigating opportunities to monetise property sales data and analytics as Openn grows market share in various geographical markets.

This data provides a unique opportunity for agents, collaboration partners and Openn to derive additional revenue, and provide real-time information, via the consumer supportive direct marketing potential unlocked by the Openn platform. Openn is in discussion with third parties who will benefit from the data.

Openn is also in discussion with significant users of aggregated analytics in the US and Canadian markets. These opportunities range from high-level risk modelling to property-level automated valuation support.
Saharanpur, June 19 : Five fake army aspirants, affiliated to various political parties, have been arrested for instigating protests, officials said.

According to the Saharanpur police, all the five arrested accused are either members of different political parties or are office bearers. One of the accused, Parag Panwar, was associated with NSUI.

The arrested accused are identified as Sandeep Parag, Pawar, Mohit Chaudhary, Saurabh Kumar and Uday. All these are residents of Saharanpur.

According to the police, all these accused were "instigating" the youth to "oppose" the Agnipath scheme, a new scheme for recruitment in the Armed Forces. However, the police have arrested all the five accused and are investigating further.

The Saharanpur police said that the age of these five arrested accused is more than 25 years and they are not eligible to join the Armed Forces under the new scheme.

The arrests were made late on Saturday night and officials said that the accused were being interrogated.

In many states of the country, there have been protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme.
Cairo, June 19 : Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has met with visiting Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh, discussing regional and international issues.

During a meeting on Saturday in the Red Sea resort city, the two leaders agreed to maximise bilateral coordination and cooperation to develop the joint Arab action system in a bid to safeguard Arab national security and enhance Arab capabilities, Xinhua news agency reported, citing an Egyptian presidential statement.

Sisi noted Egypt is ready to enhance bilateral cooperation with Bahrain in various fields, push forward development coordination in the Middle East, and strengthen unity and joint Arab action facing various regional and international challenges.

For his part, King Hamad praised the pivotal and well-established role of Egypt as the cornerstone of regional security and stability and acknowledged Egypt's efforts in promoting joint Arab action at all levels.

He said the two countries have seen significant progress in political and economic relations, among other fields.
Lucknow, June 19 : The BJP in Uttar Pradesh will hold yoga camps at all its 27,000 'Shakti Kendras' across the state on June 21 to mark World Yoga Day.

All MPs, MLAs and MLCs of the party have been asked to attend the programme.

BJP general secretary Priyanka Rawat, said, "All the public representatives have been asked to attend the Yoga Diwas events at division level, comprising a few booths in the party organisation structure." The state leadership has also asked MPs and MLAs to focus on increasing the party's vote base.

While an MP has been asked to strengthen 100 booths in his constituency, an MLA has been asked to consolidate 25 booths.

The state BJP unit had launched multiple programmes from May 30 to June 15 to mark the completion of eight years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

BJP general secretary Ashwini Tyagi, said, "In an extension of the schedule, all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from the state have been also asked to take active participation in the plantation drive being organised by the party. The plantation drive would start on June 23 and will continue until July 7." According to party insiders, BJP is focussing on 100 booths on which the party has been relatively weak. The MPs have been asked to reach out to locals covered under 100 booths and "motivate" them to support BJP.

Similarly, MLAs have been asked to reach out to the locals of 25 booths assigned to them.
Lucknow, June 19 : The story of the Gupta brothers, arrested in Dubai earlier this month, has all the ingredients of a Bollywood blockbuster.

Hailing from Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh, where they had a small family business, the brothers became instrumental in toppling a government and creating an unprecedented political controversy in an alien land.

According to a former neighbour of the Gupta family in Saharanpur, the brothers were determined to make it big.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to IANS, the septuagenarian neighbour said: "When the brothers went to South Africa, no one knew they would strike gold there. It was only after the 2013 wedding that we realised how big they had become. They were cautious enough not to flaunt their wealth in Saharanpur or ruffle any feathers." He said that the Gupta family was like any other middle class business family, easy going, friendly and social.

The eldest of the brothers, Atul Gupta, is said to have gone to South Africa in 1993, when the country was opening up to the world after the end of apartheid. The other brothers -- Ajay and Rajesh -- followed suit.

According to sources, the Guptas initially sold shoes from their car in South Africa but soon set up a company called Sahara Computers. They discovered that South Africa had surprisingly no red tape in the bureaucracy.

Their business flourished and they developed political connections. They expanded their business network from computers to air travel, energy, mining, technology and media.

The Gupta brothers became close to Jacob Zuma, then President of South Africa, in 2015 and their bond grew stronger by the day.

The friendship became so well known that they were referred to as 'Zupta'.

Zuma's son Duduzane was a director of Gupta-owned Sahara Computers, named after their hometown of Saharanpur, and has been involved with several of the family's other companies.

While the Gupta brothers became financially strong and grew in stature, thanks mainly to the political clout they enjoyed, they also took care to ensure that political leaders back home in Uttar Pradesh were also "well looked after".

A wedding in the Gupta family in 2013 created ripples when a plane carrying the guests for their daughter's wedding was allowed to land at a military airbase reserved only for the head of state -- Waterkloof Air Force base, outside Pretoria.

Several top politicians from Uttar Pradesh attended the wedding.

It appeared that Zuma had tacitly approved the decision, which breached air force, customs and immigration rules. The guests were also accorded a police 'blue light' escort.

In 2016, South Africa saw a major political controversy over allegations that the Gupta brothers had promised the then deputy finance minister an elevation to the post of the finance minister if he advanced their business interests.

The brothers allegedly also promised to pay 600 million rands.

Around the same time, former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan alleged that it was the Gupta brothers who had got him fired from the Jacob Zuma government.

The Gupta business empire was repeatedly accused of securing deals with South Africa's giant state-owned companies on wildly favourable terms.

South Africa's ethics watchdog, the Public Protector, published a damning report in October 2016, finding that the state-owned electricity monopoly had awarded a massive coal order to a Gupta-linked business at well above market prices.

On the watchdog's recommendation, a judicial inquiry was opened, gathered testimonies for four years and is releasing serialised reports containing damning details.

In 2017, about 1 lakh emails were leaked, establishing how deeply the Gupta brothers influenced the Jacob Zuma government and this marked the beginning of the downfall of the Zupta empire.

Protests were also taking place in the aftermath of the electoral setbacks that the African National Congress (ANC) suffered in the local body polls in 2016. The ANC feared that it would suffer in the next national polls.

In February 2018, the Opposition brought a no-confidence motion against Jacob Zuma. The ANC had suffered enough humiliation. So, it forced Jacob Zuma to step down as South Africa's president.

The Gupta brothers, soon enough, fled to Dubai.

Pretoria had penned treaties to enable the two countries to help each other in the investigation and prosecution of crimes and the extradition of fugitives.

The extradition treaty was concluded in June 2021. The following month Interpol issued a red notice alert enabling law enforcement to arrest a person sought for prosecution or to serve a custodial sentence and hold them pending extradition.

Less than a year later, the brothers, Atul and Rajesh, were arrested earlier this month. Ajay is still absconding.
San Francisco, June 19 : The US lawmakers have asked tech giant Google to fix abortion searches that mislead users to "anti-abortion fake clinics".

According to USA Today, some Democratic members of Congress have asked Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to address concerns about Google search and map results for abortion information that are including "anti-abortion fake clinics".

Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Elissa Slotkin in a letter dated called "especially concerning" a report from the non-profit organisation, the Center for Countering Digital Hate.A The CCDH report found 37 per cent of Google Maps results and 11 per cent of Google searches for "abortion clinic near me" and "abortion pill", in states with "trigger laws," that would take effect automatically or through quick state action if Roe v. Wade is overturned, were for "anti-abortion fake clinics".

These clinics, also called "crisis pregnancy centers" or "pregnancy resource centers" do not provide abortions and "seek to steer women away from certain health decisions," the legislators wrote.

The CCDH report also found that 28 per cent of Google ads displayed atop search results were for anti-abortion clinics, the report said.

One ad for a Mississippi clinic appeared to offer free abortion consultations, but upon looking at its website the CCDH said it found the clinic does not perform abortions or provide referrals for the procedure.

"Across our products, we work to make high-quality information easily accessible, particularly on critical health topics," the tech giant was quoted as saying in a statement to USA News.

"Any organisation that wants to advertise to people seeking information about abortion services on Google must be certified and show in-ad disclosures that clearly state whether they do or do not offer abortions," the company added.
New Delhi, June 19 : Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who turned 53 on Sunday, has asked his supporters to refrain from celebrating his birthday as youth are sad. The appeal comes in backdrop of wide protest against the Centre's "Agnipath" scheme for the recruitment in the Armed Forces.

In an appeal, he said, "I appeal to all Congress workers and my well wishers across the country not to hold any kind of celebrations on the occasion of my birthday." Rahul Gandhi, born on June 19, 1970, is in his fourth term as Lok Sabha MP -- thrice from Amethi (2004 ,2009 and 2014) and currently from Wayanad. He lost from Amethi in 2019.

The Congress on Sunday will hold a "Satyagrah" against the Agnipath scheme at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

"No soldier will come out well trained if aspirants of the Armed Forces are recruited for only four years and then retired," said Mallikarjun Kharge.
New Delhi, June 19 : Gearing up for next year's Assembly elections in Telangana, which is part of the party's southern expansion plan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advised party cadres in the southern state to show their social face along with the political one.

The saffron party is working hard to increase its foothold in the southern states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The party is in power in Karnataka where Assembly elections will be held in the first half of next year, while Telangana will go to the polls at the end of 2023.

Modi will be the face of BJP's campaign against Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao's Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana. The Prime Minister has already spoken against dynasty politics in Telangana.

Earlier during a meeting of BJP corporators from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and senior leaders from the state, the Prime Minister, sources said, advised them on how to strengthen the BJP in Telangana, saying that the party's growth is directly linked to their individual growth.

"Prime Minister Modi told the corporators that their performance will help them move up the ladder as BJP does not follow dynasty politics. He further said that the party's growth is directly linked to the individual worker's growth.

"He advised them to highlight the policies and programmes of the Union government. He also pointed out that the corporators' performance would help in the Assembly and general elections. They must focus on 'Mera Booth, Sabse Mazboot'," a senior party functionary told IANS.

It is learnt that during the meeting, Modi told the corporators that they must be the social face of the party.

"He (Modi) said that the corporators and others shouldn't only be the party's political face, but they should become its social face as well. He explained that once people get to know you better, they will have a better understanding of the BJP," he said.

'Seva' (service) is also one of the 'mantras' which the Prime Minister gave the party leaders during the meeting. A leader present in the meeting told IANS that service to people differentiates BJP corporators from leaders of other political parties.

"The Prime Minister said that the spotlight is always on them as elected representatives, and their work will help further strengthen the party in state," he said.

Through the meeting, the BJP sent a strong message that the Prime Minister is connected about the state and its people.

"The key message of the meeting was that Telangana is at the centre of attention of the Prime Minister and his government. Another important takeaway of the meeting was that the Prime Minister is easily accessible in comparison to Chief Minister KCR," a party leader said.
Here is a guide to the week ahead for you. This is your forecast for June 20-26.

Aries Your career will see some ups and down this week. Some days may yield beneficial results and some days you will find it tough to manage your demanding schedule. Those operating in the real estate industry will notice excellent results. Working professionals will fare better in their career this week as compared to businesspeople. Your bond with family may not be extremely uplifting yet spending time with your children and friends will remove your stress and make you joyful. The love life will be interesting, and singles may find the person of their choice. On the health front, your immune system can be weaker throughout this week.

Tip of the week: Spend time with family Taurus

Your professional development will benefit greatly from this time. Business professionals will reap the benefits of their efforts and hard work, while those in quest of new employment will find favourable prospects. You and your loved ones will enjoy a joyful time together and a festive atmosphere at home. Traveling seems to be on the horizon, whether it's for business, school, pleasure, or just to spend some quality time with your spouse in a different location. During this time, you will like to make wise investments that will raise the value of your fixed assets. You'll be able to communicate well with your siblings as well.

Tip of the week: Grab new opportunities Gemini

This week, you'll be in a more forward-thinking state of mind, making it easier to spot growth opportunities. You'll be productive at work if you keep your enthusiasm alive and work on a variety of projects at once. Students who want to do well in school and go on to college must put up the most effort possible. In their examination, they'll almost certainly be up against stiff competition. During this time, you won't be bored because you'll be spending it with loved ones and friends. You're likely to become frustrated with your love life as a result of it being difficult to find a partner. As long as your income and expenses are kept in check, you'll have a stable financial situation.

Tip of the week: Be a visionary Cancer

If your work or business involves items or services for global markets, you will do well. In terms of your finances, things are going to be up and down, but it's going to keep you busy. It's unlikely that your personal life will be as fulfilling as your career. A strained family relationship can have a negative effect on the atmosphere in your home. You'll have to have a level head in order to keep your relationship going. You and your spouse will work hard to maintain a positive emotional state of mind, but you'll be distracted by domestic chores and obligations. Students may have uncertainties and confusions when learning, but hard work will lead to good grades.

Tip of the week: Be calm in relations Leo

You'll be active and innovative in your work life this week, unveiling new approaches and tactics. Those of you in the service industries as well as small family businesses, will do well now. You'll be able to establish a solid reputation in your field. Making travel arrangements for yourself and your loved ones is an option you have. Your household may be tense at times, and this can have a negative effect on your well-being. Those who are in a committed relationship will enjoy a period of stability and contentment, and this could lead to a nuptial arrangement. Students may have difficulties in their education and may be anxious about their academic performance.

Tip of the week: Stay innovative and active Virgo

This week is going to be a mixed bag for you in several aspects of your life. During this time, you have the opportunity to make a major shift in your career. You'll reap the benefits of your hard work in the future. With a little unproductive spending, you may face money crunch. Long-term investments should be avoided at all costs. It's possible that you and your loved ones will experience a breakdown in communication. Love isn't always easy, and you and your lover can have a few squabbles. However, your relationship will grow stronger over time. Students will be energised to work hard to achieve their objectives.

Tip of the week: Avoid investments Libra

Your financial situation is likely to improve this week. A good moment to assess your current investment strategies and reorganise your portfolio is now. Any deal involving real estate or land might earn you profits. The outcome of any pending legal proceedings will be favourable to you. You may be given extra responsibilities at work, which may increase your workload. However, you should practice control in your interactions with coworkers. This week, you're going to make a concerted effort to broaden your knowledge base. To keep your relationships with friends and family members intact, it's a good idea to be a little more adaptable in your actions.

Tip of the week: Assess your financial decisions Scorpio

Because of an ongoing issue at work, you're more likely to be anxious at the start of the week. During this time, it may be difficult for companies to make money. Staying calm and not reacting is the best course of action. The stars will be aligned in your favour by the middle of the week. You'll begin to feel better if you've had any health issues in the past. Keep in mind, though, to change your eating habits and avoid spicy foods. Taking a brief trip this week will allow you to reorganise your thinking. A lack of concentration on the part of students might lead to worse grades. This is a difficult time in your marriage since you'll have to deal with a lot of disputes from your spouse.

Tip of the week: Plan a trip Sagittarius

Change is a constant in your life right now. Your professional life is about to undergo some significant shifts, and you need to be ready for them. You must concentrate on your ideas and avoid all forms of negativity in order to succeed. Stay calm and confident in your abilities. Listening to your inner voice can also be beneficial. Your viewpoint will improve if you visit any of your close family members or friends. Reading spirituality books will be quite beneficial. You'll be able to put an end to any inconsistencies among your family members now. Students that are serious about going to college will be successful in their endeavours.

Tip of the week: Be ready for change Capricorn

This week, you'll be able to build up a bankroll of your own. If you've ever loaned money to others, you're entitled to get it back. As an added bonus, you may be able to gain some unearned money, such as expensive presents or insurance benefits. It's imperative that you put up the effort necessary to perform any household tasks that have been put off. It's best not to discuss your strategy or plans with anyone, as doing so could lead to disappointment. Students may encounter obstacles in their chosen subject of study. They must be patient and strive even harder to succeed. If you find yourself in a difficult circumstance, don't hesitate to ask for aid from your family's elders.

Tip of the week: Finish pending work Aquarius

In your working life, you'll be successful because of your boundless energy and enthusiasm. Your financial situation will be stable, and you'll get the results you want from your existing employment or business. Your personal life may not be as good as your work life, since you may have disagreements with your family members. Maintaining the interests and expectations of your family may be a problem for you. It can lead to a tense situation at home. You may not be satisfied with your love life because of a conflict with your significant other. In spite of your health problems, you will be able to fight them by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and avoiding negative thinking.

Tip of the week: Ignore trivial matters Pisces

Your professional life will be blessed this week. You'll be engaged in your work and committed to it. When you're at work or running a business, you'll be working hard to succeed. Those in the travel and transportation industry, as well as those who operate in joint ventures or partnership firms, will thrive. This week is likely to see some transfers and promotions within the government sector. If you have any debts or loans, you'll spend your time paying them off. You'll have a steady flow of money, and you'll reap the benefits of investments you made in the past. Due to personal difficulties, you may be concerned about your physical and mental health.

Tip of the week: Look after your mental health (Neeraj Dhankher is an Astrologer with proficiency in Vedic, KP and Nadi Astrology. He is Founder and CEO of Astro Zindagi. The observations are made by the writer based on his own analysis)
India, the world's largest democracy, continues to be run on a Constitution that has secularism built into its framework by way of 'one man one vote', equal opportunity provided by the Centre to all citizens, same protection of law given to everybody by the concerned state government that have autonomous control on law and order, a self-regulating Election Commission that prohibits communal appeals during electioneering and the mandate that the political executive governing the nation would not carry a denominational stamp.

The rise of BJP through the electoral process in recent years has led the opposition to build certain narratives in an attempt to politically undercut the former - whipping up the fear of 'majoritarianism', running down the call for nationalism and stepping up on the traditional advocacy of the 'Muslim cause'.

Domestic politics in India has seen many familiar pulls and pressures and violations of democratic norms but the ruckus raised on an allegedly deprecatory comment about Islam reportedly made by a BJP spokesperson through a reference to Hadis - the record of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad that had been a subject matter of prolonged research by scholars of Islamic jurisprudence - has given anti-Modi lobbies in India and abroad a handle to intensify the political 'proxy war' against the BJP regime.

A supposed indiscretion made by a 'party' functionary is leading to the demand for a 'national apology' and the protest is being taken to a point of assertion that one faith stood above all others in the matter of sensitivity of its followers.

It is true - and this has to be respected - that according to Koranic injunction, Islam was presented as the 'perfect' religion and that too for all times to come because the Prophet was Khatimul Anbia - the last of the messengers of God.

However, this is a matter of belief within the Muslim community and cannot obliterate the concept of equal respect for all religions that a democratic secular State like India's follows. There are strong laws against the offence of hurting the religious sentiments of a community and creating communal disharmony which apply to all faiths and meet the requirements of a multi-religious and multi-cultural society.

Religion defines the relationship of an individual with one's God while culture - which has a positive input from religion - harmonises the relationship of one person with another member of the society. Any religion given to excessive exclusivism can become problematic for democratic polity that derives strength from a shared culture of the land even while respecting all faiths.

India puts all religions on an equal footing and makes no distinction among its citizens on the grounds of caste, creed, region, class or gender. This is how Mahatma Gandhi's call that all Gods are the same found expression in his favourite prayer 'Ishwar Allah Tero Naam'.

While allowing free exchange of thoughts on teachings of religions, this approach did not countenance any deprecatory remarks on any one's faith and Gods. Handling of any transgressions in this regard by the democratic government of India is an internal matter of the nation. India has the second largest Muslim population in the world and its freedom of religion, including ways of offering prayers and choice of livelihood, are fully protected.

Muslim countries do not have to act as the protector of India's Muslim minority which have full rights to protest against any hurt caused to its religious sentiments by any citizen, through permissible ways.

If the protesters indulge in mass violence on the street, however, they would face a deterrent response from the state. This is particularly important because enemy agents are known to have exploited such situations.

The Islamic countries can express their concern over an event violating the religious sentiments of Muslims in another country, but they should not take to an offensive against an established democratic dispensation on that count.

They would in fact help the cause of democracy if they affirmed their acceptance of all faiths and their Gods, in the first instance. It is not advisable to project religion into national and international politics and use an isolated event of indiscretion of a 'party functionary' to run down India as a nation and join the political lobby against the Modi government as such.

Any offence relating to spread of communal hatred punishable under the Indian law has to be taken up for investigation by the state police concerned regardless of who committed it and the accountability for that cannot be shifted from the state government to the Centre. Law and order handling must be kept above politics.

India's international relations under Prime Minister Narendra Modi are based on the enlightened strategy of developing bilateral friendships for mutually beneficial economic and security interests aligned with the cause of world peace.

This policy was followed towards democratic states, Islamic regimes and even autocracies, in recognition of the sovereignty of every nation. Hopefully these relationships will not be allowed to get diminished by any acts that put religion above nationhood and flaunt superiority of one faith over the other.

India would do well to reaffirm its equality of approach to all religions and put down any misdemeanour of using derogatory remarks against any faith and its Gods, sternly under the laws of the nation. Our diplomacy should specially engage with other countries - including the members of OIC - to make the point that in a democratic and secular dispensation, sensitivities about matters of faith are to be equally respected regardless of the community.

Nothing that divides the world on the basis of religion can do any good - modes of worship may differ but this should not come in the way of a culture of unity and should not produce a divide among Indian nationals.

The Preamble to our Constitution describes promotion of unity and integrity of the nation as its prime objective even as the Constitution goes on to describe the system of governance of India as a Union of States.

It is regrettable that minority politics in this country has led to a tendency to deprecate the idea of nationalism itself and consider the mandate of saluting the national flag or standing up during the singing of the national anthem as an 'imposition' on any minority.

It is time India moves ahead on the path of national unity and inter-community harmony and puts the focus back on 'development for all'. Common people of all communities ultimately have the same concerns of livelihood, security and future prospects of their children.

In a democracy run on the electoral system of one man one vote, any political party would strive to gain a majority and come into power. It is logical that the majority community may return a much larger number of representatives to Assemblies or Parliament - this would not alter the secular mandate that the Constitution upholds.

Any legislation that is against the right to equality will not stand judicial scrutiny. Beyond the personal freedom of worship all Indians are equal politically. However, the reality of caste, creed and region-based politics has prevailed in independent India - an upshot of this is the realpolitik that made opposition parties realise that against a majority community divided in multiple ways, the support of the large minority is crucial in elections.

Injection of religion into domestic politics is injurious enough - the fallout of the controversy about the alleged 'insult' caused to a religion by a 'party functionary' in India taking the form of protest of the Muslim countries directed against India as a sovereign nation, has created the impression that there is projection of religion into international politics as well.

This should stop in the interest of preservation of the identity of the democratic world at large. India on its part remains committed to building mutually beneficial relations with the Islamic countries regardless of their differing systems of governance.

(The writer is a former of Director Intelligence Bureau. The views expressed are personal)
New Delhi, June 19 : In a shocking incident, a 19-year-old Dalit student of a renowned Delhi University college, who was allegedly being harassed by her jilted lover, has been asked to stop education by her family.

The jilted lover was continuously posting about her on various social media sites.

The victim lives in Delhi's Paschim Vihar along with her parents. She lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police Commissioner office, Delhi Commission for Women and with the National Schedule Caste Commission, however, no action has been taken in this respect as of now, alleges the family.

Speaking with IANS, the father of the girl said that earlier they had approached the Paschim Vihar Police Station but police didn't take any action after which they lodged the complaint with the CP office.

The student in her complaint has alleged that the accused Abhishek Rathore, was her friend. But after coming to know about his dark side, she decided to quit the friendship. After this the accused allegedly uploaded her pictures on social media and made them viral, due to which she suffered mental trauma.

The family approached the police station, but no action was taken.

The accused was openly using her name on his Instagram accounts and defaming. Unable to bear this, the student's parents have asked her to quit education.

IANS approached the police, but the concerned official was on leave and others said they 'had no idea about the case'.

"A Dalit girl is being harassed in the national capital and we are helpless. No authority is helping us. The accused is boasting that police won't take action against him and is continuously defaming my daughter," said her father.

Delhi Commission for Women Chief Swati Maliwal was approached by IANS but she wasn't available for any quote.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer Delhi) Sameer Sharma said that they would lodge the case under proper IPC sections.
Kabul, June 19 : The Jalalabad Airport in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province has resumed civilian flights after two decades of serving as a base for the US military and other foreign troops.

According to the Taliban-led government's Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), there will be three to four flights each week, reports TOLO News.

"The resumption of civilian flights from Nangarhar airport is a good step. It is a major resource for the eastern provinces of Laghman, Nuristan, Kunar and Nangarhar itself," said Imam Mohammad Warimach, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Civil Aviation.

MoTCA said it will attempt to provide further facilities at the airport.

"With the Islamic Emirate's coming to power, we reactivated this airport and provided it with all the necessary equipment. The staff of the MoTCA have occupied their posts," said Imamuddin Warimach, a Ministry spokesman.

Meanwhile, businesspeople have called for the resumption of international flights from Nangarhar province, saying that the international flights can help the country's economy.

"I call on the Islamic Emirate's officials to facilitate international flights from this airport and air-corridor, thus we can export our goods from Afghanistan," TOLO News quoted Zalmay Azimi, a businessman, as saying.

Earlier, the Jalalabad Airport was heavily used by the US Armed Forces and civilian contractors. They operated out of Forward Operating Base Fenty.

Members of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Resolute Support Mission (RSM) also used the airport.
Ahmedabad, June 19 : Gujarat is observing a rare celebration. It is the 125th birth year of popular literary stalwart late Jhaverchand Meghani while his son Mahendra Meghani will enter the 100th year of his life on June 20.

It's a rare coincidence where celebrations are being carried out together for a father-son literary duo.

Jailed in 1930 for his poetry collection 'Sindhudo', Jhaverchand Meghani was honoured with the title of 'Rashtriya Shayar' (national poet) by Mahatma Gandhi. His adaptation of Tagore's poems made people believe them to be Gujarati folk songs.

He also served as an editor of 'Phulchhab' magazine, which is still getting published from Saurashtra.

Jhaverchand Meghani roamed around in the internal villages of Gujarat and brought folk tales and folk songs to the mainstream literature. He did a great work on the documentation of oral tradition.

He has more than 25 collections of folklore, over 10 collections of folk songs, four dramas, travelogues, more than 12 short story collections, over 17 novels, and around 17 biographies and poetry collections to his credit. He was considered an outstanding journalist, whose writings used to inspire youth to protest against British rule, and join the freedom movement.

Similarly, Mahendrabhai Meghani, the eldest son of Jhaverchand Meghani, is a revered literary artist in his own right. After returning from New York, he started 'Milaap', India's first vernacular monthly digest. He formed the Lokmilaap Trust post visit to Eurasian countries as a reporter and a delegate with erstwhile Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He visited all the five continents and hosted book fairs to spread awareness about India and Indian books in 1969 and the centenary celebration year of Mahatma Gandhi.

Mahendrabhai published 'Ardhi Sadini Vachanyatra', a choicest collection of literary works curated from his vast experience of 50 years as a reader, at the start of 21st century. Over 2,00,000 copies of four volumes of these voluminous books were sold only at Rs 75 in an unimaginably short time. He has authored more than 12 books, including collections from his 'Vachan Yatra' series, and poetry collections.

Urvish Kothari, a columnist and writer of the book 'Mahendra Meghani', shares his views on Jhaverchand Meghani's literature, and says, "If you think about his literature, you will realise that he has simultaneously worked in almost all literary forms, in all the directions and how concrete that was. With popular art forms he also wrote sharp articles with the concern for the common person of some remote village. You can think of any writing style and Jhaverchand Meghani has worked with it in an excellent way. He was not just a writer of folk songs and folk tales. His letters in 'likhitang hun avun chhun' are so insightful, that they are prolific in all manners and relevant even today. His writings are so eternal that the subjects he chose in those times are still relevant. If we put his poetry as it was, nowadays people would consider it as communist." "If I talk about Mahendrabhai, then he and his family have kept the literature and tradition created by Jhaverchand Meghani alive. Without the efforts of the Meghani family, Jhaverchand Meghani's literature would have been limited to folk music and would not have reached us in this manner and in these many forms. There might be some controversies around Mahendra Meghani's summaries but the mammoth work he has done for the Gujarati Literature's editing is beneficial even for the upcoming generations," Kotheri adds.

Sanjay Bhave, a professor of English and an award winning translator as well as columnist, pens down a note on Mahendra Meghani for IANS. He writes, "while Mahendra Meghani's unparalleled work for the promotion of the book-culture is widely accepted and respected in Gujarat, his gestures of dissent and protest are lesser-known. Way back in the early 1950, he took up cudgels against Akashvani for the royalty for using his father and literary stalwart Jhaverchand Meghani's works. The battle was not so much about the meagre amount, but it was about the autonomy of the writer. He opposed the press censorship imposed by the Indira Gandhi government during the emergency in 1975, and had thereby invited the closure of the press by the authorities.

Mahendrabhai's anguish against the right wing violence in Gujarat following the Goddhra carnage is indicated by his Guajarati translation of an English article titled 'General Dyer ni Gaurav Yatra' in September 2002. During the turbulent period post-Godhra, Mahendrabhai translated portions of Pyarelal's account of Gandhi's peace mission during the partition. By this, the translator wanted to sensitise the reader and the society showing the violent parallels between Noakhali in 1947 and Gujarat in 2002." Mahendrabhai also led the signature campaign in Gujarat against the move to give a ten-year extension to the Vishvabharati University on the copyrights of Rabindranath Tagore's writing. Before the 2017 poll for the Gujarat Assembly, Mahendabhai had taken up a voters' awareness campaign wherein he appealed to the citizens to demand from the candidates a pledge from the candidates that they will not indulge in any misbehaviour during their tenure as elected representatives. Examples of his concern for human rights and an egalitarian society from his numerous books are indeed a legion.

Himanshi Shelat, a well-known story writer, novelist, and retired lecturer from Surat -- wife of Vinod Meghani, Jhaverchand Meghani's son and Mahendra Meghani's younger brother, says, "I was born in 1947, and Bapuji (Jhaverchand Meghani) passed away in 1947, so I could never meet him. I have met Mahendrabhai a few times, but I am much closer to both of them through their literature instead of family. The Meghani family's honesty and integrity have always inspired me in my personal and professional life. Their total dedication is a value that everyone should try to imbibe. They are someone who dedicated themselves to any kind of activity completely and they can even bear to be ruined for it. I am a devotee of these two values of the Meghani family, you can find these values in all the Meghani brothers, Mahendrabhai, Nanakbhai, Mastanbhai, Jayant, Ashok, and Vinod. I am impressed with their values, it's rare to find nowadays."
New Delhi, June 19 : When Sandhya Sharma, a homemaker from central Delhi, bought vegetables and fruits the vendor quickly pulled out a polythene bag. Handing over her cloth bag, Sharma asked him if he was aware that from July 1 polythene bags are banned. The vendor answered in the negative.

As against this, in Tamil Nadu the 'Meendum Manjappai' (Once again, yellow bag) campaign has been working wonders for almost a year now. It refers to the age-old practice by Tamilians to carry a cotton bag, coloured yellow with turmeric, while stepping out of their homes.

A Manjappai vending machine - people insert a Rs 10 coin or a note to get it - installed at the largest Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai has already sold about 1,000 cloth bags over this week indicating the response from the citizens to the ban on SUP.

But it is not just polythene bags. Scores of businesspersons, vendors and even users are still not aware that from July 1 there is going to be a total ban on single use plastic (SUP) across India.

The proposed ban includes items such as plastic straws, polythene bags, plastic sticks for candy or ice creams, polystyrene (thermocol) for decoration, plastic cups, glasses and cutlery items, plastic sticks for ear buds, for balloons, wrapping films for sweet boxes or cigarettes and even PVC banners of less than 100 microns.

What exactly is the ban? As per the Plastic Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016, there is a complete ban on sachets using plastic material used for storing, packing or selling gutkha, tobacco and pan masala. As per PWM (Amended) Rules, 2021, the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of carry bags made of virgin or recycled plastic less than 75 microns (i.e. 0.075 mm in thickness) has been banned with effect from September 30, 2021 as opposed to the 50 microns recommended earlier under PWM Rules, 2016.

The Centre then brought out another notification on August 12, 2021 that prohibited manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential with effect from July 1, 2022.

It is an attempt to reign in the plastic menace, especially for things that are literally used only once and are then discarded, polluting the soil and harming marine biodiversity.

Has the Centre done enough? Across India, since the Environment Ministry's notifications last year, on the one hand it is the Ministry and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that is working in tandem with their counterparts in the states while on the other hand, it is the states that are working with the local bodies to set the house in order.

Chaired by the Secretary, Environment Ministry, there is a national task force of all Chief Secretaries of states/UTs. Then, there is another task force headed by the CPCB comprising all the state pollution control boards/pollution control committees. For over a year now, there are regular meetings happening, there is stocktaking happening.

"The state PCBs have made an inventory of industries dealing with SUP and issued letters to each of them. Basically, that has ensured that each one of them is aware and on board," said an official from the Ministry.

But it is easier said than done. "The government had given one year to bigger industries but even then certain large manufacturers -- such as Amul's resistance to plastic straws -- are trying to jeopardize the future of the younger generation by trying to dilute this ban," said Bharati Chaturvedi of Chintan, an NGO working for waste management and with waste pickers.

"There should be a massive public awareness campaign in all languages, including regional ones and in local media too so that people know about the banned items. The government should also then strictly implement the ban and forbid availability," said Ravi Agrawal of research think tank Toxics Link.

What are the states doing? With a push from the Centre/CPCB, almost all states and UTs are working towards implementing the ban by various means, including an emphasis on awareness and providing alternatives to the banned items.

Stating that it is fabulous that these 14-15 items are going to be banned and that they are not going to be missed as alternatives are possible and they don't really take away from the livelihoods of waste recyclers, Chaturvedi pointed out: "The state and the Central governments ought to give soft loans, give subsidies and any and every kind of help to the alternative products that are manufactured by single, small entrepreneurs for local consumption." The local bodies too can have a role in this. However, not all are as active as they ought to have been. There are some 4,700-odd urban local bodies (ULBs) across India, of which, earlier this month, only some 2,500 had notified the ban on SUP. It had prompted the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to ask them to phase out SUP and contribute to the overarching clean and green mandate.

The SPCBs and the state level task forces too have been working on awareness campaigns. For instance, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has taken out public advertisements in April and May and also issued guidelines for all producers, manufacturers, stockists, distributors, sellers and also the users in newspapers and other media. Uttar Pradesh has planned a roll out of an intensive campaign from June 28 till July 3. Kerala has done a lot of work in spreading awareness.

But it is Tamil Nadu that has been amongst the front runners on multiple fronts. It had announced its own ban in 2018 itself and by 2019, put a ban on 14 select plastic items. Since 2021, the 'Meendum Manjappai' campaign has been launched and has received a roaring response.

The focus now is not just on spreading awareness but also on providing an alternative to the people. A short film with a popular actor promoting the message and a theme song is doing regular rounds on all media, including state governments' social media channels. "We had recently held an exhibition of eco-alternative products, especially those manufactured by rural innovators and entrepreneurs. Another incentive was the Rs one lakh each award to 100 green entrepreneurs who have become role models for others," Supriya Sahu, Tamil Nadu's additional chief secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forest, told IANS.

Belling the cat! Awareness, awareness and awareness - this seems to be the focus.

"Just as this demon of plastic did not occupy so much space in our lives overnight, it is not going to go away overnight. The ban is on production, storage, sale and usage. So for now, we are targeting the production end and increasing awareness at the user end," Naresh Pal Gangwar, additional secretary in the Environment Ministry, said.

Earlier last month, during an interview with IANS, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had spoken about how his Ministry plans to deal with the ban and subsequent consequences. Amongst the several steps he had listed, Yadav also spoke about an App brought out by the CPCB for daytime monitoring and use of Artificial Intelligence for the same.

(Nivedita Khandekar can be reached at nivedita.k@ians.in)
Bengaluru, June 19 : The state health authorities are crossing their fingers as Karnataka is nearing the Covid peak period. As per a report by the IIT Kanpur Technical Recommendation Committee, the peak is predicted to start from the third week of June.

State Health Minister K. Sudhakar has said that the IIT Kanpur team, which has given an accurate report on the last three Covid waves, has predicted a spike in the number of Covid cases in the state from the third week of June. The report says the peak will last till October.

The Health department is observing the situation closely and making preparations. The Covid variant which is surfacing these days is not fierce and there is no need for the people to panic, the minister said.

However, the authorities fear that as the caseload sees a spike, there might be a concerning situation though the variant is not showing any fierce hospitalisation symptoms in patients so far.

Dr. K.V. Srinivasa, Associate Professor of Medicine and consulting physician, talking to IANS explained that in the current scenario, the number of cases is high. There are no severe symptoms found and the cases requiring hospitalisation are also less.

"In case of an increase in caseload like the second wave, the situation might turn serious. As there is an increase in the number of Covid cases, naturally the number of cases with severe symptoms might see a spike. If one patient in 100, 2 patients per 1,000 patients develop severe symptoms, then there will be a situation," he explained.

Dr. Srinivasa further explained that presently the situation is under control. Many people are approaching with upper respiratory problems. But, typical Covid symptoms are not shown. All are not advised to get Covid test done. "Even if we suggest Covid tests, patients are asking us to start the treatment confident of getting better at home isolation. Recovery is also more, Dr Srinivasa says.

Dr. Pruthu Narendra Dhekane, Consultant Infectious Diseases, Fortis Hospital, Bengaluru says, "We have faced three big waves right now, and the fourth wave hopefully should not be as severe as the earlier one. This is a statistical phenomenon which is seen in most of the propagated epidemics and there may be variations depending upon various factors, but in the best-case scenario we hope it follows the standard pattern." It is difficult to say what are the exact causative factors for it, but overall looking at the bigger picture over the last three years Covid has been a pandemic following a propagated epidemic pattern, he says.

He explains that the sub-variants or variants are bound to come as every virus like every other living being evolves in order to survive. At present whatever newer sub-variants may be circulating haven't been declared as "variants of concern" by WHO.

So there is not too much need as of now to run behind finding the exact typing of the virus variant, as treatment, isolation and prevention still stand the same, he says.

Explaining about symptoms Dr. Pruthu Narendra Dhekane says, "It is difficult to differentiate between common flu and Covid, but overall whatever minor differences we have seen in the previous waves those are still applicable during this spike as well.

Mainly -- Loss of smell, loss of taste, predominant and long-standing throat related symptoms rather than rhinitis. Rare symptoms being rashes, joint pains, and systemic symptoms," he says.

Talking about the casual attitude of people towards vaccination, he says, vaccines have definitely shown good efficiency in reducing severity of Covid disease and also its transmission, so more the number of people get vaccinated fully (all 3 doses as of now) have a lesser chance of developing severe infection and spreading it as well.

Precaution dose acceptance has become low because I feel "out of sight out of mind" has been the tendency of most of the people, he underlines.

Despite a decline in cases in the last 3-4 months doctors and the government have been encouraging people to finish their course of vaccines and follow social precautions. But all of this has gone for a toss, hardly anyone is wearing a mask or wearing it properly, people for whatever reason aren't finishing the vaccination course and no one is ready to test even if symptomatic. All these factors have definitely contributed if not being the sole or major responsible factor for the increase in cases, Dr. Pruthu states.

K.V.S. Seshasai, CEO, Pre-K Division, Lighthouse Learning EuroKids, says he had got a Covid Infection Management Team that monitors a rigorous 22 point checklist (screening, ventilated classrooms, fully-vaccinated staff etc.) at all its 150+ centres in Karnataka and 1,200+ centres across the country to ensure kids are safe.

"We have put in place all safety protocols derived from the state and national government guidelines, the WHO, and UNICEF safe school resumption guidelines to safeguard all of our students, teachers, and administration. Our safety team certifies each of our franchise partners on all critical safety procedures accompanied by photographic evidence. Health and safety officers will be conducting training on the New Normal for the staff before each pre-school opens and subsequently at regular intervals," he says.

"We've partnered with Bureau Veritas (BVQI), HiCare, and Diversey, the world's leading hygiene, safety, and security firms, to ensure that all our protocols are comprehensive," K.V.S. Seshasai explains.

Karnataka reported 750 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate has gone up to 3.06 per cent. Weekly total positive rate has soared to 2.84 per cent. The authorities have conducted 24,469 Covid tests in the last 24 hours. There are 4,825 active cases in the state.

As the state has entered election year, heavy political activity is being seen. The state is also going through a social unrest like situation triggering mass protests and agitations across the state. Ruling BJP and Opposition Congress have started a political blame game over the spread of Covid due to mass agitations and congregations. Health department officials say that they are getting the infrastructure ready to handle any situation.
Kiev, June 19 : A top Ukrainian official confirmed that 39 civilian ships sailing under the flags of 14 countries are currently blocked in the ports of Odesa as a result of the ongoing war.

The news was confirmed by Maksym Marchenko, head of the Odesa Oblast Military Administration, during a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the southern port city on Saturday, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

During the meeting, discussions also took place on ways to organise a corridor for the export of agrarian and industrial products from the ports.

Marchenko also informed the President on the consequences of missile strikes by the Russian forces on the city.

According to reports, 55 people were killed in Odesa due to Russian shelling which also destroyed and damaged a number of infrastructure facilities.

Despite the grim developments, Marchenko expressed confidence in "solving the difficult issues with the help of the head of the country" and in "de-blockading our ports and ensuring they can resume their operations".

This was Zelensky's first trip to Ukraine's war-torn southern frontline, as his forces mount a slow-moving advance in the region, reports the BBC.

During a separate meeting with troops stationed in Odesa, he said: "It is important that you are alive. As long as you live there is a strong Ukrainian wall that protects our country. I want to thank you from the people of Ukraine, from our state for the great work you are doing, for your impeccable service." The President also visited Mykolaiv, about 132 km from Odesa, where he handed out medals to soldiers and urged them to "take care of Ukraine, the only thing we have. And take care of yourself, only you can do it".

The city has long been a key target for Russian forces and has been subject to heavy rocket and artillery bombardments.

It also lies just 100 km north-west of Kherson, a city that fell to the Russian forces during the early days of the war.
Kiev, June 19 : Ukraine has secured the release of five civilians, of which four were captured by Russian forces in the Kiev region.

In a statement on Saturday, the Chief Intelligence Directorate under the Defence Ministry, said: "Today, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War conducted another five-for-five exchange. Five citizens of Ukraine returned home.

"All those released were civilians who had been illegally detained by the Russian occupying forces. Four of the civilians were taken prisoner by the occupiers during the fighting in Kiev Oblast, three of them during the occupation of Hostomel." The body of one deceased Ukrainian security personnel was also returned, Ukrayinska Pravda quoted the statement as saying.

On Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky had announced that the Ukrainian paramedic Yulia Paievska, who was captured by the Russians in Mariupol in March, had been released from captivity.

Some of the bodies of security personnel of Mariupol from Azovstal have also been returned to Ukraine.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, June 19 : India on Sunda reported 12,899 fresh Covid cases in last 24 hours, a slight decline against the 13,216 infections registered the previous day, the Union Health Ministry said.

In the same period, there were 15 new fatalities which took the nationwide death toll to 5,24,855.

The active caseload rose to 72,474 cases, accounting for 0.17 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

The recovery of 8,518 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,26,99,363. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.62 per cent.

While the daily positivity rate slightly jumped to 2.89 per cent, the weekly positivity rate stood at 2.50 per cent.

Also in the same period, a total of 4,46,387 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 85.78 crore.

As of Sunday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 196.14 crore, achieved via 2,53,09,999 sessions.

Over 3.57 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)
Gandhinagar, June 19 : In the beginning of this month, some 17 lakh job aspirants applied for 3400 vacant posts of Talati (village panchayat executive head), indicating the unemployment crisis in Gujarat.

Yet, it is neither a political or election issue because the society is highly polarised and safety and security have put the core issues of governance on the backburner, observed political analysts and commentators.

According to the state's Employment Exchange Department records there are four lakh unemployed people registered as on March 2021. Of them 3,85,506 are literate and just five percent are semi-skilled. If one goes by the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee job cards data, 30 lakh job cards have been issued, of which 15 lakh are active job card holders, said Hemant Shah, economist and political analyst.

Though unemployment is a core socio-economic issue, it is not a serious issue for society because society is highly influenced by issues like safety and security, according to Shah. Now this urban and middle class concern over safety and security has also percolated to the rural areas, added Shah.

Ideally unemployment, good governance, accountability should be political and election issues, but when the entire society is polarised on Hindu-Muslim lines, security takes the front seat and issues like unemployment take the back seat, analyzed Amit Dholakia, Head of the Political Science Department of the Maharaja Sayajirao University.

Both political analysts have observed that even youths who are complaining about unemployment, vote along religious lines in all elections. This has encouraged political parties to put good governance issues in cold storage and whip up religious sentiments before elections.

If unemployment was an issue in the state, the Gujarat youths too would have reacted similarly like the youths in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh to the announcement of the new military recruitment 'Agnipath' scheme, said Professor Baldev Agja, Dean of the Political Science Department of Vallabh Vidhyanagar University.

Over and above these issues the other major problem is poor civic awareness, the new generation is least concerned about their rights and the duties of the government, where protests and agitations are considered to be anti-development. Space for civil society is shrinking which is giving a free hand to political parties to spread misinformation and mislead society at large, concluded Dholakia.
Panaji, June 19 : Fearing that a fish famine could pose a serious threat to the availability of the staple food of the coastal state, the Goa government apart from notifying the "Goa State Mariculture Policy 2020" to carry out open sea cage fish culture, has also urged the NIO to suggest adoption of modern methods for production of fish.

Some 2475 boats and 897 trawlers are registered with the fisheries department for fishing activities.

According to the fisheries department statistics, while 23,147 tonnes of sardine were caught in 2018, this dropped to 6771 tonnes in 2020. In 2019, it was 10,618 tonnes.

The same is the case with mackerel, another staple fish. While in 2018, 35,699 tonnes of mackerel were caught, in 2020 the figure dropped to 25,325 tonnes. Apart from using mackerel for curry and frying, mackerel pickle is also prepared in many houses in Goa.

To cater to the fish needs of the populace, it is also imported from other states, which is also purchased by the fish processing units.

To deal with the fish famine situation, the government apart from taking action against illegal fishing has focused on resolving issues pertaining to this business.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has urged the scientists and students of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) to suggest ways to increase fish productivity by adopting modern methods.

The NIO has played a vital role in increasing the production of green mussels in Goa, training for which was given to stakeholders.

According to marine experts, pollution near Goa's river mouths and in the waters off the state's coastline as well as over-fishing using banned practices like bull trawling and LED fishing, could lead to a fish famine in the state. The Opposition benches, during the last term of the BJP government in the state, were vociferous in the Assembly in demanding action against illegal fishing.

The fishermen from Goa are also demanding action against illegal practices used to catch fish in the sea.

Goa Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar, had earlier said the Central government has sanctioned Rs 400 crore for setting up cage fishing infrastructure to boost the coastal state's catch of fish.

The state is known for its seafood, which is sought after by the eight million plus tourists who visit Goa every year.

The overkill of fish for export and to cater to the hospitality industry in the tourism-oriented state as well as rising sea temperatures has resulted in a fish famine of sorts in the waters off Goa, driving the prices of locally consumed staple fishes through the roof.

Ibrahim Maulana, president of the Margao wholesale fish market in South Goa and the only wholesale fish market in the state, said that illegal fishing should be stopped.

"On Saturday we got around 50 tonne of fish from Andhra Pradesh," Maulana said.

According to sources, fish in Goa is brought from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and also from Maharashtra.
Jaipur, June 19 : Lost and found after centuries, the Saraswati river has emerged as a boon for the dry, parched and arid zone of western Rajasthan which is now attracting the attention of people from across the world.

The silent river flowing underground is boosting the confidence of people who are now planning to bring farming here.

Saraswati, for centuries, was believed to be a mythical river.

However, the Vaidik Saraswati River Research Centre situated in Jodhpur worked hard to trace the Saraswati river which yielded surprising results.

In Jaisalmer, sweet and potable water was traced when its team dug around 20 wells, each 40-60 metre deep. The emergence of water in dry regions full of sand dunes boosted their belief that the Saraswati was not lost but flowing somewhere underground.

This was way back in 2002.

Today, this water is being used by defence personnel serving at the border posts and the locals nearby.

Earlier, the soldiers and locals had to travel for miles to fetch water. However, the situation has changed now, said Madanmohan Vyas, general secretary, Vaidik Saraswati Nadi Shodh Sansthan.

He added that Dabla village near Jaisalmer has another interesting story where a jungle was being fed by a Saraswati tubewell which was dug by the Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), India's largest oil and gas producer. This was found as an underground fresh water reservoir after drilling a well.

Buoyed by these developments, a group proposed to establish an agro-township in Jaisalmer, Phalodi and Bikaner where grains and spices will be grown.

"The Saraswati water is flowing underneath in its purest form and hence the vegetation which will come up here will be the best of its kind. The innovative cooperative farming is being promoted in areas surrounding canals and water bodies," Rajendra Pachar, managing director of the Pachar Group, told IANS.

When asked if the prospects will dwindle as it is a desert region, he was confident that the "Saraswati water will boost all prospects. We have found water at just 50 feet depth which is not the case anywhere else in Jaipur and adjoining areas," he added.

In fact, the perception of the locals about the desert areas has changed and people from Delhi, Gurugram and Noida have invested here, so we are bringing farming concepts on 250 bighas of land in different districts of Western Rajasthan, he said, adding that the Phalodi region is already sold out.

Saraswati Research Centre officials told IANS that "Rivers neither die nor dry out but either change course or else the water level goes down." Similarly, the Saraswati was never lost but its water level went down to 100-150 feet. Even the state ground water department after five years of research concluded that there is a surplus water reserve in Jaisalmer where 30-35 water wells can be dug per square kilometre area.

As per the Central Ground Water Authority report which did a recent survey in the region, there is a capacity to build one million tubewells in eight paleo channels traced in the Rajasthan Saraswati Flow Zone.

JR Sharma, a senior officer in the Indian Space Research Organisation who made an immense contribution to the research on the Saraswati, told IANS, "Once this river was called mythical. However, now the world believes that the river is a reality. Their perception has totally changed which can be seen by analysing the research papers presented in different parts of the world which are of excellent quality." "Rajasthan in the long run will benefit with Saraswati water as neighbouring state Haryana is working hard to explore new possibilities. It has formed the Saraswati heritage board and is now building a barrage where water will be added which might flow into the desert state.

"This water might recharge the Ghaggar river and surrounding areas which will help the water table in Rajasthan get recharged too," he added.

"In fact, a few Chief Ministers decided to work together on this prospect, but the present scenario remains unknown," he said.

Dr Vimal Soni from GWD Jodhpur, told IANS, "We did dig 21 wells a few years back out of which water from 2 wells is being used by the BSF. The water quality was good. The remaining have been handed over to the PHED department. There is a strong possibility of underground water but the vast sand dunes are a challenge as digging is difficult here." Madanmohan Vyas told IANS, "Our Shodh Yatra started in the 80s when Saraswati Nadi Shodh Parakalp was formed in 1983. This samiti conducted a historical survey from Adibadri, foothills of the Shivalik hills in 1985 covering Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. A mini survey was conducted in 1992 covering Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Jalore and Sirohi with veterans from the ISRO, PHED and some universities." "In 1995, our research centre was formed which made coordinated efforts with NASA satellite, ISRO, BARC and Ground Water Department of Rajasthan to trace the route of the Saraswati," he added.

In fact, the world has also recognised Saraswati as the oldest map in 1760 A.D. by Bryce Collier Library Atlas depicts the Soorsuti joining the Ghaggar. The Vedas, our oldest literature, also mention the Saraswati, he said, adding the "Rajasthan canal now called Indira Gandhi canal seems to be on the same course which was once the Saraswati flow area, it has the same alignment and there is no pumping station in between. It flows from Haryana to Rajasthan till Mohangarh. When former PM Indira Gandhi inaugurated it in 1980, one inscription on its bank referred to it as the 'Saraswati Rupa Rajasthan Canal,' he added.

After decoding history, literature and science, we tracked the Saraswati course via mapping. Now Thar awaits the Saraswati water in its arid region to bring back prosperity and growth in the region, said Pachar.
Mumbai, June 19 : On the occasion of Father's Day on Sunday, actor Sanjay Dutt remembered late veteran star Sunil Dutt, and said he was blessed and fortunate to have been his son.

Sanjay took to Instagram, where he posted a collage featuring his father, elder daughter Trishala and twins Iqra and Shahraan Dutt.

Alongside the collage, he wrote: "I love you, Dad! Thank you for every little thoughtful thing you did for me, for us... for our family! You will always be my great source of strength, pride and inspiration. I was blessed and lucky to have been your son for you were the best role model I could ask for!" The 62-year-old actor hopes to be as good a parent as his father was to him.

"I hope and pray to be as good a parent as you have been. #HappyFathersDay to mine and to all fathers out there." On the work front, Sanjay will next be seen in 'Shamshera'.
Manila, June 19 : The Philippines said it has surpassed its target of fully vaccinating over 70 million, or 77.78 per cent of its target population with the Covid-19 shots.

The National Vaccination Operations Centre announced that 70,005,247 Filipinos have received the two-dose vaccine, including more than 3.2 million children aged five to 11 and nearly 9.5 million minors aged 12 to 17, reports Xinhua news agency.

On saturday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire urged people to get the booster shots to sustain their immunity amid a spike of new Covid cases across the country.

Vergeire said the country now tallies an average of 350 cases daily, 50 to 60 per cent higher than the previous week.

In Metro Manila, the daily average was 102 cases last week, but now it increased to around 170, she added.

"The number of cases is increasing, albeit slowly. We need to be cautious," she told a televised press conference, warning the cases could reach 800 to 1,200 per day by the end of June if the current number of cases continues to increase.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, the Philippines has reported 3,695,652 confirmed Cocid-19 cases, with 60,467 deaths.

The country reported the highest single-day tally on January 15 this year, with 39,004 new cases.
Moscow, June 19 : Western astronautics are "heading for war", Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) said and claimed that the alleged collection of data for Ukraine by private Western companies proves this.

In an interview with Russia 24, Roscosmos Director Dmitry Rogozin claimed that private American companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, SpaceX, and others are now tasked with "one specific goal, to ensure the collection of information in real time, both visual - through infrared radar devices, and through conventional surveillance", RT reported.

This data is collected for the Ukrainian forces to use "for ballistic missile guidance or multiple launch rocket system operation", he was quoted as saying.

This also applies to satellite communication companies such as Starlink, the Roscosmos director added.

Asked if Russian satellites were able to monitor Ukrainian territory, Rogozin said, "of course".

Earlier this month, he claimed that private American space companies are "at best, trusted contractors of the Pentagon, at worst, agents of the Pentagon or the CIA under the guise of 'private independent companies'".

Rogozin's remarks came soon after the head of US Cyber Command, General Paul Nakasone, admitted for the first time that Washington was supporting Ukraine by conducting offensive hacking operations, RT reported.

"We've conducted a series of operations across the full spectrum; offensive, defensive, (and) information operations," he told Sky News.

Nakasone did not provide any details of these operations, but claimed they are completely lawful.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Mysuru, June 19 : Mysuru city, the erstwhile capital of the Mysuru kingdom and presently known as the cultural capital of Karnataka, is all geared up for the celebration of the International Yoga Day on June 21.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the mega event organised in the premises of the historical and magnificent Mysuru Palace. Modi will arrive in Karnataka for a two-day visit on June 20. He will attend various programmes in Bengaluru and will reach Mysuru on the evening of June 20.

As many as 19 'asanas' (exercises) of Yoga will be exhibited in 45 minutes during the celebration of International Yoga Day in which Modi is expected to participate between 7 a.m. and 7.45 a.m. Authorities said that 1,200 children, selected among 20,000, will take part in the event.

The celebration will start with a 1-minute prayer. Next 4 minutes will be given for stretching and movements following which 19 'asanas' will be performed which include Tadasana, Vrikshasana, Padahastasana, Ardha Chakrasana, Vakrasana, Makarasana, Setubandhasana, Shalabhasana and others.

The programme will begin at 6.30 a.m. on June 21. Union Minister for Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal will speak for 5 minutes, followed by the speech of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for 5 minutes. The Prime Minister will give a message on the International Yoga Day for 20 minutes.

The PM will also have breakfast with the royal family members of the Mysuru kingdom.

Modi will take part in an interaction programme with the beneficiaries at the Maharaja College Grounds at 6 p.m. on June 20. He will visit Jagadguru Shivarathreeswara Swamiji Suttur Mutt and inaugurate Veda Pathashala Building.
New Delhi, June 19 : A 46-year-old Iranian national was arrested by the Delhi Police for robbing a Sudanese national in the capital city after impersonating as an intelligence agency official, it was revealed on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Hossein Rezafard Ahmad, came to India on a medical visa in May this year. The victim Mohd Bakry had arrived from Sudan last month also on a medical visa which is valid till November 2022.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Esha Pandey said the complainant Bakry visited Lajpat Nagar police station on June 14 and alleged that at around 4.40 p.m. on that day, he along with his wife were returning from SCI Hospital, GK-1.

All of a sudden, three people came in a car and stopped them. Thereafter, they introduced themselves as officials from an intelligence agency and started searching their hand bag on the pretext that he might be carrying drugs.

"When the complainant looked into his hand bag, he found that the cash currency including Rs 50,000, $6,500 and some Sudanese pounds were missing," the DCP said.

Accordingly, the police registered an FIR under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code at the Lajpat Nagar police station and initiated the probe.

A police team was constituted which analysed the CCTV footage of the cameras installed near the place of incidence and identified a suspected car.

The said car was found registered in the name of Lucky Queen Tourism, Village Mahipalpur, Delhi. The team approached the owner of the firm who stated that he had sold the car around three months back to one Nawab.

On reaching his last address, it was found that Nawab had already left Gurugram.

The police team then took the mobile number of Nawab from the owner of the firm and put it on surveillance. On the basis of the electronic surveillance, one more mobile number was zeroed as it was in constant touch with the accused Nawab.

Further, it was put on surveillance and the team found its location and the Iranian accused was arrested.

On sustained interrogation, Ahmad disclosed that he is from Tehran and came to India on a medical visa on May 21. He got attracted towards the crime after becoming friends with his associates.

"The trio used to target vulnerable foreign nationals who come to Delhi on medical visas. They track the movements of persons who visit hospitals and then follow them for committing the crime," Pandey said.

With his arrest, around $2,000, 4,000 Sudanese pounds, 28,000 Iranian riyal, 200 Saudi riyal, Rs 5,000 and one car used in commission of offence have been recovered.
New Delhi, June 19 : As the agitation over the Central government's Agnipath recruitment scheme continues across the nation, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting with the service chiefs for the second straight day at his residence.

According to a source, all three service chiefs attended the meeting .

On Saturday, the Defence Minister held a meeting with Army Chief General Manoj Pande, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari. After the meeting, Rajnath Singh announced that the government will reserve 10 per cent jobs in the Defence Ministry for Agniveers.

Similarly, the Union home ministry has also announced a ten per cent quota in the Central Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) and the Assam Rifles.

Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force on Sunday morning released the details of the Agnipath recruitment scheme. The process for the recruitment will begin from June 24. The IAF document lists the eligibility, educational qualification, medical standards, assessment, leave, remuneration, life insurance cover, etc., among many other factors.

The Department of Military Affairs Additional Secretary Lt. General Anil Puri will also address a media briefing later in the day on the issue of Agniveer recruitment scheme.
Azamgarh : , June 19 (IANS) With just two days left for the campaigning in Azamgarh to end, a war of words between the contesting parties is intensifying every hour.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Sunday, blasted the Samajwadi Party for "betraying" the people of Azamgarh and ensuring that the area remains undeveloped.

"You have sent two former chief ministers to Lok Sabha but they left you without a word. Did they come to you during Covid pandemic? We have given Azamgarh a new identity. You have lived for long with an identity that gave you nothing to be proud of. I promise development if you promise to vote for BJP," he said.

A day ago, on Saturday, UP BJP chief and Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh drew religious analogy.

Since Azamgarh has a sizeable population of Rajbhars, mostly considered loyal to Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) whose chief Om Prakash Rajbhar has been pitching for the SP here, Swatantra Dev began his campaign by invoking "Maharaja Suheldev" before referring to sage Durvasa.

"Azamgarh used to be the place where sage Durvasa prayed. Azamgarh may have given chief ministers, it may have sent Lok Sabha MPs, but the district's identity took a severe hit. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leadership of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Azamgarh is well on way to becoming Aryamgarh," he said.

UP minister A K Sharma termed the by-election as a 'dharma yuddh'.

The Samajwadi Party that is fighting to retain the seat that was vacated by its president Akhilesh Yadav, is also leaving no stone unturned to ensure its victory.

SP leader Mohammad Azam Khan, in his campaign, has been lashing out at the BJP.

"I have been watching what has been unfolding in the country over the past three-four days. Trains and buses have been set on fire, and police vans, government property vandalised across states in protests against the Agnipath scheme. I am waiting to see what action the government will take. How many posters of offenders will be put up and if damages will be recovered from them? The government has been targeting the weak," said Khan at a rally.

Azam Khan said he suffered atrocities and injustice with patience.

"I was in jail for 27 months. If I think of taking revenge, it will only cause further harm to our community. Hence, I have decided to tolerate everything," he said and asked people to vote for SP candidate Dharmendra Yadav.

The BSP candidate Shah Alam a.k.a Guddu Jamali also lashed out at SP.

"Samajwadi Party wants the minority community to vote for them but does not share power with us. The SP does not want any Muslim leader to emerge, they want us to be their servants," he said.

Jamali has been underlining the fact that his home is in Azamgarh while Dharmendra Yadav will fly off to Etawah-Mainpuri and Nirahua will go back to Mumbai.

"My association with Azamgarh and with you people will end only when you carry me to the burial ground," said Jamali.

BJP candidate Dinesh Yadav Nirahua has been relying on star power, songs and slogans to take pots-shots at opposition leaders.

Bhojpuri film stars and BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Ravi Kishan have campaigned for Nirahua over the past three days while Amrapali Dubey, Sanjay Pandey, Pravesh Lal, Manoj Tiger have also been seeking votes for him.

Surprisingly, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati have not yet campaigned for their party candidates.
Dhaka, June 19 : Bangladesh has refuted "misleading" Chinese media claims that the Padma Bridge is "a major cooperation project" between Dhaka and Beijing.

In a statement on Saturday, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry said: "Some quarters are trying to portray that the Padma Multipurpose Bridge which is scheduled to be inaugurated on June 25 by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been constructed with the assistance of foreign funds and is a part of (China's) Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)".

The statement "categorically asserted" that the bridge "has been entirely funded by the government of Bangladesh and no foreign funds from any other bilateral or multilateral funding agency has financially contributed to its construction".

"Both Bangladeshi and foreign construction firms were engaged for the implementation of the project".

The Ministry further said that the "completion of this bridge will fulfil the long cherished dream of the nation for connecting the 19 south-western districts with the rest of the country resulting in collective prosperity, socioeconomic development of Bangladesh as well as enhanced regional connectivity".

It also hoped "that all friends of Bangladesh will join hands in celebrating the completion of this landmark project which is all the more special since it has been done entirely by the contribution of the people and the government of Bangladesh".

Some Chinese media reports had tried to project the 6.15 railroad bridge as a product of China-Bangladesh cooperation, hinting that it was part of BRI plans, while completely undermining the fact the project was conceived by Prime Minister Hasina long before BRI's existence.

She laid the foundation stone of the bridge in 2001 towards the end of her first term in power and took it up with World Bank for funding when she returned to power in 2009.

Later when the World Bank raised issues unacceptable to Bangladesh, Hasina decided to the country's largest infrastructure project with own funds.

The construction work was given to a Chinese company but the funds were from Bangladesh's own resources, according to the Ministry.
United Nations, June 19 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned against the stigma and discrimination fanned by the Internet and social media.

"The internet and social media have turbocharged hate speech, enabling it to spread like wildfire across borders," the UN chief said in his message for the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, which was marked the first time since the General Assembly adopted a related resolution last year.

"The spread of hate speech against minorities during the Covid-19 pandemic provides further evidence that many societies are highly vulnerable to the stigma, discrimination and conspiracies it promotes," the Secretary-General noted.

Guterres underlined that "hate speech incites violence, undermines diversity and social cohesion, and threatens the common values and principles that bind us together".

"It promotes racism, xenophobia and misogyny; it dehumanizes individuals and communities; and it has a serious impact on our efforts to promote peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development," he said.

"Words can be weaponiSed and cause physical harm and the escalation from hate speech to violence has played a significant role in the most horrific and tragic crimes of the modern age, from the antisemitism driving the Holocaust, to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

"In response to this growing threat, three years ago, I launched the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. This provides a framework for our support to member states to counter this scourge while respecting freedom of expression and opinion, in collaboration with civil society, the media, technology companies and social media platforms," said the UN chief.

He warned that hate speech is a danger to everyone and fighting it is a job for everyone.

"This first International Day to Counter Hate Speech is a call to action. Let us recommit to doing everything in our power to prevent and end hate speech by promoting respect for diversity and inclusivity," he added.

In July 2021, the UN General Assembly highlighted global concerns over "the exponential spread and proliferation of hate speech" around the world and adopted a resolution on "promoting inter-religious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech".

The resolution recognizes the need to counter discrimination, xenophobia and hate speech and calls on all relevant actors, including states, to increase their efforts to address this phenomenon, in line with international human rights law.

It proclaimed June 18 as the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
New Delhi, June 19 : After inaugurating the main tunnel and five underpasses of Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that on Sundays for a few hours the tunnel should be kept exclusively for school children and pedestrians to see the artwork and painting.

The Prime Minister, who walked the tunnel leaving the vehicle on Sunday after inaugurating it, said the artwork has been a value addition to the planned work and is a great study centre of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'.

"Perhaps, this is among the longest art galleries anywhere in the world. I suggest that it may be explored that on Sundays, when traffic is less, for a few hours the tunnel should be kept exclusively for school children and pedestrians to appreciate the artwork and the spirit that it embodies," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the main tunnel and five underpasses of Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project on Sunday. The Integrated Transit Corridor project is an integral part of Pragati Maidan Redevelopment Project.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister called the project a big gift from the Central government to the people of Delhi. He recalled the enormity of the challenge in completing the project due to the traffic congestion and the pandemic.

He credited the new work culture of New India and workers and engineers for completing the project. "This is a New India that solves the problems, takes new pledges and works tirelessly to realise those pledges," the Prime Minister said.

He said this tunnel is part of the campaign to transform Pragti Maidan according to the needs of the 21st Century. He lamented the fact that despite changing India, Pragti Maidan, which was created to showcase India, got lagged behind due to lack of initiative and politics.

"Unfortunately there was not much 'Pragati' (progress) of the Pragati Maidan. Despite a lot of fanfare and publicity earlier, this was not done. The Government of India is working continuously for state-of-the-art facilities, exhibition halls for world class events in the capital of the country," he said.

Modi mentioned that modern infrastructure developed by the Central government is changing the picture of Delhi and making it modern.

"This change in picture is a medium of changing destiny also... This focus on modernisation of infrastructure is driven by increasing ease of living for the common people," Prime Minister said. He also reiterated the need for environment sensitive and climate conscious infrastructure development.

The Prime Minister talked about the great benefits that will accrue from the integrated corridor in terms of saving of time and fuel, 55 lakh litre as per one estimate, and also decongestion of traffic leading to environmental dividend, equivalent to planting five lakh trees.

He said these permanent solutions to enhance ease of living are the need of the hour. "In the last eight years, we have taken unprecedented steps to solve the problems of Delhi-NCR. In the last eight years, the metro service in Delhi-NCR has expanded from 193 km to 400 km, more than double," he said, and asked the people to develop a habit of using the metro and public transport.

He pointed out that the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, Delhi-Amritsar Expressway, Delhi-Chandigarh Expressway and Delhi-Jaipur Expressway are making Delhi one of the best connected capitals of the world.

The Prime Minister said that the country is creating multimodal connectivity through the vision of PM GatiShakti National Master Plan. "PM GatiShakti National Master Plan is a medium of Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas," he added.
Chennai, June 19 : Actor Prakash Raj was among the scores of people who have expressed support for actress Sai Pallavi, who recently had to issue a clarification after a portion of a reply she had given to a question during an interview was taken out of context by a section of the media.

In her clarification, which she put out on social media, Sai Pallavi said: " In a recent interview, I was asked if I was a supporter of the Left or the right wing and I clearly stated that I believe I am neutral and we need to be good human beings first before we identify ourselves with our beliefs and that the oppressed need to be protected at any cost.

"Further into the interview, I had quoted two references which had had a huge impact on me and which left me traumatised for days. In fact, after I watched the film 'The Kashmir Files' I had the opportunity to speak with the director. This was three months ago. I remember telling him that I was disturbed seeing the plight of the people at that time and being someone that I am, I would never belittle a tragedy like the genocide and the generations of people who are still affected by it.

"Having said that I cannot come to terms with the mob lynching incident that had taken place during our Covid times. Because I remember seeing that video and being shaken for days. I believe that violence in any form is wrong and that violence in the name of any religion is a huge sin." Her clear explanation has earned the actress the support of several people, including celebrities.

Actor Prakash Raj was among those who expressed unequivocal support for what the actress had to say.

Quoting her tweet which had her clarification video, Prakash Raj tweeted: "Humanity firsta We are with you Sai Pallavi."
Chennai, June 19 : In order to provide insurance cover to fertilisers imported from Russia and Belarus, the Indian insurance sector has created a Rs 500 crore 'fertiliser pool', said a senior industry official.

"With European reinsurers not willing to provide reinsurance support to imports from Russia and Belarus and while India imports a sizable volume of its fertilisers from these two countries, the non-life insurance industry has decided to create a Rs 500 crore pool," the senior industry official preferring anonymity told IANS.

The official said bulk of the pool amount will be contributed by the national reinsurer General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) and all other multi-line non-life insurers will also be contributing to the pool corpus.

The reinsurers in Europe and the US are not providing reinsurance cover to goods going out of Russia and Belarus owing to the Russian military action in Ukraine.

The premium collected to insure the fertiliser imports by the primary insurers will be ceded to the pool after deducting some administrative expenses.

The claims if any are paid out of the pool.

This will be the third insurance pool in India after terrorism and nuclear insurance pools.

The fertiliser pool has the sanction of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Thiruvananthapuram, June 19 : Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Vatakara Lok Sabha constituency, K. Muraleedharan said that the Congress will not share dais with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who is a tainted person. He was speaking to reporters here on Sunday.

The former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president who is also son of the late Kerala Chief Minister, K. Karunakaran said that an investigation against the Chief Minister must be initiated by the central agencies under the supervision of the Kerala High Court in gold smuggling case. He said that the Kerala BJP and CPI-M are hand in glove in scuttling the case.

K. Muraleedharan called upon the central agencies to conduct a proper investigation on the revelations by the gold smuggling case accused, Swapna Suresh against the Chief Minister and his family including his wife and daughter.

The Congress is spearheading major agitation against the Chief Minister and the streets of Kerala have turned into a war zone with the police and Youth Congress activists fighting it out on the streets. The Youth Congress has been demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister based on the revelations of Swapna Suresh.
New Delhi/Patna, June 19 : A major tragedy was averted when a Delhi-bound aircraft, with 185 passengers on board, was forced to make an emergency landing at Jayprakash Narayan International Airport in Patna after one of the wings caught fire. According to sources, all the passengers plus the flight crew were safely rescued.

A senior SpiceJet official told IANS that a SpiceJet B737-800 aircraft was operating from Patna to Delhi. On takeoff, during rotation, the cockpit crew suspected a bird hit on one of the engines.

"As a precautionary measure and as per SOP, the captain shut down the affected engine and decided to return to Patna," the official said, adding that the aircraft landed safely in Patna and passengers were safely deboarded. Post flight inspection showed a bird hit with 3 fan blades got damaged.

The flight took off from Patna airport on Sunday at 12 noon and it returned again to the airport after 25 minutes.

The airport official said that the fire was reported by an onlooker at a time when the aircraft was flying over Phulwarisharif locality.

The local resident of Phulwari Sharif informed Patna police which further communicated to airport authority. The airport officials contacted the ATC officials who further informed the pilot about the incident.

"The flight took off at Patna airport. After travelling for 25 minutes, we realized that it was returning back to Patna. There was some panic inside the aircraft," said a passenger, Rajesh Sharma.

Another passenger who was sitting on the left side of the plane on the window seat said: "I saw smoke and fire coming out from the left engine. It was scary but we thought that there were so many passengers in the plane and God certainly helped us." The airline company has provided another aircraft for the passengers to fly to New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also issued a statement sharing similar details. The onlookers shot the video of the plane from the ground as one of its wings had caught fire. The fire was not visible from such a long distance, however, smoke could be seen.
Chandigarh, June 19 : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday sought the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to prevent any change in the nature and character of the Panjab University in Chandigarh.

"The state government vehemently opposes any such move of the Government of India to examine the feasibility of converting Panjab University into a Central University," wrote the Chief Minister in a letter to Shah and Pradhan.

The Chief Minister apprised both the leaders that the state government will not like any change in the nature and character of the university as it has an emotional place in the hearts of the people of Punjab on account of historical, cultural and provincial reasons.

He bemoaned that for some time, there have been certain vested interests who are trying to push the matter for change of status of Panjab University into a Central University.

Mann reminded both the leaders that at the time of the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966, Panjab University was declared as an 'Inter State Body Corporate' under section 72(1) of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966, enacted by Parliament.

The Chief Minister said that this status was duly confirmed in several judgments passed by courts.

He added that ever since its inception, Panjab University has been continuously and uninterruptedly functioning in Punjab.

Mann reminded that it was shifted from Lahore, the then capital of Punjab, to Hoshiarpur and then to Chandigarh the present capital of Punjab, adding that at present, 175 colleges of Punjab situated in the districts of Fazilka, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Moga, Sri Muktsar Sahib and S.B.S Nagar are affiliated with Panjab University.

The Chief Minister said that Panjab University is a symbol of Punjab's legacy and is synonymous with the name of the state.
Colombo, June 19 : Sri Lanka's Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said on Sunday that they have reached out to several Russian crude oil suppliers in an effort to solve the island nation's energy crisis.

Wijesekera said that they are trying to obtain Russian crude oil on credit to keep the country's only oil refinery running, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Minister said that Sri Lanka's oil bill has risen to $550 million a month by June 2022.

He added that Sri Lanka now owes oil firms $730 million for oil imported on credit, and these companies will now only supply fuel after upfront payments or deposits.

Sri Lanka has suffered crippling fuel shortages since February as a foreign exchange crisis worsened in the South Asian country.

The country's state-owned fuel distributor Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said it only has 5,000 metric tonnes of petrol and thus only 500 metric tonnes will be released to gas stations each day.

The country currently needs at least $5 billion over the next six months to pay for basic essential items such as food, fuel and fertiliser.
Srinagar, June 19 : One terrorist was killed during a gunfight with the security forces that erupted in the Lolab area of North Kashmir's Kupwara district, officials said on Sunday.

Police said the encounter started after the police launched a joint anti-terrorist operation along with Army's 28 RR on the disclosure of an arrested terrorist Showket Ahmed Sheikh in the Lolab area.

"During search of hideouts, hiding terrorists fired upon joint search parties and our team also retaliated, in which one terrorist got killed. The arrested terrorist also got trapped. Encounter in progress," police said.

Further details were awaited.
Los Angeles, June 19 : Hollywood star Ben Stiller and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees partner to support those fleeing Ukraine while the war with Russia rages on.

According to 'Deadline', in a dual post with the UNHCR Instagram page, a picture is shared of Stiller talking with UNHCR staff in Poland.

The actor mentions in his caption how he's learning, sharing stories, and offering support to those in need.

"I'm here to learn, to share stories that illustrate the human impact of war and to amplify calls for solidarity," he said.

"I hope you'll follow along and share your own messages of support, for people who have fled their homes in Ukraine and for people who have been forced to flee all over the world. Everyone has the right to seek safety. Whoever, wherever, whenever." Stiller has joined other celebrities including Sean Penn, Angelina Jolie, and Mila Kunis who have supported humanitarian efforts in Ukraine as the country continues to suffer from the Russian invasion.
Mysuru: A view of the site where the proposed Mekedatu dam would be constructed across Cauvery river, in Mysuru on Dec 7, 2018. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Chennai, June 19 : Political parties of Tamil Nadu are agitating after the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) chairman, S.K. Halder stated that the CWMA would discuss the Mekedatu dam issue on June 23. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin said that a delegation of Tamil Nadu legislators led by the state Water Resources Minister, S. Duraimurugan would meet the Union Jal Shakti Minister against the involvement of CWMA in the matter.

The political parties are of the opinion that the CWMA did not have any brief to discuss the issue which is a dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and a legal battle is going on in the Supreme Court.

Stalin lashed out against the CWMA Chairman and said that the body does not have any power to take unilateral decisions when the matter was pending before the top court.

State political parties including the opposition AIADMK is of the opinion that the union government should not yield to the pressure tactics of the Karnataka government.

Stalin in a statement said that the Karnataka side has been making all-out efforts to reduce the quantum of Cauvery water given to Tamil Nadu and that the proposed dam at Mekedatu is one of the major effects of reducing Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu. The Chief Minister also said that this was a big betrayal to the farmers of Tamil Nadu and that this was against the federal principles of the country.

Tamil Nadu side is of the opinion that Karnataka constructing a dam is against the verdict of the Supreme Court. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned that the Supreme Court had delivered a judgment on February 16, 2018, apportioning the waters of Cauvery amongst the riparian states.

Political leaders of Tamil Nadu are of the opinion that even though the water received by the state as part of the Supreme Court ordered apportioning is low but the state was managing without complaints to honour the verdict.

The state is of the opinion that even though there is a lesser quantum of water being delivered from Cauvery, it needs to be as per the schedule and any disruption in that would adversely affect the farming and that was why Mekedatu dam issue is turning into a very sensitive one for the state of Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are at loggerheads for several years over the Mekedatu dam issue on the share of water from Cauvery river. The Mekedatu dam project estimated at Rs 9,000 crore, once completed, is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas and it can also generate 400 MW of power.

The proposed Mekedatu reservoir is estimated to have a capacity of 2,84,000 million cubic feet (TMC) and as said earlier the Karnataka government in its budget for the financial year 2022-23 allocated Rs 1000 crore this year for implementing the project.

Tamil Nadu is sore that the Mekedatu dam area represents the last free point in Karnataka from where Cauvery flows freely to Tamil Nadu and that the Mekedatu dam project is a ploy by the Karnataka side to prevent the free flow of water to Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu side believes that if the dam is built, Karnataka will only release residual quantities of water to Tamil Nadu and hence the state is opposed to the project in totality.

All the political parties of Tamil Nadu including the AIADMK and the BJP are against the Mekedatu project leading to the state legislative assembly passing a unanimous resolution against the same.

With the statement of the CWMA chairman causing much concern in Tamil Nadu, it is certain that in the days to come politics of the state will revolve around Mekedatu and the authority of the CWMA chairman to hold a discussion on the dam project.
Hyderabad, June 19 : Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna - starrer 'Pushpa 2', is yet to go on the floors. Meanwhile, speculations about the second part of Sukumar's directorial are rife.

Netizens have been making guesses about the nature of the Pushpa Raj-Bhanwar Singh Shekawath (played by Fahadh Fassil) clash in the second installment of the blockbuster movie 'Pushpa', while things around Rashmika Mandanna's role are majorly discussed too.

Speculations are rife that Rashmika Mandanna's character, Srivalli, is killed by the villains, leaving Allu Arjun's character outraged and devastated. There's no way of knowing if Sukumar will infuse this side of the story, but Twitter users speculate on two possibilities.

The cliche of villains murdering the heroine in order to extract revenge on the hero is no longer relevant. Despite the old nature of the element, 'KGF 2' utilised it to perfection, because of Prashanth Neel's exceptional knack for massive scene mounting.

Because the audience should sympathise with the smuggler-hero, 'Pushpa Raj' was disgraced and labelled a bastard by his opponents in the first section. If the same notion is repeated through the heroine's death in the second part, it will appear repetitive. Well, Sukumar, the captain of the ship, is still on his way, giving final touches to the script for 'Pushpa 2' before the team begins filming in August.
Srinagar, June 19 : A terrorist killed during a gunfight with the security forces in the Lolab area of North Kashmir's Kupwara district has been identified as a Pakistani national, officials said on Sunday.

The terrorist belonged to the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taibe (LeT).

"Killed terrorist has been identified as a Pakistani, linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT. 2-3 more terrorists alongwith arrested terrorist trapped in ongoing encounter," the Jammu and Kashmir Police quoting Inspector General Police Kashmir zone Vijay Kumar tweeted.

Police said the encounter started after it launched a joint anti-terrorist operation along with Army's 28 RR on the disclosure of an arrested terrorist Showket Ahmed Sheikh in the Lolab area.

"During search of hideouts, hiding terrorists fired upon joint search parties and our team also retaliated, in which one terrorist got killed. The arrested terrorist also got trapped. Encounter in progress," police said.

Further details were awaited
Srinagar, June 19 : An encounter started between the terrorists and security forces at D.H. Pora area in South Kashmir's Kulgam district, officials said on Sunday.

"Encounter has started at D.H. Pora area of Kulgam. Police and Army on job," police said.

This is the second encounter in Kashmir on a single day.

Earlier on Sunday, one Pakistani terrorist belonging to the proscribed outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba was killed in an encounter with the security forces at Lolab in North Kashmir's Kupwara district.

There have been a series of gunfights between the terrorists and security forces in Kashmir over the last few months in which many terrorists and their commanders have been eliminated.

Most of the operations have been jointly conducted by the police and the army on the basis of specific intelligence inputs.
Amaravati, June 19 : Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national President and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday decried the 'midnight demolition' of the house wall of party leader and former minister Ayyanna Patrudu in Narsipatnam.

Naidu asserted that the latest attack on the residence of their senior party leader was part of the Jagan Reddy government's vendetta against the opposition leaders.

The TDP chief alleged that the Chief Minister was making selected attacks on the strong BC leaders of the TDP all over the state. Fabricated cases were being filed and arrests were being made of these BC leaders.

Naidu said that the attack on the house of Ayyanna Patrudu took place only because he exposed the YSRCP regime's failures at the Chodavaram Mini Mahanadu. Out of frustration, the ruing party made midnight attack on the TDP leader's house, he said.

Naidu asserted that Jagan Mohan Reddy had no courage to answer to the questions raised by Ayyanna Patrudu. This is why the CM was resorting to demolition.

The TDP chief said the party would stand by the side of Ayyanna Patrudu in this critical hour.

Earlier, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh said that the YSRCP rulers were resorting to intimidating attacks out of frustration over the latest massive success of Chandrababu Naidu's public meetings in north Andhra. The Government was clearly terrified of the rising anti-establishment wave among all sections of the people, he said.

Lokesh said he was feeling pity for Jagan Reddy for relying on 'victimisation politics' even after completing three years as the Chief Minister. Since the YSRCP government had nothing to highlight before the public, they were perpetrating attacks and demolition.
New Delhi, June 19 : A Pakistani restaurant has received criticism on social media after using a scene from the popular Bollywood film 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' starring Alia Bhatt in order to promote an offer meant only for men.

In the Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial, Alia plays the role of prostitute Gangubai who goes on to become an influential brothel owner.

The advertisement used by the Karachi-based-restaurant on Instagram highlights a scene from the movie where the actress calls her first customer.

With that poster, the restaurant Swing announced Men's Monday with a 25 per cent discount for men.

"Aaja na Raja - what are you waiting for?" the tagline reads.

The ad showed Bhatt standing at the door and a big billboard promoting 25 per cent off on "Men's Monday".

The caption read: "Swings is calling out all the Rajas out there." As soon as it was put on social media, the advertisement received negative attention. Social media users urged for taking it down.

"I puked thrice. seriously wtf is wrong with you guys!!!," wrote a user.

Another wrote: "What a cheap marketing." An angry netizen commented: "Wtf is wrong with you guys?? This is a really bad marketing strategy Y'ZY. #disappointed" One even called it a "crass advertisement".
London, June 19 : Humans are smarter eaters than previously thought, finds a study that showed people 'right size' portions of high-calorie foods they eat.

The findings, led by the University of Bristol, revisit the long-held belief that humans are insensitive to the energy content of the foods they consume and are therefore prone to eating the same amount of food (in weight) regardless of whether it is energy-rich or energy-poor.

"For years we've believed that humans mindlessly overeat energy-rich meals. Remarkably, this study indicates a degree of nutritional intelligence whereby humans manage to adjust the amount they consume of high-energy density options," said lead author Annika Flynn, doctoral researcher in Nutrition and Behaviour at the University.

For the study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the team looked at data from a trial, involving 20 healthy adults, using normal, everyday meals with different energy densities, such as a chicken salad sandwich with fig roll biscuits or porridge with blueberries and almonds.

The team calculated the calories, grams, and energy density (calories per gram) for every meal each participant consumed.

The results demonstrated that meal calorie intake increased with energy density in energy-poor meals.

However, surprisingly, with greater energy density a turning point was observed whereby people start to respond to increases in calories by reducing the size of the meals they consume. This suggests a previously unrecognised sensitivity to the energy content of the meals people were eating, the researchers said.

"For instance, people ate smaller portions of a creamy cheese pasta dish, which is an energy-rich meal, than a salad with lots of different vegetables which is relatively energy-poor," Annika said.

This research sheds new light on human eating behaviour, specifically an apparent subtle sensitivity to calories in energy-rich meals.

"This research gives added weight to the idea humans aren't passive overeaters after all, but show the discerning ability to moderate how much of an energy-rich meal they consume," said co-author Jeff Brunstrom, Professor of Experimental Psychology.
Srinagar, June 19 : Two terrorists have been killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Sunday, police said.

"One more terrorist killed (Total 02). Operation in progress," police said.

The encounter at DH Pora area of Kulgam is the second in the day. Earlier on Sunday, a Pakistani terrorist belonging to LeT was killed in an encounter at Lolab in Kupwara district.

There have been a series of encounters between terrorists and security forces in Kashmir over the last few months in which many terrorists and their commanders have been eliminated.
Chennai, June 19 : Several south Indian stars cutting across film industries joined scores of people in celebrating Father's Day on Sunday.

Wishing their dads a happy Father's Day, they gratefully acknowledged the selfless sacrifices their fathers had made for their sake.

Several stars took to social media to share heart touching posts about their fathers.

Actor Vishal tweeted, "Dearest dad, Proud, elated, happy and always inspired to have a father like you. Thank you for always pushing me forward as I follow your footsteps to lead a healthy lifestyle. May god bless you with the best of health, peace and happiness. Happy Father's Day." Actor Arav, who shot to fame after winning the title of Bigg Boss, wrote, "Second year without my dad, and here is K making me a responsible and loving father. I promise I will give you the world you want. Happy Father's Day to all the Fathers out there." Both Malayalam superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal too wished all their followers on social media a Happy Father's Day.

Actress Akshara Haasan, the younger daughter of Kamal Haasan too, wrote a heart touching post on Instagram on the occasion of Father's Day.

She said, "Happy Father's Day to my dearest bapuji. The best support, inspiration, role model, loving, warm, large-hearted father a daughter can ask for. Eternally grateful to be your daughter." Director Aishwarya Rajinikanth, who posted a picture of herself with her dad, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Instagram, wrote, "My heartbeat ..#happyfathersday"
Panaji, June 19 : Ahead of the Goa Assembly session, set to commence from July 11, the Congress on Sunday said that it will take on the BJP government, with support of other opposition MLAs, on their failures to resolve issues grappling the state.

Congress Legislature Party's deputy leader Sankalp Amonkar, addressing a press conference here, said that the BJP government has failed in all aspects, including on financial condition as liabilities have reached Rs 27,000 crore.

"We have confidence that we will expose the BJP government. We have sought replies to various questions. We will raise issues of job scams and unemployment," he said.

Amonkar, the Mormugao MLA, said that his party has devised a strategy for their questions to have an impact in the public domain. "We will seek support of other MLAs to take this (fight) in the right way," he said.

He said that along with burning issues like coal hub, and double tracking, they will also question the government over failure to release financial aid under social welfare schemes and seafarers pension.

He said that corruption has taken place in the Atal Setu project and they will raise the issue in the Assembly.

"Government is trying to suppress the voice of the people by not providing information under RTI and now they have reduced the number of sub-questions to be asked in assembly to 5. Speaker should have at least allowed us to ask 8 or more questions. We will meet him in this regard," Amonkar said.

He termed the "Garib Kalyan Sammelan" programme of the BJP a certificate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for their "non-performance".

"It is BJP's third term in Goa, however it failed to deliver. Before the election, it had launched 'Ghar Ghar Chalo Abhiyan' scheme and through that, hoodwinked people of Goa. Now with this new scheme they are repeating history," he said.

"Had they performed well and worked in the interest of people, then they would have organised 'Acche Din Sammelan' instead of GKS. This proves that BJP has failed in the last ten years to give 'acche din' to people of Goa. BJP has pushed the state into financial bankruptcy leading to financial emergency," he said.

Accusing the BJP of completely failing to resolve even a single issue, Amonkar said: "BJP is playing vindictive politics. BJP has brought poverty instead of prosperity."
Srinagar, June 19 : Two terrorists, including a Pakistani national have been killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Lolab area in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Sunday, police said.

"One more terrorist killed (total 02). Heavy exchange of fire going on," police said.

Police said one of the killed terrorists has been identified as a Pakistani National.

"Killed terrorist has been identified as a Pakistani, linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT. 2-3 more terrorists alongwith arrested terrorist trapped in ongoing encounter," Jammu and Kashmir Police said in a tweet, citing Inspector General of Police, Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar.

Police said the encounter started after police launched a joint anti-terrorist operation alongwith Army's 28 RR on the disclosure of an arrested terrorist Showket Ahmed Sheikh in Lolab area of Kupwara.

"During search of hideouts, hiding terrorists fired upon joint search parties and our team also retaliated, in which one terrorist got killed. The arrested terrorist also got trapped. Encounter in progress," police said.

This is the second encounter in Kashmir on a single day. Two terrorists were killed in an encounter between terrorists and security at DH Pora area in Kulgam district earlier in the day.
Bhopal, June 19 : After experimenting for 2 years to find a suitable leader who can lead the BJP in Madhya Pradesh's Vindhya region of, the party's leadership finally had to rely on an old warhorse - former minister and four-time MLA Rajendra Shukla.

Four-time BJP MLA from Rewa constituency, Shukla was Commerce and Industry Minister in Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet (2013-2018), and emerged as a prominent face not only in Rewa division but in entire Vindhya region of the state, but was not included in the cabinet after the party got back power after from the Congress in 2020.

An obvious reason was that the BJP had to give the maximum cabinet posts to loyalists of defected Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia due to which the party came back to power. Shukla was not only kept outside the cabinet but it is said some top leaders conspired to sideline him from the core group of the party.

In the 2028 Assembly polls, Shukla was in-charge of Vindhya region and the BJP managed to win 25 out of 30 Assembly seats, including Congress stronghold - Churhat in Sidhi district. Also, the BJP won all eight assembly seats from Rewa, the only district in Madhya Pradesh where it won all Assembly seats.

According to political observers, the first and foremost reason for not including Shukla in the cabinet and keeping him sidelined was his growing stature. "In the past few years, Shukla's political graph has risen manifold and he has become a prominent Brahmin face in Vindhya reason. After the death of Congress leader and former Assembly Speaker Sriniwas Tiwari, Shukla is considered the topmost Brahmin leader in Vindhya region. Some other Brahmin leaders of the region consider him their rival," said a senior Journalist who has covered MP politics for three decades.

After 2018, the state BJP leadership tried to experiment with some other leaders from Vindhya region. Assembly Speaker Girish Gautam and Cabinet Minister Ram Khelawan Patel and some others were given a push but the experiment failed.

"Despite having won maximum seats from Vindhya region, not a single leader was made cabinet minister, except Girish Gautam who was made Speaker. Though Gautam is also a senior Brahmin leader from Rewa, he remained confined within his own constituency. He was made Speaker to stop Rajendra Shukla from making it to the cabinet," said another senior political observer.

Tribal leader Bisahu Lal Singh, who also hails from Vindhya region and joined the BJP with Scindia, was given a place in the cabinet.

Political observers claimed that the race for Chief Minister's chair is another reason that Shukla was kept out of the core group of state BJP for two years. "A faction opposing Chouhan, especially those who are in the race for the Chief Minister's post backed some other Brahmin faces, because they considered Shukla their main political rival. Since then Shukla's political graph has seen a tremendous increase." The BJP had to fall back on Shukla after Congress started doing its political maths in the Vindhya region as Assembly polls are not far away. "Shukla was included in the core committee and the election committee because the party has to end the factionalism in Vidhya region and to repeat its last performance. It is also because leaders who were given a push from the back end, could not justify their performances in the last two years," a political analyst said.

Contacted by IANS for his response, Shukla said: "I am one who believes in work. I do not think about what happened in the past. Whenever I was assigned a task, I have tried to give my best. Right now, the party has given me a task in Rewa and Shahdol divisions, I am busy with that. That's all I can say."
New Delhi, June 19 : A 38-year-old man strangulated his wife to death in the national capital and later himself went to the police station to confess his crime, an official said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Vijay, a resident of Mukundpur, Delhi, was working as a labourer, while the deceased, identified as Santoshi Devi, was his second wife.

Furnishing details, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer north) Brijendra Kumar Yadav said accused Vijay came to Police station Bhalswa Dairy on Saturday, June 18 around 8.45 p.m. and told that he has murdered his wife.

The police immediately rushed to his house and found his wife's body inside the bathroom, wrapped in some clothes.

"The information got lodged and it came to know that Vijay was married earlier to a lady (1st wife) from whom he has 4 children. Thereafter, he came in touch with another lady (deceased Santoshi) after which his first wife left him," the DCP said.

The deceased Santoshi was already having 4 children, three daughters and a son and had been living separately from her husband. Accused Vijay and Santoshi too had a child aged two years as they had started living together for a long time.

On the fateful day i.e. June 17, Santoshi returned from her work and around 11.30 p.m., some quarrel took place between the two.

"All the children were sleeping on the ground floor and Vijay and Santoshi were on the terrace. As the fight between them escalated, accused Vijay strangulated Santoshi and wrapped her body in some cloth for disposal and hid it in the bathroom," the senior official said.

Initially, the accused Vijay tried to escape from the law, but somehow changed his mind and himself went to the police station to confess his crime.

Meanwhile, after the death of their mother, and father being held under the clutches of law -- their five children have now become orphaned.

In a kind and noble gesture, DCP Yadav has promised to extend all possible help to the grief-stricken family.

"I will personally ensure that the rent of their house is paid for the entire year. A lady police constable has also been deputed to take care of the children," Yadav told IANS.
Hyderabad, June 19 : AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday appealed to the Central government to immediately rollback defence services recruitment scheme 'Agnipath'.

Reacting to the government's statement ruling out a rollback, the Hyderabad MP made a fresh appeal.

"I once again appeal to the government to stop this devious manner of working, listen to the youth of this country, immediately rollback this cruel scheme of contractual recruitment and make up the shortfall in men and equipment for our armed forces," Owaisi tweeted.

He also slammed the Narendra Modi government over the issue. "BJP leaders say we will hire demobilised contract soldiers as chowkidars for their offices. Is this the dignity Modi's party assigns to soldiers and soldiering, which is a profession of honour?," he asked. "It is regrettable that we have a ruling party like this in the country," he said.

"We have seen the destruction caused to the Indian economy and society by reckless steps like demonetisation and lockdown taken without any thought and planning," he wrote and wanted to know if the Prime Minister now wants to do the same to national security.

Earlier, Owaisi, posting a video of Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy, said: "Modi's minister says Agniveers will be trained as drivers, dhobis etc Serving in army is a prestigious profession with no parallel. These men are willing to kill or get killed for India. If they wanted to be drivers, etc why would they spend 4 years in army?" "It's clear that BJP sees Agniveers as nothing but chowkidaars on hire," he said and alleged that the Prime Minister is playing with India's security and destroying the future of youth.
New Delhi, June 19 : The BJP on Sunday hit back at the opposition parties, especially Congress, for politicising the new Agnipath scheme for recruitment in armed forces.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the opposition parties are politicising the armed forces reform.

"Agnipath is a scheme that shouldn't be politicised. It is sad to see the politicisation of issues concerning the nation and armed forces, but some people play their dirty politics by keeping aside national security. Today, after the way Lieutenant General Puri explained the scheme, all apprehensions have been cleared. Reform in armed forces goes back to 1989 and it was also recommended by Kargil Review Committee after Kargil war," Patra said.

Patra added that "it's very sad to see youth being misled by some who don't want the Prime Minister's vision of 'Reform, Perform and Transform' to become successful." Referring to Congress' 'Satyagrah' at Jantar Mantar, Patra said that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi should have sought reforms earlier, "She (Priyanka) did not say anything then but is now doing Satyagrah. What type of Satyagraha is this? She did nothing when our Air Force was working with depleting strength for 10 years. We brought Rafale, they politicised it and now, again, they are politicising Agnipath." The Central government has said that 75 per cent of the youths who will come out after completing their four-year term will be accommodated in police and Central Armed Police Forces.

"Congress leaders are making brazen statements, Priyanka Gandhi saying her objective is to topple the government. Earlier, they politicised surgical and air strikes, and now they are politicising the Agnipath scheme," he said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kolkata, June 19 : The differences between West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and other opposition parties over selection of a unanimous opposition candidate for the Presidential polls, seem to be widening, as she, in all probability, will skip the meeting called by NCP chief Sharad Pawar on June 21.

Instead, she is likely to depute her nephew and Trinamool national General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee to attend.

Officially, the Trinamool leadership is stating that her most likely absence in the meeting convened by Pawar will be because of her pre-scheduled appointment on that day. However, party insiders said that the actual reasons might be the growing grievances in the mind of the Chief Minister over certain developments since she convened a similar meeting on this count at New Delhi's Constitution Club on June 15.

The first reason is that in the invitation to opposition parties to attend the meeting convened by Pawar, there is absolutely no reference to the previous meeting on June 15.

"In the meeting at Constitution Club on June 15, 2022, it was unanimously decided that Pawar would convene the next meeting of the opposition parties on the issue of Presidential polls. However, surprisingly the invitation for the meeting on June 21 does not have any reference of the decision taken on this count in the meeting on June 15. This is somewhat belittling the efforts of the Chief Minister who took the first initiative to call an opposition meeting on this count," a senior West Bengal cabinet minister said.

Secondly, Banerjee is reportedly unhappy with the manner in which the National Conference chief Farooq Abdulla withdrew name as a probable opposition candidate in the Presidential polls by making a public statement later and without saying anything about his reluctance on this count at the June 15 meeting.

However, another section in the Trinamool does not look at the issue in that way. They feel that the Chief Minister wants Abhishek Banerjee to play a major role on behalf of the party in national politics and hence, his presence at the June 21 meeting was the right opportunity to project him on this count.
Srinagar, June 19 : Three heritage sites of Jammu and Kashmir have been chosen among 75 prominent heritage spots for special events on June 21 being celebrated as International Yoga Day.

Officials said these include Suchetgarh in RS Pura sector along International Border, historic Dal lake in Srinagar and Martand Sun temple in Anantnag.

Union Minister in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) holding Independent Charge of Sciences and Technology, Earth Science, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, will lead Yoga Day celebrations along with security personnel and local people on the International Border of Suchetgarh in RS Pura sector of Jammu district.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar, will lead the celebrations at Martand Sun Temple in Anantnag district of South Kashmir while Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Kapil Moreshwar Patil will join the Yoga Day function at Dal Lake, Srinagar.

"Pertinently, 75 heritage and iconic sites have been finalized by the Union Government where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 75 Union Ministers including Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister will lead International Yoga Day (IYD) celebrations this year.

"For the first time, all 75 Central Ministers will be visiting one historically significant spot each across the country on the occasion of International Yoga Day.

"Prime Minister will lead Yoga Day celebrations at Mysore Palace in Mysuru in Karnataka while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) and Union Home Minister, Amit Shah at Trimbakeshwar temple at Nasik in Maharashtra.

Calling Yoga, a priceless gift from the ancient history of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed for remembrance of yogic practices. Ultimately, on December 11, 2014, the UN declared June 21 as International Yoga Day.

The significance of the chosen date is that it is the Northern Hemisphere's longest day, which is commemorated as a culturally significant day in various areas of the world. It is also mark start of summer.

"Covid-19 pandemic present resurgence has added stress and anxiety among the people. The disease and isolation are not only affecting the health of the patient but also affecting their emotional health and even that of his family members. Yoga helps to deal with these types of issues. It helps us to build up psycho-physiological health, and emotional harmony; and manage daily stress and its consequences", officials said.
Pakistan again violates ceasefire on LoC, now in Kupwara Image Source: IANS News

Properties to be attached for wilful harbouring of terrorists: J&K police Image Source: IANS News

Srinagar, June 19 : Jammu and Kashmir police along with security forces arrested three terrorist associates of proscribed terror outfit Al-Badr from north Kashmir's Handwara area and recovered incriminating materials, arms and ammunition from their possession, officials said on Sunday.

Police acted on specific information regarding movement of terrorists in Wangam area of Handwara. A special checkpoint was established by the police, army and CRPF near Wangam Crossing.

"During checking, the joint party apprehended three individuals moving in suspicious circumstances. They have been identified as Nazim Ah Bhat, Siraj din Khan and Adil Gull, all the residents of Khaipora, Kralgund," police said.

Upon their personal search, incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one pistol, one magazine, eight live rounds and two hand grenades were recovered.

"Preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested trio is linked with the proscribed terror outfit Al-Badr and they were tasked by Pakistan-based handlers to carry out terrorist acts in the area," police said.

Police have registered an FIR and further investigation is in progress.
Hyderabad, June 19 : Telangana's Industries and Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao has questioned the Centre's move to sell the lands allotted by the state government, along with the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he appealed to the Central government to reconsider the plans, failing which the Telangana government will "strongly obstruct the moves".

KTR, as Rama Rao is popularly known, stated that the BJP-led Central government was planning to sell assets, including land allotted to different PSUs, in Telangana.

Instead of selling the assets, the Union government should explore the possibilities of reviving and strengthening the PSUs. "If it is not feasible then the state government should be given an opportunity to set up new industrial units on such lands," he said.

KTR said that the Central government's plans to sell PSUs are nothing but making a mockery of the state government's rights.

he pointed out that many states, including Tamil Nadu were strongly opposing the Central government moves to sell PSUs set up in their respective territories.

Lashing out at the Central government for its attempts to sell PSUs in the guise of disinvestment, he sought to know under what provisions or rights, the Modi government was contemplating the sale of PSUs set up in different states.

It was unfortunate that the Modi government did not provide job opportunities to the unemployed youth. If the PSUs were reopened, they would provide direct employment to thousands and indirectly millions would be benefited, KTR said.

Instead the Central government was focusing on withdrawing investment to facilitate sale of the companies. The BJP government was selling Hindustan Cables Ltd, Hindustan Fluorocarbons Ltd, Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd, HMT, Cement Corporation of India Ltd (CCI) and Ordinance factories in Telangana as part of its disinvestment plans, he charged.

The state government had allotted about 7,200 acres of land to these six companies. The value of these lands would be nearly Rs 5,000 crore according to government rates and as per open market prices, the value could be over Rs 40,000 crore, he said.

The state government had allotted lands to these companies at marginal prices and in a few cases, they were offered for free, since setting up of these units would generate employment to local people, besides facilitating industrial development.

He recalled that when the Telangana government urged the union government to allot lands for the construction of Skyways to improve transportation in Hyderabad, the Centre demanded compensation as per market price.

"In this context, how can the Central government sell the lands that were allotted by the state government for setting up PSUs," KTR questioned.
RTHK: Nato chief warns Ukraine war could last 'years'

Nato's chief warned that the war in Ukraine could last "for years" as President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on Sunday that his forces would not give up the south of the country to Russia after he visited the frontline there.

Ukraine said it had also repulsed fresh attacks by Russian forces on the eastern front, rocked by weeks of fierce battles as Moscow tries to seize the industrial Donbas region.

While Ukraine remained defiant, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged that Western countries must be ready to offer long-term military, political and economic support to Kyiv through a grinding war.

"We must be prepared for this to last for years," Stoltenberg told German daily newspaper Bild. "We must not weaken in our support of Ukraine, even if the costs are high  not only in terms of military support but also because of rising energy and food prices."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a similar warning, urging sustained support for Kyiv or risking "the greatest victory for aggression" since World War II.

"Time is now the vital factor," Johnson wrote in an article for Britain's Sunday Times after making his second visit to Kyiv, calling for the West to ensure Ukraine has the "strategic endurance to survive and eventually prevail".

Ukraine has repeatedly urged Western countries to step up their deliveries of arms since the February 24 invasion, despite Russian warnings that it could trigger wider conflict.

Zelensky made a rare trip outside Kyiv on Saturday to the hold-out Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, and visited troops nearby and in the neighbouring Odessa region for the first time since the Russian campaign began.

"We will not give away the south to anyone, we will return everything that's ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe," he said in a video posted on Telegram as he made his way back to Kyiv.

But Zelensky admitted that losses were "significant", adding: "Many houses were destroyed, civilian logistics were disrupted, there are many social issues."

Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday it had launched missile strikes during the past 24 hours, with one attack by Kalibr missiles on a top-level Ukrainian military meeting near the city of Dnipro killing "more than 50 generals and officers".

It said it also targeted a building housing western-delivered weapons in Mykolaiv, destroying "ten 155 mm howitzers and around 20 armoured vehicles supplied by the West to the Kyiv regime over the last ten days". (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-06-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Tiruvananthapuram, June 19 : Kerala Police arrested K.V. Sasikumar, a retired teacher and a former CPI-M councillor of Malappuram district on a complaint of sexual assault against children. The retired teacher is on bail in two other cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Sasikumar, after his retirement from service, had put a Facebook post on his illustrious life as a school teacher which triggered a flurry of complaints against him by former students.

Several of his former students read his Facebook post and came out with startling revelations against the former teacher.

The teacher relinquished his ward councillor membership after the former student's forum of the school lodged a complaint with the District Superintendent of Police, Woman's Commission, and State Human Rights Commission.

Sasikumar was a Mathematics teacher at Malappuram St Gemmas Girls higher secondary school. He was absconding after many students came out with allegations of sexual offences against him. The teacher was later nabbed from Wayanad district.

The teacher served prison term for three weeks and had come out on bail a couple of days ago when he was charged with a fresh case on a complaint filed by a former student.
Chandigarh, June 19 : Nearly 70 per cent of over 17 lakh voters in Haryana turned out on Sunday to cast their ballots in polls for 18 municipal councils and 28 municipalities amidst minor skirmishes and snags in electronic voting machines (EVMs), officials said.

Counting will take place on June 22.

The main contest is the between the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) alliance and the Congress, while the Aam Adam Party, in its maiden contest in the civic body poll, is testing the waters ahead of the 2024 Assembly polls in Haryana.

Unlike the main opposition Congress, the BJP-JJP alliance and the AAP were fighting the polls on their party symbol. Many Congress members had entered the fray as Independents.

In the 2019 polls, the AAP contested on 46 seats of the 90-member Assembly, but faced humiliating defeat with a vote share of just 0.48 per cent.

State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh said for 456 wards of 18 municipal councils, 185 candidates were in the fray for the post of President.

Of these, 100 were men and 85 women.

A total of 15 councillors have been elected unanimously out of 456 wards, while 1,797 candidates were contesting in the remaining 441 wards.

According to Singh, there were 12.6 lakh voters in 18 municipal councils, out of which 663,870 were men, 596,095 women, and 35 transgenders.

A total of 1,290 polling booths were set up for the municipal elections, out of which 289 were sensitive and 235 hyper-sensitive.

In 432 wards in 28 municipalities, 221 candidates were contesting as President, of which 128 were men and 93 women. Out of 432 councillors, 33 have been elected unanimously.

In the remaining 399 wards, 1,301 candidates were in the fray, including 783 men and 518 women.

The electorate comprises 570,208 voters, out of which 301,677 were men, 268,517 women, and 14 transgenders.

A total of 671 polling booths were set up for the municipality elections, out of which 144 were sensitive and 92 vulnerable.
Davao City : , June 19 (IANS) Sara Duterte-Carpio was sworn into office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines on Sunday in her hometown in Davao City in the southern Philippines.

Wearing an emerald green chiffon Filipiniana gown, Duterte-Carpio took her oath of office as her mother, Elizabeth, and her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, standing next to her, watched, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We should not, as we could not afford to squander the future of our children. The days ahead may be full of challenges that call for us to be more united as a nation," said Duterte-Carpio, popularly known by her nickname Inday.

Duterte-Carpio rallied the people to serve her country of 110 million and protect the integrity of families and children's future.

"Let us show our love for our country by taking care of our family and communities despite the challenges that come their way," Duterte-Carpio added.

A lawyer and former mayor of Davao City, Duterte-Carpio will officially assume office on June 30. Her six-year term ends on June 30, 2028.

At 44 years old, she is the youngest to have been elected vice president and the third woman vice president after Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Maria Leonor Robredo.

Thousands flocked to the square fronting the city hall to listen to and watch Duterte-Carpio take her oath of office, including Duterte-Carpio's family, President-elect Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, and former President Arroyo.

Earlier this month, Duterte-Carpio said she looks forward "to achieving new milestones with the ever-active Filipino-Chinese community in the (Philippines)." Over 4,000 troops and police personnel were deployed to secure the event and the hotels where guests stayed.

Duterte-Carpio won by garnering 32.2 million votes, the highest number of votes from all national candidates, in the May 2022 elections and about twice the 16.6 million votes cast for her father in the 2016 presidential race.

Duterte-Carpio's running mate, Marcos, 64, also won by a landslide with 31.6 million votes. He will take his oath of office in Manila as new Philippine president on June 30, succeeding Duterte.

Duterte-Carpio will also head the Department of Education in the incoming Marcos administration.
New Delhi, June 19 : As Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in National Herald case on Monday, the Congress is gearing up to protest on two issues -- Agnipath scheme and Rahul Gandhi's questioning by the ED.

Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "Tomorrow lakhs of Congress workers across the country will continue peaceful protest against the anti-youth Agnipath scheme & against Modi Govt's vendetta politics targeting its leader Shri Rahul Gandhi, MP." He also said that Congress delegation will meet President Ram Nath Kovind in the evening.

The Congress will start its day with party General Secretary Ajay Maken addressing a press conference at 9 a.m. on Monday.

Earlier on Sunday, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the Congress protest at Jantar Mantar against the central government's new scheme of recruitment in defence forces, 'Agnipath'. Several Congress leaders also joined the protest.

Several top leaders of the Congress participated in what the party called 'satyagrah' and demanded the government to withdraw the Agnipath scheme. The Congress leaders said the government should immediately withdraw this scheme as it is not good for the youth.
Ramallah, June 19 : A Palestinian was killed on Sunday by Israeli soldiers when he tried to cross the security fence between the northern West Bank city of Qaliqlya and Israel, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Palestinian liaison office reported that Nabil Ghanim was killed after Israeli soldiers shot him near the security fence close to the city, according to a press statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

An Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that a Palestinian tried to sabotage the security fence between the city of Qalqilya and Israel, adding that Israeli soldiers had first opened warning gunshots, and then hit him when he didn't respond, Xinhua news agency reported.

The spokesman clarified that the Palestinian man was critically wounded and was transferred to an Israeli hospital, but succumbed to his wounds.

Palestinian local sources said that Ghanim is a Palestinian worker from the West Bank city of Nablus and was trying to enter Israel for work there.

Shaher Saad, secretary-general of the Palestine Trade Union Federation, accused the Israeli army of adopting a new approach of targeting Palestinian workers near the separation wall in the West Bank.

The Israeli government practices "murder and violence against the Palestinians, including workers, to win votes in any upcoming elections," he condemned, adding that the union will follow up all attacks against workers in all international forums.

The worker's killing came two days after three Palestinian men were killed by Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been flaring recently, as the Israeli army launched repeated incursions into the West Bank in response to attacks carried out by Palestinians in Israel.

On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets bombed military facilities belonging to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, in response to a rocket firing at southern Israel, according to Hamas security sources.
New Delhi, June 19 : Delhi on Sunday reported marginal decline in Covid cases in last 24 hours, at 1,530 against 1,534 recorded on the previous day, while there were three more deaths, as per the government health bulletin.

The Covid positivity rate has jumped to 8.41 per cent, while the number of active cases has risen to 5,542.

With 1,104 patients recovering in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries has gone to 18,90,315. The number of patients being treated in home isolation stands at 3,783.

With new Covid cases, the total caseload of the city has jumped to 19,22,089 while the death toll has reached 26,232.

The number of Covid containment zones stand at 241 in the city.

A total of 18,183 new tests -- 13,298 RT-PCR and 4,885 Rapid Antigen - were conducted in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 3,88,76,508 while 37,501 vaccines were administered - 2,594 first doses, 7,572 second doses, and 27,335 precaution doses.

The total number of cumulative beneficiaries vaccinated so far stands at 3,46,64,648, according to the health bulletin.
New Delhi, June 19 : The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested two dreaded criminals of the Ashok Pradhan gang, an official said here on Sunday.

The accused were identified as Shyam alias Situ, 33, and his associate Sahil, 22.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Rajiv Ranjan Singh said an information was received that the accused would come to meet their associate in Kanjhawala area in a Wagon R Car.

Subsequently, a police team was constituted which laid a trap and at about 2.45 p.m. on Sunday a white Wagon R was spotted along with accused persons on Bawana-Kanjhawala red light which was going towards Ghevra Mor.

"They were apprehended after a brief chase when the wheel of a Wagon R car got stuck in a ditch and got damaged," the DCP said.

During sustained interrogation accused Shyam disclosed that he is a resident of Bawana area in Outer Delhi, working for Ashok Pradhan Gang and the gang members are wanted in murder, extortion, attempt to murder and other cases in Delhi, Haryana and UP.

It was also revealed that in 2021 accused Shyam along with his associates Ajay Joon and Yogesh Kalu had opened fire on a Dhaba owner when he refused to provide service in their car.
New Delhi, June 19 : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday called for both India and Bangladesh to work together for a crime-free border and on river management.

Addressing the 7th Joint Consultative Commission meeting with Bangladesh, he said: "Today Bangladesh is our largest development partner, it is our largest trade partner in the region, it is our largest visa operation overseas. And that really underlines every aspect of our cooperation. And we in turn, are your largest export destination in Asia. I am glad to see that your exports have doubled to $2 billion this year." The minister said both the countries share management of 54 rivers and their conservation, as well as the shared environment responsibility at Sundarbans.

"These are really areas that we need to work together as part of our commitment to climate action." Jaishankar also said that better management of their long border is also a key priority, the border guarding forces should be committed to combating trans-border crimes, and both the countries should continue to work together to make sure that the border remains crime-free.

"We both have a commitment to a prosperous and connected sub-region. We have been working together on a BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement. And we also look at subregional cooperation in power, especially hydropower. We are both the largest producer and consumer of energy in the region. And we would be very happy to work with Bangladesh to structure a progressive partnership in the areas of production, transmission and trade," he said.
London, June 19 : Western leaders have said the war in Ukraine could last for years and will require long-term military support as Russia brought forward reserve forces in an apparent attempt to capture the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk.

"We must prepare for the fact that it could take years," Nato's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said in an interview with the German newspaper Bild on Sunday. "We must not let up in supporting Ukraine." The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, echoed Stoltenberg's comments. "I am afraid that we need to steel ourselves for a long war," he said, adding that it was necessary "to enlist time on Ukraine's side," The Guardian reported.

It came as the new head of the British army said British troops must prepare "to fight in Europe once again". "There is now a burning imperative to forge an army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle," Gen Sir Patrick Sanders said, writing to his charges about the challenges they face, The Guardian reported.

The statements suggest the west believes Ukraine cannot achieve a rapid military breakthrough despite the anticipated arrival of fresh Nato-standard arms, while officials in the country have continued to call for rapid help.

Ukraine's forces remain on the defensive in the eastern Donbas region, where fighting continues in Sievierodonestsk. Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk region, said Russia was massing forces in an attempt to take full control of the city after weeks of fighting.

"Today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, they will throw in all the reserves they have... Because there are so many of them there already, they're at critical mass," Haidai told Ukrainian television, The Guardian reported.

Russia already controls most of Sievierodonetsk, Haidai said on Sunday morning, and if Ukrainian forces lose the city, fighting is expected to focus on neighbouring Lysychansk.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Dhaka, June 19 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked how long could her country bear such a huge burden of more than 1 million Rohingya refugees.

More than 1.1 million Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh are causing a long-term social problems in the country, as many of them are engaged in arms, drug, and women trafficking, she told newly-appointed Canadian High Commissioner, Lilly Nicholls, who called on her at her Sangsad Bhaban office.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is providing temporary shelter to 100,000 Rohingyas on Bhasan Char Island where they will get better facilities.

The High Commissioner said that Canada will always support Bangladesh in this regard, and that her country is creating an additional fund, through charity, for Rohingyas.

She also said Canada is highly pleased to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Bangladesh, while also congratulating Bangladesh on the celebration of the golden jubilee of its Independence and the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Noting that Canada has been supporting Bangladesh since its Liberation War, Sheikh Hasina said Canada had worked closely with Bangladesh since the beginning of the Covid pandemic and thanked it for donating vaccines and equipment.

She appreciated Canada saying that the number of Bangladeshi students is increasing in its universities and requested the Canadian government to include Bangladesh in the Student Direct Stream programme.

"We have special relations with Canada," she said.

Both discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict and agreed that war always causes suffering to people.

As both agreed that bilateral trade and business can grow further, Sheikh Hasina said that she looks forward to boosting trade and investment with Canada and that the large Bangladeshi diaspora in Canada is positively contributing in enhancing people-to-people contact between the two nations.

The Premier said that she expected that Nicholls would play her role in strengthening the existing excellent relations between the two countries, and assured all possible support to her for discharging her duties.

Ambassador-at-large M. Ziauddin and Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus were present at the meeting.
Nicosia, June 20 : Cyprus, an island country in the eastern Mediterranean, has re-established a regular sea-link with the outside world for the first time after 21 years.

Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades attended a ceremony on Sunday at the port of Limassol to mark the launching of a ferry connection with Greece, hailing the event as "historic".

"At last, the umbilical cord through shipping that connected Cyprus with Greece, is being re-established in a more efficient way, with more modern ships, but also with the most important aspect, which was to offer this alternative possibility to the citizens who wanted it," he said.

The last ferry departure from Cyprus to Greece had been in October 2001. After that, only cargo vessels and international cruise ship docked in Cypriot ports, Xinhua news agency reported.

Up to 2001 there were regular departure of ferries from Limassol to Rhodes and Piraeus, but were discontinued as people had the alternative of a 90-minute air travel, as flights to Athens became more frequent and inexpensive.

However, several thousand people with air phobia or who just wanted a leisurely trip to Greece and the possibility of carrying along a car, demanded all the time the resumption of a ferry connection between Cyprus and Greece.

The Cypriot government had to offer a 5.5-million-euro ( nearly $5.77) subsidy a year, after obtaining a special permission from the European Union, to secure interest by ship owners to operate a regular ferry link between Limassol and Piraeus.

The route will be operated by a Cypriot-registered cruiser, the Daleena, which can carry up to 270 passengers and 100 cars. The voyage will last about 30 hours.

Daleena will make a total of 22 voyages this year until mid-September. The agents of the ship said almost all trips have already been booked. They added that 6,500 have reserved a cabin or seat on the cruiser and have also reserved berths for 1,500 vehicles.

A return ticket in a VIP cabin will cost 160 euros, about the same as an economy prime time air ticket, a return second class cabin 80 euros and a return berth for car up to five metres in length 203 euros. All one-way tickets will cost one half of the full trip.

Deputy Minister for Shipping Vassilis Demetriades said that the ferry connection was going to serve a dual purpose, offering an alternative to air travel for residents of Cyprus and giving a boost to maritime tourism, as people in Greece had shown a big response. (1 euro = $1.05)
Amstelveen : , June 20 (IANS) Opener Jason Roy and Phil Salt scored half-centuries to help England beat the Netherlands by six wickets with 29 balls remaining in the second one-day international here on Sunday. England took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The Netherlands rode on a 73-ball 78 by their skipper Scott Edwards to post a below-par 238 for 7 in 41 overs in the weather-hit match.

But Jason Roy marked his 100th ODI with a fine 60-ball 73 while Phil Salt blasted a 54-ball 77 as England repelled a fight back from the Netherlands.

Roy was one of the few England batters to miss out in their world record 498/4 48 hours earlier but, in a contest reduced to 41 overs per side, he hit top form to hasten their pursuit of 236. England reached 239/4 in 36.1 overs to win the match easily.

Roy, who despatched his first nine balls to the boundaries, and Salt raised 139 runs for the opening wicket in 17 overs when Roy was out. Though England lost three more wickets in quick succession and were 177/4 in the 26th over, Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali figured in an unbeaten 62-run partnership to clinch victory for England. Malan remained not out with 36 runs while Moeen Ali remained unbeaten with 42.

Earlier, Scott Edwards held the Netherlands innings with a fine half-century. Bas de Leede (34), Teja Nidamanuru (28) and Logan van Beek (30 not out) got starts for the Netherlands but could not contribute big scores as they ended with a par score.

Brief scores: Netherlands 235/7 in 41 overs (Scott Edwards 78, Bas de Leede 34; David Willey 2/46, Adil Rashid 2/50) lost to England 239/4 in 36.1 overs (Jason Roy 73, Phil Salt 77, Moeen Ali 42 not out; Tom Cooper 1/25) by six wickets.
Cairo, June 20 : Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has held a meeting with visiting Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Jordanian King Abdullah II in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh on cooperation in various fields as well as regional and international issues.

The three leaders discussed "mutual coordination towards various issues of common concern in addition to the latest developments on the regional and international arenas and the challenges facing the region," said the Egyptian presidency in a statement on Sunday.

They stressed it is important to bolster the "brotherly and strategic" relationship between the three countries to higher levels to achieve common goals and interests, Xinhua news agency reported.

They also welcomed the upcoming summit to be hosted by Saudi Arabia in July, comprising leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and the US, said the statement.
Jerusalem, June 20 : Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has warned Iran against "attempts to orchestrate attacks against Israelis overseas," threatening that Israel will exact a price for attempts to harm its citizens.

Making the remarks at the weekly cabinet meeting, Bennett on Sunday said "we are currently witnessing Iranian attempts to attack Israelis in various overseas locations," adding that "Iran's plans focus on Turkey" while Israeli security services "are working to thwart attempted attacks before they are launched".

Israel will "strike those who send the terrorists and those who send those who send them," Bennett warned, saying "our new rule is: whoever sends -- pays," according to a statement issued on his behalf.

The Prime Minister also reiterates a call for Israelis to avoid travelling to Turkey, especially Istanbul, if it was not necessary.

On Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked over phone about the "Iranian intentions to perpetrate terror attacks against Israelis in Istanbul," Herzog's office said in a statement.

The Israeli President thanked Erdogan for Turkey's efforts to thwart attacks on Turkish soil, stressing that the threat to Israelis has not yet passed and "the counterterror efforts must continue".

The two leaders also highlighted the great contribution of this cooperation to the trust being built between the governments and nations, the office said.

On Saturday, Israel's Channel 12 TV news reported Israel's intelligence agency Mossad and Turkish intelligence services thwarted an attack earlier in the day. There was no official confirmation for the report.

Israel's National Security Council on Monday raised its travel warning for Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, to the highest level, citing possible attacks by Iran, said a statement from the council.

The Council called on Israelis currently in Istanbul to leave the city and Israelis planning to travel to Turkey to avoid doing so until further notice, Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran has not commented on the Israeli allegations.

Iran has accused Israel of killing Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps colonel, on May 22 and has vowed to avenge his death. Khodaei was shot and killed by two motorcyclists in the east of Tehran, Iran's capital.
Skopje, June 20 : No early parliamentary elections will be held in North Macedonia, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said, following a meeting with leaders of the ruling coalition partners.

"We have concluded that early parliamentary elections would not solve any of the problems citizens are facing. On the contrary, (it) will deepen them," Kovachevski told a press conference on Sunday, adding that the next parliamentary elections will be held in 2024.

The country's opposition party organised on Saturday evening an anti-government protest demanding early parliamentary elections, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hristijan Mickoski, Head of the main opposition VMRO-DMPNE party criticised the government and threatened to block the country's institutions and to organise other rallies if the request of the opposition is not met.

The ruling coalition partners adopted on Sunday a declaration aiming to provide stability for the citizens, business and domestic economy amid the global crisis.

"The purpose of the declaration is to strongly guarantee the citizens and show the government's clear political commitment to addressing the consequences of the greatest crisis since World War II," the Prime Minister added.

The ruling coalition would continue to respond to the economic crisis by delivering a new set of anti-crisis measures, systemic reforms and fighting against corruption, he said.

Kovachevski also pledged to align the election legislation with the recommendations from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
In early July, members from the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety will be traveling to New Jersey to host the agencys first out-of-state recruitment event for police officers. This initiative, proposed earlier this year by an internal agency focus group, seeks to enhance recruiting efforts by expanding focus into the Tri-State area.

Law enforcement today faces several unique hurdles, among them being fewer interested applicants and competition between metro Atlanta agencies for those applicants, said Captain Jakai Braithwaite, who oversees the agencys recruitment and hiring functions. During the process, applicants can participate in several steps of the hiring process, including the State of Georgias standard physical agility test and virtual panel interviews.

In order to find the best candidates for our community, we need to expand our efforts to include areas outside the local metropolitan area, said Captain Braithwaite. The recruitment event will be held at the Hasbrouck Heights High School in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey from July 7 to July 8. To learn more about the Alpharetta Department of Public Safetys recruitment and hiring, visit http://www.adpscareers.com.

About the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety:

It is the mission of the Department of Public Safety to enhance the quality of life for those that live, work, and play in the City of Alpharetta.
and many others; is taking advantage of its unique positioning and scale to debut the hospitality industrys first global omnichannel media network.

The Marriott Media Network will enable advertisers to deliver curated experiences to millions of travelers. Supported by an industry-leading unified stack advertising platform developed especially for Marriott by Yahoo, the new solution will offer curated content to travelers and guests throughout every touchpoint of their Marriott travel journey.

Data about guest travel behavior, from business to leisure, will be used for ad placement, helping brands reach a more specific customer segment. The media network will enable advertisers to create curated content that aligns with the 30 brands in Marriotts portfolio, promoting different content for, say, the W Hotel line versus the Courtyard by Marriott properties. Yahoos technology will match anonymous customer data with advertiser information while providing a shoppable platform for advertising inventory. The global Yahoo ad sales team will also leverage Yahoos expanded Demand Side Platform to lead demand generation and sales across Marriotts paid media and the Marriott Media Network.

Marriotts Media Network will launch initially in the U.S. and Canada, before ultimately expanding worldwide. There are more than 164 million members in Marriott Bonvoy, the companys travel loyalty program, and the hospitality leader plans to leverage this robust and proprietary audience for key traveler insights to power the media offering. For brand advertisers, the Marriott Media Network will offer an unprecedented combination of scale and personalized media reaching an audience of in-demand, high-intent travelers. The media offering will provide a valuable solution for meeting specific customer segments with targeted content across fully-owned Marriott channels including display, mobile, video, email and in-room screens and televisions.

For travelers and visitors to Marriott properties, the more tailored experience will help drive smarter purchase decisions and support a more fulfilling travel experience through recommendations for relevant products and services throughout their stay.

+++

This article originally appeared in the PSFK iQ report, Retail as Media.
Today we celebrate Juneteenth and the ending of slavery in the United States. While this is only the second time it has been celebrated as a national holiday, the occasion has been memorialized throughout the country since that fateful day over 150 years ago.

But what is the history behind Juneteenth and the journey to liberty for all that it represents?

It was January 1st, 1863. Abraham Lincoln could not stop his hand from trembling. The source of his exhaustion was the White House New Years Day party earlier that day, during which hed shaken hundreds of hands. Trembling or not, the document in front of him needed his signature.

Lincoln carefully dipped his steel pen into the inkwell and paused to say:

I never in my life felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper. But I have been receiving calls and shaking hands since nine oclock this morning, till my arm is stiff and numb. Now this signature is one that will be closely examined, and if they find my hand trembled they will say he had some compunctions. But anyway, it is going to be done.

Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, a document that pronounced that all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states are, and henceforward shall be free. The war to preserve the Union became the war to end slavery.

However, emancipation rested on uncertainty: the Union still needed to win the war. Making matters worse, news of the proclamation did not reach all enslaved people at the same time, with some African Americans first hearing about emancipation months after the war ended in April 1865.

Union troops under the command of Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19th, 1865, the final place to be notified. Granger and his men went street-to-street proclaiming, The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.

Emancipation left an indelible mark on those who were still held in bondage, as interviews conducted decades later by the Federal Writers Project show. Between 1936 and 1938, interviewers spoke with 2,300 former slaves, including hundreds of African Americans who lived in Texas.



Alto resident Preely Coleman, who was freed in 1865, spent Juneteenth 1937 generously sharing his first experience of freedom. The 85-year-old remembered his owner telling him and the other enslaved men working in the field that you all are free as I am. The men began shouting and singing in celebration.

Similarly, 93-year-old Sarah Ashley of Goodrich described her first Juneteenth as a burst of freedom. Franklin resident Josh Miles, 78, shared fond memories of how Juneteenth in Texas always attracted African Americans from the old [slave] states to barbeque and celebrate their freedom together.

Although many African Americans certainly rejoiced that first Juneteenth, just as many experienced the uncertainty of what that freedom meant.

Reverend Bill Green of San Antonio, 87, also heard about the proclamation in June 1865, but he wasnt freed, and his owner attempted to keep him as a slave until he was 21. Only the actions of a local judge saved Green from continued bondage.

Beaumont resident Daphne Williams, who was well over 100-years-old when she was interviewed, thought she was being fooled about the news of her emancipation. Her uncle confirmed their freedom and told Daphne and her family to look out for number one.

Margrett Nillin, 90, of Fort Worth and Susan Merritt, 87, of Rusk County echoed the uncertainty of freedom in their interviews. Both lamented how freedom brought about an explosion of violence against African Americans, many of whom were shot, tortured, or lynched at the hands of former owners and the Ku Klux Klan.

In light of these awful attacks, the interviewer asked Nillin what she liked best: being free or being enslaved? Nillin replied that despite the uncertainty of freedom, under slavery she owned nothing and would never own anything. She could neither marry nor buy a home or raise a family. Emancipation gave Nillin the freedom to own property, to marry and raise a family, to travel and work for wages, and to worship and become educated.

The road leading to emancipation was as uncertain as the road following emancipation. As the oldest nationally celebrated holiday honoring emancipation in the United States, Juneteenth embodies our nations long, often arduous journey to realize our founding principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Our nation's classrooms ought to be spaces in which students can come to appreciate the merits of these principles and learn how to preserve a more perfect Union for all Americans.

Elliott Drago is the Online Education Officer at the Jack Miller Center.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 06/19/2022



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[ Spoilers: This report contains spoilers on Emily and Kobe's relationship and if the couple split or got married -- and if they are still together].

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So did Kobe and Emily split up or get married, and is the couple still together now?

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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.

's ninth season has shown Emily Bieberly's family worried about whether Kobe Blaise could take care of her long-term, so did Emily and Kobe make their relationship work and get married, or did they break up? What do spoilers reveal about their relationship now?Kobe from Cameroon, Africa and Emily from Salina, Kansas, met in Xi'an, China during a fun night out, at the end of which they conceived a baby.Emily gave birth to her first child in July 2019 while she was still living in China, and then she had to return to the U.S. alone.Once the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, Kobe's K-1 visa was postponed two years, and so he had to miss the first two years of his beloved son Koban's life.Emily revealed that she was excited for Kobe to meet their son in person for the very first time but she was also nervous how he would receive her because she had gained weight throughout her pregnancy and looked different from the last time he saw her in China.She also stopped partying now that she had a child, and so she hoped Kobe would be okay with their new lifestyle.Kobe and Emily's reunion at the airport was an emotional and wonderful one, but Kobe told the cameras, "She's changed, she's gained weight. But it's not about who she looks... I am complete... I can't wait to see my son right now."Emily shared with Kobe how they were going to spend the night in a hotel together, where she'd dress up in some lingerie and could have some sexy time by themselves.Kobe was initially disappointed because he really wanted to see Koban, and so he called her plan "selfish." But Emily wanted to make sure the couple still had chemistry that could get them through the next 90 days, and so Kobe put on a good face for Emily and ended up having a great evening with her.After the couple slept together for the first time in two years, Emily confirmed they picked up right where they had left off."I love you!" Kobe gushed, adding how their sexual encounter had come naturally.But the mood quickly shifted when Emily told Kobe that she didn't want to have to pay for everything, including her own engagement and/or wedding ring.Emily said Kobe had proposed with a fake, gumball-machine ring and she wanted a real one, a ring that she could eventually pass down to her children. Emily knew Kobe wouldn't be able to work in the U.S. for awhile, but she still had demands.On the way to Emily's house, Kobe could barely contain his excitement since his son was 17 months old."I don't know if her parents or her family are going to accept me," Kobe noted. "And I started thinking about, like, 'What if my son doesn't accept me either?'"But Kobe was welcomed home with open arms, and Koban smiled at him, which caused Kobe to break down into tears.Emily knew Kobe and Koban would develop a connection and good relationship in time, but she worried about co-parenting with him since she had never seen him act like a father or be hands-on with a baby before.Kobe couldn't believe he was in the United States with his son Koban, but he didn't approve of Emily breast pumping in the living room out in the open and in front of her parents, David and Lisa. Kobe said it wasn't "the right way" to do things and she should pump in the basement by herself, and it seemed like nothing was going to change his mind.Emily and her parents believed there was nothing wrong with breastfeeding out in the open or breastfeeding Koban for this long.Emily's dad David called Kobe "strong-willed and forceful," and her mother Lisa said Kobe's behavior was disappointing."She is going to be my wife and we make love, and I have sucked her breasts, 'cause I love breasts, to be honest. So I can't be sharing breasts with my son. I don't want to sound selfish over here, but that's just the truth," Kobe explained in a confessional.If this was already happening on Day 2, Emily wondered what her relationship was going to be like on Day 22.Kobe told Emily that she was being disrespectful towards him, and Emily missed the sweet and laid-back man she had met and gotten to know in China."Now Kobe is this manly man, trying to tell me what to do. I'm a little taken aback!" Emily admitted.The couple had trouble putting Koban to bed with them that night given Kobe was wired and got his son all worked up. Emily was overwhelmed and asked Kobe to sleep in a different bed, which was "very discouraging" and "frustrating" for him.Kobe felt left out and said Emily was going to need to give him a chance to really become the father in Koban's life and participate and be a part of everything.Kobe said he didn't move to America to sleep by himself and Emily had hurt his feelings.However, Kobe planned to stay positive and optimistic -- until Emily criticized Kobe's parenting techniques and how he changed Koban's diaper.Emily also didn't allow Kobe to drive in the United States with Koban in the car, which Kobe found insulting. She yelled at him, saying he wasn't going to drive her car, and Kobe complained in a confessional how Emily had "changed a lot" and he didn't like what he was seeing."Emily feels she already has a plan for everything and I'm just going to fill the space, but I'm not that kind of a person. I set my own rules and I live by those rules as a man," Kobe explained in a confessional.Emily then gave Kobe a tour of downtown Salina and he didn't seem impressed at all. There were no clubs and cool nightlife, and it seemed Kobe had been envisioning a life in New York or Las Vegas.Kobe told Emily that sometimes she acted too smart, like she knows everything, and it that type of behavior wasn't good for their relationship. Emily and Kobe were bickering, and Emily worried they were no longer on the same page."It's been exhausting. I don't know, maybe Kobe and I are fooling ourselves by trying to make this relationship work," Emily lamented.Emily continued to monitor Kobe's parenting and criticize it.Kobe also didn't take well to farm life. When he helped Emily's parents shovel horse manure, he vented to the cameras, "I miss life back home. And sometimes, part of me feels like Emily doesn't care about the sacrifices I made by leaving my home in Africa to be here, and it's really weighing down on me."Emily even tried to tell Kobe how to shovel properly, but he begged her to just let him do things his way. They once again bickered, and Kobe accused Emily of wanting to fight about almost everything."You just want to control everything," Kobe complained.Kobe told the cameras that Emily wasn't his boss and he felt like she was just trying to show her family that she was in control of him -- and he was "losing [his] patience.""You're being rude," Emily said."I am not being rude. Can you just shut the f-ck up?" Kobe snapped."I cannot believe you just said that to me," Emily griped.She stormed off and called Kobe "rude," and Emily began "second guessing" herself and whether she could marry a man willing to speak to her that way.When Kobe and Emily reunited after a day's work, Emily had to pull an apology out of Kobe."We need to figure this out or this is not going to f-cking work. You don't see the big picture that what you had said to me is wrong," Emily explained."I'm sorry for saying that," Kobe replied, adding, "That was wrong."Kobe said he loved Emily and wanted to marry her but she'd have to learn how to listen to him. And in turn, Emily said she never wanted to see Kobe act like that again but she would try to be less talkative.Emily and Kobe later enjoyed a fun horseback riding date, but Emily knew another point of contention was nearing for the lovebirds: Emily needed to ask her family for money for her wedding, which she thought was going to hurt Kobe's pride.Emily's parents were already paying for everything for Emily, and so her father said Kobe was going to need to prove he could provide for his family. They also didn't want Emily to rush into marriage if she wasn't ready.Emily promised her parents that she "had it handled," but they feared Emily had no clue about how to live on her own, make rent payments and take care of herself.David, an architect, later sat down with Kobe for a chat about his "serious concerns."Emily's father asked Kobe, a former civil engineer, to reveal his "vision" and plans for the future in terms of finances, and Kobe mentioned maybe learning David's business and taking it over one day.But Kobe had only graduated high school -- and with little training thereafter -- and so David called that plan "crazy" and admitted Kobe was "out of his mind" if he thought that was going to happen.David told Kobe how he'd need over five years of training and more schooling, which would be very expensive.Kobe said he had saved $4,000, which could last them a while, but David pointed out how that was not a lot of money in America and would only last a couple months.Kobe had been thinking his money could fulfill the promises he had made to Emily, but now he was no longer sure. David advised Kobe and Emily to budget for food and rent and not treat his time in America like a big party.David thought Kobe had good intentions, but he wasn't convinced love would be enough for this couple to thrive and prosper.Kobe posted a photo of Emily and their son Koban in late April and he captioned it with three red hearts and wrote, "My [heart] beats."Emily appeared to be wearing a wedding ring in the photo, suggesting the pair may have gotten married once Kobe moved to the United States.In the comments, the pair also wrote "love you" to each other.In early May, Kobe uploaded a selfie with Emily and captioned it, "Somewhere safe."A fan asked Kobe if he and Emily were still together, and he wrote, "We were meant for each other forever."A few days later, Kobe gushed about Emily in a touching Instagram post for Mother's Day."Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful moms out there who've been through a lot just to put a smile on a child's face. I wish my mom was still Alive so I could tell her how much I love her but still I got this wonderful woman who has made my life more meaningful," Kobe wrote."Babe, you are an example of what a good mom is all about, I love you and I really appreciate all you've been through in raising Koban in my absence. Happy Mother's Day once again."Emily replied to the post, "I love you," along with a red heart. "Thanks, baby."And then Kobe responded to her comment, "Love you."However, by June, Kobe sparked breakup speculation by posting cryptic TikTok videos on Instagram about people needing to know their "worth" and "value.""Know your worth and never feel bad to break a relationship or leave a place where you're not appreciated," Kobe captioned a video of himself telling fans to never let anybody make you feel less than."Some people are in your life for a reason while others are there for a season and most of the times those seasonal people in your life will make you feel like you can't survive without them. Remember God does not only bless people financially, taking someone out of your can also be a blessing. We move."And on June 13, Kobe wrote on Instagram about how people need to love themselves and give themselves some credit when credit is due."Forget about our worries. It's another opportunity to reshape your life. It's a blessing... Do you know that you are important? Do you know that your dreams count? Your vision matters. Most of the time, we fail to acknowledge ourselves... You are important. Always start with yourself," Kobe said in a video.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Former Parenthood co-stars Lauren Graham and Peter Krause have ended their romance after more than a decade.

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Graham's representative told People.com Friday the actors "quietly ended their relationship last year."

NBC New York said Graham, 55, and Krause, 56, met as guest stars on the sitcom Caroline in the City, but didn't start dating until they were cast as siblings on Parenthood in 2010.

"Nobody knew for a while, because we like to be at home, cooking and not going out. I've also been really protective of it, because it's important that you can buy us as brother and sister on the show," Graham told Redbook at the time.
Crews float a single-engine plane in the Connecticut River to the boat launch in Charlestown, N.H., on Thursday, June 23, 2022. The pilot reported having engine troubles before hitting the power lines that went over the river and then crashed into the water on Wednesday, June 22. They used a
Members of the Brattleboro Fire Department participated in various medical training scenarios at Vermont Technical College, in Brattleboro, Vt., on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, to sharpen their skills.
Photographer / Multimedia Editor

Has been working as a photojournalist since 2007, before moving into newspapers, he worked with an NGO called Project HOPE. He then went to work for the Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York, and then in New England working for the Brattleboro Reformer.
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McLEAN, Va. (AP)  Gunfire rang out during a fight at a northern Virginia mall on Saturday, and police said three people were hurt while fleeing though no one was shot.

Officers were called to Tysons Corner Center on Saturday afternoon for a report of shots fired at the prominent mall near the nation's capital, Fairfax County police said, but there was no active shooter situation. A fight had broken out and one man took out a gun and fired it, police said.

Officials didnt announce any immediate arrests, but Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference that he expected to be sharing information with the public soon about those involved.

Know this: We will find, we will capture and we will hold accountable the persons involved in this melee,  Davis said.

Some officers were already at the mall when reports of gunfire started coming in and other officers who were on the road were dispatched to the mall, Police Col. Brian Reilly said.

The officers rushing in as people fled the mall tried to determine whether anyone was injured and if there were any suspects or victims.

Three people were taken to local hospitals with injuries received while fleeing, but no one was injured from gunfire, Reilly said.

The shooting happened on a second-floor walkway and investigators have found evidence consistent with gunfire and shell casings, he said.

Officers cleared the mall to make sure no suspects were present and helped those who had sheltered in place, Reilly said. The mall remained closed for the remainder of the day and won't reopen until Sunday, according to police.

Detectives are reviewing video from hundreds of cameras inside the mall to determine what happened, Reilly said. It appears that two groups of at least three people each were engaged in a fight when the shots were fired, he said.

News images showed police near the mall, some in helmets and camouflage gear with weapons raised as a precaution. Some people could be seen hugging each other after exiting the mall.
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GOSHEN  Michelle Weik was studying a textbook about world cultures in a social studies class in 1966, and came upon a photo of a nomad riding a pony on the vast Tibetan Plateau.

A sixth-grader in a Bantam school, Weik couldnt take her eyes away from that photo.

I thought to myself, I wonder what its like there, she said.

The East Morris resident read everything she could about Tibet, and in 1994 spent six weeks in and around Tibet, witnessing the oppression, the bullet holes in the walls surrounding monasteries, and buildings that were in ruin, she said.

Nearly four decades after seeing that nomads photograph, she organized the first of eight cultural events she calls TibetFest, featuring traditional Tibetan dance and music, food and handicrafts, speakers and more. TibetFest 9 will take place June 25 and 26 at Goshen Fairgrounds.

Profits this year will benefit the Tibetan American Community of Connecticut, a nonprofit organization that its website says strives to preserve and promote the ancient cultures and traditions of Tibet.

Located on the north side of the Himalayas, Tibet is north of India, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. It occupies much of the Tibetan Plateau, which includes Mount Everest, the worlds highest peak at more than 29,000 feet above sea level.

The first two TibetFests were held at White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield in 2005 and 2006, Weik said. Since then, it has been held at Goshen Fairgrounds. Because of COVID-19 and other factors, the last TibetFest was held in 2018.

We will have a monk coming from Arkansas to create the sand mandala, she said.

The monk, Geshe Thupten Dorjee, is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Arkansas. A mandala is a multicolored geometric configuration of symbols, often taking several days or weeks to complete. It is then ritualistically dismantled to symbolize the Buddhist belief in the transitory nature of life, she explained.

Tibet has long struggled to achieve independence from China, and in the past the TibetFest events have supported organizations working toward that goal. In 2018, the event was sponsored by Students for a Free Tibet, a grassroots organization working for Tibetans fundamental right to political freedom, according to its website.

In past years, TibetFest has entertained guest dancers, musicians and artists from Canada, the U.S., Switzerland, Australia and other places. This year, because of a growing Tibetan population in resettlement clusters in Connecticut, We are relying on the Tibetan association in Connecticut for most of the traditional song and dance, she said.

West Haven and Old Saybrook are two of the first settlement clusters in the U.S., Weik said. I think Old Saybrook started with two Tibetans, and I think now the population of Tibetans in Connecticut is 500 or more.

She said there are 16 resettlement clusters in the U.S., the largest being in Queens, N.Y., with about 10,000 Tibetans.

Whatever profits we have made we direct it back into the culture, whether its an orphanage or a monastery or an organization that supports the cause, she said. One year the event supported the Do Ngak Kunphen Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center for Universal Peace in Redding, which works to create enlightened world citizens who work to end the suffering of all beings, its website states.

Each year I switch it up and send money to different organizations, Weik said. I just spread it out. But because there are so many Tibetans in Connecticut now, they are in need of their own cultural center. For a lot of their holidays, they have to rent a hall in Old Saybrook or Norwich or they go to New York City, where theres a large community center. Theyre hoping to purchase property or build a community center of their own.

In addition to music, dance, food, handicrafts and the creation of a sand mandala, TibetFest 9 will feature an artist who paints thangkas, religious images of deities and Buddhist teachings. There will also be demonstrations of butter sculpture, a 400-year-old tradition that often marks the Tibetan New Year, Losar. Like the sand mandala, butter sculptures are ephemeral, symbolizing impermanence.

Reiki master Ed Cleveland of Manchester will demonstrate sound and meditation therapy with gongs and singing bowls.

The keynote speaker will be Jamyang Norbu, a Tibetan political activist, historian and author of several books and essays, including a 1999 pastiche titled The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes.

TibetFest 9 will take place at Goshen Fairgrounds, 116 Old Middle St./Route 63, Goshen, June 25 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and June 26 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for ages 5 and under. Volunteers are needed. If interested, call Michelle Weik at 860-532-3189.
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti answers questions about her vision for the city, the train to New York, community involvement, and her plans for the future and more.

This is the second of a two-part interview. The mayor also discusses why good communication is important, reader comments and social media, and tells us about what she does to unwind.

Editor's note: Ed Pikulski's wife is human resources director for the city of Scranton.
KYIV -- Russian missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital and the central city of Cherkasy on June 26 killed at least two people and injured 11 others, including a 7-year-old girl pulled from the rubble, with more blasts reported later, in the first major strikes against either city in weeks.

Ukrainian officials who have pledged to retake lost cities responded with a fresh plea for more weapons to fight the Russian invasion as G7 leaders opened a two-day summit at which they are expected to announce further punishing sanctions on Russia.

The bombardments against Kyiv and Cherkasy came as Ukraine's defense forces battled to regroup after the loss of a strategic town to Russian forces on the front lines hundreds of kilometers to the southeast, where some of the most intense fighting is raging four months into Russia's full-scale invasion.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians and refugees, and Western aid and reaction. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko went to the scene in one of that city's historic northern neighborhoods, known as the Shevchenko district, after at least two buildings were affected by the early morning explosions blamed on up to four Russian missiles.

Klitschko said one person was killed and six were injured, including the 7-year-old, who was in stable condition after surgery. The condition of her mother, who was also hospitalized, was much more serious, Klitschko said on Telegram.

Russia said its strike on Kyiv had hit a weapons factory, dismissing as "fake" reports that it had struck a residential area. The Artyom factory "was the target, as military infrastructure," the Russian Defense Ministry said. It claimed in a statement that damage to a nearby residential building had been caused by a Ukrainian air- defense missile.

Klitschko called the attacks on Kyiv an attempt by Russia to "intimidate Ukrainians" ahead of a NATO summit slated for Madrid on June 28-30.

Others suggested they and other bombardments -- including near Ukraine's border with Poland -- might also be an effort to send a message to G7 leaders gathering near Munich to discuss pro-Ukraine measures on June 26.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded to the fresh Kyiv attacks with an image of the 7-year-old being lifted from the apartment building rubble and urging "more sanctions on Russia and more heavy arms for Ukraine" from the G7.

Also on June 26, current and former officials in central Ukraine said explosions had rung out in the city of Cherkasy, which had so far avoided being targeted by Russia's worst attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Later, Cherkasy Regional State Administration Chairman Ihor Taburets blamed two Russian missiles for the blasts and said one person had been killed and five more injured.

"Today, the enemy launched missile attacks on the Cherkasy region," Taburets said via Telegram. "There are 2 strikes near the regional center. One dead and five wounded. Infrastructure damaged."

Cherkasy has not been targeted previously by major attacks by Russian forces.

Farther to the southeast, Ukrainian forces said a day earlier that they had made a "tactical withdrawal" from the city of Syevyerodonetsk in a blow that could shape the fighting in the east.

But President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed in his nighttime video address that Ukraine would eventually retake the cities it has lost since Russia's all-out invasion began on February 24.

Zelenskiy said the biggest ground war in Europe since World War II had taken a heavy toll on Ukrainians and their defenders but spoke of eventually winning the war.

"We don't have a sense of how long it will last, how many more blows, losses, and efforts will be needed before we see victory is on the horizon," Zelenskiy said.

Zelenskiy is due to remotely address the G7 on June 27 to urge further international support for Ukraine's defense.

On June 25, Ukraine's military said defense forces had withdrawn from Syevyerodonetsk after weeks of intense battles to fight from higher ground in nearby Lysychansk, across the Siverskiy Donets River.

Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said his forces were carrying out a "tactical regrouping" by pulling its forces out of Syevyerodonetsk.

Syevyerodonetsk, a city in the Luhansk district of around 100,000 residents before the war, has been devastated as Russian forces sought to concentrate gains in the two eastern districts known collectively as the Donbas.

Russia-backed separatists have controlled swaths of that region since Russia annexed Crimea and helped kick off the eastern Ukrainian fighting in 2014.

Meanwhile, fears mounted of a widening war since Ukrainian officials reported "massive bombardment" from rockets "fired from the territory of Belarus and from the air" and Moscow said it would provide Belarus with an advanced missile system.

In Belarus, strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka's dependence on Moscow has increased since a crackdown over protests that began when he claimed a sixth presidential term in flawed elections two years ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised meeting with Lukashenka on June 25 that Moscow plans within months to supply Belarus with Iskander-M missile systems, a nuclear-capable, mobile guided-missile system with a range of up to 500 kilometers.

"Today's strike is directly linked to Kremlin efforts to pull Belarus as a co-belligerent into the war in Ukraine," the Ukrainian intelligence service said of the missiles launched from Russian warplanes over Belarusian territory.

Lukashenka allowed thousands of Russian troops to stage attacks on Ukraine from the earliest stage of the invasion.

A representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Vadym Skibitskiy, told RBC-Ukraine on June 25 that Belarus is maintaining 4,000-6,000 of its own troops near the Ukrainian border.

He estimated that Russia has around 1,500 of its troops in Belarus to help with air, special forces, and missile components of the invasion.

With additional reporting by Reuters, AP, dpa, and AFP
KHARKIV, Ukraine -- Before the rockets rained down on Kharkiv, the sprawling warren of shops known as Barabashova was the biggest market in Europe, and one of the busiest.



Now, Oleksiy Chelyshev's 12-square-meter menswear stall is one of only two tiny stores that are open on a deserted, rubbish-strewn passageway near the edge of the 75-hectare market, swaths of which have been turned to rubble. The rest are shuttered behind corrugated roller screens.



Chelyshevs decision to reopen was an act of defiance that few of his fellow retailers at Barabashova have undertaken. His stall is one of 15,000 trade and storage spaces at the market, a multicultural hive of commercial activity where more than 90,000 people -- including traders from Vietnam, China, Afghanistan, African countries, and Russia, among others -- worked before the war came to Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city.

This place is usually full of people. Every shop open. Theres no business here now, but life has to continue, the 37-year-old said while shutting up shop on a recent weekday afternoon after making only one sale all day.



Im not going to let that moron in the Kremlin bring me to my knees, he said -- a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.



In mid-March, Russian missiles hit Barabashova, reducing 15 hectares of shops and goods to rubble and ashes. According to city authorities, between 20 and 30 percent of the market was destroyed.

But Russian efforts to seize Kharkiv were stymied, and now Barabashova is showing embryonic signs of life again, with a handful of traders like Chelyshev opening their stalls despite the persistent threat. Many of them hail from the nearby suburb of Saltivka.



Home to over one-third of Kharkivs 1.5 million residents, Saltivka was the most densely populated area in Ukraine before the February invasion. On the northeastern outskirts of the city just 40 kilometers from the Russian border, it was a key target of Russian forces from the start. Missiles hit Saltivka's 12- and 16-story white-panel apartment towers on the first day of the onslaught, and it is still being targeted nearly four months later.

In a June 13 report titled Anyone Can Die At Any Time, Amnesty International said it had uncovered proof that Russian forces repeatedly used 9N210 and 9N235 cluster bombs and scatterable land mines, all of which are banned under international agreements, in Kharkiv. Cluster munitions release dozens of bomblets or grenades midair, scattering them indiscriminately over hundreds of square meters.



People have been killed in their homes and in the streets, in playgrounds and in cemeteries, while queueing for humanitarian aid, or shopping for food and medicine, Amnestys senior crisis response adviser, Donatella Rovera, said in the report, which concluded that Russias actions in the city constitute war crimes.



Normally teeming with traffic and family life, the vast residential area of Saltivka is now a ghost town. Row after row of charred, crumbling towers loom silently above the tree line of its boulevards. Building facades have been ripped from their walls, nakedly exposing apartment interiors like a damaged dollhouse. Beneath the trees, their ravaged remains lie in giant heaps of rubble. Crushed into the concrete slabs and twisted metal are the possessions and the memories of Saltivkas residents, most of whom have joined the exodus of refugees now spread across Ukraine and Europe.

Many of the roughly 600 civilians confirmed to have been killed in Kharkiv during the war died here. In an area that housed hundreds of thousands, only a few dozen remain. Most of them are pensioners in the twilight of their existence, unwilling or unable to commit to the uncertainty of life as a refugee.



In one apartment block that normally houses 250 people, there are seven holdouts.



Nobody needs us anywhere else, said retired engineer Halyna Zakusova, 65, as she poured tea brewed on an outdoor fireplace in a clearing beneath her building. This is our home. All our belongings are here. She was joined by Lyudmyla Hevryasova, 69, her husband, Tolik Hevryasov, 72, Oleksandr Shinkaryov, 32, and two others for their daily ritual of afternoon tea. This is our eternal flame, Zakuova said, pointing to the fire. Weve cooked here every day for three months.

Their apartment block still stands intact but bears the scars of war. May 1 was the worst, said Hevryasova, pointing to smashed windows and impact craters across the buildings facade. It was hit four times in a bombing raid. I was on the first floor, cowering. I thought the whole building was going to collapse. It was so frightening. For Zakusova, the hardest period was the winter, There was no heat. It was so cold, I had to sleep under four duvets.



Surviving a feral and often subterranean existence for three months -- without gas, electricity, or running water -- was only possible with the shared solidarity the survivors discovered when they came together as a group. Before the war, we werent particularly friendly, said Hevryasova, handing out salad, bread, and traditional Ukrainian lard with the tea. Now were a family.



In addition to the danger of bombardment, stress and anxiety took its toll on the group. Originally there were eight holdouts, but one man died, according to Hevryasov. He spent his time fixing windows, renovating his apartment. But when everything was destroyed again, he just lost hope and had a heart attack soon after, he said of the neighbor, who had lived half his life in the building and died at age 62.

Under the warm June sunshine of a recent afternoon, the atmosphere among the group was upbeat. Power in the building had been turned on, giving them access to light and TV in their apartments. The war continues, with no end in sight, but there was a sense of closure over the worst of their ordeal.



Recalling the tearful moment in the first days after the invasion, when his sons tried to convince him to leave, Hevryasov stood by his decision to stay.



There was no use leaving. Bombs were dropping everywhere, not just here, he said. I know someone who left here and was bombed in another place. Where could we have gone? You cant escape fate.



Hevryasovs fatalism is a hedge against despair -- a valuable ingredient for survival in a war that seems to have no other logic, and an attitude shared by others who have returned to work at Barabashova.



Bombs will drop where they drop, said Lyudmyla Kireyeva, 49. who has reopened the womens clothing shop she manages at the market. If you are destined to die, then you will die. Theres nothing you can do about it.

Shes an optimist, she told RFE/RL, but we have a proverb: What must be, will be.



Bright bikini-clad mannequins pose in the sunshine outside Kireyevas shop, striking a stark contrast with the incinerated remains of a pavilion next door.



Thousands of tons of charred debris remain uncleared across the expanse of the market. Ruined buildings remain hazardously upright, creaking in the wind, collapsing piece by piece. The scale of destruction is simply too massive for the over-stretched authorities to clear up. Instead, a few traders whose stalls escaped the blaze return to work and open shop next to the rubble.



Single mother Zhenya Polyakova, 37, is a resident of Saltivka whose home was destroyed by a Russian strike. Her profitable wedding gifts stall at Barabashova escaped harm, so she returned to work as soon as she found a temporary home for herself and her 14-year-old son.



Ive worked in the market for 17 years and I love it, but last night I went to bed with nothing but my undies and a rucksack, ready to go in the event of another bombing attack, she said within earshot of neighboring traders clearly entertained by her salty sense of humor.

I dont need charity. I dont need money. I dont even need a husband. I just need Putin to die, she said. And when he does, Im going on a four-day bender.



Polyakovas jocular spirit is shared by many Barabashova traders whose return to work is driven in part by the human desire for community.



Halya Kramarenko, 66, manages a sunglasses store belonging to a Vietnamese businessman and has worked at the market for 26 years. When the bombs started dropping, my daughter went to the basement for two weeks. But I couldnt leave my husband who was too ill to go downstairs so I stayed with him and took care of him. Her husband died of his illness on May 3, and she came back to work a few days later.



Life goes on, she said. We still have to live. Theres no use sitting around crying.

Born in Kazakhstan to Crimean Tatar parents, Lemar Osmanov believes in God and likes his beer. Hoisting one with a couple of friends after closing up his hardware stall for the day, he recounted the near misses that he said characterized the past few months.



On May 15, I left the shop for a break. As I walked away the area was bombed. A few days later, another bomb landed 100 meters from my home, said Osmanov, 42. His friends toasted his luck and teased him about the fate that has kept him in the dusty passageways of Barabashova for 15 years.



I dont know what God wants. Is he going to put a bomb here or over there? he said. Whats the use in running here or there. God decides, rockets fly, and I just keep working.
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A large and joyful crowd turned out Saturday in West Oakland for a block party.

The event served two purposes: to mark Juneteenth and to commemorate the first anniversary of the Mini Museum dedicated to the Black Panther Party. Its located inside a 145-year-old Victorian home at the corner of Center Street and Dr. Huey P. Newton Way, near where the party co-founder was killed.

The scene was one of celebration: food, music, two bouncy houses, free groceries for people in need and face painting for kids and a few adults. There was reverence for what enslaved African Americans endured and for what the Panthers did in West Oakland.

Jilchristina Vest, whos lived in the Victorian for 20 years and founded the museum, said the Mini Museum and mural on the outside dedicated to women of the party were born partly of the George Floyd protest movement.

Sabrina Sellers/Special to the Chronicle

I decided to curate the mural, dedicated to the (women of the) Black Panther Party, because of the invisibility of Black women and the ongoing invisibility of Black women, Vest told The Chronicle.

Pamela Ward Pious, a former party member, reminded the crowd it was Juneteenth and to celebrate.

Its a celebration of freedom, said Ericka Huggins, a human rights activist, author and party member for 14 years.

The holiday marking the end of slavery makes Huggins think of what her grandparents, great grandparents and other ancestors went through both before and after slavery.

I know that one of them was a freed slave, she said.

Juneteenth reminds her of how far weve come and how far we have to go, she said. There are many layers of freedom that so many of us cant yet experience.

Sabrina Sellers/Special to The Chronicle

To me, it comes back to being treated like one third of a man, Ricardo Portley, 31, said when asked what the day meant to him. It was also about recognizing the struggles of those who came before.

This is the second year that Juneteenth, which falls on June 19, has been a national holiday, though Bay Area communities have celebrated it for decades. Events over the weekend included a San Francisco Juneteenth celebration attended by Mayor London Breed.

This Juneteenth falls just weeks after the release of a 500-page report from Californias reparations task force, which details, among other horrors, the history of slavery in the state. Though the state joined the Union as anti-slavery, it welcomed white enslavers from the South who came during the Gold Rush in 1850. Two years later, conservative estimates say, there were 500 to 1,500 enslaved African Americans in California.

Many attendees at Saturdays event wanted to show reverence for the Black Panther Party and the historic role it played in helping Black Oaklanders with free clinics, ambulance services, food and more.

Sabrina Sellers/Special to The Chronicle

Arielle Powell, 35, who lives in the Bottoms, or Lower Bottoms area as the neighborhood is alternatively called, said she is grateful for the museum and how its helped keep the history alive. The Panthers started in the neighborhood.

I feel like we live in this historical neighborhood and we come and go, and sometimes, we dont pay it its respect, Powell said. I think its important to empower these kids and these people and this neighborhood and remind them.

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Powell and others praised Vest, who opened the museum, which seeks to highlight the good the party did and inspire Black joy, last Juneteenth and organized Saturdays Free the People block party.

This is a labor of love, Vest told the crowd. This entire thing has happened because of the community and for the community. ... The only reason I have this house is because of my community. They lent me $5, $10, $20. They helped me pull down walls and put in toilets.

She said she wanted to honor the Black Panther Party as well as what it honored.

Sabrina Sellers/Special to The Chronicle

The Black Panther Party honored serving the people, serving the community, asking people what they need and getting it to them, she said.

The home features an exhibit curated by Lisbet Tellefson, an Oakland publisher, collector and archivist, who focuses on the Black Power movement. On the outside, the house is a mural dedicated to the women of the Black Panther Party.

Betty Hyman, whos visiting from Atlanta, took in the music and was happy to mark the holiday in Oakland.

It brings to mind all the ancestors and that we are actually standing on their shoulders, she said. We must continue to educate our children, and we must continue to be able to be strong.

Joshua Sharpe is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: joshua.sharpe@sfchronicle.com
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Homes nestled in the Oakland hills sit among oak woodland trees and shrubs, an enclave from city life. But the dense vegetation and steep terrain mean such communities could be in great peril over the dry summer  if even a single house catches fire on a windy night, the result could be catastrophic for the region, fire officials say.

Thats what keeps me up at night, said Heather Mozdean, a 17-year veteran of the Oakland Fire Department who is now its deputy chief of operations.

Plenty of green spaces across the Bay Area are at high fire risk, but the extreme danger is concentrated in the Oakland hills. The community has about 25,000 homes. Many are accessible only by narrow roads with hairpin turns  which makes it hard to escape quickly and difficult for fire trucks to race up to a blaze. The deepening drought has wrung moisture out of the vegetation, increasing the risk of a wildfire erupting.

On Saturday, a vegetation fire broke out in the Sheffield Village area of the Oakland Hills, underscoring the risks. No structures burned and no injuries were reported, and firefighters quickly brought it under control. But the threat remains.

We really worry about where the homes are close together, where there is no defensible space, Mozdean said.

Recent large-scale tree die-offs in the hills could also increase the probability of a large blaze, according to Ken Benson, president of the Oakland Firesafe Council, which seeks to reduce wildfire risk in Alameda County. Starting in 2020, significant and sudden tree mortality along with ongoing sudden oak death have both contributed to the regions dense fuel load, he said.

Vegetation management is a huge, huge, huge issue, said Brandon Harami, communications director for Oakland City Council Member Sheng Thao.

The deadly 1991 Oakland hills wildfire forced the state to re-evaluate its emergency management system, and led to improved policies, fire equipment and changes to building codes. But the conditions which led to the blaze that killed 25 people and destroyed 3,500 homes, persist. Though several changes have been made since then, including increased communication between fire departments and changes to building codes that make homes more resistant to fire, it has proved challenging to widen narrow roads that snake across steep terrain. Doing so would require a hugely expensive construction project that would destroy some cul-de-sacs.

Instead, Harami said the city is focused on stronger parking enforcement along narrow roads. He explained city and Fire Department officials are laying logs from trees that have been removed alongside roads to discourage parking in some areas.

The risk is so great that in September the Oakland City Council unanimously approved a controversial ban regulating accessory dwelling units in the hills to slow population growth. It argued that more densely populated housing means greater potential for traffic jams during emergency evacuations. Construction of accessory dwelling units is already limited in areas where streets are narrower than 20 feet.

Mozdean explained that even though the city is taking steps to minimize risk, its the one-off.

Its the person who doesnt think its a big deal to throw a cigarette out the window, she said. Or thinks its OK to do fireworks. And if the weather conditions are right, wildfire could spread rapidly in the region.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governors Office of Emergency Services, said its critical for Oakland hills residents to have a plan. Families should practice evacuating, including at night, and learn about all possible routes for escape.

Benson recommends that on days where fire risk is particularly severe  or when a red flag warning is issued  residents preemptively leave the area altogether, if possible.

If you dont need to be there then go ahead and leave, he said, noting that homeowners should take steps now to clear flammable or dying vegetation on their property and make their home as resistant to fire as possible.

Its not just living in a beautiful area, but understanding and being ready for the potential for this kind of a crisis situation, Ghilarducci said.

Living in the Oakland hills comes with the risk that a wildfire could break out, and you need to be prepared.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Julie Johnson contributed to this report.

Emma Talley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: emma.talley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EmmaT332
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Oakland firefighters brought a four-alarm fire under control early Sunday in the East Oakland hills.

The vegetation fire  which burned 2.5 acres  broke out around Saturday in the Sheffield Village area near Covington Street and Marlow Drive.

Oakland Fire Department spokesman Michael Hunt said the initial call came in just after 10 p.m. by an off-duty firefighter and his son. Firefighters arrived on the scene and the fire was placed under control a few hours later. Additional staff from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, East Bay Regional Parks and Alameda County provided assistance.

The Oakland Fire Department said no structures were affected, no injuries were reported, and no evacuations or rescues were necessary. The area is deemed one of the most vulnerable in the Bay Area as the region heads into a summer facing huge wildfire risks.

Hunt on Monday said crews were investigating whether the fires orgins were tied to a makeshift pallet structure that was found near the blaze. The person who inhabited the encampment structure was on the scene when fire crews arrived and was cooperative with the investigation, Hunt said.

Such dwellings, Hunt said, can pose a high risk for a fire hazard when theyre placed in undeveloped areas with dry vegetation.

Hunt said there was no indication that the fire was set intentionally.

Sheffield Village is a neighborhood of Oakland east of I-580 and east of San Leandro with several hundred homes. Just north is the historic 1899 Dunsmuir House, owned by the city of Oakland, and north of that is the Oakland Zoo.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Oakland Fire Department was still investigating what caused the fire.

Hunt said the department plans to have a full report on the incident in the next few days.

Crews were on the scene through the early morning to ensure continuous water on the burn area and monitor the firein case of any sparks, he said. So far there are no rekindles today, which is a really good sign.

He said crews were able to put out the fire relatively quickly and protect any structures and residences in the area, and the lack of wind last night played a major role in making sure the fire didnt rapidly spread. The fire scorched mostly low-lying brush including grass and brush, and some trees.

At least two engine companies will be on the scene through Sunday night to ensure the fire doesnt reignite.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Hunt said most of the hillside is pretty dry and the severe drought persists.

The vegetation over last several years been extremely dry and thus extremely hazardous, he said.

He said the Oakland Fire Department has increased vegetation inspections and cleared roadways and trails of vegetation, including through goats at nearby Knowland Park.

Open space areas are highly prone for fires and they can spread quickly, Hunt said. An acre can go quickly if nothing is interrupting it.

Hunt urged residents to have an emergency bag ready to go and an evacuation plan as we move further into wildfire season and the dry vegetation and low humidity coupled with high wind events create a recipe for severe fire weather.

Chronicle reporter Megan Cassidy contributed to this story.

Roland Li and Kellie Hwang are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
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The first radio dispatch reporting a vegetation fire on a day in late May put the blaze in the hills on the eastern rim of the Napa Valley, an area that had burned just five years ago in a massive firestorm.

From his office, Division Chief Brian Ham with the Napa County Fire Department clicked on the video feed from a wildfire camera perched atop a hill overlooking the Napa Valley. A thin gray smoke column was rising from the bottom of a drainage.

California fires over 10 years: See 170-plus areas where blazes repeatedly ignited

Fire tends to race uphill  especially when buffeted by winds. Ham jumped in his truck. His colleagues first at the scene were already calling for reinforcements.

Theres no way to predict exactly when and where the next wildfire will ignite, but fire officials and residents across the Bay Area know the hot spots especially vulnerable to any spark. In these places, the roads are narrow, the vegetation is dense, and homes are intermixed with forests. Ham said thats every community nestled into the hills along the Napa Valley.

For me, theres no one area to worry about  Im on high alert for every fire in every place, Ham said.

The ongoing drought, minimal snowpack, parched vegetation and hot, dry weather are all conditions that put California on track for another very, very challenging wildfire year, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governors Office of Emergency Services.

Cal Fire scientists are revising statewide maps to help towns identify the areas at greatest risk of disastrous fires. They include the obvious clues: neighborhoods abutting forests and grasslands. They are adding elements such as topography, fire history, plus brush and tree types to further hone in on the greatest hazard zones. Cal Fire is meeting with local governments to fine-tune the maps, which are to be finalized and published in the fall.

Dark red blotches cover parts of east Santa Rosa, Pacheco Valle in Novato, western Martinez, towns on the northeastern flank of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The entire Oakland hills.

Daniel Berlant, a deputy director at Cal Fire, said the agency is improving these maps to reflect significant changes in our climate over the past decade.

Weather is the final ingredient for fire risk. And officials are constantly adjusting their models to account for factors such as wind, which has an enormous effect on fire behavior.

To be honest with you, every hour were taking into consideration different weather factors and burn probability, Berlant said.

Even the foggy coast is ripe to burn.

San Mateo County had seen little fog the week leading up to a dry lightning storm in August 2020 that ignited fires throughout Northern California, according to Jonathan Cox, a Cal Fire deputy chief in the county. Major blazes exploded from Mendocino National Forest to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

The neighborhoods along the northeastern flanks of the Santa Cruz Mountains are shown on fire risk maps in deep red, but so is El Granada on the coast home to the big surf Mavericks contest.

When the fogs not here, were very susceptible to fire, Cox said.

In Sonoma County, the west county typically tempered by coastal fog hasnt experienced much fire in generations. The region has dense forests and homes on narrow one-way-in-and-out roads. Thats the zone that worries Sonoma County Fire Chief Mark Heine, though he emphasizes the risk is everywhere.

Heine said they look at what are called energy release models, which use readings of moisture in plants and other factors to predict how ferociously a fire would burn. The models are at historic highs right now.

The 570-acre Old Fire in Napa County, which sparked May 31 and was contained June 5, is the third-largest blaze so far this season in Northern California. PG&E reported a problem with one of its lines in the region, though its unclear whether that was triggered by the fire or created the spark that caused it. The fires cause remains under investigation.

Sonoma County all the way to the Oregon border went under extreme risk for high intensity fires in June, Heine said.

Narrow roads make it difficult to get people out and firefighters in, adding risk for neighborhoods up and down the Oakland hills. Homes are close together in these neighborhoods, and the forested atmosphere that makes these places beloved also put them at risk, said Heather Mozdean, deputy chief of operations with the Oakland Fire Department.

Park like your life depends on it  pointed so you can get away, Mozdean said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

On the northeastern flanks of the Oakland hills, Contra Costa County authorities have been building shaded fuel breaks  where the ground vegetation is cleared and lower limbs removed from trees  to help prevent fire encroaching from the west.

Fire season never really ended in the county where more than 420 acres have burned so far this year, mostly on grasslands and ranchlands, Contra Costa Fire Protection District spokesman Steve Hill said.

More than 500 homes were evacuated before dawn Friday when a vegetation fire broke out in open space behind a Pittsburg neighborhood. Fueled by wind, the fire burned right up to the backyards of dozens of homes. Hill said firefighters were able to beat back the flames because the neighborhood had taken pains to clear brush between homes and the open space. The fire charred 122 acres.

Its no different in Contra Costa County than it is in the north, where the Old Fire burned, Hill said. The urban-wildland interface  we have all of that. We have very high fire severity threat zones. Weve had good fortune but we know the risks.

In Solano County, Vacaville Fire Chief Kris Concepcion recalls watching 40-foot flames approach the Alamo area on the northeastern outskirts of town during the lightning fires of 2020. The success at keeping the fire from burning more than a 200-foot section of fence was luck  no wind  mixed with good planning. The fire burned out of Pleasants Valley into a basin that had been aggressively cleared.

In May, the Quail Fire forced dozens of people to evacuate in a rural area west of Vacaville. The fire was stopped at 135 acres.

No structures were lost and it burned through parched ranches and wildlands.

Thats where were worried, Concepcion said.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Emma Talley contributed to this report.

Julie Johnson (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: julie.johnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @juliejohnson
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Louis Ceaser was telling me about the importance of creating communal spaces for Black fathers when his 3-year-old daughter, Stephanie, grabbed his hand and pulled him to a swing set where a seat was finally empty.

They weaved through a crowd of Black men who were chasing their own kids around Oaklands Astro Park playground, stopping occasionally to help the youngsters onto the parks slide or to wipe dried ice cream from their faces.

The importance of having an experience like this, Ceaser said as he looked around the park, hits harder now than ever.

The idyllic scene was part of a Black Dads of the Bay Meetup on June 11. It came at a time when national surveys show Black folks are disheartened by enduring social and economic disparities, and America is divided over the history that set them in stone. With Fathers Day and Juneteenth festivities overlapping this long weekend, its the perfect moment to remember that joy, rather than frustration, can be a beautiful form of resistance against systemic oppression.

Last weekends group of a little more than 40 fathers was smaller than the first Black Dads Meetup event in 2020, when 150 fathers showed up. But turnout wasnt the only measurement of success to Ceaser, who coordinated the meetups, nor to Theo Ellington, who helped him this year.

When the two first met at the 2020 gathering, Ellington was just starting Black Citizen, an organization that invests in community groups and nonprofits that focus on Black social and economic empowerment in the Bay Area. Fast-forward two years and Black Citizen co-sponsored the meetup.

The spirit of this event is how do we connect people, Ellington told me. We talk about intentionality in those connections and intentionality in how we as Black fathers occupy spaces, and how we really reclaim whats ours.

For many Black folks, whats ours is a direct reference to an elusive American privilege: to not only pursue happiness, but obtain it. That still isnt easy in a country or a climate like this.

The same year George Floyds murder sparked a racial justice movement, America saw a 49% surge in hate crimes against the Black community, according to 2020 data from the FBI.

In California, where Black people make up around 6% of the population, the California Department of Justice recorded 456 anti-Black hate crimes in 2020, a roughly 88% percent jump from the year before. These crimes fall under multiple categories, including physical assaults and property-related offenses.

Statewide reports in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 all said anti-black bias motivation continue to be the most common hate crime over the previous decade.

Anti-Black sentiment has, at times, felt prevalent this year. In February  a month dedicated to celebrating Black history  the FBI began investigating bomb threats made to reportedly dozens of Black houses of worship and historically Black colleges and universities.

Three months later, 10 people were gunned down at a grocery store in a predominantly Black part of Buffalo, N.Y. The accused killer is an admitted white supremacist who, according to a criminal complaint filed in New York on Wednesday, had various things written on his Bushmaster XM-15 semiautomatic rifle, including racial slurs and the statement Heres your reparations!

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when the last of Americas enslaved people received news that a presidential proclamation had freed them  two years earlier. It became a federal holiday last year and hasnt caught on with the wider American public, according to a recent survey by the nonpartisan research and civic nonprofit More in Common. Yet the same survey found that Black Americans and Generation Z regard it with significance.

This weekend will see Black fathers like Ellington embracing the promise of the next generation. He planned to take his 3-year-old son, Lennox, to some of the Juneteenth-related events at Oaklands Lake Merritt on Sunday, after his family celebrates Fathers Day.

As Black people, we cant forget that a lot of our culture was stripped away from us, Ellington said. A holiday like Juneteenth not only can give us a sense of pride, but its an opportunity to have ownership of shaping what it means that can be passed down generations.

Arguably one of the oldest Juneteenth festivals on the West Coast will be in Berkeley, which first began hosting one in 1986. Berkeley City Council Member Ben Bartlett told me it was his late father, Dayle Bartlett  the former chief of staff for the late Berkeley vice mayor and longtime City Council Member Maudelle Shirek  who helped make Juneteenth a reality in the city. Bartlett carried on his dads advocacy by spending the last few years calling for Juneteenth to become a federal holiday, which it has, and pushing the city to take its first steps toward reparations, which it did in March.

And in keeping with a tradition his dad helped start, Bartlett said hes planning for his young daughter to attend the festivities.

Freedom is really our word, and its our story, he said. So, every chance I get, Im imparting on my daughter that idea of freedom and how its a freedom to simply just be.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Justin Phillips appears Sundays. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
VISALIA, Tulare County  Michelle Rivera didnt think it would be easy to open a new Planned Parenthood clinic in one of the roughly 40% of California counties without an abortion provider.

But the 31-year-old Central Valley sex-ed instructor didnt expect quite so many kids holding Little lives matter posters at the Visalia City Council meeting. Or the antiabortion demonstrator sporting an entire sweatsuit scrawled in scripture. At least theres security, Rivera thought, when clergy from nearby towns urged the council to reject the arbitrary dictates of the state and ban abortion in the city of 143,000 people.

I was like, OK, recalled Rivera, a program manager with Visalia reproductive-justice nonprofit ACT for Women and Girls. They came all out.

The spectacle paid off.

A developer dropped its application for Planned Parenthood to move into a local strip mall in March, after intense criticism and a neighboring landlords move to contest the permit. While the local branch of the national reproductive health care provider pledges to continue its six-year search for a new clinic, the battle illustrates Californias dueling realities when it comes to abortion and related medical services.

With the Supreme Court expected to overturn landmark abortion rights ruling Roe v. Wade this summer, California is positioning itself as a sanctuary to residents of 26 U.S. states poised to fully or partially ban the common medical procedure. But hundreds of thousands of women, nonbinary and transgender people in this state are still in need of similar refuge.

People think of California as being this reproductive freedom state: We have universal access; we dont have barriers, said Shannon Olivieri Hovis, director of advocacy group NARAL Pro-Choice California. None of that is actually the case.

The obstacles are many  high costs, long drives, confusing antiabortion clinics  but the end results feel the same in the access deserts of the Central Valley, Central Coast, far Northern California and the states southern border. In Visalia, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the closest abortion clinic is an hour away. Across the street from a high school, however, a church-affiliated group advertises free pregnancy tests and options education in a cozy converted house; the options dont include abortion referrals or birth control.

Special to The Chronicle/Silvia Flores Special to The Chronicle/Silvia Flores Top: Michelle Rivera (center) and Valerie Jasso Gorospe (right) of ACT for Women and Girls pack health supplies and information for Natalie Spydell (left), who is homeless. Above left: The church-affiliated Care Pregnancy Resource Center advertises pregnancy tests but does not provide birth control or abortion referrals. Above right: "Fear the Truth" is written on an empty storefront window of the South Mooney Boulevard commercial building where an expansion plan for a Planned Parenthood clinic was defeated. Photos by Silvia Flores / Special to The Chronicle Top of story: Michelle Rivera (center) and Valerie Jasso Gorospe (right) of ACT for Women and Girls pack health supplies and information for Natalie Spydell (left), who is homeless. Diptych, top: The church-affiliated Care Pregnancy Resource Center advertises pregnancy tests but does not provide birth control or abortion referrals. Diptych, bottom: "Fear the Truth" is written on an empty storefront window of the South Mooney Boulevard commercial building where an expansion plan for a Planned Parenthood clinic was defeated. Photos by Silvia Flores / Special to The Chronicle

Recognizing the potential for more strain on the states fragmented health-care systems, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently proposed $125 million in funding to expand abortion access and help clinics brace for some of the 1.4 million people in other states whose nearest abortion provider could soon be in California  a nearly 3,000% increase from the map under Roe, according to pro-choice research group the Guttmacher Institute.

California will not stand idly by as extremists roll back our basic constitutional rights, Newsom said in a statement. Were going to fight like hell.

But who exactly is the state prepared to fight for? Its a question Rivera wondered after an unexpected pregnancy sent them through the Central Valleys scant reproductive safety net.

Abortion pill reversal

Silvia Flores / Special to The Chronicle

The first protesters arrived outside the Fresno Planned Parenthood clinic just after 10 a.m. A black-and-white Right To Life-branded umbrella provided a patch of shade to organize an EVERY child is a wonderful creation poster and little blue bags advertising abortion pill reversal  a controversial hormonal treatment that some antiabortion groups claim can undo medication abortions, but which the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls unproven by scientific evidence.

At first, it was a slow morning in Fresno. A young woman glanced sideways, then sped toward the door, when a protester yelled an offer of information about a different federally funded clinic. You suck! a passerby heckled the pickets from a white SUV. But then a protester in a flowy dress and aviator sunglasses, who declined to give her name, spotted an older woman leaving the clinic.

Can I share some information with you? the protester asked.

The woman, Fresno resident Asaib Walker, leaned in to read an outstretched pamphlet. They exchanged hushed words. Then Walker recoiled: She didnt want anything to do with abortion, she said, and had come looking for prenatal care for her granddaughter.

Shes been homeless for 15 years, Walker explained. We finally found her.

There was an alternative, the protester said: Obria Medical Clinic, a local arm of a Southern California nonprofit started by a Catholic antiabortion advocate after her own abortion. On its sleek website, Obria says its dedicated to preserving and protecting human life.

The Fresno clinic, tucked away in a suburban office complex about 10 minutes away from Planned Parenthood, is a modern heir to what state regulators and abortion rights advocates call crisis pregnancy centers.

Though California is famously home to more than a quarter of the nations abortion clinics  168 facilities as of 2021, according to UCSF data  theyre outnumbered by an estimated 179 crisis pregnancy centers.

These antiabortion centers with varying religious or medical credentials often advertise reproductive care, but attempt to intercept women with unintended pregnancies and persuade them, while under intense time pressure, to parent or opt for adoption, according to a report in the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics.

They strive to give the impression that they are clinical centers, offering legitimate medical services and advice, yet they are exempt from regulatory, licensure and credentialing oversight that apply to health care facilities, wrote authors Amy G. Bryant of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and Jonas J. Swartz of Duke University. The religious ideology of these centers owners and employees takes priority over the health and well-being of the women seeking care.

In 2015, California attempted to require unlicensed centers advertising reproductive care to more clearly describe their medical qualifications, and for all licensed clinics to offer information about abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with lower courts that struck down that policy in 2018.

Today, like Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, Central Valley antiabortion centers position themselves as an answer to broader public health issues that stem from a lack of information about sexual health, access to contraceptives and deeply unequal health care.

As of 2018, Tulare County had both Californias widest racial gaps in teen pregnancies and the states highest overall adolescent pregnancy rate, at 29 births per 1,000 girls ages 15 to 19  5 times the teen birth rate in Marin County. In Fresno, the infant mortality rate is almost twice as high for Black babies as for any other groups, county data shows.

Antiabortion centers and the limited options they provide are just one barrier.

While California has far more abortion clinics than most states, more than a dozen California abortion facilities closed from 2011 to 2016, a Bloomberg analysis found, due to a range of political and economic factors. Two major concerns, Olivieri Hovis said, are low insurance reimbursement rates and hospital consolidation, where religious or other private ownership groups may acquire a facility that offers abortion and then end the practice.

Those trends make city-level debates about new clinics, like Planned Parenthoods proposed Visalia outpost, more crucial  and vulnerable to Californias notorious brand of local control development politics. It was just a few months earlier, this past winter, when Obria Medical Clinic opened its doors in Fresno with little public fanfare.

The clinic is run by CEO John Gerardi, an attorney and radio host who also leads the Central California Right to Life group that protests Planned Parenthood. The Fresno clinic advertises an ob-gyn on site, but like the executives of some clinics that do offer abortion, Gerardi is not licensed to practice medicine in California; a LinkedIn account describes his work at Obria as establishing a prenatal healthcare clinic serving lower-income women in Fresno.

Gerardi, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment, joined Obrias national network during a growth spurt. Its website lists 10 California clinics, including a Bay Area division under the name Real Options, with locations in Oakland, San Jose and neighboring suburbs.

If all goes as planned, its just the beginning. In 2019, Obrias parent organization won a federal contract worth as much as $5.1 million for family planning services  a feat the left-leaning Campaign for Accountability described as the result of efforts to camouflage their religious operations in order to receive federal funding.

Its a model that other abortion opponents are watching closely.

Catholic and pro-life leaders have doubled down on plans to make this era the high-water mark of Californias abortion supremacy, the National Catholic Register reported earlier this month. Obrias expansion, plus efforts like encouraging more parishioners to foster children, the article added, could provide a model in other states where abortion interests dominate.

The cost of access

Silvia Flores / Special to The Chronicle

For Shantay Davies-Balch, working to advance reproductive justice policies where she grew up in the San Joaquin Valley can feel a lot like being stuck on a hamster wheel. Every day she hears about grinding poverty, glaring racial disparities and daily indignities like grossly overpriced IUDs or antiabortion doctors who refuse to detail pregnant patients options.

Even with 13 new state abortion access bills proposed in Sacramento this year, Davies-Balch is skeptical about local change. In Fresno, she said, it might require enacting term limits for local politicians who control public health budgets, or finding new ways to permeate political echo chambers where self-styled pro-choice and pro-life factions rarely interact.

Youre just going around and around and around, said Davies-Balch, CEO of Fresno maternal health-focused policy advocacy group the BLACK Wellness & Prosperity Center. Youre saying the same things to the same people who are already in your court.

A 2019 Kaiser Family Foundation report attributed the Central Valleys lagging reproductive health outcomes, including high rates of some sexually transmitted infections, to several factors. Among them: a severe shortage of medical personnel, a lack of perceived opportunities for young people, high rates of sexual violence and two-track health insurance, where patients with Medi-Cal have fewer options for all kinds of care.

Another dynamic that isolates the Central Valley from the rest of the state is that Kings County, just south of Fresno, recently became the first California jurisdiction in decades to charge women with murder after they experienced a pregnancy loss. Adora Perez and Chelsea Becker were jailed in 2018 and 2019 after delivering stillborns that tested positive for methamphetamine at the same Adventist hospital in the county seat of Hanford.

Their convictions were later overturned after appeals by attorneys and civil rights groups outside the Central Valley. Earlier this month, the district attorney who prosecuted the women, Kings County Republican Keith Fagundes, appeared to be defeated in an upset primary election focused on harassment allegations against him.

Attorneys for the women are heartened by their clients releases, plus a state bill, AB2223, that would clarify California law and ban future pregnancy-related prosecutions. But the measure is staunchly opposed by antiabortion groups, and recovery is painful for the two California women already punished for their loss. Some advocates worry that other rogue prosecutors could still test the law to court voters in conservative areas.

I dont think you ever get over that, said Perezs San Francisco lawyer Mary McNamara. This is just the start of cases like this, in California to some extent, but in half the country.

A group of Bay Area lawyers, including McNamara, is offering free legal services to other people running into issues related to pregnancy or abortion. In the meantime, state politicians are debating a laundry list of proposed laws.

One bill, AB2134, would provide more grant funding for birth control and abortions for low-income patients, which advocates say would quickly open up providers to more patients in underserved areas. Another measure, SB1142, would create a practical support fund to help cover transportation, child care and other necessities for people seeking abortions.

Laura Jimenez is encouraged by AB2586, which would create a California Reproductive Justice and Freedom Fund to support community groups already working on access issues  a key step, she said, in reorienting services for the most marginalized women and LGBTQ people.

It has to be more of a trickle-up, said Jimenez, executive director of statewide advocacy group California Latinas for Reproductive Justice. Things dont really trickle down.

As the policy debates continue, some abortion rights advocates are juggling more dire concerns  namely, whether long-standing backlash could boil over into vigilantism or violence. Twice since a draft Supreme Court decision in the case that could overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked, Davies-Balch said her Fresno organization has called the police after discovering surveillance video of unfamiliar men surveying the space late at night.

Direct threats have surfaced in cities including San Francisco, where a man was charged this spring with stalking and other offenses after attempting to barge into operating rooms at a womens clinic. Across the country in Maryland, a 26-year-old California man was recently arrested outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh with a gun and zip ties, in part, he reportedly told officials, because of anger about the Roe reversal and gun violence.

At Planned Parenthood, California staffers used to contending with protesters are encountering violent extremist groups like the Proud Boys, said Lauren Babb, vice president of public affairs for the Planned Parenthood Mar Monte division, which covers the Central Valley. With other states poised to close clinics, one concern is national antiabortion celebrities and activists refocusing their attention on more visible California providers.

How do we proactively keep people safe? Babb said. That keeps me up at night.

Pregnancy pacts

Silvia Flores / Special to The Chronicle

Growing up in Tulare Countys sprawling patchwork of agricultural communities roughly the size of Connecticut, Rivera, the sex-ed instructor with ACT for Women and Girls, remembers school sex ed was brief, heavy on dont do it messaging and involved shimmying at least one condom onto a banana.

Rivera was mostly raised by a single mom, who immigrated from northern Mexico, in the Central Valley town of Dinuba  population 25,000 and a major exporter of frozen Mexican food. In the early 2000s, hallway talk about pregnancy pacts, where girls at school planned to have babies at the same time, was more common than conversation about abortion.

That world started to expand a decade ago, when Rivera moved to a Visalia apartment complex for what the government calls transitional-age youth after older siblings at home struggled with drugs and gangs. A neighbor mentioned the nonprofit now known as ACT For Women and Girls, where Rivera started to embrace their queer identity and volunteered to hand out contraceptives at local proms (catchphrase: Dont let a hot date turn into a due date).

They finally got a full sex ed class in their early 20s. Some lessons came too late.

Me and my friends went through some very dangerous situations because we didnt know about consent, Rivera recalled. We just thought, like, Oh, that was weird, or, That didn't feel right.

They ended up with a full-time job at ACT For Women and Girls, teaching sex ed in communities where students still often got abstinence-focused lessons that omitted discussion of LGBTQ identities. But that wasnt always the plan. Around 2014, Rivera left the Central Valley to become an English teacher at San Jose State University; they were forced to come home when their mom panicked about deportation amid Trump-era immigration raids.

It was just after the pandemic hit, in fall 2020, that everything came full circle: Rivera found out they were pregnant.

There was a clinic in Fresno, theyd heard, where the gynecologist was respectful of different gender identities. So they took time off work, brought their private insurance card and prepared to go in alone due to COVID-19 restrictions  an endeavor that, even for an early-stage medication abortion, required three appointments and cost about $1,000 out of pocket.

The relief was immediate, despite the stress from draining their savings.

Today, as a new version of an old culture war rages around them, Rivera is bracing for whatever comes next. On a recent morning in a beige Central Valley office building, they sorted big bags of condoms, menstrual pads and emergency contraceptive pills: discreet survival kits to be mailed directly to young people nearby.

Were going to be OK, Rivera said. For now.

San Francisco Chronicle data reporter Susie Neilson contributed to this report.

Lauren Hepler (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LAHepler
Sasanna Yees grandmother Yik Oi Huang was found beaten and unconscious in the sand under a childrens slide in January 2019 at the Visitacion Valley Playground. Huang was 89 when she died from her injuries on Jan. 4, 2020, after being hospitalized for nearly a year.

Yee was at peace as we walked to the playground on a recent morning and approached the place where her grandmother had exercised each morning, a place that had become a site of horror for her family.

In May, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission voted unanimously to rename the playground the Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park. Yee had visited the playground a few days earlier to remember her grandmother  and, in a way, to let her know about the honor.

I felt like we were three generations again, Yee said. I was with my mother. Embraced in the spirit of my grandmother.

Its not a given that the site of such pain could transform into a place of inspiration. Yee helped spearhead a campaign to rename the park for her grandmother as a way to bring healing and unity to the San Francisco neighborhood that is often forgotten  except when theres a shooting or killing.

We dont want to erase and forget what has transpired in the park or this neighborhood, Yee told me in May after the renaming was approved. This neighborhood has had a lot of challenges, and people have had many challenging experiences. Death, community violence. And I think its really important to have a public space to grieve. To empathize and to remember what happened.

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle 2021

My walk with Yee on June 4 coincided with Family Day, an annual event founded 24 years ago by the late Ruth Jackson, often referred to as Visitacion Valleys grandmother, as a way to bring everyone in the neighborhood together. As Yee and I chatted, a Samoan American dance group, Chinese American lion dancers and a horseback contingent from the Oakland Black Cowboy Association all went by as part of Family Days parade.

Our walk from the playground to Family Day festivities near the Sunnydale public housing complex was just six blocks. But it crossed the border of a turf war at the heart of much of the neighborhoods violence. Family Day offers a truce.

In April, the Board of Supervisors approved renaming the block of Hahn Street in front of Jacksons home as Mrs. Jackson Way. She died unexpectedly at age 77 in November. She was an educator who also ran a day care business in her home for more than 40 years. Jacksons house was more than a business, it was a refuge from the streets for the neighborhood kids.

Michael Short/The Chronicle 2014

A lot of people went through that house, and it helped a lot of people, saved a lot of peoples lives, said Drew Jenkins, Jacksons son. She was an advocate for everyones families, seniors, kids, parents. (The renaming) means a lot. (Full disclosure: Jenkins works with my wife at Mercy Housing, which is rebuilding Sunnydale.)

Visitacion Valley has always drawn newcomers because of its relatively low housing costs. European immigrants came in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Then African Americans, who worked at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard during World War II, sought housing at Sunnydale and stayed. For decades, the neighborhood was heavily African American, including Jacksons family, which has lived in the area for more than 50 years.

More recently, an influx of immigrants has changed the neighborhood yet again. Its now 50% Asian American and Pacific Islander, according to census data.

Huang and her family moved to the area as part of this change. Like Jackson, Yee said it was in her grandmothers nature to help others in the neighborhood. Shed offer spare food and even money to those in need, and volunteered at the Visitacion Valley Friends Club, which helps Chinese immigrants with English classes, voter registration and other services.

Huangs home was across the street from her now namesake park. Jackson lived those same six blocks away. They seemed to have much in common but were separated by a culture and language barrier that can sometimes feel like a turf war of its own.

A suspect is charged with murder in Huangs death and is awaiting trial. He also happens to be Black.

Though the case predated the wave of anti-Asian hate during the pandemic, it carried the same racial overtones. Viral videos of attacks on Asians from the last two years have often shown Black assailants, fueling racist tropes.

Yee didnt let herself fall into that trap.

The day her grandmother was found, Yee said her mindfulness practices kicked in, and she went on Facebook Live with a message of peace.

Provided by Sasanna Yee

I put out a call for us to come together, to understand each other and to say that this has to stop, of course, she told me. And how ridiculous it is that an elderly (woman) gets beaten up by a 17-year-old? There are victims on both sides. Why is a 17-year-old doing this?

The idea to rename the park originated with Ronald Colthirst, who is Black. He is a manager at the citys Village community center near Sunnydale and recognized how the attack might divide the neighborhood.

An injury to one is an injury to all, Colthirst said during comments before the park commission voted on the renaming.

Some of Visitacion Valleys Asian immigrants may have brought with them racist views of Black people and others fostered in their homelands. Others may have stereotypical views of Asians as foreign outsiders or as being responsible for COVID. This fear, misinformation and racism can have deadly consequences.

Yee, Jenkins and Colthirst are doing the hard work and showing the compassion it takes to build a community that can prevent this violence from happening.

At Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park, where improvements are planned, Yee points out the spot the sand where her grandmother was found.

I hope that she feels at peace knowing that were doing all this in her honor, and that her death isnt in vain.

Harry Mok is The San Francisco Chronicles assistant opinion editor. Twitter: @HarryMok
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As one of Californias few LGBTQ mayors, Emeryvilles John Bauters says June, the month of Pride, is difficult for him.

Bauters often feels torn. He wants to continue to be a role model for aspiring queer politicians but worries that if I was to make visible all the things that I was exposed to, Im afraid more LGBT people would not run for office.

Bauters is talking about the slurs hurled his way on social media. Just last week, a Twitter user told him, STFU fag. He doesnt want to talk about the attacks he fields privately. The pressure of being one of the few out queer elected leaders  even in a region that has long been a haven  is often exhausting.

Thats because even while the number of LGBTQ politicians has doubled over the past five years nationally, in some ways little has changed since Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors 45 years ago.

Last week, police investigated a bomb threat made against San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener, who is gay. He told The Chronicle that on a normal slow week, Ill get three to five death threats. This week, it has been between 20 and 30.

Police searched Wieners home for bombs the day after men believed to be from the far-right Proud Boys stormed a childrens story program hosted by a drag queen at the San Lorenzo Library and shouted slurs.

Even in the left-leaning Bay Area, it was a reminder that those (homophobic) feelings have no geographic boundary, said Jennifer Esteen, a Black lesbian who ran unsuccessfully for the state Assembly in Alameda County this year and lives a few miles from the library. Its chilling.

Nationally, a record 340 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation have been introduced in state legislatures across the country, according to the pro-LGBTQ Human Rights Campaign.

In many ways, a lot of progress has been made, said Samuel Garrett-Pate, managing director of external affairs at Equality California, the states largest LGBTQ advocacy organization.

But in other ways, Garrett-Pate conceded that its a mixed bag.

Nationally, the number of LGBTQ elected officials has doubled over the past five years to 1,042, according to Elliot Imse, executive director of the LGBTQ Victory Institute. But thats still only .2% of the total number of officeholders.

To accurately represent the 7% of Americans who identify as LGBTQ, according to a recent Gallup Poll, would take electing around 38,000 people, Imse said.

California may be a historic mecca for the movement, but representation is underwhelming here in some places. Before Matt Dorsey was recently appointed to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, fellow Supervisor Rafael Mandelman was the only out supervisor in the nine-county Bay Area, according to Equality California. (Out LGBTQ county supervisor candidates will probably be on the ballot this November in Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties; there are only seven currently serving in California.)

California has never had an LGBTQ U.S. senator or anything other than a straight white male governor. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is the only openly gay statewide officeholder. Only one member of the states 53-member House delegation is LGBTQ, while 10% of the state Senate and 4% of the Assembly identify that way.

California has never elected an out transgender person to the state Legislature, while red states like Kansas have.

California still boasts the strongest civil rights protections for its LGBTQ residents and is on track to be the first state in the country to have 10% of its state Legislature be LGBTQ in November, Garrett-Pate said. The leader of the state Senate, Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, and Todd Gloria, the mayor of the states second-largest city, San Diego, hold high-profile positions.

This is a representative democracy, Garrett-Pate said. If a government doesnt look like and reflect the diversity of the people it serves, thats bad for policymaking. Its bad for our democracy in terms of people having confidence that the government serving them understands their needs and their priorities.

There are many reasons why governmental leaders arent more reflective of the community. Start with a challenge common to many marginalized groups: money.

People tend to think LGBTQ people are wealthy, Imse said. LGBTQ people tend to have less money, have less donor networks and have less rich people in their pockets than the average white cisgender man.

Imse also regularly sees inherent bias hurt LGBTQ candidates  some of it coming from their fellow, supposedly gay-friendly Democrats. (Only roughly 3% of LGBTQ office-holders nationally are Republican, Imse said.) They hear the same argument that female and candidates of color often hear: that theyre not electable.

There will be whisper campaigns against LGBTQ candidates, where influential Democratic donors or influential party members will say that they are, of course, supportive of LGBTQ equality and LGBTQ people running  but that the straight cisgender person will have a better chance of winning in a general election, Imse said.

Other candidates dont run because they fear violence against them. Three in five female LGBTQ candidates who considered running said they were concerned about violent attacks against them because of their sexual orientation or gender, according to a 2021 Victory Institute study.

In a study the organization has completed but not yet released, Imse said half of LGBTQ school board candidates nationally reported receiving verbal threats and 6% had fielded death threats.

Which brings us back to Bauters. He faces a near-constant dilemma: How much does he reveal about the bigotry thats still out there  without discouraging someone from running for office?

Its a challenge because I feel responsible for being authentic about showing this is what public service as an LGBT person is like, Bauters said. I learned a long time ago that being resilient means like you have to literally just go on to your next day.

Bauters was recently named chair of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which is charged with protecting the air breathed by 7 million Bay Area residents.

At the end of the first meeting he led a few weeks ago, Bauters wished everyone a Happy Pride Month and said he wanted them to hear about a boy I know. That boy, who when he was 7 years old, wrote another boys name in a heart on his spelling test.

Bauters said the boys teacher called his parents in for a conference and told them that it was inappropriate because boys dont love other boys. That boys feelings never changed, and Bauters told the group that he got called queer and fag and beaten up on the way home from school until he reached high school. He went through mental health issues, attempted self-harm and was housing-insecure for a time.

Today, Bauters said, that boy is the chair of the air district board.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
" " Nothing like a lovely lobster dinner with a glass of white wine! But the lobster has some unusual habits. Photography by Bobi/Moment/Thinkstock

Lobsters are pretty strange animals. For starters they have no vocal chords, possess two stomachs, and have been known to eat each other.

But you don't think about all that when a big red one lands on your dinner plate. There's nothing like extracting large pieces of lobster meat from the shell, swirling them in warm drawn butter, adding a squeeze of lemon, and savoring each sweet, delicious bite.

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While lobster is usually considered a gourmet entree, right up there with filet mignon, that wasn't always the case. Lobsters were once so plentiful in New England that they could easily be caught right at the shore and were eaten mainly by poor people and prisoners.

Let's look at this and nine other strange facts about lobsters. (For the purposes of this article, we're mostly focusing on the American or Maine lobster). Read on to find out how familiarity bred contempt.
An endangered species of salmon, once considered to be on the brink of extinction in the Bay Area, is showing a promising return.

Researchers at the Marin Municipal Water District said that significant rainfall totals late last year mitigated drought conditions and may have aided in bolstering the coho salmon population at Lagunitas Creek, a 24-mile stream in Marin County where the fish spawn every winter.

Eric Ettlinger, an ecologist for the agency, told the Marin Independent Journal that the creek saw one of the largest salmon runs in a decade and that fish surveyors discovered 330 coho egg nests  the second-highest count recorded in that span of time. Three hundred and seventy nests were counted during the winter months of late 2018 and early 2019.

For the public, it was an amazing year because [salmon] were all over the watershed, Ettlinger told the outlet. People were seeing them in popular spots like Devils Gulch and Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area and spawning over an extended period of time. They said they had not seen so many salmon in years and that this year was the best viewing they had ever seen.

The news comes after Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) biologist Ayano Hayes spotted the shiny red tail of a coho salmon in the nearby waters of Montezuma Creek in Forest Knolls earlier this year. Hayes told SFGATE it was the first sighting recorded of the species since 2004.

Though Hayes considers the species comeback in Lagunitas Creek encouraging, she said the sudden dryness that followed heavy rain in the months of January and February left her concerned for the survival of emerging fry, or small salmon that are just beginning to leave their gravel nest.

Coho salmon have experienced a serious decline since the mid-20th century, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and sand bars blocking the fish because of drought conditions heavily weighed into their demise.

However, subsequent light rain that fell in March and April provided a respite for the species, replenishing parts of the waterway and allowing younger salmon to move to safer sections of the creek downstream amid ongoing risks such as warming temperatures.

As of now, we are still seeing schools of juveniles feeding in pools and darting around everywhere in the creeks throughout the watershed, more so than I have seen in years, Hayes said in an email.

Kevin Schafer/Getty Images

While thousands of coho salmon once made their way to the Bay Area, only a few hundred now return each year, according to SPAWN. Hayes said biologists are carefully observing the creeks water quality and temperature  conditions the salmon are extremely sensitive to.

But for now, it's reassuring to see these numbers of juveniles because it gives a greater fighting chance of survival for this cohort, Hayes said, adding that the rain also helped 22,000 salmon at the smolt stage to migrate out to the ocean. It was the second-largest outmigration population count in the Lagunitas watershed since the Marin Municipal Water District began monitoring it in 2006.

We've been very fortunate this year with receiving rain at just the right time, Hayes said. We won't see these fish return until they're adults ready to spawn winter of 2023-24, but we hope ocean conditions are favorable and that this cohort continues to run strong with every return.
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A Southern California man accused of torturing a woman who lived with him may have had additional victims, police said this week.

The investigation began on the evening of June 9, when deputies from the Chino Hills Police Department responded to a call for help at Alterra Park. There, they found a 22-year-old female victim with "visible injuries" who told them she had been held captive for six months in a nearby residence. The woman reportedly willingly moved in with Peter Anthony McGuire, 59, but when she told him she wanted to move out, he allegedly refused to let her leave. According to Chino Hills police, for months, McGuire raped, tortured and assaulted her until she was able to escape just minutes before police arrived.
NEW YORK (AP)  George Lamming, a giant of post-colonial literature whose novels, essays and speeches influenced readers and peers in his native Barbados and around the world, has died at age 94.

His death this month was confirmed by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who said, Wherever George Lamming went, he epitomized that voice and spirit that screamed Barbados and the Caribbean. No cause of death was given.

Along with such contemporaries as Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul, Kamau Brathwaite and John Hearne, Lamming was among a generation of post-World War II writers from the West Indies who came of age as British rule in their region was being challenged and spent at least part of their 20s in England. But unlike Naipaul, who settled in London and at times wrote disdainfully of his origins, Lamming returned home and became a moral, political and intellectual force for a newly independent country seeking to tell its own story.

There is a kind of English which is used, say, in official situations, in the civil service context, in the context of parliament, in the context of school, and so on, he once wrote. But there was always, in any given territory, another kind of English, the English of popular speech, the language which the mass of population use.

Lamming had a broad, connective vision he would say was inspired in part by the Trinidadian historian-activist C.L.R. James. His calling was to address the crimes of history, unearth and preserve his native culture and forge a collective sense of the future.

In novels such as In the Castle of My Skin and Season of Adventure and in the nonfiction The Pleasures of Exile, Lamming explored the Caribbeans complicated legacy  as a destination for enslaved people abducted and shipped from Africa, as a colonial proving ground for England and as an uneasy neighbor of the United States, practitioners of the deceptive magic of the dream of milk and honey.

Lamming received his greatest acclaim for In the Castle of My Skin, its title drawn from an early poem by Nobel laureate Derek Walcott. Published in 1953, the novel is a semi-autobiographical narrative based in a Caribbean village uprooted by colonialism and profit taking.

In the Castle of My Skin was structured in part as a coming-of-age story about a boy who begins drifting from his peers when hes admitted into a more exclusive high school. But its also a eulogy for villagers left homeless, for trees cut down, land sold off and buildings razed, for the way of life being dismantled.

The Village, you might say, is the central character, Lamming wrote in an introduction to a 1983 reissue of the novel. The Village sings, the Village dances, and since the word is their only rescue, all the resources of a vital oral folk tradition are summoned to bear witness to the essential humanity which rebukes the wretchedness of their predicament.

Lammings novels The Emigrants and Season of Adventure drew upon his years in England, and his disenchantment with the British culture he had been conditioned to emulate. He lived for more than a decade in London, but would think of it as a cold and alienated place, where no one asked after each other and one could feel entirely alone even when living closely to hundreds of others.

I became a West Indian in England, he said during a 2013 interview for the National Cultural Foundation of Barbados.

Lamming revisited and reinvented not just his personal history, but the distant past, which he saw as a battle for decolonization of the mind. Natives of My Person was an imagined voyage on a slave ship whose captain no longer believes in their mission. In a novel he was working on late in his life, he imagined Christopher Columbus arrested by natives in the West Indies, stripped naked and his hands and legs in chains. Pleads Columbus: My errors have not been committed with intention to do ill.

He was also greatly influenced by Shakespeares The Tempest and the slave Caliban, whom Lamming saw as a symbol for the colonial voice waiting to be heard. His novel Water With Berries is a modern retelling of Shakespeares play and The Pleasures of Exile explores in depth the upending of Prosperos authority over Caliban.

The old blackmail of Language simply wont work any longer, he wrote. For the language of modern politics is no longer Prosperos exclusive vocabulary. It is Calibans as well; and since there is no absolute from which a moral prescription may come, Caliban is at liberty to choose the meaning of this moment.

Lammings admirers ranged from Richard Wright, who wrote the introduction to the U.S. edition of In the Castle of My Skin, to Jean-Paul Sartre to Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiongo.

Lamming spent much of the second half of his life in Barbados, but also taught at Brown University, the University of Texas in Austin and the University of Pennsylvania.

In 2008, he was presented the Order of the Caribbean Community for his intellectual energy, constancy of vision, and an unswerving dedication to the ideals of freedom and sovereignty. Six years later, Lamming received the Anisfield-Wolf lifetime achievement award for his deeply political books that critique colonialism and neo-colonialism.

Lamming was born near the capitol city, Bridgetown, in what he called a bad village, where Black was identified with the cheapness of labour and white symbolized power. In school, he would fear being asked where he lived, and on walks home with more affluent classmates he would sometimes see his mother and worry whether he should acknowledge her.

When I hear people discussing class, I did not discover in Marx. I lived it, from the age of 10, he later wrote.

Like the protagonist of In the Castle of My Skin, he was accepted into an elite high school and was encouraged by one teacher to write poetry. Lamming found a job teaching at a boys school in Trinidad before following a similar path to many contemporaries and emigrating to England in 1950, journeying on the same boat across the ocean as the Trinidadian author Sam Selvon. In London, he wrote poetry and stories and worked in programming for the BBC.

Meanwhile, as Lamming began Castle of My Skin, Barbados was breaking from the British. Demands for democratization had been growing since the 1930s and by the time Lamming had departed overseas, the right to vote had been expanded beyond wealthy men to include women and the lower classes. A regional federation in the 1950s gave way to independence for Barbados, Trinidad and other Caribbean countries in the following decades.

The numerical superiority of the Black mass could forge a political authority of their own making, and provide an alternative direction for the society, Lamming later wrote. In the desolate, frozen heart of London, at the age of 23, I tried to reconstruct the world of my childhood and early adolescence. It was also the world of a whole Caribbean reality.
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP)  One person died and another was injured when they were thrown from their boat in a Massachusetts lake, authorities said.

Worcester and state Environmental police as well as the city fire department responded to Lake Quinsigamond at about 6 p.m. Saturday to search for the victims, police said.
MIAMI (AP)  As a large black van pulled into The Shoppes at Liberty City, Dr. Armen Henderson, megaphone in hand, poked his head out of the slightly open door.

Did you know if you call the police during a mental health crisis, you are 16 times more like to be shot and killed? Henderson said, turning the heads of many shoppers. Instead, call us at 1-866-SAFE MIA.

His statistic is from a Treatment Advocacy Center 2015 report which, despite being from seven years ago, Henderson says is still relevant because it centers on one main issue that illustrates police arent equipped to handle incidents involving mental illness. Henderson, along with fellow Freedom House Mobile Crisis team members Lesley Jackson and Al Muhammad, uses it to draw attention.

A few curious individuals approach the vehicles doors when it parks and listen to the trio talk about a new 911 alternative that sends out a doctor, therapist and conflict resolution specialist rather than an armed police officer. The program is a relatively novel idea in the Miami area, where the team began in mid-May. Similar models in Eugene, Ore., and Dallas have seen success in saving police departments money and limiting arrest numbers.

Really, were just here to help, said Jackson, a social worker and therapist.. Its OK to get help. Its OK to not be OK. Everyone needs help sometimes.

Miami police 2021 call logs showed that roughly 1% qualified as violent as defined by the FBIs Uniform Crime Reporting Program. If other crimes such as domestic violence were included then the percentage would barely increase. That 1% figure matches that of other cities with populations comparable to Miami. People with documented mental illness comprised one-fifth of all police-involved fatal shootings since 2015, according to The Washington Post.

ITS IN THE NAME: FREEDOM

The origin of the Freedom House Mobile Crisis program can be traced back to 1967. Disappointed by the quality of emergency medical care, a group of Black Pittsburgh residents formed Freedom House Ambulance Service, which was the first time medical equipment and trained personnel were in the ambulance, setting the standard for modern emergency treatment.

Our objective is to stay independent, said Muhammad, a conflict resolution specialist. Its in the name: freedom.

The program is funded by a $900,000 grant from the Open Society Foundation to the Dream Defenders Healing and Justice Center, a coalition of organizations including Dade County Street Response, Beyond the Bars and Circle of Brotherhood that provides an array of services from free health clinics to youth programs.

After months of planning, the Freedom House Mobile Crisis program began May 17 and operates Tuesdays and Wednesdays within a 5-mile radius of Liberty City. Their goal is to get more funding for several teams and go to other areas in Miami.

I hope that were able to run 24/7 and were able to do welfare checks, trespassing (incidents), and be able to answer all the calls in this area, Jackson said.

It also helps that many of these organizations in Miami have long established relationships with one another, added Henderson, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Miami.

This is Dream Defenders project but its not like we cant refer you the Miami Workers Center if youre about to be evicted or Beyond the Bars if you have a relative in jail, said Henderson.

Less than a month into the program, Henderson, Jackson and Muhammad are still focused on spreading the word about the Freedom House Mobile Crisis program. They go store-to-store in Wynwood, handing out fliers. Talk with passersby beneath the Black Lives Matter mural in Liberty City. Try to differentiate themselves from the police.

Still, people see the large black van and automatically assume theyre police. Thats exactly what George Rodriguez thought as he flagged the vehicle down near his hangout spot underneath the Biscayne Boulevard underpass near Northwest 36th Street. A homeless individual who wants to get back into his career in hospitality, Rodriguez received an on-the-spot health evaluation from Henderson and Jackson. The clear distrust began to fade as Rodriguez realized the team was not law enforcement, and said the Freedom House Mobile Crisis program and the Healing and Justice Centers free clinic could be a helpful step in his journey.

It can get me on the right track, health-wise, Rodriguez said.

The teams track record isnt extensive  theyve only responded to one call from an older man who was more in need of housing assistance than a check-up  but they expect more calls to come as word spreads.

Because of the distrust of police, its going to take time for people to understand what were doing, Henderson said.

The program mirrors other community-based initiatives like Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets, or CAHOOTS, in Eugene, Ore., that have sprung up across the country due to police officers not being licensed health professionals, said Alexis Piquero, a criminologist and chair of sociology at the University of Miami.

A lot of cities are experimenting with these kind of programs and I think its great, Piquero added. The more we can have police and community members partner together, the better off we all will be. Crime and public safety is not only a police issue and its not only a community issue: its everybodys issue and we all have to work together.

Launched in 1989, CAHOOTS responds to calls with two-person teams comprised of a medical professional and a crisis worker, both of whom have extensive training in the field of mental health. The group says its work over the past three decades has been very cost efficient, pointing out that in 2019, police backup was needed in less than 1% of the calls, thereby saving the city of Eugene roughly $8.5 million in police spending. CAHOOTS has an annual budget of roughly $2.1 million compared with the $90 million spent on the police departments in Eugene and Springfield, Ore., where the community-based response team primarily operates.

Unlike CAHOOTS, the Freedom House Mobile Crisis team plans to have as little contact with police as possible. That means no coordinating response efforts, no conversations over whose tactics work best and virtually no contact.

As the implementation of 988, the mental health equivalent of 911, looms, Henderson wants to make it clear that these programs should be autonomous of law enforcement. He says reducing the city of Miamis nearly $280 million expenditure on police would be beneficial.

When crisis teams are embedded in police departments, studies have shown that the care is inadequate, Henderson added. Government funding would be welcomed, he continued, but not at the expense of police controlling when and how they respond, especially in Black communities. Henderson pointed to an Interrupting Criminalizations study that found co-response models  programs that send mental health professionals along with police  similar to CAHOOTS prioritizes the central role for law enforcement in calls involving mental health.

If people are already traumatized by police at such the level they are, why would you send police? Henderson said. In Black communities, its just not going to work.

One example is the killing of Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old father with history of mental illness. Wallace was fatally shot in October 2020 by two Philadelphia police officers. Video footage showed he was holding a knife and walking towards the officers. He was told to drop the weapon numerous times. But he also was experiencing a mental health crisis when officers fired more than a dozen shots at Wallace.

If a similar situation arose, Henderson wants police to be the absolute last response. Instead, he supports the training model of the Newark Community Street Team, a group of local residents whose policing of their own neighborhoods led to a record low in homicides, and Aquil Basheer, a community interventionist whos helping to broker peace between the Bloods and Crips gangs.

Basically what it involves is de-escalation: understanding why the person is upset, getting a good understanding of what the person is suffering and then identifying how to make a person feel safe, said Henderson.
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LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  British journalist Dom Phillips quest to unlock the secrets of how to preserve Brazils Amazon was cut short this month when he was killed along with a colleague in the heart of the forest he so cherished. Some of his discoveries may yet see the light of day.

Phillips in 2021 secured a yearlong fellowship with the Alicia Patterson Foundation to write a book, building on prior research. By June, he had written several chapters.

Doms book project was on the cutting edge of environmental reporting in Brazil. It was extremely ambitious, but he had the experience to pull it off, said Andrew Fishman, a close friend and journalist at The Intercept. We cannot let his assassins also kill his vision.

Phillips' disappearance and then confirmed death has brought calls for justice from Brazil and abroad from actors, musicians and athletes, along with appeals for help to support his wife. Phillips would be gobsmacked to learn that his fate has troubled current and former U.K. prime ministers.

He wrote about Brazil for 15 years, in early days covering the oil industry for Platts, later freelancing for the Washington Post and New York Times then regularly contributing to The Guardian. He was versatile, but gravitated toward features about the environment as it became his passion.

Phillips often hiked in Rio de Janeiros Tijuca Forest National Park and, atop his paddle board at Copacabana beach, was in his element: floating above the natural world and observing. He might message friends out of the blue, sharing news of spotting a ray with a 3-foot wingspan, reflecting a wonder more common among children than 57-year-old men, and he brought that spirit to his reporting.

He was curious and thorough, whether parsing studies of projected rainfall decline in the agricultural heartland caused by Amazon deforestation or tracking down the driving test administrator who discovered a man disguised as his own mother to take her exam. He recalled an editor telling him: You spend too much time researching news stories.

Among local correspondents, he earned respect for his humility as well, often sharing others reportage rather than tooting his own horn.

Phillips claimed the spotlight, inadvertently, during a televised press conference in July 2019. Noting rising deforestation and that the environment minister had met with loggers, Phillips asked President Jair Bolsonaro how he intended to demonstrate Brazil's commitment to protect the Amazon region.

First, you have to understand that the Amazon is Brazils, not yours, OK? Thats the first answer there, Bolsonaro retorted. We preserved more than the entire world. No country in the world has the moral standing to talk to Brazil about the Amazon.

Within weeks, man-made fires ravaged the Amazon, drawing global criticism, and the clip of Bolsonaros testy response spread among his supporters as evidence the far-right leader wouldnt be admonished by foreign interlopers. Phillips then received abuse, but no threats.

That didnt stop him from attending rallies to seek the views of die-hard Bolsonaro backers. He was alarmed by Bolsonaros laissez-faire environmental policy, but mindful that prior leftist governments also had spotty records, often catering to agribusiness and building a massive hydroelectric dam that wrought calamitous local damage while vastly underdelivering. His allegiance was to the environment and those depending on it for survival.

Amazon deforestation has hit a 15-year high, and some climate experts warn the destruction is pushing the biome near a tipping point, after which it will begin irreversible degradation into tropical savannah.

Phillips spoke to farmers who deny climate change even as extreme weather threatens their crops. But he returned from a recent trip with spirits buoyed after meeting some reintroducing biodiversity to their land, said Rebecca Carter, his agent. After his disappearance, a video on social media showed him speaking with an Indigenous group, explaining he had come to learn how they organize and deal with threats.

Im grateful to have coexisted with a man who loved human beings, his wife, Alessandra Sampaio, told the newspaper O Globo. He didnt speak of villains. He didnt want to demonize anyone. His mission was to clarify the complexities of the Amazon.

Phillips was also a crisp writer with an ear for readability. A 2018 story for The Guardian had one of journalism's most dramatic introductions:

Wearing just shorts and flip-flop as he squats in the mud by a fire, Bruno Pereira, an official at Brazils government Indigenous agency, cracks open the boiled skull of a monkey with a spoon and eats its brains for breakfast as he discusses policy.

Phillips described his 17-day voyage with Pereira through the remote Javari Valley Indigenous territory at that time as physically the most grueling thing I have ever done. This June, he was with Pereira in the same region  it was to be one of his final reporting trips for his book  when they were killed together.

Three suspects are in custody, and police say one confessed. Pereira had previously busted people fishing illegally within the Indigenous territory and received threats.

Phillips, meanwhile, also had been preoccupied with risks to his professional future, betting on a book with wallet-wilting travel costs and praying it would resonate. He had set aside newspaper work to focus on it.

Im a freelancer with nothing but a book in my life and not even enough to live on next year while I write it, he told the AP in a private exchange in September. Not so much all the eggs in the same basket as the entire hen house.

He and Sampaio had moved to the northeastern city of Salvador. He was charged up by the change of scene and teaching English to children from poor communities. They had begun the process to adopt a child.

Sampaio told the AP that she doesnt know what will become of her husbands book, but she and his siblings want it published  whether only the four chapters already written or including others completed with outside help. Phillips optimistic message  that the Amazon can be preserved, with the right actions  could still reach the world.

We would very much like to find a way to honor the important and essential work Dom was doing, Margaret Stead, his publisher at Manilla Press, wrote in an email.

The book's title was How to Save the Amazon. Bolsonaro has bristled at the idea it needs rescue, saying some 80% of Brazils portion remains intact and offering to fly foreign dignitaries over its vast abundance. But Phillips knew the view is different from the forest floor; big hardwood trees have been logged to scarcity in many seemingly pristine areas. His companions traveling through the Javari Valley celebrated when coming upon one.

The Amazon is much less pristine and protected than most people think it is and much more threatened than people realize, he wrote to the AP in September.

He noted, with a hint of intrigue, that he recently visited a preserved area of virgin forest full of massive trees. Places like that, he said, were usually inaccessible.

And where is that hallowed ground?

You can read it in the book," he wrote, "when it comes out.

___

Biller is the AP's Brazil news director.
NEW YORK (AP)  On the eve of Juneteenth, the Tribeca Festival came to a close with the Rev. Al Sharpton documentary Loudmouth in a premiere that united on stage Sharpton and Spike Lee  two towering New York figures who have each been vilified and celebrated for careers championing racial justice.

The event held Saturday at the Borough of Manhattan Community College celebrated Sharpton with the kind of big-screen portrait that has been commonplace for an older generation of civil rights leaders, but had, until Loudmouth, eluded the 67-year-old activist. Loudmouth contextualizes Sharpton's legacy as an extension of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rep. John Lewis and others, while at the same time chronicling his unique longevity despite plenty of naysayers along the way.

Shoot your best shot," Sharpton said in a Q&A after the film. "I'm still here.

Lee, a longtime friend who cast Sharpton in a small role in 1992's Malcolm X," cheered Sharpton for being there from the get-go, fighting the good fight.

Everybody takes blows but you got up and keep stepping, said Lee, who joined Sharpton and John Legend, executive producer of the film, on stage. And youre still doing it today.

Loudmouth, which is seeking distribution at Tribeca, was introduced by Tribeca co-founder Robert De Niro. He drew a firm distinction between Sharpton and other loudmouths on today's airwaves and at the Jan. 6 hearings in Washington.

How interesting that the committee and the Rev are on the same page exposing the lies and the liars who threaten our democracy," said De Niro. "They want to take away our right to vote and deny us social justice. While Washington deals with the lies and the big lie, tonight you're in the company of patriot who challenges us to get to the truth.

Loudmouth, directed by Josh Alexander, is framed around a sit-down interview with Sharpton, who chronicles his story as a constant fight to keep social justice in the headlines. Nobody calls me to a keep a secret, Sharpton said at the memorial service for George Floyd.

To Sharpton, that was his purpose  the blow-up man," he once called himself  to tirelessly agitate and stir up enough media attention and to spotlight injustice. Of course, that approach earned Sharpton plenty of detractors  almost all of whom are white  who have chided him as racial opportunist. That was especially after his involvement in the 1987 case of Tawana Brawley, whose allegation that she had been raped and kidnapped by a group of Dutchess County, New York, men was later found to have been fabricated by a special state grand jury.

Sharpton in the film argues that his mission in that case and others was always to give someone their day in court. Ahead of the film, Alexander said Sharpton's one request was to get the context right. And in an litany of other instances, Sharpton has been there to advocate, consult and lend support for Black people. Family members of Floyd, Eric Garner and others were in the audience Saturday.

It just makes you realize that anybody whos making noise for justice, especially for an oppressed minority, is always going to be treated as persona non grata in society, Legend said. Theyre always going to be unpopular to an extent because theyre fighting to disturb a status quo that protects a lot of people.

When Legend approached Sharpton about making the documentary, he and producers surprised Sharpton with the idea of it being directed by Alexander, a white Jewish filmmaker from California. They argued that the film would be more objective from the perspective of a white filmmaker, Sharpton said.

I said: Ill tell you what. If it works, Ill be there to take a bow. If it dont, Ill be picketing you outside,'" Sharpton said.

Legend  who Sharpton praised as a pop star and crossover artist who was bold in affiliating himself with a figure seen by some as risque  said he had been discouraged by what he saw as a backlash to the reckoning that followed Floyd's death and recent battles over school textbooks. But Legend said he found inspiration watching Sharpton in Loudmouth.

Every time we have progress, theres a backlash, and the backlash is: Oh, weve got to control this narrative, said Legend. Everybody knows how important narrative is and how important whos telling the story and what perspectives are being represented.

Lee, who twice mentioned being traumatized by an early school field trip to see Gone With the Wind, said Loudmouth should be shown in schools. As a chronicle from the front lines of racial tensions in New York, Lee said it was a valuable reminder.

You have to show that racism doesnt really have a particular ZIP code, said Lee, who wore a 1619 hat. This is not Shangri-La. Theres a whole lot of messed up here that continues today.

Sharpton often returned to the question of how much has changed in the last half century. Sharpton recently gave eulogies for several victims in Buffalo of last months racist mass shooting that killed 10 people in a supermarket. Still, he said he also sees great progress, and more Black people in power than ever before.

We're not out of the woods yet, Sharpton said. But we've done enough paths in the woods to believe we can get out.
SEALE, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama man suffering from late-stage cancer got to see his son graduate from high school with help from school officials and his family.

Mike Bowden had stage four liver and bile duct cancer that would have made it impossible for him to attend his son's graduation from Russell County High School in Seale, Alabama near the Georgia border, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported Friday.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP)  By the time Mugisha Gloire arrived in Cedar Rapids at age 10 in 2000, the Congo refugee was used to seeing fear and anxiety in his relatives.

Though some of the vivid memories they retained didnt stick with him after the Rwandan genocide, the subconscious anxiety always did. By 1996, the First Congo War, known as Africas First World War, forced his family to flee to nearby Tanzania.

There are lots of stories. My mom carrying me in the pot and everyone carrying whatever they could grab in their hand. Hiding in the bushes as we were running away. Stuff like that, Gloire told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. There was always this sense of fear, but I didnt know what it was.

Even after the 10-year-old gained his bearings and learned English in Cedar Rapids, that anxiety stayed with him. By age 11 or 12, he knew his mindset was different. As other kids played on the playground, he studied the bugs and shepherded them around the grass.

And as he came into his own, his upbringing as a refugee gave him a distinctive sense of empathy. With his faith central to his determination to succeed not just for himself but for others, he practices the Golden Rule in a slightly different way. He doesnt just do unto others as he would have them do unto him  he gives to others as generously as he can.

Theres always been this sense of wanting to help, he said. I just had this desire of connecting with people and helping them.

Growing up, he thought being a helper meant becoming a doctor. As a junior in high school, he became a certified nursing assistant. Later in 2018, he became a licensed practical nurse.

With two rungs on the way to more steps in the profession, he kept wanting to do more to make a difference. As being a doctor came more into focus, he realized how little time doctors actually spend with patients.

Meanwhile, he reconciled the idea of how he could help others rather than just working a career for personal gain  something he struggled to understand.

So after becoming an LPN, instead of climbing the ladder in the medical field, he started United We March Forward, a nonprofit that helps immigrants reach their full potential through long-term relationship building and resources in a community-minded setting. There, his role isnt just helping with the immediate needs for each individual  its helping immigrants and refugees find their path.

Many immigrants see the opportunity for success in America, he said, but they cant outline their path to it.

Today, Gloire says that most immigrants and refugees are surviving  not thriving. Delivering a sense of belonging and purpose can mean the difference between the two.

With a goal of filling in the gaps not provided through other nonprofits in a patchwork of resources for immigrants, Gloires nonprofit stands out with one goal: to foster communities, more than serving individuals in a community. The difference between a goal and finding a path to that goal lies in relationships.

 (Nonprofits) might be providing the service, but were not helping the underlying problem, said Gloire, 31. When everyone can do the best that they can, its better for our community.  They feel theres ownership to that community.

With his wife, Kasasila, he continues to build relationships that will outlast jobs and services.

With almost all of the nonprofits funding sourced privately, being the executive director of a nonprofit has its perks. Gloire is well connected to 320 client families, the majority of them African, who invite him to the social events in their lives.

Amassing wealth is not one of the benefits the director has found since leaving the path to becoming a physician or even a nurse, where he made more while working less. For Gloire, fulfilling a calling to help his community came at a cost.

But after surviving a move from Africa, a year of homelessness and hunger as a young adult, hes realized there are things more valuable than money.

Being able to make an impact is more meaningful than chasing money  whether its known or not, Gloire said. Many people came before me and theyre all underground. So how am I different?

As the immigration landscape of Cedar Rapids evolves, community will become even more central to finding a formula for success that works no matter where a newcomer is from. Hes most proud of giving his clients a sense of purpose.

Im not just some dude telling them what to do, he said. Im someone they can look at as part of the community, someone they can rely on.

Gloires path to success was finding hope in helpless situations. Now, his lifes mission is instilling hope through community  the currency he knows has the power to propel immigrants to their dreams.
PONZER, N.C. (AP)  Multiple agencies were fighting a brush fire that is affecting hundreds of acres in North Carolina on Sunday afternoon.

Hyde County officials said crews are battling the 500-acre blaze near the Ponzer community, WITN-TV reported. No nearby structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.
Roxanne Tahbaz has said her visit to the Foreign Office was incredibly dispiriting (Richard Presley/Amnesty UK/PA) (Richard Presley/Amnesty UK)

The daughter of a British man who remains jailed in Iran said Fathers Day is the hardest day of all as she accused ministers of snubbing her over his case.

Morad Tahbaz, 66, was returned to custody after being allowed out on furlough on the day Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and fellow dual national Anoosheh Ashoori were freed in March.

His daughter Roxanne Tahbaz delivered a Fathers Day card and gift to the Foreign Office on Thursday, hoping to meet with ministers and be updated on his situation.

But when she arrived, she was dismayed that her concerns were allegedly turned over to an official from the consular desk, who said they would pass on the message instead.

It was incredibly dispiriting, Ms Tahbaz said.

Ahead of the holiday on Sunday, Ms Tahbaz voiced her anguish over the alleged failure to keep a dialogue open with her about measures being taken to secure his release.

Fathers Day is the hardest day of all, she said.

While every day is challenging, special moments like holidays and birthdays are especially difficult for me and my siblings.

Our father has been unjustly jailed in Iran for nearly four-and-a-half years, but Liz Truss and the Government still havent informed us over what theyre doing to secure his release.

Ms Tahbaz rebuked what she said felt like continual attempts to placate her and her siblings with pleasantries and false promises, drawing parallels between their situation and the treatment of Richard Ratcliffe and Mr Ashooris family before either returned home.

Roxanne Tahbaz has said Fathers Day is the hardest day of all

There doesnt seem to be any sense of urgency  nothing to suggest the Foreign Secretary and her office feel they need to get my father out of prison immediately, she said.

On Thursday, Amnesty accompanied me as I took a Fathers Day card and gift to the Foreign Office.

To our dismay, neither the Foreign Secretary nor a minister would meet us, instead we were greeted by another member of their team who said theyd pass on our concerns.

Story continues

It feels like the Government continually attempts to placate us with pleasantries and false promises, just as they did with Richard Ratcliffe and the family of Anoosheh Ashoori.

What weve asked for is very simple, the Government must uphold the agreement that should have taken place at the time of Nazanin and Anooshehs release, insisting on our fathers immediate release and return home with our mother.

It is understood the Foreign Office has been in contact with Mr Tahbazs sister-in-law, the familys chosen point of contact, and an ambassador is in touch with his wife in Tehran.

Roxanne Tahbaz has been campaigning for her fathers release for months

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: Iran has failed to honour their committed to releasing Morad from prison on indefinite furlough.

Continuing his horrendous ordeal sends a clear message to the international community that Iran does not honour its commitments.

We continue to urge the Iranian authorities, at every opportunity, to release him immediately.

In March, the UK said it had secured Mr Tahbazs furlough, along with the release and return of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mr Ashoori.

This came after the UK Government finally agreed to settle a 400 million debt to Iran dating back to the rule of the Shah in the 1970s.

But two days later Mr Tahbaz, a tri-national wildlife conservationist, was forced to return to Evin Prison.

Mr Tahbaz, a prominent conservationist and board member of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, was arrested during a crackdown on environmental activists in January 2018.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison with his colleagues on vague charges of spying for the US and undermining Irans security.

Ms Tahbaz has been campaigning for her fathers release for months, and in April staged a demonstration outside the Foreign Office begging the Government to follow through on the promise they made to us.

She told the PA news agency at the time: We want them to follow through on the promise they made to us, we were always led to believe over the past four-plus years that he was to be a part of any deal they were making, and we were led to believe hed be coming home as part of that.
Connecticut towns and cities are spending millions of dollars of federal stimulus funds to install police surveillance systems in local communities, enabling law enforcement officials to more easily track peoples movements and potentially solve crimes.

Public records show that at least five municipalities in the state have allocated millions of dollars provided through the American Rescue Plan Act to equip local police departments with a variety of surveillance technology, which has raised concerns about privacy and civil liberties in the past.

The purchases of the new surveillance equipment were widely supported by local elected leaders in many towns, but in some instances, the spending prompted questions among local residents about whether the federal funding could be put to better use.

In the end, New London allocated more than $366,000 for surveillance cameras, which will continuously record footage in parts of the city.

Norwich budgeted $350,000 to expand its existing network of cameras. West Hartford appropriated $500,000 for similar cameras systems, which will be positioned at strategic spots throughout the town.

The town council in Newington dedicated $283,000 to automatic license plate readers, which will record the license plate number and image for every vehicle that passes through eight major intersections in town.

And in New Haven, the Board of Alders voted to spend $3.8 million on more than 500 new cameras and another $1.2 million on the citys ShotSpotter network, which is supposed to help officers recognize and pinpoint the location of gunfire.

Those types of surveillance tools are not new to Connecticut law enforcement. Several of the states largest police departments have widely adopted similar technology over the past decade.

But the federal money flooding into Connecticuts towns and cities at the moment is likely to make such surveillance systems more common throughout the state, especially in smaller municipalities where annual police budgets are not as large.

Patrick Daley, the police chief in Norwich, said his department had plans to add more surveillance cameras already, but it would have taken the town years to finance those purchases without the federal money.

The same is true in Newington.

If that money wasnt there for us, we wouldnt have been able to do this, said Bill Jameson, a lieutenant with the Newington Police Department. That would have been a lot for the town to approve.

Municipal leaders and law enforcement officials who attended public hearings in recent months argued that spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on surveillance equipment will help make their communities safer and the work of police officers easier.

Enabling police departments to record non-stop video footage in public spaces and to capture data on hundreds of thousands of vehicles, they said, will help officers locate witnesses to crimes, identify suspects in shootings, investigate burglaries and apprehend stolen vehicles  an issue that state lawmakers were fixated on during the 2022 legislative session.

What we are seeing is the town making investments in public safety, Liam Sweeney, a Democratic Councilman in West Hartford, said during a town meeting in December. This is a really strong way to get things moving with these funds and a great way to serve and protect the community with it.

Adding more cameras would help reduce the crime in our town and give the citizens some respite, Tim Manke, a Republican councilman in Newington, added during a public hearing in January.

Using the federal stimulus funds to buy police surveillance equipment is within the guidelines of the American Rescue Plan Act. In fact, President Joe Bidens administration encouraged local governments to spend money in that way earlier this year and noted that $450 million had already been spent on policing tools nationally.

But not everyone is as keen on the idea of expanding the surveillance powers of local police.

Transforming communities

The American Civil Liberties Union and similar organizations have raised concerns in recent months about the proliferation of police surveillance tools throughout the state.

Claudine Constant, the public policy and advocacy director for the ACLU of Connecticut, argued that the purchase of surveillance cameras and license plate readers was a knee-jerk reaction to peoples worries about crime.

Constant, who previously served on the Hartford City Council, questioned whether adding or expanding surveillance networks is the most effective strategy in making communities safer.

The American Rescue Plan Act, Constant pointed out, gave local leaders broad leeway in how to use millions of dollars in federal funding to improve their communities. That money, she argued, would be more effective if it was used to counteract poverty, unemployment and housing insecurity  all of which can contribute to crime in a community.

What we really need to be doing is looking at the root causes of why things break down in our communities, and its because people arent appropriately supported, she said. They dont have access to quality, well-paying jobs. They dont have access to stable, affordable housing. They dont have access to quality public schools.

If we really stop and listen to what people need, its not investing in more police power, she said.

The same point was made by a handful of residents in New London last fall as local leaders in that city considered how to spend the $26.2 million in federal funding it received.

Several people who spoke at a public hearing regarding the ARPA funds referred to a community survey that had been conducted in New London last year. The results of that survey, they said, showed city residents had other priorities for the federal money, outside of buying police surveillance cameras.

Frida Berrigan, who ran for mayor in New London as a third-party candidate in 2019, told the city council that only 14 percent of the people who responded to the unofficial survey agreed that more police funding would make their lives better.

This process to distribute the ARPA funding needs to be truly responsive to the needs of New London, Berrigan told the citys leaders.

Maya Sheppard, an organizer for a social justice group in New London, voiced similar concerns about the citys decision to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the new police technology.

Once again, we are in a moment that could actually transform how our community could live, and we cannot afford to fumble it  not by adding more funding to a police department that already received an increase just a few months ago, she said.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker recognized that some people may be wary about the expanded use of surveillance tools and their effects on peoples privacy and civil liberties. He heard some of those concerns as New Havens Board of Alders debated his request for more security cameras earlier this year.

But Elicker said the mix of surveillance cameras and license plate readers he asked for in New Haven is a necessary step to confronting violence in the city of roughly 134,000 people.

Elicker pointed out that Hartford and Bridgeport already have sophisticated surveillance systems that allow officers in those cities to more thoroughly investigate shootings and other serious crimes. And he argued the police department in New Haven  Connecticuts third-largest city  needs the same capabilities.

This is a permanent investment in public safety in New Haven, Elicker said. Cameras are not going to solve the worlds problems around public safety, but cameras, I believe, are a very important tool for us being able to solve crimes.

In the past two years, New Haven has seen an uptick in homicides, and last year the city recorded its highest homicide rate in a decade.

Given the uptick in violence that were seeing around the nation, it doesnt surprise me that other municipalities are thinking about this as well, Elicker added. Its an important component to our ability to keep the community safe.

Reviving a debate over privacy

The expanded use of the surveillance equipment in Connecticut could reignite a political debate over how the state regulates some of those tools.

Consider the automatic license plate readers, which will soon be sweeping up information on vehicles traveling through several busy intersections in Newington.

Unlike other states, Connecticut has no laws limiting when or how police can use the information from those cameras. Also, agencies are not required to delete the data they collect from those devices after a set period of time.

Officials with the ACLU believe that is a serious problem, and theyve argued that allowing police departments to keep months or years worth of data detailing the travel patterns of thousands of vehicles threatens peoples privacy and their constitutional rights.

That concern is even more pronounced, they argue, when police departments combine their surveillance systems together.

The ACLU tried to convince state lawmakers a decade ago to set limits on the license plate readers after requesting and reviewing more than 3.1 million images that had been collected by several local police departments in Connecticut.

The group specifically asked the legislature to require police departments to discard the license plate data after 14 days, unless the information was part of an ongoing investigation or prosecution. The ACLU argued that type of policy would still allow police to use the technology for crime-fighting purposes while protecting against the potential misuse of those systems.

The legislation that the ACLU recommended in 2012 and 2013 went nowhere, however. And the bills met stiff resistance from the law enforcement community, even though Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and a number of other states already had similar laws on the books.

The Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice submitted testimony to state lawmakers arguing the legislation would have set arbitrary and unreasonable limits on how police and prosecutors could use the license plate data.

While the division is certainly cognizant of the potential privacy concerns that may be raised with regard to the use of automated license plate recognition devices, those concerns by no means outweigh the value such devices have in the investigation and prosecution of serious crime, the agency told lawmakers.

During public meetings this year, several police chiefs and local elected officials sought to forestall any ongoing concerns that their new surveillance tools would infringe on peoples privacy.

Leon Davidoff, a Democratic councilman in West Hartford, assured town residents that the new security cameras that will be installed by the police department would only be used for investigating alleged crimes.

Its not a Big Brother thing, where we are monitoring our citizens movements day to day, he said.

Vernon Riddick, West Hartfords Police chief, made a similar point during another hearing. The surveillance cameras may record footage around the clock, but that doesnt mean that someone is monitoring it at all times, he said.

The important thing is it is not constant surveillance 24/7, Riddick said.
TUPELO, Miss. (AP)  Elvis legacy looms large over Tupelo, but in Australian writer/director Baz Luhrmanns new film, Tupelos influence on the King of Rock and Roll is front and center.

Luhrmann, who served as writer, director and producer for Elvis, visited Tupelo twice to conduct research for the film. During his trips, he stopped at the Elvis Presley Birthplace and chatted with the late Sam Bell, a childhood friend of Elvis, who died in September 2021 at age 85.

In the movie, viewers are offered a sepia-toned look at Elvis childhood in east Tupelo and the Shake Rag community in 1947, with scenes straight from Bells mouth to the big screen.

While making the film, Luhrmann  whose previous movies include Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby  found that most people show little interest in Elvis life before he walked into Sun Studio to record his first hit. But for Luhrmann, portraying Elvis childhood fully and accurately was of the utmost importance.

It was an obsession of mine to find someone who knew him in that time, Luhrmann told the Daily Journal via a video interview. Sam tells it in such an open-hearted way. I just found out so much. I put all of it verbatim in the movie.

In one of the films opening scenes, Elvis and a group of friends from the predominantly Black Shake Rag neighborhood peer inside a juke joint and see people dancing to Thats All Right by Arthur Big Boy Crudup. Elvis version of the song would be the first single he recorded in 1954 at Sun Studio in Memphis.

Down in Tupelo, Mississippi, I used to hear old Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do now, and I said if I ever got to the place I could feel all old Arthur felt, Id be a music man like nobody ever saw, Presley said in a 1956 interview.

From the juke joint, Luhrmanns movie takes the boys to a tent revival, where a wide-eyed Elvis ends up in the middle of the worship service. And thats exactly how it went down, Bell recounted to Luhrmann.

Elvis would go down amongst the musicians, getting swept up in the music and moving back and forth.

Do you think that kind of influenced the movement (he had onstage)? Luhrmann said he asked Bell, to which Elviss childhood friend answered, Absolutely.

Elvis friends thought hanging out in gospel tents was uncool, Luhrmann said. Bell remembered going up to grab Elvis and leave, but the preacher told him, Leave him be. Hes with the Spirit.

Throughout the movie, the scenes of Elvis peeking through the cracks of the juke joint or gyrating at the revival are paralleled with pivotal performances, linking back to his Tupelo roots.

As Luhrmann sees it, a lifelong connection to ones adolescence is a universal experience.

I think in a way that period as youre transitioning into an adult, what happens to you then, you probably spend the rest of your life working it out, Luhrmann said.

It just never goes away, he added. Its like being programmed. Its your hard-wiring.

Luhrmanns first encounter with Elvis larger-than-life persona came during his formative years. He grew up in the tiny town of Herons Creek in New South Wales, Australia  a town much smaller than Tupelo.

There was only one gas station in the town, which his family owned. Down the road, in the next biggest town, there was a movie theater. And for a while, Luhrmanns dad operated it. The Sunday matinee was often an Elvis movie.

I was a young kid. He was the coolest guy in the world, Luhrmann said. So that was that, and it left an imprint on me.

Years later, hed still refer to Elvis as a touchpoint for an understanding of America. But generations born after Elvis untimely death know little of his life beyond the iconic white jumpsuit.

(For) a certain age group, hes just kind of relegated to a Halloween costume, Luhrmann said.

The directors goal isnt to sell Elvis to a new generation, but to show them a cautionary tale about fame in an era when anyone can pick up an iPhone and become famous overnight.

What he represents about America and the journey he went through, the story, is so valuable and particularly in relation to the Colonel, that this generation will miss out if you dont tell the story, Luhrmann said.

Telling the story of Elvis and his manager, Col. Tom Parker, was a way for Luhrmann to show the contrast between the freedom of creativity, spirit, soul and truth and the ability to sell and promote hype and energy.

Theres nothing wrong with self-promotion, hype and energy, Luhrmann said. But if self-promotion, hype and energy become the dominant force and theres no room for soul, truth, invention, creativity, thats when tragic things occur.

Its like a Shakespearian play in that way, he feels.

If Shakespeare were here, I think he would think the musical Hamlet character in modern-day culture would be Elvis, Luhrmann said.

Despite the recurring theme of tragedy, the film has more than its fair share of upbeat moments  and music.

The films 36-song soundtrack includes one track thats sure to interest audiences in and around Northeast Mississippi: Tupelo Shuffle features vocals from Swae Lee and production from Diplo, both Tupelo natives. It also includes vocals from the gospel choir seen in the revival tent scene and interpolates Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Big Boy Crudup performing Thats All Right in the film.

Luhrmann, known for his involvement in creating the soundtracks for his films, said his goal was to translate the musics original themes and messages for a modern audience.

(Diplo) and Swae wrote this overlay, which was really about going out on the town, Luhrmann said of the Tupelo-centric track. Its a kind of sexy song. Because in truth Thats Alright Mama is a sexy song but its hard to understand that now.

Luhrmann said hes thankful for the kind people of Tupelo who looked after his team during their visits to research Elvis early life.

I wanted to represent that town and those people with the respect and the accuracy that it deserves, he said.

The film, which received a 12-minute standing ovation following its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, will open in theaters June 24. Early access fan screening events across the country, including in Tupelo, will take place June 21. Tickets can be purchased at https://elvis.warnerbros.com/earlyaccessfanevent/.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  At least 10 buildings were damaged or destroyed and more than two dozen vehicles were burned in a four-alarm fire overnight in downtown Las Vegas, authorities said Sunday.

They said only one minor injury was reported  a person treated for smoke inhalation at the scene  and about 100 people went to an evacuation center.
Ben Lambert / File photo

SOUTHINGTON  Two people, including a firefighter, were injured Sunday after a fire broke out inside a building near the intersection of West Main and South Main streets, officials said.

Firefighters responded to a property on West Main Street at around 8 a.m. after multiple people called 911 to report a blaze at the two-story building, according to Southington Fire Department Deputy Chief Scott Lee.
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PARIS (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macrons centrist alliance was projected to lose its majority despite getting the most seats in the final round of parliamentary elections Sunday, while the far-right National Rally appeared to have made big gains.

The projections, which are based on partial results, say Macrons candidates would win between 230 and 250 seats  much less than the 289 required to have a straight majority at the National Assembly, Frances most powerful house of parliament.

The situation, which is highly unusual in France, is expected to make Macrons political maneuvering difficult if the projections are borne out.

A new coalition  made up of the hard left, the Socialists and the Greens  is expected to become the main opposition force with about 140 to 160 seats.

The National Rally is projected to register a huge surge with potentially more than 80 seats, up from eight before. Polling was held nationwide to select the 577 members of the National Assembly.

The strong performance of both the National Rally and the leftist coalition called Nupes, led by hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, is expected to make it harder for Macron to implement the agenda he was reelected on in May, including tax cuts and raising Frances retirement age from 62 to 65.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the unprecedented situation is a risk to our country faced with challenges at the national level as well as at the international scale.

As the central force in that new Assembly ... we will work, as of tomorrow, to build an action-oriented majority," she said.

There's no alternative but gathering to guarantee our country some stability and lead the necessary reforms, she added.

Borne, who herself won a seat in western France, suggested Macron's centrist alliance will seek to get support from lawmakers from diverse political forces to find good compromises.

The National Rally's leader, Marine Le Pen, who lost to Macron in the presidential election, was reelected as MP in her stronghold of Henin-Beaumont, in northern France.

The Macron adventure has reached its end, Le Pen said. The group of National Rally lawmakers will be by far the biggest of the history of our political family.

Acting National Rally president Jordan Bardella compared his partys showing to a tsunami. Tonights message is that the French people made from Emmanuel Macron a minority president, he said on TF1 television.

Its the electoral failure of the Macronie, Melenchon said, criticizing "a moral failure of those people who lectured everyone non-stop and said they would block the far-right, and the main result is that they reinforced it.

Macrons government will still have the ability to rule, but only by bargaining with legislators. The centrists could try to negotiate on a case by case basis with lawmakers from the center-left and from the conservative party  with the goal of preventing opposition lawmakers from being numerous enough to reject the proposed measures.

The government could also occasionally use a special measure provided by the French Constitution to adopt a law without a vote.

Government spokesperson Olivia Gregoire said on France 2 television that weve known better evenings.

This is a disappointing top position, but still a top position," she said.

We are holding out a helping hand to all those who are OK to make that country move forward, she said, notably referring to The Republicans party, which is expected to have less seats than the far-right.

A similar situation happened in 1988 under Socialist President Francois Mitterrand, who then had to seek support from the Communists or the centrists to pass laws.

These parliamentary elections have once again largely been defined by voter apathy  with over half the electorate staying home.

Audrey Paillet, 19, who cast her ballot in Boussy-Saint-Antoine in southeastern Paris, was saddened that so few people turned out.

Some people have fought to vote. It is too bad that most of the young people dont do that," she said.

Macron had made a powerfully choreographed plea to voters earlier this week from the tarmac ahead of a trip to Romania and Ukraine, warning that an inconclusive election, or hung parliament, would put the nation in danger.

In these troubled times, the choice youll make this Sunday is more crucial than ever, he said Tuesday, with the presidential plane waiting starkly in the background ahead of a visit to French troops stationed near Ukraine. Nothing would be worse than adding French disorder to the worlds disorder, he said.

Some voters agreed, and argued against choosing candidates on the political extremes who have been gaining popularity. Others argued that the French system, which grants broad power to the president, should give more voice to the multi-faceted parliament and function with more checks on the presidential Elysee palace and its occupant.

Im not afraid to have a National Assembly thats more split up among different parties. Im hoping for a regime thats more parliamentarian and less presidential, like you can have in other countries, said Simon Nouis, an engineer voting in southern Paris.

At the Nupes' headquarters in Paris on Sunday evening, Pierre Migozzi, a leftist supporter, said the results show French politics have been rekindled.

There is a divide between people who want to guarantee the established order (Macron), people against free-market policies who want a new world turned toward the youth (Nupes), and people who recognize themselves in the National Rally's motto of being the party of the people, he said.

The 26-year-old, who grew up in central France, expressed concern about the far-right's results, saying the National Rally is not an answer to the issues of Frances suburbs and rural areas.

___

Jade Le Deley, Masha Macpherson and Jeffrey Schaeffer contributed to this report.
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LOS ANGELES  The rookie and his training officer knocked on the door of an El Monte motel room, where theyd been called to investigate a report of domestic violence.

Once they got the victim out of the room, Officer Joseph Santana went in, followed by his training officer, Cpl. Michael Paredes. Justin Flores, the man inside, backed himself into the bathroom, law enforcement sources told the L.A. Times.

Within about 12 seconds, one source said, Flores ambushed the officers with gunfire. Paredes went down first. Coroners officials said both officers died of a gunshot wound to the head.

The killings brought grief and heartache to the suburb east of downtown L.A., where both officers grew up and chose to stay as first responders. Theyre El Monte homegrown, Mayor Jessica Ancona said this week. Theyre our boys.

The horrific details about the moments that led up to the killings and the wild shootout that followed emerged Friday as friends and family of the officers gathered to mourn. The sources who described the scene asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The incident began around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when Paredes and Santana, along with an unidentified sergeant, responded to the Siesta Inn, a single-story stucco motel in El Monte.

After Paredes and Santana went down, the law enforcement sources said, Flores ran out of bullets and took a gun off one of the fallen officers. He left the room firing at the sergeant.

Flores ran out into a parking lot, where other responding officers engaged him in a shootout. Flores  who was 6 feet 2 and about 300 pounds  fell to the ground but continued to fire at the officers. He then shot himself as the officers moved in, the sources said.

Flores died at the scene. Coroners officials have not determined which shots killed him.

Paredes and Santana were taken to L.A. County-USC Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

A news conference Friday afternoon outside the El Monte Police Department began with a moment of silence for the fallen officers.

Ron Danison, president of the El Monte police union, called the two officers his brothers. Cpl. Paredes and Officer Santana did not show up for work today. I expected to see them walking into the doors of the station with their smiles, Danison said. That didnt happen today; instead Im standing here trying to make sense of the unthinkable.

Paredes started as a cadet with the department and in July 2000 was sworn in as a full-time officer. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son. Ancona, the mayor, said that he went through our El Monte schools and was excited to be on the force.

Santana, a graduate of El Monte High, served for three years as a San Bernardino County sheriffs deputy before transferring to the El Monte Police Department less than a year ago. Before joining law enforcement, he was a city maintenance worker in El Monte for six years. Hes survived by his wife, daughter and twin boys.

His mother, Olga Garcia, remembered her son as a great father, a great husband, a good American citizen and a wonderful son.

As a mother, my life has been destroyed. Joseph was murdered by a criminal that should have been in jail, she said. She went on to criticize District Attorney George Gascon for policies she said prioritize criminals over cops.

The L.A. Times this week reported that Flores could have faced significantly more time in prison when he was last charged with a crime. Documents reviewed by the L.A. Times showed that one of Gascons most heavily criticized policies probably resulted in a lower sentence.

In 2020, Flores was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and methamphetamine.

He had been convicted of burglary in 2011. Burglaries are strike offenses, which make suspects charged with later crimes eligible for harsher sentences. Flores earlier conviction means he had one strike against him when he was charged in 2020.

But the prosecutor assigned to the case case, Deputy District Attorney Larry Holcomb, wrote in a disposition report that he had to revoke the strike allegation after Gascon took office and barred prosecutors from filing strikes. Gascons policy was later deemed illegal by an L.A. County Superior Court judge.

Flores pleaded no contest to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to two years probation and 20 days in jail; he could have faced up to three years in prison for the gun charge. At the time of this weeks shooting, he was still on probation.

A day before the shooting, Flores probation officer filed a request in court for a revocation hearing, listing the reason as desertion. Two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said his girlfriend reported he had assaulted her last week, triggering a probation violation, but Flores was not taken into custody. A hearing was set for June 27.

Asked why Flores wasnt arrested on the violation, Karla Tovar, a spokeswoman for the county Probation Department, said the agency was currently investigating the matter further.



(L.A. Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.)
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WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court seems poised to take on a new elections case being pressed by Republicans that could increase the power of state lawmakers over races for Congress and the presidency, as well as redistricting, and cut state courts out of the equation.

The issue has arisen repeatedly in cases from North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where Democratic majorities on the states highest courts have invoked voting protections in their state constitutions to frustrate the plans of Republican-dominated legislatures.

Already, four conservative Supreme Court justices have noted their interest in deciding whether state courts, finding violations of their state constitutions, can order changes to federal elections and the once-a-decade redrawing of congressional districts. The Supreme Court has never invoked what is known as the independent state legislature doctrine, although three justices advanced it in the Bush v. Gore case that settled the 2000 presidential election.

The issue is almost certain to keep arising until the Court definitively resolves it, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in March.

It only takes four of the nine justices to agree to hear a case. A majority of five is needed for an eventual decision.

Many election law experts are alarmed by the prospect that the justices might seek to reduce state courts' powers over elections.

A ruling endorsing a strong or muscular reading of the independent state legislature theory would potentially give state legislatures even more power to curtail voting rights and provide a pathway for litigation to subvert the election outcomes expressing the will of the people, law professor Richard Hasen wrote in an email.

But if the justices are going to get involved, Hasen said, it does make sense for the Court to do it outside the context of an election with national implications.

The court could say as early as Tuesday, or perhaps the following week, whether it will hear an appeal filed by North Carolina Republicans. The appeal challenges a state court ruling that threw out the congressional districts drawn by the General Assembly that made GOP candidates likely victors in 10 of the state's 14 congressional districts.

The North Carolina Supreme Court held that the boundaries violated state constitution provisions protecting free elections and freedoms of speech and association by handicapping voters who support Democrats.

The new map that eventually emerged and is being used this year gives Democrats a good chance to win six seats, and possibly a seventh in a new toss-up district.

Pennsylvania's top court also selected a map that Republicans say probably will lead to the election of more Democrats, as the two parties battle for control of the U.S. House in the midterm elections in November. An appeal from Pennsylvania also is waiting, if the court for some reason passes on the North Carolina case.

Nationally, the parties fought to a draw in redistricting, which leaves Republicans positioned to win control of the House even if they come up just short of winning a majority of the national vote.

If the GOP does well in November, the party also could capture seats on state supreme courts, including in North Carolina, that might allow for the drawing of more slanted maps that previous courts rejected. Two court seats held by North Carolina Democrats are on the ballot this year and Republicans need to win just one to take control of the court for the first time since 2017.

In their appeal to the nation's high court, North Carolina Republicans wrote that it is time for the Supreme Court to weigh in on the elections clause in the U.S. Constitution, which gives each states legislature the responsibility to determine the times, places and manner of holding congressional elections.

Activist judges and allied plaintiffs have proved time and time again that they believe state courts have the ultimate say over congressional maps, no matter what the U.S. Constitution says, North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger said when the appeal was filed in March.

The Supreme Court generally does not disturb state court rulings that are rooted in state law.

But four Supreme Court justices  Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh  have said the court should step in to decide whether state courts had improperly taken powers given by the U.S. Constitution to state lawmakers.

That was the argument that Thomas and two other conservative justices put forward in Bush v. Gore, although that case was decided on other grounds.

If the court takes up the North Carolina case and rules in the GOPs favor, North Carolina Republicans could draw new maps for 2024 elections with less worry that the state Supreme Court would strike them down.

Defenders of state court involvement argue that state lawmakers would also gain the power to pass provisions that would suppress voting, subject only to challenge in federal courts. Delegating power to election boards and secretaries of state to manage federal elections in emergencies also could be questioned legally, some scholars said.

Its adoption would radically change our elections, Ethan Herenstein and Tom Wolf, both with the Brennan Centers Democracy Program at the New York University Law School, wrote earlier this month.

___

Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina.
OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP)  A Kentucky judge who was removed from office two months ago is running again, and a lawmaker says making that illegal would take a constitutional amendment.

The Judicial Conduct Commission voted unanimously in April to permanently remove Daviess Family Judge Julie Hawes Gordon for abusing her position, in particular attempting to influence criminal cases involving her adult son. The commission wrote that the impropriety was over an extended period of time and over her entire tenure as judge.

However, the commission does not have the power to prevent Gordon from running again, The Messenger-Inquirer reported. Gordon was already on the ballot when she was removed. Although she lost in the primary, she has since filed to run for a second Family Court seat created by legislators earlier this year. Gordon faces candidates Andrew Johnson and Angela Thompson on the November ballot for the seat.

State Rep. Jason Nemes is a Louisville Republican and former director of the Administrative Office of the Courts. He said a blanket prohibition on removed judges seeking reelection would require more than passing a bill.

Unfortunately ... that would require a constitutional amendment, Nemes said, which is more difficult to do.

A constitutional amendment has to be approved by a supermajority of state legislators and then approved again by voters in a general election.

However, there are other ways a judge could be prevented from running for office, he said. For example, the Judicial Conduct Commission could enter into an agreement with a judge under review, which could include a provision that the judge not run for office again. In addition, the General Assembly has the ability impeach elected officials, including judges, which would bar a judge from running for office. A judge who loses his or her law license would also not be able to seek reelection.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  The Kentucky Supreme Court has agreed to consider a lawsuit that seeks to re-erect a statue of a Louisville civic and military leader who fought for the Confederacy before later renouncing it.

The statue of John B. Castelman was vandalized several times over a few years before it was removed in June 2020 from its pedestal near Louisville's Cherokee Park, 107 years after is was erected, The Courier Journal reported. That followed a 2019 decision from Louisville's landmarks commission that the monument could be taken down. It is currently in storage.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Louisiana lawmakers ended a special session Saturday saying they were unable to agree on a new congressional map that includes a second majority Black district as ordered by a federal judge, prompting an angry blast from the governor.

U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick on June 6 had struck down the state's original U.S. House map approved earlier this year by lawmakers, one with white majorities in five of six districts. It retained a single majority-Black district currently held by U. S. Rep. Troy Carter, a New Orleans Democrat.

On Saturday, the Senate Senate spent two hours grappling with the remapping issue and then took an hourlong recess to see how proposed changes to a last-ditch bill might settle out. But the bill's sponsor, Sen. Rick Ward III, R-Port Allen, said none of the proposed amendments presented could muster the 20-vote minimum needed for Senate approval, The Advocate reported.

When youre dealing with something like this, every time you satisfy four people you lose four people, Ward told the Senate. When you satisfy six people you lose seven over here. It is a difficult task.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a statement later Saturday lashing out at the lawmakers for failing to come up with a new map. Since the Legislature did not devise a new map in the session, it now appeared likely any remapping of boundaries would fall to the courts.

It is disappointing that after every opportunity to do the right thing and create a second majority African-American congressional district as ordered by the U. S. Court for the Middle District the Legislature has once again failed to do so, Edwards said.

The Republican-dominated legislature and Edwards, a Democrat, have been fighting over the boundaries since February, when lawmakers initially approved their map. Democrats and the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus argue that the current map dilutes the political clout of African American voters and that at least two of the six districts should have Black majorities. Nearly one-third of Louisianas population is Black.

Dick, the federal judge, had originally ordered the Legislature to come up with a new may by Monday, which was the deadline for the six-day special session called by Edwards. On Friday, the judge then ordered attorneys to submit proposed maps with a second majority-Black district by June 22, with a hearing on the issue set for June 29.

Backers of the order said the Legislature had a duty to comply with the federal court.

Critics said the issue will ultimately be decided in the federal courts and possibly could rise to the U. S. Supreme Court.

Lawmakers had said for days that any hopes for agreement in the GOP-controlled Legislature appeared unlikely.

A House committee on Friday rejected three bills that would have added a second majority-Black congressional district. A Senate committee on Friday voted 6-3 against a plan by Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, to do the same after two days of testimony.

There was no will from the Legislature, Fields said after the session ended. That is why we are where we are in Louisiana.

The sudden end of the session finished a six-day roller coaster on the issue.

Dick on Thursday rejected a request by Louisiana Senate President Page Cortez and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder to extend her deadline for action until at least June 30.

The judge also had blasted the House for only devoting 90 minutes to the issue on the first day of the special session, and stopped just short of accusing Schexnayder of ignoring a federal court order.
Today, June 19, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, in union with all (arch)dioceses throughout the United States, is formally inaugurating a three-year Eucharistic Revival. As you are well aware, I have written and spoken on many occasions and in many forms about this most important event in the life of our diocese and about the centrality of the Most Holy Eucharist in our practice of the faith. How could it be otherwise?

The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1324).

The Eucharistic Revival should be as natural to us as drinking water  we have been celebrating it since the Last Supper and that first Good Friday. What we need to do, each in our own way, is to dust ourselves off, take a hard look at our lives and see what is missing, and we need to do it with Jesus otherwise the dust will never settle. We need to gaze upon that transubstantiated Host and repeat the words of St. Thomas: My Lord and my God.

If we look upon that Host and believe with our whole heart and soul, how can we ever destroy Gods gift of life in all its stages, from the child in the womb, the innocent victims of violence and war, the abandoned poor, the vulnerable and the aged? How can we truly believe that in that Host is Jesus, complete and entire, and not want to be with Him, follow Him and seek His help?

Discipleship and answering the call to follow Jesus are united intimately to our worship of God and our worthy reception of Holy Communion. In essence, what does it mean to be Catholic if we are not present with the Lord at Holy Mass? Jesus wants us there with all our faults and failures, for He is the Good Shepherd who went after that lost sheep.

The Eucharistic Revival has as its fundamental purpose returning to Our Fathers home. Think of our sisters and brothers who because of sickness and infirmity or those in places where the faithful are persecuted for practicing their faith, still so deeply attached to their Catholic faith, and long to be able to be at Holy Mass. At the Eucharist, we bring them through our prayers into communion with the Lord.

The Eucharistic Revival is not an option, it is an absolute necessity and must be the first priority in our parishes. Empty pews close churches; diminish support for Catholic education, whether in Catholic schools or religious-education programs; limit opportunities to support and assist the poor in authentic Catholic outreach services that respect their dignity as Gods own children; seriously weaken the strength of our social-justice initiatives according to the mind of Christ; and the list goes on.

For as Catholics, all we do emanates from our love for the Most Holy Eucharist. Most importantly, our children need to know Jesus in a world where many do not know Him or have forgotten Him or, more devastatingly, have walked away from Him. Our children deserve the very best and, to be sure, Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist is the very best!

Let us take to heart these words attributed to St. Teresa of Calcutta: Once you understand the Eucharist, you can never leave the Church. Not because the Church wont let you but because your heart wont let you (Cf. USCCB document, op. cit., no. 55).

The Most Rev. Salvatore R. Matano is the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. Cayuga County is one of 12 counties that make up the diocese. He can be reached at The Pastoral Center, 1150 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY 14624, or by telephone at (585) 328-3210. This column, edited to fit the format of The Citizen, is reprinted, with permission of the publisher, from the May 2 edition of The Catholic Courier. Additional columns by Bishop Matano can be read at catholiccourier.com/commentary/bishops-column.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos Navy Department said a marine stationed at a base on the Baja California peninsula opened fire Sunday, killing two fellow marines and a female civilian.

It was unclear whether the civilian was an employee or visitor at the base in the town of Mulege.
FERNLEY, Nev. (AP)  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for Kendel Worley, there is beauty  and art waiting to be created  in death.

Through an elaborate process that can take up to a few months, Worley articulates skeletons of animals, leaving wonderfully preserved remains that are almost sculpture-like.

People think it looks creepy, gross and disturbing, but I dont think it is, the 19-year-old Fernley resident told the Reno Gazette-Journal. Its beautiful. Its giving it life after death.

Worley has always been interested in art. Drawings and paintings line the walls of the house he shares with his parents, Annette and Albert Worley.

Kendel Worley holds the skeleton of a deceased dove he found at a local park in his Fernley home.

Hes also always had an interest in animals, keeping pets like leaf bugs and hairy beetles.

Around eighth grade, he started collecting bones in the desert. That interest grew into cleaning skulls, which morphed into researching the process of articulating skeletons.

I think its better that theyre not wasted. Its better they not be thrown away, he said.

Last year, he found a recently deceased dove at a local park. He skinned and gutted the bird, then alternated soaking it in ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. The ligaments stayed soft while they soaked, and after the bones were cleaned, he was able to pose the skeleton using skewers to hold it in place as the ligaments hardened.

Since the pigeon, Worley has tried his hand at various animals, some found, some donated: A lizard his cat killed, chukar and ducks that were hunted by family friends, a friends chicken who died, a gopher that was trapped at a nearby school where his mom works.

The skeletons are adorned with preserved butterflies, flowers dried with borax, or sometimes paintings by Worley.

I feel like he makes art out of it. He does more than just pose it, Annette Worley said.

Its a far cry from when he was a kid and found taxidermy disturbing.

I hit a deer (with a car), and he didnt talk to me for a couple weeks, Albert Worley said with a chuckle.

Worley is careful to check on what animals he can and cant possess  laws like the Migratory Bird Act protect most birds, and its illegal to gather roadkill in Nevada.

But there is no animal Worley isnt prepared to tackle. Some are harder to work with because of their size and amount of required chemicals, but I want to see all of it, he said. Theres no discrimination from me.

His workshop, which started in his parents kitchen then moved into the garage as its scale increased, includes a litany of tools that bring back memories of high school anatomy classes. Floating nearby are skeletons, eyeballs and organs in various stages of preservation and cleaning. Rabbit feet are waiting to be worked on.

And there are more animals waiting.

He has a chest freezer to store animals in while he finishes ones already underway  smaller animals take about a month to clean and larger animals, like the gopher, take about three months.

His interest extends beyond articulating skeletons. Hes tried tanning pelts from some of the animals, and he pins insects.

There are no taxidermy shops in Fernley, but he wants to find somewhere to apprentice. Ultimately, he hopes to make his hobby into a business.

Worleys work can be seen on his Facebook page, Aspiring Oddities. People can also message him through Facebook if they have animals to donate.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP)  Carefully chosen artwork, comfortable chairs, blankets and essential oils help ease harsh memories.

A new soft interview room at the Charlottesville Commonwealths Attorneys office is designed to make a more comfortable place for victims to recall and discuss the traumatic events theyve been through as prosecutors and police prepare criminal court cases.

The Charlottesville room is the most recent of 48 created and installed across the country by Project Beloved, a Texas-based nonprofit that advocates, educates and collaborates with criminal justice officials to help victims, especially sexual assault survivors, tell their stories.

The room is the second in Virginia, joining the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office. A third is being installed at Virginia Military Institute.

The room is part of the effort by a Texas mother whose daughter was killed by a serial rapist to bring hope to Charlottesville survivors of sexual assault and other crimes through the new interview room at Commonwealths Attorney Joe Platanias office.

Our hope is by using this trauma-informed response, that were going to get better evidence so that we can make more arrests, that we can take more cases to trial, we can get more convictions and we can take rapists off the street, said Tracy Matheson, president and founder of Project Beloved: The Molly Jane Mission.

Matheson founded Project Beloved following the brutal rape and strangulation of her 22-year-old daughter Molly Jane. Matheson discovered that other women had come forward about being assaulted by the rapist who murdered her daughter prior to her death, but had negative experiences when talking about what happened to them, discouraging some from pursuing justice.

The rooms provide a more comfortable place for survivors to talk to detectives and attorneys about their trauma. The rooms feature elements intended to make survivors feel more comfortable. The chairs swivel so that survivors can move around in them. Theres a variety of lighting fixtures, a basket of blankets, an essential oil diffuser, a table that can be wheeled around if someone needs a writing surface.

Even the artwork is intentional. Canvas wall hangings feature photographs taken by Megan Getrum, a woman who was murdered five days after Molly Jane was by the same predator.

Its just the perfect way to include Megans story in Project Beloved because we are intertwined, Matheson said.

Pat ODonnell, Victim/Witness Coordinator for the city of Charlottesville, reached out to Project Beloved to install the room. Project Beloved made over an old vacant office.

This kind of helped to fuel our desire of we cant sit here and do nothing. Weve got to find a way to take this horrific tragedy and help bring change, Matheson said. I realized that theres probably not a jurisdiction in the country that has a budget set aside to make over a space that is cold, stark and sterile, and so I said Ill make soft interview rooms.

Matheson and her organizations mission is for there to be a world where survivors feel comfortable and safe as possible when talking about the worst day of their lives, in hopes it will bring justice and empower survivors.

This mission spoke to ODonnell and other members of Victim/Witness services departments, which was already starting to work on using more trauma-informed practices in interviews.

This is something that we as an office wanted to do. We started back in 2018 with no budget and no space. We lost a space once or twice, and we were trying to figure out a way to do it. And then it was last October that we found out about Project Beloved, ODonnell said.

Project Beloved uses donations from individuals, companies and organizations to fund the soft interview rooms. Currently, the organization creates one to two rooms a month, with ambitions to do more.

Platania said the room will help members of the office foster the healing journey of a survivor. He said sexual assault cases are some of the toughest cases he sees.

Its just so positive, inspirational and we just feel so lucky and fortunate to be the second site in Virginia and to have people take a personal tragedy and make something positive out of it, he said. Its hard not to be emotional. I think of the impact and bravery and courage. Well think about (Mathesons) daughter every single time.

Matheson wants the tragedy of her daughters murder to inspire change across the country, in cities like Charlottesville.

Everyone says I cant imagine what youre going through and I cant say I wouldnt say the same thing to someone, that I cant imagine. But it is my reality, Matheson said.

And the only thing that I could figure out how to make it through was by doing this, she said. I would say probably it has saved my sanity to be able to have something like this to pour all of my mental energy and physical energy and take this horrific, unthinkable, unfathomable, incredibly awful thing and help it fuel this change that I hope to see come because of our efforts.
ENFIELD, Conn. (AP)  Lego Group's recent announcement that it will build a new factory in Virginia has focused attention on the company's North American headquarters in Connecticut, with some industry watchers saying it may not be a good sign for the company's future in the state.

The Denmark-based global toymaker announced last week it plans to invest more than $1 billion to build a factory in suburban Richmond, to open in 2025. The facility will be the company's seventh globally and its first in the U.S.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  The parents of three children injured in a crash involving an Albuquerque Public Schools bus four months ago have filed a lawsuit against the driver of the speeding car involved and his insurance company.

The Albuquerque Journal reported Sunday that the 2nd Judicial District Court suit was filed on behalf of parents of two girls and a boy  identified only by their initials  who were passengers on the school bus.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP)  A Virginia police officer shot and seriously wounded a man who brandished a sharp object at an officer Sunday morning, officials said.

Officers were called to the 2300 block of Greenwood Drive around 11:30 a.m., Portsmouth police said in a news release. A man brandished a sharp object at one of the officers on the scene and during the encounter, the officer fired at the man, police said.
RINCON, Ga. (AP)  Allyson Romedy tucked her daughter into bed at the apartment the single mother and her 10-year-old child shared in southeast Georgia. It was the last time her family saw her.

That was Feb. 28, 2002, and police in Rincon are still seeking answers to the woman's disappearance two decades later. Police Detective Lee Chadwick said little evidence was found, and what police managed to piece to together was baffling.

Her car was found not even half a mile from where she lived.," Chadwick told the Savannah Morning News. "The car was cleaned and with it being found that close to her home, it does not make sense.

The missing woman's sister, Jennifer Lunsford, said Romedy was often the life of the party and rarely kept a straight face.

Lunsford said her parents initially assumed Romedy was just out with a friend when she was first reported missing.

Momma called and said she had been contacted by Allysons best friend saying she did not show up for work, Lunsford said. Her friend was listed as an emergency contact at work. At first, my parents werent too concerned because they just figured she just went somewhere.

The her car was found with no sign of Romedy. The family spent days helping police search, but came away empty handed. Lunsford said they soon had to move on. She had her own two children to care for, and their mother had a job she needed to return to.

Whatever happened to her sister, Lunsford said, she doesn't believe anyone hurt her intentionally.

The police, GBI and us have speculated who we thought it was but we dont think it was anything premeditated, Lunsford said. We just think something went wrong.

Chadwick, who didn't investigate the case initially, said he's been taking a fresh look at Romedy's disappearance and hoping some new information comes to light. The best thing, he said, would be for anyone who knows what happened to Romedy to come forward.

If it was an accident, you have hidden it for 20 years, Chadwick said. There are consequences that have to be paid somehow. "
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia Democrats tapped two members of the House of Delegates as their new leaders Saturday, electing Mike Pushkin to a four-year term as chairman and Danielle Walker as vice chair.

Pushkin, a member of the House from Kanawha County since 2015, will replace Belinda Biafore, who has served as chair since 2015 and decided not to seek re-election. Pushkin, who is Jewish and is a 52-year-old taxi driver and musician from Charleston, has served as the partys vice chairman since January.

Meeting in Bridgeport, party leaders also elected as vice chair the 45-year-old Walker, who is West Virginia's only Black female lawmaker and has served in the House from Monongalia County since 2019.

During his acceptance speech, Pushkin said he had car problems on the way to the meeting, and a man on his way home from work went out of his way to drive Pushkin to Bridgeport. He said his conversation with the man renewed his hope for the state.

He didnt want to leave somebody on the side of the road, Pushkin said. Thats West Virginia values. Thats what were about. Im tired of hearing that the Democratic Party doesnt represent West Virginia values, because were the party that doesnt leave anybody behind.

Weve got to get our message out and work hand-in-hand with our candidates up and down the ballot, to get that message out to the people: Were the party of West Virginia values. Were only going to be able to do that if we work together.

Theyll have their work cut out for them. Republicans control the governors office and have supermajorities in the state Senate and House of Delegates. There are 33 Democrats combined in the 134-member Legislature. The GOP has held a majority in both chambers since after the 2014 election.

Democratic voter registration numbers in West Virginia have been dropping over the past decade, buoyed by criticism of former two-term President Barack Obamas energy policies in coal-rich West Virginia. In 2014, registered Democrats in West Virginia fell below 50% for the first time since 1932. In February 2021, registered Republicans overtook Democrats.

GOP state chairwoman Melody Potter resigned in January 2021. Mark Harris of Raleigh County was picked in March 2021 to serve the remainder of her term.
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP)  Researchers from the University of Colorado are studying the Great Smoky Mountains' synchronous fireflies to determine whether understanding the way they communicate could help with developing robot communication.

The fireflies "need to solve complex problems while communicating in large groups, which is something computers need to do, Orit Peleg, a computer scientist from the University of Colorado at Boulder, told the Knoxville News Sentinel. So maybe theres something interesting we can learn about them and apply to man-made systems.

Semi-autonomous robots communicating with flashes of infrared light could be used to locate victims after a natural disaster, for example.

The researchers who sojourned to the park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border earlier this month to study the fireflies at their peak included graduate student Owen Martin and postdoctoral researcher Raphael Sarfati. Their research combines computer science, physics, engineering and biology.

The coordination it takes for thousands of fireflies to flash together isnt well understood. A cluster of fireflies will link up. Other fireflies farther away will follow suit. The synchronization radiates like ripples on a pond.

Male fireflies hover and flash to signal females. The females rest on the ground and return flashes to the correct species of males. It is thought synchronization helps this species of fireflies distinguish itself from other species with different patterns of flashes.

As part of the study, the Martin said he would catch several male fireflies and attempt to get them to synchronize their flashes with a flashing LED.

Were going to start flashing like a firefly next to a real firefly and see how they interact, Martin said. Were trying to see if we can train a periodic signal in the fireflies.

Meanwhile Sarfati said he would record the flashing with 360-degree cameras to study how it spreads.

Im interested in trying to be as not-interfering as possible with the natural world, Sarfati said. I like to see what happens in an unperturbed environment.

Peleg said the flashing is like Morse code, and the signal is probably as close to computer language as any communication among living things gets.

It really is a gold mine because theres so much we dont know, Peleg said.
The current president of the Auburn Enlarged City School District Board of Education is looking to remain in that post, but a new board member is eyeing the vice president slot.

At last week's school board meeting, Superintendent Jeff Pirozzolo asked which members were interested in leadership positions for the 2022-23 school year. Current president Ian Phillips said he was interested in continuing in the role, and Danielle Wood expressed interest in the vice president position, which is currently held by Dr. Eli Hernandez.

Phillips, an employee with the New York State United Teachers union, first joined the board in 2018. He was voted by a majority of the board to be president last year.

After Phillips expressed his intention to pursue the presidency again, Pirozzolo asked if anyone else was planning on running for a leadership slot, and Wood expressed interest in the vice president role. Hernandez, the current vice president, said he supported Wood.

In a text message, Phillips told The Citizen he wants to keep leading the district's fight for a fair amount of foundation aid for the district.

"We've made good progress in getting our fair share of funding from the state. I'm really focused on that job to set our students and staff up well into the future. If we can achieve that we can both deliver for our students but also keep the burden on local taxpayers under control," Phillips said. "Our advocacy work at the state level is something I'm proud of and we have a great mix of new energetic board members and experience  I'm hopeful that I can help harness these strengths to deliver for our students."

Wood originally came onto the board in 2019 and successfully secured reelection for a new three-year term earlier this year. In an email to The Citizen Thursday, Wood talked about why she is seeking the vice presidency.

"I was interested previously in running for a leadership role on the board. After completing my first term, I have gained a lot of knowledge, and am eager to continue to keep learning. For the last three years, Ive been committed to working hard by attending our regular meetings, committee meetings, and anything I am able to district-wide. I care a lot about our community and truly enjoy my seat on our board, and would work hard to support our students and staff as Vice President," Wood said.

Hernandez, coordinator of data management for the Syracuse City School District, has been on the Auburn board since 2011. He was the vice president for the 2020-21 school year and was voted into that role again for the current 2021-22 school year. Hernandez told The Citizen Wednesday that he wasn't interested in the president or vice president spots for the upcoming school year, and he said he feels he can take "a real role" in different school board committees.

He added that he feels Phillips has been doing "a phenomenal job" as the president and described Wood as "a worker" and cited her efforts on various committees.

"It is right for her to take on that leadership role and then be able to roll that out and say, 'OK, who's doing what, who's doing this?' And I think that it's great for her to be in that leadership role and I can be a mentor if she needs me to," Hernandez said. "I think we're in a good place."

The board's reorganization meeting, where the leadership spots will be officially voted on, is set for 4 p.m., Thursday, July 7, at the Harriet Tubman Administration Building, 78 Thornton Ave.

In other news

 The district acknowledged two outgoing school board members and the board's current student representative at Tuesday's meeting.

Current Auburn board members William Andre and Jeff Gasper, who chose not to run again, and student representative Kiearalyn Mathis, were recognized by Pirozzolo. Andre and Mathis were physically at the meeting, while Gasper attended remotely.

Pirozzolo praised Gasper, who has been on the board since 2016.

"Mr. Gasper, I want to thank you so much for all that you've done for the children and for the staff here in Auburn, in our community. We very grateful for everything that you've done," Pirozzolo said. "You're a very genuine man, very caring, and we're going to miss you greatly on this board of education."

Andre has been on the board since 1999, Pirozzolo said. Pirozzolo also said that Andre will continue to represent Auburn on the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES board, so he "still be reporting back to us probably quarterly next year, so we'll be able to still see his face throughout the year next year." Pirozzolo thanked Andre for all of his work.

"You have made a lot of decisions, you've accomplished so much (for) so many children, generations. We are very grateful for you serving on our board of education all these years," Pirozzolo said.

Mathis, a high school senior, joined as the student representative in September. She was the student representative for the year, as a proposal for a student representative was approved by community voters in June 2020. The student liaison can't vote or participate in executive sessions but can be involved in discussions. That proposal for a student representative was approved again by the voters earlier this year, and is set to last every two years.

Pirozzolo told Mathis that the district is appreciative having a student on the board, "because you ground us, right, tell us what's going on in the minds of our students." He added that all of them are there for the students.

"You help us make sure that we don't lose that focus. With that, I'm so thankful that you sat on the board of education. I hope you can use this experience as you move on to college and other endeavors, but we are very thankful," Pirozzolo said.

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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FREDERICK, Md. (AP)  Joe Bussard stood on the driveway of his home here near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and glared at a noisy crow perched atop a nearby pine tree. Tall and gaunt with white hair, he wore black sweatpants held up by suspenders, a blue flannel shirt, brown slippers and white socks. He looked all of his 85 years.

Damn bird, he muttered. Then he craned his head and hollered.

CAWWW, CAWWW, CAWWW!

The startled crow flew away, and Bussard cackled.

He dont know what to think of me, Bussard said, laughing again.

Join the crowd, crow. People have been not knowing what to think about Bussard for decades. His singular obsession has entranced some and baffled others. If you werent interested in his passion, Bussard probably wasnt much interested in you.

He turned and shuffled back inside, through his cluttered garage, past his bedroom that he heats in winter with a wood-fired stove and down the creaky steps to the basement where the treasure is stored.

Since the early 1950s, Bussard (Everybody thinks its pronounced buzzard, but its Boosard, he says) has been acquiring 78 rpm recordings of the earliest and rarest examples of blues, bluegrass, jazz, country and gospel music. The collection of discs he has amassed is considered by many fellow collectors as one of the finest and most eclectic of early American roots music in the country. In the basement of his unassuming home, some 15,000 albums fill the shelves.

In the world that pays attention to these things, Bussards treasure is legendary. Filmmakers have made documentaries about him. Writers have paid homage. Fans and musicians from all over the country have journeyed here just to see the records and listen to Bussard tell how he traveled the back roads of Appalachia and the South to find them. And they come to hear the songs.

But in recent years, as Bussard has gotten older, the fans and musicologists have had questions. Is there a plan for the collection? Has he even thought about it?

Looking for a record on the shelves in his lair, Bussard doesnt want to hear that kind of talk right now. Aw hell, I dont know, he says, waving his hand dismissively. Hed rather play some music for a visitor.

Oh my gawd, listen to this, he says in his thick rural Maryland accent as he gently lowers the needle on a 1929 recording Wolves Howling by the Stripling Brothers. This is the most beautiful sound of a fiddle I ever heard in my life.

In his basement, time has stopped. There are no computers, no flat-screen televisions. Other than two newer turntables, theres almost nothing that looks like it was made in the past 50 years. Theres a 300-pound speaker cabinet he bought in 1960, photos on the wall from the 50s, and rows and rows of records from the 40s, 30s and 20s.

Bussards collection is almost mystical, says Ken Brooks, a fellow 78 collector who first learned about Bussard when he watched Desperate Man Blues a 2003 BBC documentary about him. Its so deep and wide. He has blues records that nobody else has. Country records that no one else has. Jazz records that no one else has.

In the book of Bussard, the spirit and soul and depth of American music can only be heard on the oldest 78s.

Modern music, hell tell you often, is awwful, just awwful. And by modern, he means anything since Elvis Presley and the Beatles and all that crap destroyed music altogether. For Bussard, real jazz ended in 1933. And the last good country song was Jimmy Murphys Im Looking for a Mustard Patch in 1955.

Before being overwhelmed by vinyl records in the 1950s, 78s were the way most people listened to recorded music in their homes other than on the radio. Typically 10 inches in diameter, three and a half minutes a side and made of shellac, the records are called 78s because of the number of revolutions per minute the disc makes.

In his basement redoubt, Bussard walks over to his wall of records to make another selection. The albums are all in identical faded green sleeves with no marking to differentiate them. They are not ordered alphabetically or by year or by label. Only he knows the system.

If I get Alzheimers, Im really in trouble, Bussard says.

He pulls another record from the shelf  Death May Be Your Paycheck, by F.W. McGee, recorded in 1928 on Victor  and flashes a wicked smile. Wait till you hear this.

Wait till you hear this. Its Bussards mantra.

What he wants, more than anything, is for people to listen to the far-flung, wild, beautiful music found in America before recordings became commonplace and swallowed up regional idiosyncrasies. He wants people to hear the music created before vinyl, before 8-tracks, before cassettes, before CDs, before one-stop shopping on Spotify.

Wait till you hear this, he says and puts on Jesse Stones Starvation Blues from 1927. And then its Florida Rhythm by the Ross De Luxe Syncopaters. And Its a Good Thing by the Beale Street Sheiks. And Original Stack O Lee Blues by Long Cleve Reed and Little Harvey Hull.

And on and on and on.

What brings him joy, Bussard says, is playing these long-lost songs for anyone who will listen. Once, it was the musician Jack White.

Bussard didnt know White was a rock star. He thought he was just another guy who wanted to come over and listen to music. And that suited White perfectly.

He remembers Bussard pulling out a jazz record and telling White it would sound like the band was playing live in the basement with them.

I was like, okay, whatever, eye roll, and then damn, if he wasnt right, White recalled in a phone interview from Nashville. Thirty seconds into this song, l was like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. What is this? Who recorded this? What is the speaker were listening to this through? What amplifier are you using? Because, damn, you werent kidding me, it sounds like this band is in the room with us right now.

I just thought, wow, what a gorgeous thing he did for me.

White admits to having anxiety about the fate of collections like Bussards. Worrying about them possibly being harmed by a fire or flood or indifference can keep him up at night. As White sees it, Bussard has preserved music that could have been lost forever.

He doesnt care what anybody else thinks, and hes doing his own thing no matter what, but hes inadvertently archiving important records, some of which he had the only copy of, White said.

Bussard grew up not far from the home where he now lives, born in 1936 to a successful Western Maryland family that owned a farm supply company. Then, Frederick was mostly farmland and meadows and apple orchards.

Bussards parents played music at home, but it was nothing that he enjoyed listening to. It wasnt until he heard Jimmie Rodgers being played on the radio in 1952 that he found what he liked.

It was like a bomb when I heard that, he said. I wanted every Jimmie Rodgers record I could get. As he found those records, he started scooping up others. The collection was beginning. It soon became the only thing he cared about.

After dropping out of high school in his junior year, Bussard worked odd jobs and did stints at a supermarket before starting at the familys business. He served in the National Guard for eight years but left: It got in the way of my record collecting.

From the late 1950s on, his life was only about music. By then, he had formed a musical group, Jolly Joes Jug Band, and hosted shows on radio stations playing old-time country. He still has shows once a week on WDVX in Knoxville, Tenn., and, since 1983, on WPAQ in Mount Airy, NC.

Bussard also started his own label, Fonotone, and recorded musicians at his home, including the first records by the pioneering guitarist John Fahey, who grew up in Takoma Park.

But whenever Bussard had free time, he jumped in his Ford sedan and went in search of shellac gold.

He bought from dealers and at estate sales, but mostly he drove on twisty back roads through the hollers of West Virginia and Virginias Shenandoah Valley and down through the Deep South of Georgia, the Carolinas and Mississippi. He asked everyone he met if they had any of them old records, and theyd point him up to an attic or down the road to their cousins house or to an abandoned five-and-dime in town.

After a while, Bussard could smell them. He found the old 78s in outhouses and spring houses, pulled them from broom closets and travel trunks. Many of the records were ordinary, dime-a-dozen discs with grooves so worn the record sounded like a slow-motion train wreck. But then, every so often, eureka!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, is what Bussard remembers thinking when he came across a rare, unblemished gem. I had to hold my hands down to keep them from shaking.

Bussard sometimes forgets what he ate for breakfast, but he can provide detailed background on his records, the year they were made, who played on them and how many are still known to exist. He can tell you how much theyre worth, too, but he likes to keep that part quiet. He says he has never spent more than $500 on a record. But he has sold a few for much more than that.

The collection grew, and so did Bussards obsession. He didnt want to trade records; he wanted only to keep getting more. It took over everything.

While Bussard relentlessly chased his passion, it put a strain on others in his life.

He was a very absent father, says Bussards daughter, Susannah Anderson. He was always here, but he didnt really have any interest in hearing what you had to say unless it had to do with music. If it wasnt a record, he wasnt interested, which made it a kind of isolated, weird childhood.

Bussard got married in the 1960s, but the year escapes him. Thats a long time ago; how am I supposed to remember that? he says, laughing. Hes reminded that he can remember almost every detail about the year each of the records he owns was released and all the musicians who played on them.

Well, yeah, but thats records, he says, laughing again.

Anderson, 55, says she and her mother, Esther, who died in 1999, made their own world in Bussards world, accommodating him most of the time, but not always. She said she came to terms with her fathers obsession a long time ago.

He has like a little slice of history down there, and hes a walking encyclopedia, and he knows everything about his records. And thats great, she says. Its just sometimes its hard to deal with reality with the dreamer. And, unfortunately, thats my job.

Bussards collection is his lifes work. It is his life. He wants these records to last forever.

And as it turns out, you can rescue records and preserve them. Treat records well, protect them from fire and water and they might last forever.

Preserving yourself is something else altogether.

Bussard was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2019. The doctors told him they were able to remove the tumors, but there were complications. He was in and out of the hospital for five months. Then the pandemic hit, and Bussard was confined to his home, where he lives with Anderson, a registered nurse who has helped manage his illness. She saved my life, he says.

In the past two years, Bussard has lost 50 pounds. He spends most of his time at home listening to records or watching TV or occasionally visiting with his three grown granddaughters. On Thursday mornings, hell go out to the Masser Toll House Inn for the turkey and mashed potatoes special. If hes feeling lucky, hell head over to the casino in Charles Town, W.Va., to play the slots.

But the cancer made him think about the unthinkable.

I know I aint gonna be here forever. A few more years, maybe, Bussard says. Hes sitting in a booth at the Mountain View Diner with a plate of spaghetti in front of him. He sprinkles sugar on top the way he likes it and takes a bite. You get to an age where you know everything. Or feel you know everything. And then you croak.

Asked what he would like to happen to the collection, Bussard again deflects.

Oh, I dont care much about that. Ill be gone, he says.

His temper rises, though, when asked whether he would donate them to the Library of Congress or a university.

Now why in the hell would I do that? Bussard says. If I give em to a university, you know what theyd do? Throw em in the basement ... Nobody ever sees them again. Its like a black hole.

Having these records quieted is a fate worse than death. And selling the collection while he is alive has never been on the table.

I like to say Ill enjoy them until I croak, Bussard says. Then whatever they do with them is fine.

Later, back in his basement, Bussard hammers a pantomime piano with a broad grin on his face as he listens to a rollicking Jelly Roll Morton recording from the 1920s.

He was a genius, he says of Morton. He never got the recognition he deserved.

The song ends, and he returns to the shelves and pulls out another disc, Blind Willie Johnsons Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground, from 1927. One of the greatest sides ever cut, Bussard says.

The haunting guitar notes of a gospel blues song recorded nearly a century ago emerge from a quiet background of hiss and crackles.

Stop asking about whats going to happen to these songs, a visitor thinks. Just listen.

Wait till you hear this.
VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (AP)  Worship services are set to resume Sunday at the Alabama church where a gunman opened fire and killed three senior citizens at a potluck dinner earlier in the week.

Saint Stephens Episcopal Church announced that members will gather for morning worship in the wake of unfathomable loss and grief in the hope of Christs Resurrection.

Walter Bart Rainey, 84, of Irondale, Sarah Yeager, 75, of Pelham and a third person were killed in the shooting attack Thursday night. Police did not release the name of the third victim, an 84-year-old woman, citing her family's request for privacy.

Robert Findlay Smith, 70, is charged with capital murder in the deaths of the three church members. Police have not disclosed a motive for the shooting.

Susan Sallin, a survivor, told ABC 33/40 that the group was having a joyous dinner gathering when shots suddenly rang out. She said she dove to the floor and realized two of her friends had been struck by bullets.

I scooched my way over to my friends and one was unconscious and one was conscious. But I was able to pat them on the shoulder and just keep saying, Youre loved. Youre loved. Youre not alone," she told the station.

Records from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives show Smith is a licensed firearm dealer whose business is listed at his home address. He received a warning letter in 2018 from federal authorities for failing to keep a record of the disposition of all firearms, according to reporting compiled by The Trace and USA. That report said there were 86 firearms on hand in inventory during the inspection period.

The Rev. Doug Carpenter, a former pastor at the church, said the gunman had come to the gathering, refused an offer of a plate of food and then opened fire. Carpenter was not present at the gathering, but had spoken to people who were there.

Another church member, a man in his 70s, grabbed a folding chair and charged the gunman, according to Carpenter. He hit him with a folding chair, wrestling him to the ground, took the gun from him and hit him in the head with his own gun, the retired pastor said.
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EL MONTE, Calif. (AP)  Hundreds of people turned out for a candlelight vigil honoring two Southern California police officers slain last week while investigating a report of a possible stabbing.

El Monte Police Department Officer Joseph Santana, 31, and Cpl. Michael Paredes, 42. were fatally shot Tuesday outside a suburban motel east of Los Angeles.

They were memorialized Saturday evening at El Monte's civic center by city residents, community leaders, family members and fellow police officers.

Acting police chief Ben Lowry praised the fallen officers for their character and bravery, and said they would not be forgotten.

They were the best of us. They were the greatest of us. Im a better man having known each of them," Lowry said.

Both men were raised in El Monte, where mourners placed flowers and messages of thanks outside the police station in the city of 107,000 people. They became only the third and fourth officers in the El Monte Police Departments history to die in the line of duty.

Justin Flores, the 35-year-old gunman who killed the officers, died of a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was suicide, a coroners report said Saturday.

The officers were sent to the motel to investigate a report that a woman had possibly been stabbed.

Sheriffs homicide Capt. Andrew Meyer has said that the officers confronted the suspect and gunfire erupted inside the motel room. The gunman ran outside and more gunfire was exchanged with other officers.

Flores was on probation for a gun charge at the time of the shooting, which occurred a day after his probation officer requested that he return to court later in the month, court records show.

Santana leaves behind his wife, a daughter and two twin boys. Paredes is survived by his wife, a daughter and a son.

Paredes' sister, Melissa Valencia, said her brother gave big hugs and always had a wide smile. She urged his children to find inspiration in his public service.

Choose your path in life, choose leadership and choose to be the change this community needs, just like Michael did, Valencia said during the vigil.

The Peace Officers Research Association of California established a fundraising campaign on behalf of the officers families.
SEATTLE (AP)  Rossann Williams, Starbucks North America president who's been a prominent figure in the company's push against worker unionization, is leaving the company after 17 years.

In a letter sent to Starbucks employees, whom the company calls partners, chief operating officer John Culver said the decision was not taken lightly" and added that Williams was offered another job at the company, which she declined.

Sara Trilling, meanwhile, was promoted to executive vice president and president of Starbucks North America. Trilling is a 20-year veteran of Starbucks and most recently served as senior vice president and president of Starbucks Asia Pacific in Hong Kong.

Starbucks has been among the latest wave of prominent companies seeing unionization efforts among their hourly workers. In December, a Starbucks store in Buffalo became the first to unionize at one of the coffee retailers company-owned U.S. stores. At least 150 of Starbucks 9,000 company-run U.S. stores have voted to unionize since then, according to the National Labor Relations Board, and at least 10 stores have rejected the union.

Williams told employees in a letter last year Starbucks never favored unionization and prefers to speak directly to employees, but respects the legal process and wants to work with those in Buffalo who voted in favor of union representation.

In April of this year, though, federal labor officials alleged that Starbucks retaliated against workers in Phoenix after it learned of employees there seeking to unionize.

Among other things, Starbucks disciplined, suspended, and discharged one employee, constructively discharged another, and placed a third on an unpaid leave of absence after revoking recently granted accommodations, the filing said.
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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP)  A new ambassador from Bahrain formally took up his post in Syria on Sunday, the country's first full diplomatic mission there in more than a decade as Damascus continues to improve its relations with Gulf Arab states.

President Bashar Assad received the credentials of Ambassador Waheed Mubarak Sayyar in an official ceremony also attended by Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Sayyar was appointed in December and recently moved to Damascus.

Assad has been gradually reintegrating into mainstream regional acceptance. His visit to the United Arab Emirates in March was the first such trip to an Arab country since Syrias civil war erupted in 2011.

Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League and boycotted by its neighbors after the conflict broke out.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the war, which displaced half of Syrias population. Large parts of Syria have been destroyed, and reconstruction will cost tens of billions of dollars.

Early in the conflict, Arab states like Saudi Arabia and Qatar rushed to back Sunni fighters battling Assads forces. Arab countries sanctioned Damascus and condemned its use of military force against civilians.

In recent years, however, the Syrian army has won a series of key military victories with the help of Russia and Iran.

The embassy of Bahrain was reopened in Damascus in 2018.

Most Gulf countries, at odds with regional rival and Shiite powerhouse Iran, seek warmer ties with Damascus, hoping to peel it away from Tehrans influence. Iran is a traditional ally of Syria and has sent advisers and resources to back Assad during the conflict that broke out in March 2011.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  A teenager was killed and a man was seriously wounded in a car-to-car shooting in a store parking lot in Los Angeles, police said.

Authorities are searching for the suspect vehicle, a dark-colored SUV, but investigators don't know how many people were in it at the time of the shooting Saturday afternoon.
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP)  Gunmen attacked two churches in rural northwestern Nigeria on Sunday, killing three people, witnesses and a state official said, weeks after a similar attack in the West African nation left 40 worshippers dead.

The attack in Kajuru area of Kaduna State targeted four villages, resulting in the abduction of unspecified number of residents and the destruction of houses before the assailants managed to escape, locals said.

It wasn't immediately clear who was behind the attack on the Kaduna churches. Much of Nigeria has struggled with security issues, with Kaduna as one of the worst-hit states. At least 32 people were killed in the Kajuru area last week in an attack that lasted for hours across four villages.

Worshippers were attending the church service at the Maranatha Baptist Church and at St. Moses Catholic Church in Rubu community of Kaduna on Sunday morning when they (the assailants) just came and surrounded the churches both located in the same area, said Usman Danladi, who lives nearby.

Before they (worshippers) noticed, they were already terrorizing them; some began attacking inside the church then others proceeded to other areas, Danladi said. He added that most of the victims kidnapped are from the Baptist (church) while the three killed were Catholics.

The Kaduna state government confirmed the three deaths by bandits who "stormed the villages on motorcycles, beginning from Ungwan Fada, and moving into Ungwan Turawa, before Ungwan Makama and then Rubu. Security patrols are being conducted in the general area as investigations proceed, according to Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna commissioner for security.

The Christian Association of Nigeria condemned Sunday's attacks and said churches in Nigeria have become targets of armed groups.

It is very unfortunate that when we are yet to come out of the mourning of those killed in Owo two Sundays ago, another one has happened in Kaduna, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the associations spokesman, told The Associated Press. It has become a recurring decimal.

Many of the attacks targeting rural areas in Nigeria's troubled northern region are similar. The motorcycle-riding gunmen often arrive in hundreds in areas where Nigerias security forces are outnumbered and outgunned. It usually takes months for the police to make arrests and authorities have identified the attackers as mostly young herdsmen from the Fulani tribe caught up in Nigerias pastoral conflict between host communities and herdsmen over limited access to water and land.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Witnesses in Ethiopia said Sunday that more than 200 people, mostly ethnic Amhara, have been killed in an attack in the countrys Oromia region and are blaming a rebel group, which denies it.

It is one of the deadliest such attacks in recent memory as ethnic tensions continue in Africas second most populous country.

I have counted 230 bodies. I am afraid this is the deadliest attack against civilians we have seen in our lifetime, Abdul-Seid Tahir, a resident of Gimbi county, told The Associated Press after barely escaping the attack on Saturday. We are burying them in mass graves, and we are still collecting bodies. Federal army units have now arrived, but we fear that the attacks could continue if they leave.

Another witness, who gave only his first name, Shambel over fears for his safety, said the local Amhara community is now desperately seeking to be relocated somewhere else before another round of mass killings happen. He said ethnic Amhara that settled in the area about 30 years ago in resettlement programs are now being killed like chickens.

Both witnesses blamed the Oromo Liberation Army for the attacks. In a statement, the Oromia regional government also blamed the OLA, saying the rebels attacked after being unable to resist the operations launched by (federal) security forces.

An OLA spokesman, Odaa Tarbii, denied the allegations.

The attack you are referring to was committed by the regimes military and local militia as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi following our recent offensive, he said in a message to the AP. They escaped to an area called Tole, where they attacked the local population and destroyed their property as retaliation for their perceived support for the OLA. Our fighters had not even reached that area when the attacks took place.

Ethiopia is experiencing widespread ethnic tensions in several regions, most of them over historical grievances and political tensions. The Amhara people, the second-largest ethnic group among Ethiopias more than 110 million population, have been targeted frequently in regions like Oromia.

The government-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on Sunday called on the federal government find a lasting solution to the killing of civilians and protect them from such attacks.
UPDATE: 3:18 PM CT

Kyle Rittenhouse has amended previous statements made regarding his enrollment at Texas A&M, clarifying that he will be attending Blinn College at Brenham Campus, a nearby junior college, in the hopes of transferring to Texas A&M next year.

Rittenhouse made this clarification on Monday, taking to Twitter to announce his plans to enroll at what he called the "feeder school" for Texas A&M. The 19-year-old said his final years of high school had been "robbed" from him due to the Kenosha shooting and his subsequent homicide trial, and he plans to move to Texas "at the end of month" and attend Texas A&M in 2023.

Reached for comment by KRHD 25's Joe Leal and Paige Ellenberger, a Blinn College official stated Rittenhouse had applied for enrollment at the school but has yet to be admitted as a student.

"Kyle Rittenhouse has applied but not yet enrolled for any classes," an official told KRHD 25. Blinn College has a 100 percent acceptance rate, according to Niche.com.

--- End of Update ---

Kyle Rittenhouse will not be attending classes at College Station this summer or fall, despite apparent claims to the contrary made by the 19-year-old during a recent podcast appearance.

Rittenhouse was a guest last week on conservative activist Charlie Kirk's eponymous show and at one point placed a Texas A&M ball cap on his head while claiming he would be attending the university after visiting the campus earlier in the year.

"Right here on 'The Charlie Kirk Show,' Kyle Rittenhouse is announcing he's an Aggie," said host Charlie Kirk as Rittenhouse swapped his hat for one branded with the Texas A&M logo.

"So I'm gonna be going there, and it's going to be awesome," Rittenhouse said. "Beautiful campus, amazing people, amazing food."

Texas A&M disputed this claim, however, according to The Dallas Morning News' Michael Williams, who wrote that a university official on Sunday denied Rittenhouse's enrollment in summer or fall 2022 courses.

"[Rittenhouse] has not been admitted as a student this summer or fall," Texas A&M spokeswoman Kelly Brown told Williams in an email. This is the second occasion when a university Rittenhouse has affiliated himself with has taken steps to distance itself from the teenager who shot and killed two people in 2020 at demonstrations against police violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

In November 2021, Rittenhouse testified that he was enrolled in online courses at Arizona State University, prompting the university to issue a statement clarifying that Rittenhouse had taken two courses in a non-degree-seeking capacity with the school but was "no longer enrolled" at ASU. The teenager had previously told FOX News and FOX Nation he had opted for "compassionate withdrawals" from two online programs at the school ahead of his trial.

Since his involvement in the deadly Kenosha shooting, Rittenhouse has become a celebrity of sorts among certain conservative circles and proponents of Second Amendment rights in America. Charged with five crimes including first-degree intentional homicide, Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges in November 2021 after testifying he had acted in self-defense in the shootings of demonstrators Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum.
The resemblance went unnoticed, by the public at least, for decades, until Google Earth appeared and shed light on the very distinct shape of a barracks at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego.

Designed in 1967 by architect John Mock, the barracks on the shore of the San Diego Bay are technically four structures  buildings 320, 321, 322, and 323 on the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. In the center of the four L-shaped buildings are two smaller structures, a boiler room and recreational hut.

The likeness to a swastika is undeniable, right down to the fact that the symbol is rotated 45 degrees off north, the exact way the Nazi party displayed the symbol after appropriating it from Buddhism and other eastern philosophies, in which for centuries it was a symbol of good luck.

In 2006, after numerous complaints, a Navy public affairs officer explained away the building's design as a mistake.

"The final 'look' of the six building complex as seen from the air, was the result of an 'oversight' by Navy planners at the time," the Navy's Steve Fiebing wrote in a letter to the press. Notably, the word "oversight" is placed in single quotation marks in his response.

The Navy claimed the initial plans drawn up in the '60s only included one of the four L-shaped buildings, with the other three being added after the single-L architecture was approved.

An investigation by Israeli American researcher Avrahaum Segol in 2007, however, told a different story. Segol found documentation that the four-L swastika-like design was indeed known to the Navy and signed off by them before construction. An article published in the San Diego Union in October 1968, before ground was broken, stated that the four-L structure was to be built, contradicting the Navy's claim that only one "L" was planned.

"Information in the San Diego Union article makes picture clear that a perspective rendered by Architect Firm of Hendrick and Mock displayed 'layout of four L-shaped buildings' proving a ... Swastika to be visually recognizable at all times." Segol wrote in a letter to the Navy in 2007, in which he pleaded that the building be restructured or torn down.

After further protest from the Anti-Defamation League in San Diego, the Navy agreed to spend $600,000 of their 2008 budget on "camouflaging" the building to change its appearance from the air. The New York Times reported at the time that the Navy admitted the swastika likeness was known as far back as the '60s but had chosen not to do anything about it.

There was no reason to redo the buildings because they were in use, a spokeswoman for the base, Angelic Dolan, told the paper. Dolan pointed out that no planes fly over the navy base, so until Google Earth came along the shape wasn't considered an issue.

You have to realize back in the 60s we did not have the internet, she said. We dont want to offend anyone, and we dont want to be associated with the symbol.

That promised fix did not happen in 2008, or ever.

In 2010, the Navy sent a letter to Segol with plans to make the structure a square, and included blueprints on what the finished work would look like, with four new wing additions. That also never happened, though a $14 million dollar interior renovation project was completed on three of the four buildings in 2015, but the controversial exterior shape stayed the same.

(SFGATE requested comment from the Navy on current plans for the structure, but had not heard back at time of publication.)

Some have argued that as the troubling symbol is only visible from above, and no drones or aircraft are permitted to fly in the area, then simply removing or blurring the overhead shot from Google Maps and other mapping sites would be a sufficient fix  something that occurs on other sensitive military bases across the world for various reasons.

One far-flung rumor online states that the swastika likeness is intended, alongside two neighboring buildings to the southwest that appear like bomber planes attacking the Nazi symbol.

Google Maps

While it may seem like an architectural idiosyncrasy, or a quirk of Google Earth, to many the fact that the symbol of white supremacy sits at the center of the U.S. Navy's base is nothing less than a hate crime, still clearly visible from the skies today.
A federal judge threw out a lawsuit filed by the union representing New York corrections officers that sought to stop the state from implementing a solitary confinement reform law.

U.S. District Judge Mae D'Agostino dismissed the challenge to the state's Human Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, which took effect in April. The law mandated the creation of residential rehabilitation units and prevents incarcerated individuals from being placed in solitary confinement for more than 15 days.

New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, the union representing corrections officers in state prisons, has argued that HALT will lead to increased violence in state prisons. In its lawsuit, the union accuses the state of violating officers' 14th Amendment rights by exposing them to "state-created danger."

In her decision, D'Agostino said the court "recognizes the serious dangers corrections officers face." But she added that it "strains credulity to allege that the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee that no state shall 'deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law' imposes a constitutional obligation on the state of New York to use solitary confinement against individuals under 21 or over 55; or that New York state is constitutionally obligated to allow use of solitary confinement of prisoners for more than 15 days at a time."

NYSCOPBA disagrees with the ruling. In a statement, Michael Powers, the union's president, said that the 15-day limit on segregated confinement "puts a target on our backs for those who take advantage of the law."

"Despite the ruling, we will continue our campaign to repeal HALT by organizing our membership to vote out those in the legislature who supported the act," Powers continued. "Once the legislature is back in session, we will focus our efforts on repealing HALT or amending HALT to strike out the dangerous portions. NYSCOPBA continues to strongly oppose any portions of HALT that limit DOCCS's ability to separate dangerous inmates from staff and other rule-following inmates."

NYSCOPBA has long criticized the state for its lack of action in addressing violence in prisons. Data from the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision shows assaults on staff have increased every since at least 2017. There were a record 1,177 assaults on staff in 2021. So far this year, there have been 558 assaults on staff.

In the last three months, many of the assaults or officers intervening in fights between incarcerated individuals have resulted in no injuries to staff or minor injuries that, according to DOCCS, result in no treatment, minimal treatment for bruises, pain or scratches, or precautionary treatment. One officer has been severely injured and 58 reported moderate or serious injuries.

As assaults continue to rise, NYSCOPBA has blamed HALT for the spike. But Jerome Wright, co-director of the #HALTsolitary Campaign and a formerly incarcerated individual, believes D'Agostino made the right decision to dismiss the union's lawsuit.

"We've waited long enough for this to be put in place," he said. "Countless people had to suffer and die in solitary for lawmakers to finally act and make this bill a law after nearly a decade of deliberation with all stakeholders. We demand that prisons and jails, and the staff who work there, now embrace the law and fully implement all of its provisions in order to relieve suffering, save lives and make everyone safer. End this torture and trauma now."

HALT advocates highlight a fact mentioned by the union  that assaults on staff have actually been on the rise since 2012. The increase began before the state first adopted changes to its solitary confinement policies in 2016 after a settlement with the New York Civil Liberties Union.

When there was a jump in solitary confinement sanctions, advocates pushed for passage of HALT. The state Legislature approved the bill last year and it was signed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

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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The Nation's Weather for Monday, June 20, 2022

_____

NATIONAL SUMMARY

A few showers will impact the inland Northeast, today as the

rest of the region remains dry. Late day strong to severe

thunderstorms are also expected from northern North Dakota

and Minnesota through portions of Nebraska. Any storm can

bring damaging winds, hail and heavy downpours. Heat and

humidity will also continue to surge northward over the

Plains. Pleasant conditions are expected to expand across

the Mid-Atlantic and into parts of the Southeast, allowing

continued low thunderstorm activity and mostly sunny skies.

However, a few afternoon showers and thunderstorms are

expected across much of Florida. Monsoonal moisture is also

expected to continue bringing showers and thunderstorms

across portions of New Mexico.

SPECIAL WEATHER

No new information for this time period.

WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

No new information for this time period.

DAILY EXTREMES

National High Sunday 102 at Comanche, TX

National Low Sunday 16 at Bodie State Park, CA

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO LAKE CHARLES Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, June 19, 2022

_____

AIR QUALITY ALERT

Air Quality Alert Message

Relayed by National Weather Service Lake Charles LA

317 AM CDT Sun Jun 19 2022

...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CDT

THIS EVENING...

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is forecasting a Code

Orange Air Quality Alert, from 11 AM this morning to 6 PM CDT this

evening.

The Air Quality Index indicates that Ground Level Ozone will be at

the Orange level, which means members of sensitive groups may

experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be

affected.

More information about current air quality is available at the T C E

Q website www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/monops.

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 108 expected.

* WHERE...Portions of central, south central and southwest

Louisiana and southeast Texas.

* WHEN...From 11 AM this morning to 7 PM CDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat

illnesses to occur.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When

possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or

evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat

stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when

possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent

rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone

overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location.

Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Navy hospital ship arrives in Vietnam for Pacific Partnership

Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.

In Vietnam, the Pacific Partnership 22 team, comprised of representatives from Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, will work together with their Vietnamese counterparts on a range of activities and projects benefiting the local community in Phu Yen Province and Vietnamese people.

U.S. Navy Capt. Hank Kim, PP22 mission commander said that the Pacific Partnership team looks forward to working with and learning from Vietnamese colleagues and he looks forward to exchanging experiences and expertise with Vietnamese hosts and partner nations so they can collectively build skills that will last well after the mission.

The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy A medical expert talks about equipment in the ship





By Ngoc Oai  Translated by Anh Quan
CAAV Director Dinh Viet Thang said on June 18 that the authority has yet to received any formal notice from Australian side, and it has requested national-flag carrier Vietnam Airlines to make a report clarifying the case.

A Vietnam Airlines spokesperson said its flight crews and attendants are working normally, and the airline has asked Australian authorities for more information about the incident.

Earlier, Australias 7News channel reported that nine flight attendants of an airline had been questioned by Australian authorities during a raid by the Australian border force and police.

These flight attendants have been questioned after they were found bringing a total of AUD60,000 (some US$41,600) hidden among their personal luggage.

7News did not mention the name of the carrier or personal details of the attendants who were suspected of committing money laundering.

According to the CAVV leaders, the case is not very serious, so that all the attendants have flown home in two different flights.

Under Australias regulations, every foreigner bringing along AUD10,000 (US$6,935) or an equivalent amount in other currencies when they enter or leave the country must make a declaration, otherwise they will be subject to fines or imprisonment.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways are two Vietnamese carriers operating regular direct flights to Australia.

Vietnamplus
Qantas is asking businesses to pitch for support to get biofuel projects off the ground as part of a pledge to invest up to $288 million to ramp up Australias sustainable fuel industry.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said he hoped the investment program, which will be run in partnership with Airbus, would encourage government and business to put more money into the biofuel sector.

Alan Joyce. Credit:Qantas/Brent Winstone

The aviation industry needs the right policy settings in place to ensure the price of [sustainable aviation fuel] comes down over time so that the cost of air travel doesnt rise. Weve had some encouraging discussions with the incoming Australian government given their strong focus on emissions reduction and look forward to that progressing, he said.

Mr Joyce and Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury signed a partnership agreement in Doha on Sunday ahead of the annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association. The companies will invest up to $US200 million ($288 million) in new fuel projects.
The sale of Southern Cross Austereos regional television network is in limbo, as prospective buyers wait more than a month to hear back from advisors Grant Samuel.

Multiple media industry sources, who requested anonymity because the process is confidential, said they have had no formal contact with the advisor running the sale since May when first round bids were due.

Banking sources are suggesting the deal is off because the company was unable to secure a price it believes is reasonable for shareholders.

Southern Cross CEO Grant Blackley. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Grant Samuel was unavailable for comment before deadline. Southern Cross declined to comment as the process was still ongoing.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Whoever came up with the line that the British love a queue had clearly never been to The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney or Melbournes iconic Lune Croissanterie on a Saturday morning. Queuing culture, particularly for buzzy, popular eateries, has well and truly taken over Australia. Spending your weekend lining up for a $50 brunch consisting of a couple of poached eggs and a flat white used to be a phenomenon limited to trendy inner-city suburbs, but its now a common occurrence across the suburbs. Good luck trying to get a roll from Harveys Hot Sandwiches in Parramatta or a samosa from Chatkazz in Harris Park without booking out a solid wait in your calendar. Things have gotten so out of hand that food blogs like Time Out now un-ironically publish lists of Food queues that are worth the wait. So, whats going on? Do we just love the order and process queues bring? Or is it possible were seeking out the long lines as some sort of flex on how willing we are to sacrifice for the perfect pastry, coffee or sandwich? Credit: How long have we been queuing? According to Dr Joe Moran, the author of Queuing for Beginners: The Story of Daily Life from Breakfast to Bedtime, queuing as a regular part of life is linked to the Industrial Revolution, when large numbers of people moved to urban areas, necessitating more structure around the distribution of goods. Economic crises throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Great Depression, saw queues become more common, particularly for the urban poor who relied on charity to help put food on the table.

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The modern view that queuing is synonymous with being British seems to have formed during World War II, when rationing was commonplace for large swathes of the population. Of course, queuing for rations wasnt a uniquely British phenomenon, but the many photographs and newsreels from the time seem to have helped convince us that Brits were particularly adept at it. But the queues were talking about these days, outside hip cafes and restaurants, arent about rations. So, whats driving that urge? Loading Why do we queue today? There are a number of psychological reasons for joining queues, starting with the simple fact that they seem to suggest something desirable, says Dr Meg Elkins, a behaviour economist at RMIT. Why else would people forgo their time to wait in a queue for something that isnt quality? Heuristics are mental shortcuts that we use to make decisions because we have to make so many decisions in our day. Lets say were going past a restaurant. If we see a queue, it decides for us that it must be a good place to eat. The question of scarcity is still relevant though, even when were not talking about rations, because of its relationship to FOMO (fear of missing out). A croissanterie such as Lune, in inner-city Melbourne, is known to sell out every weekend  so that drives an impulse to get there early and line up to avoid going home empty-handed. Its an important persuasion tactic, says Elkins. We see a queue and think, well, theres a scarcity for that product, so it triggers our desire to be persuaded to stand in line.

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Talking to friends and colleagues though, there appear to be a multiplicity of different reasons for queueing. You wont find me queueing for brunch at my favourite cafe. If theres a line I will go somewhere else, one younger colleague said. But if its somewhere I have never been and I have had it on my list for a while then I am happy to queue. For example, the other week I waited in line for yum cha because I had never been before. I queued for the experience. Ill queue for something I know is good, but I wont just hop into a queue because Im walking past and see a long line, said another. Loading On a clear Saturday morning outside one well-known eatery in Melbourne, the queue stretches from the counter to the footpath and around the corner. Queueing is my definition of hell, says James, a visiting Sydneysider, as he waits with his friend Karan, from Melbourne. James has bad memories of queues from the time he went to Disneyland but hes willing to make an exception for this place because he and his family are on holiday, and theyd heard about the food. Ive never queued before, says John, also visiting from Sydney with partner Betina. Ive got other things to do. Hes never even queued at a nightclub. Once, when he and Betina were faced with a musical festival ticket queue they couldnt see the end of, they went off and enjoyed cocktails in a bar instead. This weekend, though, he and Betina are visiting their daughter, Luisa, so its a special occasion. They talked me into it, says John.

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Well, that is just ridiculous, Sarah laughs. Is it TikTok famous or something? Thats what shed said when shed first seen the queue shes now standing in. She, partner David and their puppy, Baxter, have driven half an hour to get there and are going to wait patiently. (Baxter seems sanguine.) Friends recommended the place, David explains, and they want to try something different. Asked what their limit for queuing is, customers answers vary from, Ive already exceeded it (the moment they stepped into the line); to 15 minutes (Im too impatient); to over an hour, with one younger group once waking up at 5am to queue for a fancy new breakfast item. Novelty is a factor, this younger group explains, as well as finding out what the social media and word-of-mouth hype is all about. Queuing could even be a kind of adventure. Theres a social factor, says Darren, who is waiting with friends Patricia and Evan. Queueing gives you time to catch up. But on second and subsequent visits, the group wont queue forever. Theres a certain threshold, says Darren. Half an hour. The Saturday queue for croissants at Lune in Melbourne. Credit:The Age To what extent is queuing about showing off? Aside from all the logistical reasons we might queue, theres something else at play. Queueing demonstrates that we have the social and economic capacity to give up our time to get a highly desired product. We might all want the most delicious croissant, samosa, or gourmet bacon-and-egg roll, but only some of us have the ability to sacrifice time and other social activities to acquire them. So even when the desired product is not particularly extravagant or expensive  think, a banh mi or a great hamburger  the act of queueing for it bestows it some kind of intangible value, similar to what Marx referred to as commodity fetishism. According to Marx, goods become fetishised when their value is delinked from their purpose or the amount of labour that went into producing them.

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Queueing itself can also help improve our enjoyment of whatever we were queuing up for, because of the community element of being part of a group activity, Elkins says, because youre talking about the pain of the wait ... and youve got this collective purpose. Add in the Instagram factor, where people in the queue want to show off their willingness and ability to queue by posting about it, and youve got a self-perpetuating hype cycle that just keeps the queue going. Of course, the positive experience of being in a queue is linked to how good the product that youre waiting for is. A 30-minute queue can be worth it if you really are eating Australias best croissant. Something dry and chewy? Not so much. Loading Whats queue etiquette? Its not fair that people are seated first come, first served, says Elaine, as she waits with George and Jerry for a table at a popular Chinese restaurant in Seinfeld. It should be based on whos hungriest. The key thing with queues is to follow whatever rules have been set by the venue. Remember, this is a social contract youve voluntarily entered into. Do they want you to line up? Are you supposed to put down your name and number down? Do they want you to leave and come back when they call you?

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he won't publicly pressure the United States to release Julian Assange, the Australian publisher and activist behind Wikileaks.

The UK on Friday agreed to extradite Assange to the US to face charges under the Espionage Act relating to the leaking and publication of the WikiLeaks cables a decade ago.

These issues are sometimes, of course, best dealt with diplomatically and I intend to do that. I don't intend to make any further comments. The Attorney-General and Foreign Minister put out a very clear statement, consistent with what I said last year, in the last few days, Albanese told ABC Radio Melbourne.

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I have no intention of conducting the international relations I hold as prime minister according to Andrew Wilkies tweets or comments.

I intend to represent the nation in a way that the nation I think overwhelmingly would expect - and certainly world leaders do.

I've got no problem with Andrew Wilkie saying whatever he wants to say as a crossbench independent member of parliament. That's up to him, but I have a different responsibility and I intend to conduct myself in an appropriate way.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, while still opposition leader in December, said enough is enough and that it was time for Assange to be returned to Australia.
They're Black. They're proud. And they won't be intimidated.

That was the message of Buffalo's Black community on Saturday as hundreds marched down Genesee Street in celebration of Juneteenth.

Photos: 2022 Juneteenth Parade After a two-year hiatus, the Juneteenth Parade is back in Buffalo

"We are still here," said Donald Jones Jr., who grew up on the East Side. "And we're going to keep coming out."

People clad in the red, black and green of the Black liberation flag celebrated the date in 1865 when a Civil War general arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform the country's last enslaved people that they were officially free.

Exuberance coursed through the sun-soaked crowd gathered at Genesee and Moselle streets for the Juneteenth parade, which kicked off the two-day festival at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. This was, after all, the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 that the Juneteenth Festival was held in person.

"I just think that this is great, especially since we werent able to do this for a couple of years," said Jason Jackson of North Buffalo. "Its great to get people out here and have something thats ours."

But the pain and sadness of last month's racist massacre at Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue was evident. The names of 10 Black Buffalonians who were gunned down by a white supremacist were displayed on a float in the parade. Some remarked that  had they chosen to do their shopping at a different time on May 14  they could have been victims.

"As a Black man, why cant I just live my life?" Jackson said. "Why is it that my mere presence irritates people so much to the point that they have to gun us down in cold blood? The amount of things you cant do being a Black person in the United States, you add grocery shopping to that list. You cant even do that."

Jackson, who is Black, noted that his wife is white and his son is mixed-race. He attended the festival Saturday because he said he wanted to encourage students at the nearby B.U.I.L.D. Community School, where he is an administrator. He said lawmakers need to pass reforms to keep weapons out of the reach of hateful extremists, especially near schools.

"Dont get me wrong  I love my country. But when you look at places across the globe, its just like, man ... they dont have the same problems that we do," Jackson said. "The amount of hate thats being spewed."

One block away, a large flatbed displayed a sign calling for an end to white supremacy, perhaps the most visible reference to the massacre. Nearly a dozen young girls in the bed of a pickup truck also held signs that stated "END WHITE SUPREMACY: Juneteenth is about POWER to the PEOPLE."

"This is beautiful," said Yvette Callahan, 48, of Buffalo. "The kids, the grandkids, the great-nieces: bring em all out."

There were no calls for violence or retaliation. Instead, Callahan said she would respond to the actions of Payton Gendron, the accused Tops shooter, with love and compassion.

"Maybe if he had a little more love in his life," Callahan said of Gendron, "then who knows. You never know what sparked him to get him to where he is at. Love conquers evil every time."

As Callahan organized her young sign-holders from True Bethel Baptist Church, Mayor Byron W. Brown told onlookers that he would work to make Buffalo a national model for how to recover from a traumatic event.

"Hate will not prevail," the mayor said. "Evil will not prevail. Love and unity will prevail. This community will be built up."

State Attorney General Letitia James, who marched in the parade, quoted Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, where King stated, "With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope."

"Let us all remember that we are stones of hope," James said. "Let us all lift up those 10 individuals who have gone away. Let us march on and continue to focus on our struggle, and let everyone know, that inequity still exists in South Buffalo, East Buffalo, and that all of us have a responsibility and a duty to do more, but weve got to do it together. This is not just the responsibility of the African American community."

Donald Jones Jr. and Breanna Jones grew up on the East Side and now live in Cheektowaga. They said it was important for them to bring their four children to Juneteenth as a show of support against racism and hate.

"We have to keep being out here for our people and our community, and letting everyone know, you cant hide from this and just tuck your tail and run," Jones said. "You've got to stand up and stand forward."

Both Joneses said parents are also responsible for rooting out hate and preventing their kids from growing into isolated and vengeful people who bring violence to society.

"Thats why you have to watch what your kids are doing," Donald Jones said, referring to the Tops shooter. "You have to be there for them and be around and make sure. I can tell you one thing: If one of my kids was playing around with crap like that, I would know."

Callahan said the Juneteenth parade was proof that while the Tops shooter killed 10 members of the Black community, he failed in his attempts to crush its spirit.

"Its going to bring us closer together," she said. "One person cannot stop the show."

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For some, the ailments are so severe they are struggling to return to work. Demand for neuropsychological treatment is reaching record levels and Malpas said people on Victorian public waiting lists could wait between six and 12 months for an appointment. In rarer cases, patients had waited 18 months, he said, while people who sought treatment through private health insurance could be hit with fees of $700 to $1500, or even thousands of dollars. The problem is there is absolutely no Medicare cover at all for cognitive diagnostics, he said. There is no way for a patient to access it privately without paying out of pocket. We are talking sometimes thousands of dollars depending on the complexity. Malpas works in the public and private systems. He charges patients the minimum fee privately, and treats people free of charge through the Royal Melbourne Hospitals long-COVID clinic.

Loading Patients often require a three-hour consultation and the specialist diagnosis can include memory and concentration tests, neuroimaging such as MRIs and other biological investigations. Malpas warned of a growing health crisis. He said putting neuropsychological treatment on Medicare would be an absolute game-changer, not only for long-COVID patients but thousands of people with early Alzheimers and multiple sclerosis who also experience cognitive dysfunction. We are hoping that long COVID finally makes politicians realise there is a cognitive epidemic out there, he said. Malpas said cognitive symptoms of long COVID can become so entrenched people shut down their entire lives. But if you get treatment early the symptoms are often reversible and very treatable.

Geelong GP Bernard Shiu has opened the states first community long-COVID clinic, and his team, which includes a cardiologist, respiratory physician and psychiatrist, treat eight new patients weekly. The clinic has a two-week waiting list and patients are left about $60 out of pocket.

Some had been waiting six months to get into long-COVID clinics, Shiu said. The most common symptoms are dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath and persistent cough. But others are arriving with rashes or strange sensations, such as recurring pins and needles. GP Bernard Shiu (left) with Dr Jenny Huang and Dr Victor Wong at his long-COVID clinic in Geelong. Credit:Jason South One patient Shiu assessed recently had been unable to work for 18 months after being infected with the Alpha strain of coronavirus. The most important thing we can do for them is validate their symptoms are real, he said. Our job is then to separate what they had before COVID and determine it is definitely long COVID.

Long-COVID patients are generally defined as people with symptoms of the illness that continue for more than three months after infection, but public health experts have warned Australia is flying blind when it comes to accurately assessing the scale of the condition. Loading Professor Steven Faux runs a new long-COVID clinic at St Vincents Hospital in Sydney that already has 100 people on the waiting list. He fields calls from across Australia about people who are struggling to cope with their symptoms. Weve saved all these lives and now there are a handful of lives that are not really functioning properly and we dont have the resources to deal with it, Faux said. An estimated 7 million Australians have been infected with coronavirus. Faux said 10 to 20 per cent may experience ongoing effects. But definitions of long COVID remain poor and estimates vary. Faux suspects the true number of people with persistent coronavirus symptoms could be anywhere between 700,000 and 1.4 million.

Shiu is seeing the whole gamut: patients who recover quickly after making lifestyle changes, others in which a pre-existing condition such as asthma is the culprit, and more complex cases that cannot be explained by an alternative diagnosis. He wants to develop protocols so all GPs can manage long COVID. The fear is there will be thousands of people with long COVID and the tertiary hospitals just wont be able to cope, he said. Researcher Professor Carol Hodgson said there was an urgent need for funding to ensure ongoing care could be provided to people with long COVID and research could be undertaken into the long-term implications of the virus. Hodgson, from Monash Universitys School of Public Health, led an Australian-first study of hundreds of people admitted to intensive care wards with COVID-19. It found 70 per cent suffered persistent symptoms six months after they were hospitalised, including significant physical disabilities and signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

With every sector of the healthcare system under pressure, Hodgson said many were now struggling to access appointments to secure treatment for disability support and mental health care. Loading It is really distressing speaking to them now and hearing that their needs are not being met, she said. It is such a pity that we have had this opportunity to really study the epidemiology of COVID-19, not just while patients are hospitalised, but to also look at the long-term impacts and its been really difficult to be able to do that. A federal Health Department spokeswoman said Australians with long COVID can obtain a range of Medicare rebates for treatment, including rebates for every visit to their GP and medication from the pharmaceutical benefits scheme.

GPs can also refer patients to specialists for tests and treatment, which is also rebated under Medicare. People may also be eligible for Medicares chronic disease management items. To be eligible, a patient must have at least one medical condition that has been present for at least six months. While neuropsychology treatment and assessments are currently not subsidised under the Medicare Benefits Schedule, a portion of associated costs may be covered under a persons private health insurance or funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme for people eligible for NDIS support, she said. A Victorian Health Department spokeswoman said there are several long-COVID clinics in the state and plans to roll out additional services. The Victorian Agency for Health Information is undertaking a survey to identify the prevalence and impact of long COVID in the community to better understand demand. Fore more information about Geelongs long COVID clinic, visit: geelonglongcovidclinic.com.au
Given all the publicity around the attacks on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 some will wonder why the US House of Representatives is now holding an inquiry into Donald Trumps role in those events.

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It is true that the inquiry which has already held three public hearings is not breaking completely new ground.

Indeed, most of the facts were exposed, albeit in less depth, at the impeachment proceedings against Trump later that January during his final days in office.

In particular, it has long been known that Trump spread misinformation about his loss in the November 2020 elections; pressured the US Department of Justice and former vice president Mike Pence to refuse to certify the results; heavied state election officials to falsify the vote counts; summoned a mob to the Capitol; and refused to call for calm while it threatened the lives of the members of Congress.
The Education Department has been accused of unnecessarily demolishing a historic school site and having a lax attitude to heritage, despite being one of the largest owners of protected buildings in the state.

The National Trusts conservation director David Burdon said the state governments education planning policies had no credibility when it came to heritage protections, which were increasingly thin.

He said the apparent preference for rebuilds not only meant heritage listed buildings were at risk, but made less environmental and economic sense than upgrading existing facilities.

I think its a systemic problem across all areas because theres always going to be a preference for people to attend a ribbon-cutting on a new building rather than to invest the funds in a perfectly good existing building, whether its heritage listed or not, he said.
Credit:Badiucao

So, Julian Assange is to be extradited to the US to face spying charges and probable life in prison there, thanks to Priti Patel, UK Home Secretary (Assange team vows to appeal US extradition, June 18). He is effectively a political prisoner, an example to other journalists who would dare expose US war crimes. His lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, has said the Australian government needs to ask the Biden administration to drop the spying charges. Surely if the AUKUS alliance is worth anything, Mr Albanese must pick up the phone and ask for that to happen, and for Julian to be released and reunited with his young, long-suffering family. Brendan Doyle, Wentworth Falls

Julian Assange was doing a courageous job as a journalist  exposing the truth of atrocities by one of our allies in a war we were part of. If ever I would consider our position as part of the British Commonwealth, this is the time. Should we allow the UK to send one of our citizens to the USA to face their interpretation of justice? Why hasnt the Australian government intervened in this dreadful case of injustice and incarceration over so many years? At least, by insisting that Julian Assange be dealt with under our Australian law. Would the USA remain silent and allow this to happen to one of their citizens? Joan Bautovich, Hunters Hill

We hear regularly of the requirement for all Americans to be slavishly adherent to all amendments in their wonderful Constitution. However, in the case of Julian Assange, it would appear they favour their second amendment, allowing guns, over the first and the right of free speech. Al Clark, Belrose

What an egregious irony it would be should the new Labor government fail to act on behalf of Julian Assange. To ignore this latest calumny by the UK on basic human rights would make this government no better that the last, particularly given that there is no difference at all between the Coalition and Labor policies regarding refugees, for example. Here is a major opportunity for the Labor government to demonstrate a righteous concern for one of its citizens. Mark dArbon, Chittaway Bay
Two people have been arrested at a Blue Mountains property after a police car was damaged in a crackdown on climate activists on Sunday.

Police say there were conducting investigations into planned unauthorised protest activity at a property in Colo when they were surrounded by a group of people who damaged the tyres of the police vehicle and prevented them from leaving.

Two people were arrested, and the remaining members of the group fled into bushland. Police say they have made further arrests and expect more to follow.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul Dunstan said the group of around 30 people pushed, shoved and jostled police as they made their way back to their vehicle, where they let down the tyres and prevent[ed] police from leaving the area.
Research on some of the worlds most deadly snake venom has shown how it could help save lives, from the battlefield to the hospital bed.

Researchers at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland have found that a combination of two venoms from different species of snake is very effective at creating and maintaining blood clots.

Venom from saw-scaled vipers and eastern brown snakes (pictured) have been combined to form a compound which can stop bleeding from traumatic injuries. Credit:The Australian Reptile Park

Blood clots prevent more blood from escaping the body and allow the healing process to begin, but in serious injuries they often do not form quickly enough to prevent a person from losing dangerous amounts of blood.

UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellow Amanda Kijas has found that the venom from two snakes  the saw-scaled viper and the famous eastern brown snake  can be combined to create a compound which stops bleeding by forming clots very quickly.
Australias east coast electricity grid was under unprecedented pressure last week, laying bare the challenges of achieving a zero-emissions electrical system. Its hard, really hard. And its only the beginning. The next step is to expand our zero-emissions electricity generation, and hydrogen produced from it, to replace oil and gas in transport, building heating and industry.

It has been easier for countries such as Norway and France because they have drawn on hydroelectricity and nuclear electricity to massively reduce their emissions. Tasmania, too, has achieved virtually 100 per cent emissions-free electricity through its combination of hydro and wind electricity.

Nyrstars Port Pirie smelter in South Australia, where owner Trafigura plans to build a $750 million green hydrogen plant. Credit: Supplied

From an engineering perspective, hydroelectricity and nuclear are dream players, producing electricity on demand and contributing to the secure and reliable operation of the grid. Solar and wind generation are less co-operative, but realistically thats all that mainland Australia has at hand. To deploy them, they must be supported by transmission lines, storage and arguably a modest amount of natural gas generation.

Australia has made good progress. There has been record investment in the past three years that has seen our solar and wind generation in the east coast grid almost double from 12 per cent in 2018 to 23.5 per cent in 2021. On a per capita basis, our solar and wind generation is comparable with California. Looking just at solar electricity, on a per capita basis Australia is No. 1 in the world.
Melbourne-based teachers are being offered $700 a day to work casual shifts in country Victoria as regional schools grapple with a dire staff shortage that one veteran principal says is as bad as he has seen.

The shortage is mostly attributed to illness from influenza and COVID-19, but education leaders said structural shortages were also at play, with some schools chronically unable to recruit enough teaching staff.

Schools in regional Victoria are grappling with severe staff shortages. Credit:iStock

One principal said he had been forced to leave some teaching roles unoccupied indefinitely this year as job advertisements went unanswered.

In response to the shortage, recruitment agency anzuk has this month begun spruiking the $700-a-day casual teaching roles, which are subsidised by Victorias Department of Education and Training.
Washington: US politicians are questioning Google over how the companys search engine shows users in certain states inaccurate results about abortion services by diverting them to fake clinics that dont provide the procedure and dissuade people from ending a pregnancy.

In a letter sent on Friday (US time) to Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Googles parent company, Alphabet, 20 Democratic members of Congress and Independent senator Bernie Sanders, urged the company to quickly rectify the search accuracy issue, noting it comes as a US Supreme Court decision due later this month could overturn the right to an abortion established in Roe v Wade.

Politicians are challenging Google over its search results for abortion clinics in some US states. Credit:Bloomberg

Politicians cited a recent report that found in states with abortion trigger laws, 11 per cent of Google search results for abortion services led users to nonmedical facilities that dont provide abortion; the result was 37 percent for Google Maps queries. The report by the US-based nonprofit Centre for Countering Digital Hate also found that almost 28 per cent of Google ads that appear at the top of related search-result pages were for antiabortion clinics.

Directing women towards fake clinics that traffic in misinformation and dont provide comprehensive health services is dangerous to womens health and undermines the integrity of Googles search results, Democratic lawmakers wrote in the letter that was spearheaded by senator Mark Warner, and congresswoman Elissa Slotkin.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Today, Sunday, June 19th, 2022, the Honorable Prime Minister Silveria E. Jacobs, the Honorable Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion, and their support staff are traveling to Aruba to attend four-country consultation meetings with the Prime Ministers of Aruba and Curacao and State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen. These consultation meetings which begin on Monday, June 20th, will serve as the platform to confirm the direction necessary in order to answer the questions and concerns expressed by the Parliaments of the Kingdom through their various reports on the Consensus Kingdom Law on the Entity for Reform and Development (COHO).

In preparation for these consultation meetings, technical teams of the countries traveled to Curacao in May for pre-discussion where they identified the areas for which further discussion and consensus are necessary on a political level. The various reports from the Parliaments of the Kingdom form the basis for the discussions to be held, as such, the outcome of these meetings will determine how the countries proceed with the Kingdom Law. St. Maarten remains determined and looks forward to fruitful negotiations with our Kingdom partners, stated Prime Minister Jacobs.
Hyundai has released its upcoming MPV Stargazer in its production form. The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga rivalling MPV is claimed to target the South East Asian market and comes as a spiritual successor to the Hyundai Trajet and looks premium. The teaser image indicates the MPV comes drawing influence from the Hyundai Staria.

(Also Read: Hyundai Venue vs Maruti Brezza vs Kia Sonet vs Tata Nexon: Prices compared)

Speaking about the styling of the MPV, it gets a full-width LED bar similar to the Staria. Other design elements include solid headlamps and a large front grille that covers the majority of the bumper. Moving to the rear, the sleek taillights get LED treatment and are connected by a wide and slim LED bar positioned under the rear windscreen. The tailgate also bears the Stargazer lettering. The stylish alloy wheel design too is visible.

Hyundai Stargazer gets a sleek LED bar at the centre of the tailgate connecting the taillights.

While the front and rear profile of the Hyundai Stargazer has been revealed partially through the teaser images, the side profile or interior of the premium MPV remains a mystery. Expect this MPV to come measuring around 4,500 mm in length and a three-row seating arrangement inside the cabin. It could come in six or seven-seater options.

The Hyundai Stargazer could come based on the same platform that underpins the Kia Carens, which was already introduced to the Indian market late last year. This would mean the upcoming Hyundai Stargazer to come powered by 1.5-litre petrol or diesel engines available in Hyundai's portfolio. Transmission options would include both manual and automatic units.

Hyundai is expected to unveil the Stargazer MPV officially sometime in July. The car is likely to be produced in Indonesia, where the automaker also manufactures Creta, Santa Fe and Ioniq 5. The car will be launched in the Indonesian market for the first time and later it would come to India. However, the automaker is yet to reveal any detail about the Hyundai Stargazer's India entry.

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STAMFORD  When Stamford High School seniors Ivana Nique, 17, and Sara Molina, 18, first became good friends in middle school, one of the things they bonded over was their mutual desire to attend a top college after they graduated high school.

Fast forward a few years, and the soon-to-be high school graduates are both headed to Yale University in the fall.

The two attended Stark Elementary School together from kindergarten and knew of each other. But it was not until they were in seventh grade at Dolan Middle School that their friendship really took off, they said, when they began having the same classes together.

The pair of friends were both born in the states  Ivana in White Plains, N.Y., and Sara in Stamford  but their parents hail from South America. Ivanas parents are from Peru and Saras parents are from Colombia.

From the very beginning we bonded over college, Sara said, recalling that Ivana would wear a Harvard University sweater at the time. We talked about college and where we wanted to go to.

Ivana added, We were always very ambitious and always very hard working.

Harvard was a school Ivana had on her mind from a very early age. She told a story of when she was either 3 or 4 years old and visited her pediatrician for a check up. When the doctor asked Ivana what school she went to  she was attending a local pre-school at the time  she responded, Harvard medical school.

That love for Harvard eventually changed once Ivana researched which colleges she preferred. After attending a virtual tour of Yale, she fell in love with that institution.

Yale just seemed so caring about their students, she said.

Now, that Harvard sweater is somewhere hidden in her closet, she said.

The moment the pair discovered each got accepted to Yale was in December 2021; up until that point, each was worried only one of them would be accepted, they said. They had been told as much by one teacher, who told them Yale would likely not choose two students with similar qualifications from the same school, especially since both students applied early.

Sara was the first to discover she had been accepted. She received the notification at 5 p.m. Dec. 15, but waited a few hours before opening the all-important document so she could have dinner.

I didnt think I could eat after, she said.

Once she got the good news, Sara thought of Ivana, who she knew was working at a downtown restaurant. But Sara decided to keep the good news to herself, fearing that her best friend would not join her at Yale.

How do you break that to your best friend that you got into the same place that they were aspiring to? Sara asked.

When Ivana got off of work about 11 p.m. that night, she discovered her own letter once she got home. She opened her letter with family watching over FaceTime. Jubilation ensued, and after celebrating with her family, Ivana reached out to Sara. It was about 1 a.m.

We were just screaming on the phone for a while, Ivana said.

The two friends, who both live in Glenbrook, not only have Stamford High and Yale in common. They each have the title of editor under their belts as well.

Ivana is an editor at The Round Table, Stamford High Schools digital news site. This year, she was challenged by teacher Jon Ringel to create a Spanish version of the sites Weekly Knightly News, a video segment produced by students every week with news from the school.

Ivana accepted the challenge, and led the launch of La Voz Del Sur, which means The Voice of the South in English. Every week, Ivana would lead a team of about four students to create a video that usually highlighted one or two stories from Latin America with a lighthearted segment including students from the school at the end.

This year, she won a newscast award from the Connecticut Press Club.

Sara is the co-editor-in-chief of the schools yearbook, and was tasked with everything from planning the theme and cover of the book to taking photos, writing and working on sales.

Sara said she plans on studying economics and with possibly a double major in urban studies at Yale; Ivana is currently undecided on a major and plans on taking a wide variety of classes to see what she likes, she said.

As far as what they envision for college, the two friends said they plan on avoiding each other for their first two weeks on campus, in an effort to meet new people. But eventually, they said, theyll resume their close friendship.

I think it will always be a very comforting feeling that you have someone youve know for your whole life and to have them there, Ivana said.

Sara agreed.

Its like having a piece of home with me, she said.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
In his latest book, writer Craig Childs writes that most of his life has been spent in the company of the rock art that decorates the Colorado Plateau. Before, it was something simply there  a relic of another time. Yet Childs' own views evolved into something else entirely in his newest book, Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau." The fixture of the American Southwest instead discovered that rock art isn't an artifact, but very much still alive.

We spoke with Childs about his shifting views of rock art and its timeless themes, as well as how he reckoned with writing about Native American petroglyphs and the duality between cultural values and shared experiences.

Mountain Living: What inspired you to write this book now? you've lived your whole life and American Southwest and, as you mention in the book, we're surrounded by rock art in all senses throughout much of the Colorado Plateau. And yet you chose to write it during the pandemic when we were all trapped indoors. What inspired that?

Craig Childs: It was something that I had been thinking about for decades and I've kind of skirted around the idea of writing about rock art because it's such a liminal and hard-to-define subject. In the last few years, I've been feeling like I'd spent enough time looking at it and asking questions and making contacts with people who think about it from Indigenous people to Anglo hobbyists and archaeologists. And then the start of the pandemic I was realizing that a lot of my farther travel was was off the table, which for me, is excellent in a way because where I want to be is home on the Colorado Plateau. I just realized that this is the moment to put these things together. I've been writing about so many different aspects of this landscape, from humans to water to weather and earth sciences. And it seemed like the time that I would have time to spend weeks and months and  in the end  a year-and-a-half deeply focused on rock art. I've been seeing it my whole life and spending time with it, but I've wanted to really dive in and it seems like the time to do it. I had the freedom to sit with these panels for weeks on end and watch the light move across them and get a sense of how they changed season to season which is something I really hadn't had a chance to do before. There was finally time to put that commitment into it.

ML: How did your view and appreciation of rock art change with the writing and publication of this book?

CC: I saw it in many more places. The context got more specific for me and the number of sites increased dramatically. I think before this book, rock art was this enigmatic scattering of images and I knew there were connections between them. Now I look at it and go, "this is a very specific story." In a way, the Colorado Plateau is an open book just waiting to be read and you can see a story unfolding. It's gone from more decoration to specific cultural meaning and relationships between sites and between ages and styles and different stories that just become much more clear and specific to me, instead of just an adornment. It's still something beautiful to me, but the book made it so much more than that.

ML: You speak to a number of different experts throughout the book, ranging from those who have a direct relationship with rock art to scholars. What did you learn from them?

CC: They changed the way I see it. I'd be talking with somebody from the Zuni and they would say, "When I see this, I see my identity  I see my family." And I'm on the other side and I didn't see that. When this particular Zuni man was talking about it, he described it as a way for Native people to engage with their own ancestry directly and it's a sense of identity. And that's not something I share with it. There's a sense of ancestry here  not my ancestors, but the ancestors who have seniority of this land. And being with a Hopi society priest looking at images and learning how their placement, their relationship, to each other on a boulder face says a lot about the story being conveyed. Where sometimes I would just look at it as symbols all over the rock, but now I realize they're placed in relation to each other  in accordance with the story being told. That's something I wasn't seeing before. And one of the biggest points I tried to get across in the book is that you don't have to know what it means, but all you have to know is there is meaning.

ML: As a white man, what was it like for you to write about traditional land, art and spirituality? How did you reckon with that?

CC: There's a lot to reckon with there. How did I deal with it? At times, awkwardly. It's an awkward thing. Here I am through this terrible blood-soaked history and here we are together. The way I reconcile this for myself is by saying I write about every aspect that I can in this landscape. I write about rain and floods and tectonics and fossil history and human history. For me not to write about rock art because I don't have a cultural relationship with it seems remiss. That is one of the major features of the land we live in as neighbors in the place we share. I felt I should address it in some fashion and this imagery is all around us and it needs to be witnessed and we need a relationship with it. This book is my way of expressing my relationship with it.

Throughout this book, I would stop and go, "OK, what rights do I have to be doing? And how can I write it so that I address that and then sit with it?" It's an awkward and painful thing. Because here I am looking for my homeland and connecting to a place that I feel like I belong to. And to me rock art says here are the ancestors  here are the true elders of the land  address them. Who responds to them and in what kind of ways? How does a Zuni weaver respond to rock art? How does an Anglo archerogolosit? How does a male? A female? How does a child respond to this? I wanted to put them all in a book and say, "Here are all many ways of encountering this and it's here all around us."

ML: What's next?

CC: After I write a book about archaeology or ancient people, I usually rebound to animals or earth  things that are even more elementary or primary than human history. I've been deep in the mountain lion world for a long time now and I've been having more and more encounters and moments lately over the last handful of years and I feel like something is rising up there. So I have my eye on big cats in America.

ML: Do you find that returning to these more primal topics is a way to ground yourself?

CC: It brings me back to myself  as an animal myself. It takes me out of the cluttered world of humanity and civilization.

ML: Right, you have to remind yourself that there's some good in the world.

CC: I looked for that in the rock art. I found the bad and the violent, but I spent a lot of time looking at Earth and cultivation scenes and rock arts lined up with astronomical events. And I came away with, "Wow, we've always done beautiful things and we've always tried to solidify our relationship with the world around us." And I see that in rock art and it is relieving for me.

Childs' new book, Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau is available at your local independent bookstore.

Bree Burkitt is a contributor to the Arizona Daily Sun. Reach her at breeburkitt@gmail.com.

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As many as 113,395 travelers of whom 10,893 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania on Saturday (up 19 pct from the previous day), with 6,686 Ukrainian nationals crossing into Romania at the border with Ukraine (by 29 pct more), and 1,117 entering the country at the border with Moldova (by 0.3 pct more), the General Border Police Inspectorate (IGPF) reports.

As many as 1,241,750 Ukrainian nationals had entered Romania as of June 18 since the start of the military conflict in the neighboring country, and the number of Ukrainians who crossed into Romania since the pre-war date of February 10 is 1,276,279, the IGPF said.
President Klaus Iohannis will attend on June 20 the seventh Summit of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) and the fourth edition of the Three Seas Initiative Business Forum organized in Riga, the Presidential Administration said.

Given the new geopolitical context marked by the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, the state leaders participating in this regional cooperation format will look at how the Initiative should position itself in the current European security situation, with particular focus on the 3SI's potential contribution through the implementation of strategic interconnection projects in the three basic areas of the Initiative: transport, energy, digital infrastructure.

During his intervention, President Klaus Iohannis will reiterate Romania's bilateral and multilateral support for Ukraine, stressing that this support refers "to all the ways in which the Initiative can help Ukraine, especially through the interconnection projects in which this country could participate as a partner of the Initiative. Also, the President of Romania will emphasize the importance of the Republic of Moldova and Georgia receiving a similar support from the Initiative, given their vocation to become European Union members, just like Ukraine," the cited source shows.

The head of the state will emphasize that Romania will continue to pursue the strengthening of the Initiative and its instruments, such as the 3SI Business Forum and the 3SI Investment Fund, which have already proven their effectiveness. President Iohannis will also make it clear that Romania supports the activities of the Initiative in full synergy with the strategic agenda of the European Union, as well as in the direction of strengthening the transatlantic partnership.

"Klaus Iohannis will also highlight the importance for Romania of the Rail2Sea and Via Carpathia transnational connection projects, the implementation of which will improve military mobility and infrastructure resilience in the region, which are essential in the current European security environment," the Presidential Administration states.

Romania hosted in 2018 the third Initiative Summit, which adopted essential decisions for the future of this cooperation platform, such as: the list of major top priority interconnection projects in the fields of transport, energy and digital infrastructure; the organization of the first Business Forum of the Three Seas Initiative (gathering over 600 officials and business representatives from the 3SI member countries and other EU member states, the U.S., the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership, as well as representatives of the EU and of the European and international financial institutions); the launch of the network of the 3SI Chambers of Commerce (by the signing of the Joint Declaration on the creation of this network by 7 Chambers of Commerce and Industry); the initiation of the procedure to launch the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund (by the signing of the Letter of Intent on the 3SI Investment Fund by 6 dedicated institutions from the 12 participating states). AGERPRES
President of the Moldovan Parliament Igor Grosu declared on Saturday that his country has everything it takes to meet the EU accession requirements.

Asked, during a joint press conference with President of Romania's Senate Florin Citu and Romanian Speaker Marcel Ciolacu, when he believes that the Republic of Moldova will become a full member of the European Union, Grosu replied: "I won't set a time horizon, but I know one thing - we do not expect shortcuts, being allowed to burn stages. We know we have to do everything by the book. We have to strengthen our institutions, prove resilience - especially in crises - because this is when you see how sustainable the state is through its institutions. We have very clear reforms and commitments set in this process: justice reform, fighting corruption, ensuring energy security. All these things are on the agenda. We will move fast, yet not to the detriment of quality. We will definitely use the experience of our colleagues, they have already gone through this and learned their lessons, we want to draw on this experience. In other words, we in Chisinau have everything it takes to move fast, we have parliamentary majority, the government and the Presidency supporting all these reforms. It all depends on us, on how fast we mobilize, and I guarantee you that things will be fast-paced, of course taking into account all international rigors and standards," said Igor Grosu.

Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marcel Ciolacu said that so far no state opposes the grant of candidate status to the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia.

"After all, this is a vote with political connotations. Next week, together with MEP Victor Negrescu, I will participate in Brussels in a meeting with all the Social Democrat prime ministers and European Social Democrat Commissioners, set just a few hours before the vote on Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. I am firmly convinced that there will be a decision to support first and foremost the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia as candidates for EU membership. Until then we are having discussions with the other European leaders, first of all with those from the Social Democratic family, and with the ambassadors to Romania. So far there have been no other opinions than of support for the three states," Ciolacu said.

In his turn, Senate President Florin Citu stressed that it is important for the Republic of Moldova to be granted candidate status free of conditionalities.

"It is the duty of all of us to make sure that no state opposes the application next week and it is important that candidate status comes without conditionalities, because we know very well that Brussels' language is often more complicated and we must make sure that there is no comma, no conditionality between the lines. We still have one week to make sure of that, and of course my party, the EPP representatives in the European Parliament and the Chamber of Deputies Speaker will make every effort to ensure that everything goes smooth next week," Citu said.

On June 17 the European Commission issued an opinion recommending that the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine should be granted candidate status for European Union membership. The EC also announced that Georgia would only move to EU membership candidate status after addressing certain priorities. This opinion will be discussed at the EU Summit on June 23-24, and the leaders of the 27 member states must unanimously greenlight the decision. AGERPRES
SUNDAY, June 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The record-breaking heat that's scorching much of the United States this week poses significant heart dangers, and you need to take steps to protect yourself, the American Heart Association (AHA) says.

That's especially true for older adults and people with high blood pressure, obesity or a history of heart disease or stroke.

Heat and dehydration force the heart to work harder to cool itself by pumping more blood and shifting it from major organs to underneath the skin.

Research shows that when temperatures reach extremes of an average daily temperature of 109 degrees Fahrenheit (as it has this week in the Southwest), the number of deaths from heart disease may double or triple, and that the more temperatures fluctuate during the summer, the more severe strokes may become.

"While heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable, more than 600 people in the United States are killed by extreme heat every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you have heart disease or have had a stroke or you're older than 50 or overweight, it's extremely important to take special precautions in the heat to protect your health," said AHA President Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones.

"Some medications like angiotensin receptor blockers [ARBs], angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and diuretics, which affect blood pressure responses or deplete the body of sodium, can exaggerate the body's response to heat and cause you to feel ill in extreme heat," said Lloyd-Jones, a professor of heart research, preventive medicine, medicine and pediatrics at Northwestern University in Chicago.

"But dont stop taking your medicines. Learn how to keep cool and talk to your doctor about any concerns," he said in an AHA news release.

Even if you're not taking heart medications, you should take precautions in the heat.

"Staying hydrated is key. It is easy to get dehydrated even if you don't think you're thirsty," Lloyd-Jones said. "Drink water before, during and after going outside in hot weather. Don't wait until you feel thirsty. And the best way to know if you are getting enough fluid is to monitor your urine output and make sure the urine color is pale, not dark or concentrated."

The AHA provided the following hot weather safety tips:

Don't go outdoors in the early afternoon (about noon to 3 p.m.) when the sun is usually at its strongest.

Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing in breathable fabrics such as cotton, or a fabric that repels sweat. Wear a hat and sunglasses. Apply a water-resistant sunscreen with at least SPF 15 before going out, and reapply it every two hours.

Drink a few cups of water before, during and after going outside or exercising. Avoid caffeinated or alcoholic drinks.

Take regular breaks. Stop for a few minutes in a shady or cool place and hydrate.

Continue to take all medications as prescribed.

More information

For more on heat wave safety, see the American Red Cross.

SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, June 14, 2022

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the TownNews Content Exchange.
ST. LOUIS  Homer G. Phillips grew up in Sedalia, Mo., son of a Methodist minister who had been a slave. Phillips studied law at Howard University in Washington and moved here just before the World's Fair in 1904. He married Ida Perle Alexander, an actress, and established himself as a lawyer.

Phillips became prominent in civil rights and politics. He was a founder of the Citizens' Liberty League, advocating for Blacks after city residents voted in 1916 to mandate segregation in housing. He was influential in the local Republican Party, a common affiliation for blacks before the New Deal, and made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 1926. Republican mayors sought his advice.

Phillips also was a leader in getting a new hospital for Blacks, who used the inadequate City Hospital No. 2, a former medical college in the Mill Creek Valley. The city set money aside from a 1923 bond issue for the new hospital.

Blacks wanted their new hospital in a black neighborhood. White doctors wanted it next to City Hospital No. 1, south of downtown. Phillips persuaded city officials to build at St. Ferdinand Avenue and Whittier Street, in the Ville neighborhood, home to the black business class.

He served his clients with the same zeal. In 1926, while representing an insurance company, he exposed a phony death done to collect on a $3,000 life policy. The proof was the cement in a casket that he had delivered to a St. Louis courtroom.

On the morning of June 18, 1931, Phillips left his home at 1121 Aubert Avenue, near Fountain Park, and walked to Delmar Boulevard to catch a streetcar downtown. Two men approached him as he leaned on a windowsill, reading a newspaper. One man slugged Phillips, and one or both of them opened fire. They fled north in an alley as Phillips, 51, died on the sidewalk.

Police quickly suspected the family of the late George Fitzhugh, whose estate Phillips had protected for Fitzhugh's daughter from a counterclaim. The family had objected to Phillip's fee, and one relative made public threats after Phillips refused to release the settlement from escrow.

Police arrested Fitzhugh's grandson, George McFarland, 18, and McFarland's friend, Augustus Brooks, 19, and charged them with murder. Thousands packed St. Paul AME Church, then at Leffingwell and Lawton avenues, for Phillips' funeral. The Board of Aldermen voted quickly to name the new Black hospital in his memory.

In separate trials in 1932, McFarland and Brooks were acquitted. One witness couldn't be found, another had suffered a mental breakdown. The case remains unsolved.

Homer G. Phillips Hospital, opened in 1937 and closed in 1979, now serves as a senior housing center.

Read more stories from Tim O'Neil's Look Back series.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  The Dutch government formally apologized Saturday to soldiers who were sent as U.N. peacekeepers to defend the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica with insufficient firepower and manpower to keep the peace.

The soldiers  veterans now  were overrun by more heavily armed Bosnian Serb forces led by Gen. Ratko Mladic who went on to massacre 8,000 Muslim men and boys in July 1995, in a bloodbath that an international war crimes tribunal labeled genocide.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte addressed hundreds of veterans of the Dutchbat III peacekeeping unit on Saturday at a military base in the central Netherlands, telling them that after nearly 27 years some words have still not been said.

Today, I apologize on behalf of the Dutch government to all the women and men of Dutchbat III. To you and the people who cant be here today. With the greatest possible appreciation and respect for the way Dutchbat III under difficult circumstances kept trying to do good, even when that was no longer possible, Rutte said.

The ceremony came after a report was published last year into the experiences of the roughly 850 troops who made up Dutchbat III. The study made recommendations including that the government make a collective gesture to address what it called the perceived lack of recognition and appreciation, given the exceptional circumstances in which the near-impossible has been asked of the Dutch peacekeepers.

The Netherlands has long wrestled with the legacy of the Srebrenica massacre. Then Prime Minister Wim Kok resigned in 2002 after a report harshly criticized Dutch authorities for sending soldiers into a danger zone without a proper mandate or the weapons needed to protect about 30,000 refugees who had fled to the Dutch base in eastern Bosnia.

In 2019, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that the Netherlands was partially liable in the deaths of about 350 Muslim men murdered by Bosnian Serb forces during the massacre.

The court ruled that Dutch peacekeepers evacuated the men from their military base near Srebrenica on July 13, 1995, despite knowing that they were in serious jeopardy of being abused and murdered by Bosnian Serb forces.

The U.N. also has been criticized for failing to authorize NATO airstrikes to support the lightly-armed Dutch troops in July 1995 as they came under attack.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Last Saturday, a large group of March for Our Lives protestors gathered outside Flagstaff City Hall to advocate for gun reform in the wake of two recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas and Buffalo, New York. With loud voices and posters in hand, they expressed their frustrations to the applause of honking cars, but despite the rallys zeal, many participants felt a great sense of disappointment in the lack of progress since the march in 2018.

Heather Duncan, the local organizer and permit holder for March for Our Lives, understands the disappointment more than most.

As a mother of two and former employee of the Flagstaff Unified School District, Duncan was inspired to join March for Our Lives after seeing the survivors of the Parkland school shooting stand up and call out those who were stonewalling common-sense gun reform, but said since the movement started in 2018, little has been done to prevent gun violence.

Gun violence is the No. 1 cause of death among children and teens, Duncan said, [and] nothing has happened in the past four years since the first march, even with our new Democratic president.

Since the last March for Our Lives protest, school shootings have been on the rise, reaching more than 100 incidents with injuries or death in the last four years -- and of those, 27 have occurred just this year.

The numbers are tragic and have, unsurprisingly, spurred many educators like Duncan to action.

Megan Johnson, a second-grade teacher at Marshall Elementary School, said, I hope marching will bring awareness to how many people support this and ... maybe, hopefully, have some people challenge their own beliefs too. ... My students lives are more important than [their] guns.

Another former educator echoed those sentiments.

School should be a time of learning and fun, and they shouldnt have to be worried about an active shooter, said Linda Whiting, a retired Arizona teacher. [I hope] that some senators are listening and will actually let some of these gun control laws that are being debated, pass.

While very little has been done to regulate guns in Congress, there are some bills gaining traction.

Better known as Ethans Law, HB 7218 just passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and would require guns, either loaded or unloaded, to be stored properly in a location that proves to be inaccessible to individuals younger than the age of 18. This bill comes as a direct response to the death of 15-year-old Ethan Song, who was shot by a loaded and improperly stored firearm.

Ethans cousin, Micha Song, spoke about his death at Flagstaffs rally.

Ethan, who was 15 when he died, should not have lost his life, Song said, however, in my familys case, from tragedy comes hope.  It is time to start rallying your senators. I hope Senator Sinema is ready for gun safety activists from Arizona, and I hope America is ready for common sense gun legislation.

The day after the nationwide March for Our Lives concluded, some key senators announced a bipartisan framework to curb instances of gun violence in America. While this breakthrough piece of legislation has not been written yet, it demonstrates that rallying around a cause can do more than spread awareness. It can also spur change, or at least, the beginning of it.

After Songs speech, participants marched around downtown and back to Flagstaff City Hall in hot weather, sharing stories and shade all the way along. Though there were one or two hecklers that yelled people kill people from their passing cars, the waves, honks and words of affirmation showed demonstrators that Flagstaff will always be kind to those who stand up for what they believe.

Love 3 Funny 5 Wow 1 Sad 4 Angry 2
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  One photograph shows a kneeling soldier kissing a child inside a subway station, where Ukraine families shelter from Russian airstrikes. In another, an infant and a woman who appears on the brink of tears look out from a departing train car as a man peers inside, his hand spread across the window in a gesture of goodbye.

In an uplifting Fathers Day message Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted 10 photos of parents and children set against the grim backdrop of war, praising fathers who protect and defend the most precious.

There are scenes of childbirth, as a man and woman look toward a swaddled baby in what appears to be a hospital room where the spackled walls show scars of fighting. In another, a man lifts a child over a fence toward a woman with outstretched arms on a train platform.

Being a father is a great responsibility and a great happiness, Zelenskyy wrote in English text that followed the Ukrainian on Instagram. It is strength, wisdom, motivation to go forward and not to give up."

He urged his nation's fighters to endure for the "future of your family, your children, and therefore the whole of Ukraine.

His message came as four months of war in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers orders. NATOs chief warned the fighting could drag on for "years."

Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale," Britain's defense ministry said in its daily assessment of the war.

Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, the assessment said, but added that Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled.

It said cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.

Separately, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate released what it said were intercepted phone calls in which Russian soldiers complained about front-line conditions, poor equipment, and overall lack of personnel, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

In an interview published on Sunday in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that nobody knows how long the war could last.

We need to be prepared for it to last for years," he said.

He also urged allies not to weaken support for Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military aid, but also because of the increase in energy and food goods prices."

In his nightly address Sunday, Zelenskyy said the week ahead would be historic and perhaps bring Ukraine closer to membership in the European Union. But that move could portend a more hostile response from Russia, he warned.

EU leaders recommended Friday that Ukraine join the bloc, and their proposal was to go to members for discussion this week in Brussels. Zelenskyy called the outcome of those talks one of the most fateful moments for Ukraine since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

I am sure that only a positive decision meets the interests of the whole of Europe, he said.

In such a week we should expect greater hostile activity from Russia," he added. "And not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe. We are preparing.

In recent days, Gazprom, the Russian gas company, has reduced supplies to two major European clients  Germany and Italy. In Italy's case, energy officials are expected to huddle this week about the situation. The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through the coming winter, but he warned Italians that restrictions affecting gas use might be necessary.

Germany will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia, the country's economy minister said on Sunday. Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the cold winter months.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, he said.

Stoltenberg stressed, though, that the costs of food and fuel are nothing compared with those paid daily by the Ukrainians on the front line.

Stoltenberg added: What's more, if Russian President Vladimir Putin should reach his objectives in Ukraine, like when he annexed Crimea in 2014, we would have to pay an even greater price.

Britain's defense ministry said that both Russia and Ukraine have continued to conduct heavy artillery bombardments on axes to the north, east and south of the Sieverodonetsk pocket, but with little change in the front line.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said via Telegram on Sunday: It is a very difficult situation in Sievierodonetsk, where the enemy in the middle of the city is conducting round-the-clock aerial reconnaissance with drones, adjusting fire, quickly adjusting to our changes."

Russias defense ministry claimed on Sunday that Russian and separatist forces have taken control of Metolkine, a settlement just to the east of Sievierodonetsk.

Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas, is 55 kilometers (33 miles) southwest of the twin cities of Lysyhansk and Siervierodonetsk, where fierce military clashes have been raging. Every day, Russian artillery pummels Bakhmut.

But Bakhmut's people try to go about their daily lives, including shopping in markets that have opened again in recent weeks.

In principle, it can be calm in the morning,'' said one resident, Oleg Drobelnnikov. The shelling starts at about 7 or 8 in the evening." Still, he said, it has been pretty calm in the last 10 days or so.

You can buy food at small farmer markets,'' said Drobelnnikov, a teacher. It is not a problem. In principle, educational institutions, like schools or kindergartens, are not working due to the situation. The institutions moved to other regions. There is no work here."

Ukraines east has been the main focus of Russias attacks for more than two months.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy made a trip south from Kyiv to visit troops and hospital workers in the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions along the Black Sea. He handed out awards to dozens of people at every stop, shaking their hands and thanking them again and again for their service.

Zelenskyy, in a recorded address aboard a train back to Kyiv, vowed to defend the countrys south.

"We will not give away the south to anyone. We will return everything thats ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe.

He added: "Russia does not have as many missiles as our people have a desire to live.

Zelenskyy also condemned the Russian blockade of Ukraines ports amid weeks of inconclusive negotiations on safe corridors so millions of tons of siloed grain can be shipped out before the approaching new harvest season.

In other attacks in the south, Ukraines southern military operational command said Sunday that two people were killed in shelling of the Galitsyn community in the Mykolaiv region and that shelling of the Bashtansky district is continuing.

Russia's defense ministry said seaborne missiles destroyed a plant in Mykolaiv city where Western-supplied howitzers and armored vehicles were stored.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns that a bit of Ukraine fatigue is starting to set in around the world."

It would be a catastrophe if Putin won. Hed love nothing more than to say, Lets freeze this conflict, lets have a cease-fire,'" Johnson said on Saturday, a day after a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy and offered offer continued aid and military training.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines. But Ukraine's leaders have insisted for weeks that they need more arms, and sooner.

Julia Rubin in New York, Sylvia Hui in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Frances DEmilio in Rome and Srdjan Nedeljkovic in Bakhmut, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
HOUSE SPRINGS  A firefighter with the High Ridge Fire Protection District in northeast Jefferson County was seriously injured Sunday after falling through the floor while battling a house fire.

Firefighters responded to a home in the 4200 block of Hickory Lane in House Springs, roughly 30 miles southwest of St. Louis, and were searching for potential victims when the floor collapsed. The firefighter fell into the basement and was quickly rescued by others, officials said in a news release.

The injured firefighter was then taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The High Ridge Fire Protection District covers roughly 96 square miles of northeast Jefferson County, including House Springs and High Ridge. The district currently has about 30 full-time and 20 part-time firefighters on staff, according to its website.

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Regarding US sending $1 billion more military aid to outgunned Ukraine (June 15): In his farewell address to congress in 1951, Gen. Douglas MacArthur gave the following warning: But once war is forced upon us, there is no other alternative than to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end. Wars very object is victory, not prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for victory. He also believed that appeasement begets new and bloodier war.

I believe his words are still true today. Supplying arms to Ukraine, but allowing the war to continue and letting Russia win, even if limited to eastern Ukraine, only prolongs the war and causes unnecessary suffering and death.

If losing is an option, then helping Ukraine at all was a great mistake. There is no reason to restrict Ukraine from using our long range artillery to attack Russian forces at the border. We are already in World War III, we just havent admitted it.

Robert Kloster  Vandalia, Ill.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 19, 2022) - This press release is being disseminated as required by National Instrument 62103 The Early Warning System and Related Take Over Bids and Insider Reporting Issues in connection with the filing of an early warning report (the "Early Warning Report") regarding the direct acquisition of common shares of RJK Explorations Ltd. (TSXV: RJX.A) ("RJK") by Great Lakes Nickel Limited (the "Company") by way of a private placement.

On May 20, 2022, the Company entered in to a subscription agreement with RJK to acquire 5,916,000 Units, with each Unit consisting of one (1) Class A Subordinate Voting Share of RJK and one (1) Class A Subordinate Voting Share purchase warrant exercisable at a price of $0.25 per share any time prior to 4:30 p.m. on the date that is three (3) years after the issuance of the Units. On closing the Company initially acquired 1,790,484 Units for proceeds of $196,953.24. The remaining 4,125,516 Units (the "Additional Units") for the subscription amount of $453,806.76 (the "Additional Funds") was completed in escrow pending the Company's satisfaction of certain requirements of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). These requirements included the filing by the control person of the Company of a personal information form, and the Company's provision of an undertaking to TSXV to not exercise the Warrants held by it if such exercise would cause the Company's ownership of voting shares of RJK to exceed 10% of the issued and outstanding voting shares. The Company has now satisfied these requirements and the Additional Funds were released to the Company and the Additional Units were issued and delivered to the Company.

The Company, together with its associates, affiliates and joint actors, now owns or controls 13,790,151 voting shares of RJK or 15.1% of RJK's issued and outstanding voting shares on a non-diluted basis, and 17,315,587 voting shares of RJK or 18.8% of RJK's issued and outstanding voting shares on a partially-diluted basis assuming the exercise of all of the Warrants.

The Company and/or its associates, affiliates and joint actors may acquire additional securities of RJK, dispose of some or all of the existing or additional securities it holds or will hold, or may continue to hold its current position, depending on market conditions and other relevant factors. A copy of the Early Warning Report may be found on www.SEDAR.com.

GREAT LAKES NICKEL LIMITED Contact Information

Nadim Wakeam Corporate Counsel

Mobile: 416-871-1785

[email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/128287
The logo of U.S. software company Palantir Technologies is seen in Davos, Switzerland, May 22, 2022. Picture taken May 22, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

By Jeffrey Dastin and Dmitry Zhdannikov

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Palantir Technologies Inc and global commodities trader Trafigura have set sights on a new market, their chief executives told Reuters on Monday: tracking carbon emissions for the oil and gas sector.

The companies are building a platform for oil majors and other commodities firms to vet the environmental impact of their supply chains, applying Trafigura's data to Palantir's operating system, known as Foundry.

The effort represents a potentially lucrative long-term opportunity at a time when Palantir's revenue outlook has fallen short of expectations, with shares trading down 57% this year.

The firm co-founded by billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel in 2003 to aid in U.S. counter-terrorism operations now derives almost half its sales from the private sector. BP PLC is among its fossil-fuel extracting customers, which have pledged a green makeover in the coming decades.

In a joint interview at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Palantir's Chief Executive Alex Karp said, "This is going to be one of the biggest things we've ever done." Jeremy Weir, Trafigura's CEO, said the market is "massive. In terms of size, I think it touches everybody."

The idea grew out of a pilot last year. Trafigura's global head of carbon trading approached Palantir with a desire to better assess indirect carbon footprints, known as "Scope Three" emissions.

Making the trial into a joint marketing partnership represents a familiar playbook for Palantir. The company, which recently relocated from Palo Alto, Calif. to Denver, earlier partnered with planemaker Airbus SE to sell a "central operating system of the airline industry," according to Palantir's latest annual report.

Customers can subscribe to the new platform and take part in what Palantir and Trafigura are calling a consortium. They did not disclose financial terms.

Concerns about energy security fueled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have not dampened interest in sustainability, said Weir. "We've got a severe bump in the road, but we still have to decarbonize," he said.

For Palantir, the war, which Moscow has called a "special operation," has meanwhile created potential for other products it developed, such as secure data transfer across allies.

"You'll have to use your imagination to figure out how those things may be in use, but we play a crucial role in the security of the West," Karp said.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin and Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
100 years ago

1922: If you steal a car, don't try to run it over Howard Marine, deputy sheriff. That's what a young man tried to do in Flagstaff the other day and now he's in jail, charged with stealing the car. He was a smooth young man, according to the story told by four young magazine subscription solicitors, two of them girls and so pretty you've just got to believe them. According to their story, they were driving a Dodge car. They ran into a young man who said his name was Brown, that his car was in the shop and that he had a ranch 12 miles out with all kinds of good things to eat. When they got to the ranch all, but the host and one girl got out, the host requesting the use of the car and company of the girl to go on further and get some saddles so they all could go horseback riding. The fellow drove the car until they came to a gate, which he asked the girl to open. Then he sped away without her. The four derelicts got back to Flagstaff and reported. Next day, a strange driver ran into Marine. He looked the fellow and car over, deciding it was our merry host and his guests car. The man's name is Frank Brown. He says Brown pleaded guilty before Judge J. Jones Wednesday morning and was sentenced to the penitentiary for three to five years.

75 years ago

1947: In his first venture into the field of colored movies, Gene Autry, famed cowboy singing star, was scheduled to start work Thursday morning on The Strawberry Roan, with northern Arizona's colorful Sedona area and Flagstaff as the shooting sites. Autry and a party of 85 movie makers were flown to Flagstaff's Koch Field Wednesday in a fleet of four chartered DC3 planes from Hollywood, in what was reported as the largest airborne expedition in motion picture history. The Strawberry Roan is the second of a series of pictures Autry is making using titles of famous cowboy songs to be released through Columbia pictures. The new picture will be filmed in cinecolor, the first time that Audrey has ventured away from black-and-white pictures. Appearing in the picture will be Autrys famous horse Champion Junior. The picture deals with a band of wild horses rather than the usual shoot-them-up-style of Western pictures. Audrey will sing five songs in the film. After landing at Koch Field, the company was immediately taken to Sedona lodge, where they will stay while utilizing Sedonas famous motion picture scenery.

50 years ago

1972: Flagstaff voters will go to the polls Tuesday in a special election on 31 amendments to the city's 14-year-old charter. The election will take place in four separate polling places, and voting will begin at 6 a.m., with the polls closing at 7 p.m. The 31 proposed amendments will appear on the ballot under four general headings. Only 30 amendments actually will be listed in full form, since the 31st is a change in the status of the city engineer to that of professional employee and represents a deletion rather than addition to or change of the charter. The first general heading is a proposal covering updating of the charter language and deletion of certain dates. The second general heading has to do with increasing the powers and duties of the mayor of Flagstaff by requiring the mayor vote on each and every city council issue, and giving him the right to make and second motions in Council without abandoning the chair. Heading No. 3 is the appointment of the city clerk and city treasurer by the city manager, with Council approval, and making the manager directly responsible for the activities of the two officials. The fourth heading has to do with the elimination of the requirement that the question of imposing a sales tax be submitted to the voters. Of the major changes, the proposed amendment on the sales tax has been the one that has prompted the most interest in Tuesday's election. The present sales tax, passed in 1964, is due for re-approval by the voters in less than two years if the amendment is not approved. Council currently is powerless to amend the ordinance without going to the people.

25 years ago

1997: Many retired folks want to spend their time relaxing, staying close to home and pampering themselves with a well-deserved break. Others want to keep moving, keep giving.

I'm not interested in a cruise. I'm not interested in staying in fancy hotels said Nancy Goldstein from Florida. I have to be doing something.

Goldstein is one of 14 elder travelers 55 or older in Flagstaff this week donating their time and energy at The Arboretum at Flagstaff in a weeklong elderhostel service program. They are staying in a Northern Arizona University dormitory, and during the evening go to lectures about the Colorado plateau and northern Arizona. The Northern Arizona University elderhostel offers about two dozen programs throughout the area including ones at the Grand Canyon, Cameron Trading Post, the Hopi and Navajo reservations, Sedona and more. Elderhostel includes a network of more than 1,200 colleges, universities and other educational institutions offering low-cost short-term residential academic programs for older citizens.

All events were taken from issues of the Arizona Daily Sun and its predecessors, the Coconino Weekly Sun and the Coconino Sun.

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(Tribune News Service)  For nine months during the Civil War, a regiment of Black soldiers, many of them former slaves, guarded confederate prisoners on what is now the Rock Island Arsenal.

For the past 30 years, Rock Islands Shellie Moore Guy has been researching and accumulating history on those soldiers, like her great-great-grandfather, Charley Wilson.

Wilson, born into slavery in Kentucky, later settled in Port Byron, where he became the towns veterinarian and a beloved community figure.

About 980 men were a part of the regiment, which was one of a number of U.S. Colored Troops in the Union Army. All told, more than 178,000 Black soldiers served during the final two years of the Civil War, making up 10% of all Union Army troops. Another 19,000 served in the Navy.

Moore Guys efforts to connect the dots of historical documents into a narrative of the soldiers lives  hours of research, writing a childrens book, founding an organization dedicated to the history of the local regiment and giving informational presentations  serves both as knitting together genealogical history important to her family and bringing to light to local history of critical efforts during a war that led to the freedom of millions of Americans.

On Monday, shell give a presentation at the Rock Island Arsenal 158 years after the 108th was organized in Louisville, Ky., on June 20, 1864, an anniversary that was not lost on the organizers.

Monday will also be just the second time Juneteenth  which celebrates the end of slavery in confederate states  will be recognized as a federal holiday after legislation made it so in June last year, and the first time several local governments, such as the state of Illinois and the city of Davenport, have recognized the holiday by giving employees the day off.

We here in the Quad-Cities can connect ourselves to something so monumental and important, Moore Guy said. Our history here is connected to the Civil War, which meant for Africans for Blacks, for colored people, the right to be free.

Here in the Quad-Cities, we can go to the place where the 108th Regiment performed duties and served this country trying to free themselves, she added.

Although her great-great grandfather has the most detailed available documentation thanks in part to an interview he did with local philanthropist and historian John Hauberg, Moore Guy hopes to document the lives of each soldier in the 108th Regiment. She and other members of her organization have found resources with a 501(c)3 nonprofit, called the Reckoning, thats dedicated to examining the legacy of slavery. That includes learning how to navigate databases for marriage certificates and military records, and how to find hard to reach information.

Moore Guy said she felt lucky she could identify nine generations of her family. The federal Census began recording African descendants in 1870, although theyd been brought in shackles more than 250 years before to what would become the U.S. Slaves were saddled with the last names of their owners, and families were fragmented when sold to different owners, making genealogical history difficult to trace for many Black Americans.

In documenting what their lives were like during slavery, during the war and afterward as community members, Moore Guy said, she hopes to deploy a more complete narrative of their lives.

This is not just about thanking them for their service, Moore Guy said. This is about respecting their very humanity.

Moore Guys great-great-grandfather, Wilson, married his wife, Eliza, while they were still enslaved in Kentucky, and they had three children together. According to an account he gave Hauberg, Wilson said he left with a group of other enslaved men on a train guarded by union soldiers to arrive in Louisville, Ky., and enlist.

Wilson was assigned to the 108th Regiment of the U.S. Colored Troops, which traveled to Rock Island by train, and soldiers were charged with guarding prisoners who fought to enslave people who looked like Wilson.

It was very much a life-and-death decision, Moore Guy said of the 108th regiment soldiers. They were very much aware of the threat of what might happen if they were in battle and captured. Would they be returned back to their masters or would they be killed?

The conditions at the arsenal were tough.

Within the first few weeks, 200 men from the regiment reported illness. By the end, 54 soldiers would die during the regiments nine months at Rock Island. Nationally, nearly 40,000 Black soldiers died over the course of the war, most of whom  30,000  died of infection or disease.

And soldiers encountered animosity from the confederate prisoners and from some locals.

A newspaper article in the Davenport Democrat, reported, It seems as though there was a screw loose on the island, else so many would not have been allowed to come over here at once to startle the usual peaceful citizens of Davenport into such fearful commotion.

Despite those challenges, there are no disciplinary actions in the service records. The one exception was a freed man who was court-martialed for insubordination and being absent without a pass.

And the Rock Island Argus wrote upon the regiments departure to Vicksburg, Miss., in April 1865: The 108th USCT have conducted themselves with great propriety since they were stationed here.

Wilson was one of a number  though unknown exactly how many  of Black soldiers to return to the Quad-Cities once the war was over. Wilsons wife and children arrived in Rock Island after he was stationed there, and his family wasnt allowed to follow the regiment to Mississippi, drawing Wilson back to Rock Island, Moore Guy said.

Wilsons brother, Sandy Terry  also a member of the 108th regiment  and sister, Celia, stayed in Rock Island and were two founding members of Second Baptist Church in Rock Island, Moore Guy said.

Moore Guy, now 67, first heard in detail about her great-great-grandfathers military history in the 1990s from an author who included a paraphrased interview Wilson gave to Hauberg in a book about Rock Island County history.

Im a story teller, so I immediately started reading his narrative in some performances, Moore Guy said.

According to Wilsons account, his owner in Kentucky owned a tobacco plantation with about 60 slaves, and he bred and trained race horses. Wilson rode as a jockey and learned from the owner and a horse trainer how to look after the horses, which sparked interest in his career later in life as a veterinarian.

I learned to doctor horses, and when a neighbors horse got sick, he came and worked in my place while I went over to doctor his horse. And so the more I did the more I studied and learned, and thats how I learned. I had made up my mind when I was a boy that I wanted to be a Horse Doctor, his account reads.

As he boarded the train preparing to leave to enlist in the Civil War, according to Wilsons account, a race horse owner approached him and said: Well Charley, so youre going to the war. I didnt think youd leave old Mr. Wilson.

To which Charley Wilson replied: This is a new deal Mr. Garvin; this is different. You know when you turn your canary out of his cage he dont come back. Hes free.

Wilson added in his account, Id been a prisoner all my life, and this was a new deal, and my, we thought a lot of being free.

After the war, Wilson returned to Rock Island and moved to Port Byron in 1876. Moore Guy said Wilson was remembered as a pillar of the village there. She attended a Port Byron historical society meeting, where members showed her a ballad written in honor of her great-great-grandfather.

But the battle for equality didnt end with Wilsons service in the Civil War. In a 1890 Rock Island Argus article on a Republican Party meeting, it read that several Black residents complained that party bosses only courted Black voters just ahead of an election and werent advocating for equal treatment at any other time.

He had been, he said, a slave 20 years in the south, and had been a slave 25 years in the North, the newspaper paraphrased Wilson saying.

The war ended; theyre not slaves anymore, but that doesnt mean they didnt know that theres still a fight, Moore Guy said.

(c)2022 Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa

Visit at qctimes.com
British journalist Dom Phillips' quest to unlock the secrets of how to preserve Brazil's Amazon was cut short this month when he was killed along with a colleague in the heart of the forest he so cherished. Some of his discoveries may yet see the light of day.

Phillips in 2021 secured a yearlong fellowship with the Alicia Patterson Foundation to write a book, building on prior research. By June, he had written several chapters.

"Dom's book project was on the cutting edge of environmental reporting in Brazil. It was extremely ambitious, but he had the experience to pull it off," said Andrew Fishman, a close friend and journalist at The Intercept. "We cannot let his assassins also kill his vision."

Phillips' disappearance and then confirmed death has brought calls for justice from Brazil and abroad from actors, musicians and athletes, along with appeals for help to support his wife. Phillips would be gobsmacked to learn that his fate has troubled current and former U.K. prime ministers.

He wrote about Brazil for 15 years, in early days covering the oil industry for Platts, later freelancing for the Washington Post and New York Times then regularly contributing to The Guardian. He was versatile, but gravitated toward features about the environment as it became his passion.

Phillips often hiked in Rio de Janeiro's Tijuca Forest National Park and, atop his paddle board at Copacabana beach, was in his element: floating above the natural world and observing. He might message friends out of the blue, sharing news of spotting a ray with a 3-foot wingspan, reflecting a wonder more common among children than 57-year-old men, and he brought that spirit to his reporting.

He was curious and thorough, whether parsing studies of projected rainfall decline in the agricultural heartland caused by Amazon deforestation or tracking down the driving test administrator who discovered a man disguised as his own mother to take her exam. He recalled an editor telling him: "You spend too much time researching news stories."

Among local correspondents, he earned respect for his humility as well, often sharing others' reportage rather than tooting his own horn.

Phillips claimed the spotlight, inadvertently, during a televised press conference in July 2019. Noting rising deforestation and that the environment minister had met with loggers, Phillips asked President Jair Bolsonaro how he intended to demonstrate Brazil's commitment to protect the Amazon region.

"First, you have to understand that the Amazon is Brazil's, not yours, OK? That's the first answer there," Bolsonaro retorted. "We preserved more than the entire world. No country in the world has the moral standing to talk to Brazil about the Amazon."

Within weeks, man-made fires ravaged the Amazon, drawing global criticism, and the clip of Bolsonaro's testy response spread among his supporters as evidence the far-right leader wouldn't be admonished by foreign interlopers. Phillips then received abuse, but no threats.

That didn't stop him from attending rallies to seek the views of die-hard Bolsonaro backers. He was alarmed by Bolsonaro's laissez-faire environmental policy, but mindful that prior leftist governments also had spotty records, often catering to agribusiness and building a massive hydroelectric dam that wrought calamitous local damage while vastly underdelivering. His allegiance was to the environment and those depending on it for survival.

Amazon deforestation has hit a 15-year high, and some climate experts warn the destruction is pushing the biome near a tipping point, after which it will begin irreversible degradation into tropical savannah.

Phillips spoke to farmers who deny climate change even as extreme weather threatens their crops. But he returned from a recent trip with spirits buoyed after meeting some reintroducing biodiversity to their land, said Rebecca Carter, his agent. After his disappearance, a video on social media showed him speaking with an Indigenous group, explaining he had come to learn how they organize and deal with threats.

"I'm grateful to have coexisted with a man who loved human beings," his wife, Alessandra Sampaio, told the newspaper O Globo. "He didn't speak of villains. He didn't want to demonize anyone. His mission was to clarify the complexities of the Amazon."

Phillips was also a crisp writer with an ear for readability. A 2018 story for The Guardian had one of journalism's most dramatic introductions:

"Wearing just shorts and flip-flop as he squats in the mud by a fire, Bruno Pereira, an official at Brazil's government Indigenous agency, cracks open the boiled skull of a monkey with a spoon and eats its brains for breakfast as he discusses policy."

Phillips described his 17-day voyage with Pereira through the remote Javari Valley Indigenous territory at that time as "physically the most grueling thing I have ever done." This June, he was with Pereira in the same region  it was to be one of his final reporting trips for his book  when they were killed together.

Three suspects are in custody, and police say one confessed. Pereira had previously busted people fishing illegally within the Indigenous territory and received threats.

Phillips, meanwhile, also had been preoccupied with risks to his professional future, betting on a book with wallet-wilting travel costs and praying it would resonate. He had set aside newspaper work to focus on it.

"I'm a freelancer with nothing but a book in my life and not even enough to live on next year while I write it," he told the AP in a private exchange in September. "Not so much all the eggs in the same basket as the entire hen house."

He and Sampaio had moved to the northeastern city of Salvador. He was charged up by the change of scene and teaching English to children from poor communities. They had begun the process to adopt a child.

Sampaio told the AP that she doesn't know what will become of her husband's book, but she and his siblings want it published  whether only the four chapters already written or including others completed with outside help. Phillips' optimistic message  that the Amazon can be preserved, with the right actions  could still reach the world.

"We would very much like to find a way to honor the important and essential work Dom was doing," Margaret Stead, his publisher at Manilla Press, wrote in an email.

The book's title was "How to Save the Amazon." Bolsonaro has bristled at the idea it needs rescue, saying some 80% of Brazil's portion remains intact and offering to fly foreign dignitaries over its vast abundance. But Phillips knew the view is different from the forest floor; big hardwood trees have been logged to scarcity in many seemingly pristine areas. His companions traveling through the Javari Valley celebrated when coming upon one.

"The Amazon is much less pristine and protected than most people think it is and much more threatened than people realize," he wrote to the AP in September.

He noted, with a hint of intrigue, that he recently visited a preserved area of virgin forest full of massive trees. Places like that, he said, were usually inaccessible.

And where is that hallowed ground?

"You can read it in the book," he wrote, "when it comes out."
MOSCOW  Gennady Burbulis, a top aide to Russian President Boris Yeltsin who helped prepare and sign the 1991 pact that led to the formal breakup of the Soviet Union, has died. He was 76.

As secretary of state and first deputy chairman of the government from 1991-1992, Burbulis was instrumental in steering the new, post-Soviet Russian state.

With Yeltsin, he was a signatory for Russia to the agreement reached on Dec. 8, 1991, with the leaders of Ukraine and Belarus to disband the Soviet Union. The pact was signed in the Belovezha forest, in what is now Belarus.

Burbulis is the third key player to the agreement who has died in the past several weeks. Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk and former Belarusian President Stanislav Shushkevich both died in May.

The hopes of peaceful coexistence among the three former Soviet republics have been dashed since Russia's military operation in Ukraine began in February. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address then that the Soviet collapse followed "historic, strategic mistakes" by Communist leaders.

Burbulis died in Baku, where he had flown for a conference.

He was not sick, he felt great, and he just took part in the IX Global Baku Forum, which discussed the issue of the Threat to the Global World Order, his press secretary, Andrey Markov, told the Interfax news agency.

Burbulis was born on Aug. 4, 1945, in Pervouralsk. He aided Yeltsin during his rise to lead Soviet Russia in 1990 and then independent Russia in 1991, as its first president.

From 1993 to 1999, Burbulis was a member of parliament, and later was vice governor of the Novgorod region.

"Another of the key persons in the European transformation has left us. Burbulis was influential as few others in breaking with the Soviet past and trying to build a new and democratic Russia," Swedish diplomat Carl Bildt tweeted Sunday.
BARCELONA, Spain  Firefighters in Spain and Germany struggled to contain wildfires on Sunday amid an unusual heat wave in Western Europe for this time of year.

The worst damage in Spain has been in the northwest province of Zamora, where over 74,000 acres have been consumed, regional authorities said, while German officials said that residents of three villages near Berlin were ordered to leave their homes because of an approaching wildfire Sunday.

Spanish authorities said that after three days of high temperatures, high winds and low humidity, some respite came with dropping temperatures Sunday morning. That allowed for about 650 firefighters supported by water-dumping aircraft to establish a perimeter around the fire that started in Zamora's Sierra de la Culebra. Authorities warned there was still danger that an unfavorable shift in weather could revive the blaze that caused the evacuation of 18 villages.

Spain has been on alert for an outbreak of intense wildfires as the country swelters under record temperatures at many points in the country for June. Experts link the abnormally hot period for Europe to climate change. Thermometers have risen above 104 F in many Spanish cities throughout the week  temperatures usually expected in August.

A lack of rainfall this year combined with gusting winds have produced the conditions for the fires.

Authorities said that gusting winds of up 43 mph that changed course erratically, combined with temperatures near 40 C, made it very tough for crews.

"The fire was able to cross a reservoir some 500 meters wide and reach the other side, to give you an idea of the difficulties we faced," Juan Suarez-Quinones, an official for Castilla y Leon region, told Spanish state television TVE.

The fire in Zamora was started by a strike from an electrical storm on Wednesday, authorities said. The spreading fire caused the high-speed train service from Madrid to Spain's northwest to be cut on Saturday. It was reestablished on Sunday morning.

Military firefighting units have been deployed in Zamora, Navarra and Lleida.

There have been no reports of lives lost, but the flames reached the outskirts of some villages both in Zamora and in Navarra. Videos shot by passengers in cars showed flames licking the sides of roads. In other villages, residents looked on in despair as black plumes rose from nearby hills.

In central-north Navarra, authorities have evacuated some 15 small villages as a precaution, as the high temperatures in the area are not expected to drop until Wednesday.

They also asked farmers to stop using heavy machinery that could unintentionally spark a fire.

"The situation remains delicate. We have various active fires due to the extremely high temperatures and high winds," Navarra regional vice-president Javier Remirez told TVE.

Remirez said that some villages had seen some buildings damaged on their outskirts.

Some wild animals had to be evacuated from an animal park in Navarra and taken to a bull ring for safe keeping, authorities said.

Wildfires were also active in three parts of northeast Catalonia: in Lleida, in Tarragona and in a nature park in Garaf, just south of Barcelona.

Firefighters said that 6,600 acres were scorched in Lleida. They added that they have responded to over 200 different wildfires just in Catalonia over the past week.

Germany has also seen numerous wildfires in recent days following a period of intense heat and little rain. The country's national weather agency said the mercury reached 102.6 F in the eastern cities of Dresden and Cottbus on Sunday.

Strong winds have been fanning a blaze near the town of Treuenbrietzen, about 31 miles southwest of Berlin, prompting officials to order three villages evacuated Sunday.

About 600 people in Frohnsdorf, Tiefenbrunnen and Klausdorf were told to immediately seek shelter at a community center.

"This is not a drill," town officials tweeted.

More than 1,400 firefighters, soldiers and civil defense experts were deployed to tackle the blaze, which also affected a former military training area known to be contaminated with ammunition.

Officials expressed hope late Sunday that thunderstorms moving in from the west would help put out the fires.

Frank Jordans contributed to this report from Berlin.
KYIV, Ukraine  Four months of war in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers' orders, British defense officials said Sunday. NATO's chief warned the fighting could drag on for "years."

"Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale," Britain's defense ministry said in its daily assessment of the war.

"Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks," the assessment said, but added that "Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled."

It said "cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur."

Separately, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate released what it said were intercepted phone calls in which Russian soldiers complained about front-line conditions, poor equipment, and overall lack of personnel, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

In an interview published on Sunday in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that "nobody knows" how long the war could last. "We need to be prepared for it to last for years," he said.

He also urged allies "not to weaken support for Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military aid, but also because of the increase in energy and food goods prices."

In recent days, Gazprom, the Russian gas company, has reduced supplies to two major European clients  Germany and Italy. In Italy's case, energy officials are expected to huddle this week about the situation. The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through the coming winter, but he warned Italians that "restrictions" affecting gas use might be necessary.

Germany will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia, the country's economy minister said on Sunday. Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the cold winter months.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. "That's bitter, but it's simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage," he said.

Stoltenberg stressed, though, that "the costs of food and fuel are nothing compared with those paid daily by the Ukrainians on the front line."

Stoltenberg added: What's more, if Russian President Vladimir Putin should reach his objectives in Ukraine, like when he annexed Crimea in 2014, "we would have to pay an even greater price."

Britain's defense ministry said that both Russia and Ukraine have continued to conduct heavy artillery bombardments on axes to the north, east and south of the Sieverodonetsk pocket, but with little change in the front line.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said via Telegram on Sunday: "It is a very difficult situation in Sievierodonetsk, where the enemy in the middle of the city is conducting round-the-clock aerial reconnaissance with drones, adjusting fire, quickly adjusting to our changes."

Russia's defense ministry claimed on Sunday that Russian and separatist forces have taken control of Metolkine, a settlement just to the east of Sievierodonetsk.

Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas, is 55 kilometers (33 miles) southwest of the twin cities of Lysyhansk and Siervierodonetsk, where fierce military clashes have been raging. Every day, Russian artillery pummels Bakhmut.

But Bakhmut's people try to go about their daily lives, including shopping in markets that have opened again in recent weeks.

"In principle, it can be calm in the morning,'' said one resident, Oleg Drobelnnikov. "The shelling starts at about 7 or 8 in the evening." Still, he said, it has been pretty calm in the last 10 days or so.

"You can buy food at small farmer markets,'' said Drobelnnikov, a teacher. "It is not a problem. In principle, educational institutions, like schools or kindergartens, are not working due to the situation. The institutions moved to other regions. There is no work here."

Ukraine's east has been the main focus of Russia's attacks for more than two months.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a trip south from Kyiv to visit troops and hospital workers in the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions along the Black Sea. He handed out awards to dozens of people at every stop, shaking their hands and thanking them again and again for their service.

Zelenskyy, in a recorded address aboard a train back to Kyiv, vowed to defend the country's south.

"We will not give away the south to anyone, we will return everything that's ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe."

He added: "Russia does not have as many missiles as our people have a desire to live."

Zelenskyy also condemned the Russian blockade of Ukraine's ports amid weeks of inconclusive negotiations on safe corridors so millions of tons of siloed grain can be shipped out before the approaching new harvest season.

In other attacks in the south, Ukraine's southern military operational command said Sunday that two people were killed in shelling of the Galitsyn community in the Mykolaiv region and that shelling of the Bashtansky district is continuing.

Russia's defense ministry said seaborne missiles destroyed a plant in Mykolaiv city where Western-supplied howitzers and armored vehicles were stored.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns "that a bit of Ukraine fatigue is starting to set in around the world."

"It would be a catastrophe if Putin won. He'd love nothing more than to say, 'Let's freeze this conflict, let's have a cease-fire,'" Johnson said on Saturday, a day after a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy and offered offer continued aid and military training.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines. But Ukraine's leaders have insisted for weeks that they need more arms and they need them sooner.

Sylvia Hui in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Frances D'Emilio in Rome, and Srdjan Nedeljkovic in Bakhmut, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
It wasnt the call Oleg Buryak expected.

He was hoping to hear that his 16-year-old son, Vlad, had safely escaped the Ukrainian city of Melitopol, where Moscows forces were quickly closing in. Instead, it was a Russian military man on the other end of the line.

They had taken his son, the soldier said, and he was being kept in an undisclosed location.

Almost overnight, Buryak, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, was thrust into a frantic, detective-like pursuit, scrambling for clues, trying to figure out where Russian soldiers were holding his son and how to get him back.

Soon, Vlad found a guard who allowed him to make occasional calls. The teenage boy was growing desperate, his father said. At home, Vlad loved computer games. In his cell, he was surrounded by the constant, terrible sound of other prisoners being tortured.

What are you doing to get me out of here? Vlad asked his father.

For nearly four months, the world has watched in horror as Russian forces flattened Ukrainian cities, with images of slaughtered civilians in Bucha and Mariupol attracting international outrage and prompting Western powers to increase their military aid. But all the while a less visible phenomenon was taking place in homes, at checkpoints, during street protests: Russian soldiers were detaining and abducting hundreds  perhaps thousands  of civilians.

All over the country, people are missing. A schoolteacher who refused Russian soldiers demands that she speak their language. A volunteer paramedic tending to the injured in the port city of Mariupol. The father of a journalist, taken to blackmail his daughter into providing access to her news outlets website. A village leader who was escorted from a government building with a bag over his head. And untold others.

Authorities and human rights advocates say these cases are part of a larger pattern of Russian abductions and disappearances, a military tactic meant to terrorize communities and demoralize civilian resistance.

Many among the missing are victims of forced disappearance  detainment followed by silence, the captor refusing to even acknowledge theyve taken someone captive. Others are locked in Russian-controlled jails, sometimes used to barter for Russias captured soldiers or extract information.

For many more, their whereabouts are unclear: Some are simply incommunicado, others are likely dead. And for each person missing, one expert said, there are concentric rings of harm that ripple through their communities.

The Ukraine government has recorded at least 765 cases  which can involve more than one victim  of what they call forced disappearances, an umbrella term to describe different forms of illegal deprivation of liberty.

Experts and officials agree the real number is almost certainly much higher. How much higher? No one really knows, but Ukraines national police have fielded more 9,000 missing person reports since Russia invaded.

It is just tip of the iceberg, said Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, one of Ukraines most well-known human rights organizations, which has documented 459 cases of civilians held in captivity since the beginning of the invasion.

- - -

It was the end of March when it became clear Russia was about to seize Melitopol. But despite Buryaks desperate pleas, Vlad refused to leave his grandfather, who was bedridden and battling stage-four cancer.

I will stay with grandpa until the end, Vlad told his father.

Roughly one week later, his grandfather died. Still mourning the loss, Vlad was ready to leave.

Buryak found his son a seat in a car with two women and three children, all trying to escape the city. They left early and made it roughly 45 miles north to the city of Vasylivka, where they ran into the last Russian checkpoint. Soldiers went car to car, interrogating the passengers.

Vlad was in the back seat looking at his phone when one of the Russian guards took his device and soon after learned his father was a government official. The cars other passengers were released, but Vlad was detained.

Buryak immediately started calling all his friends and met with high-ranking authorities, pleading for help to arrange a prisoner exchange, which the Russian soldiers had said was the only way to secure Vlads release. But conversations with Ukrainian authorities led nowhere, he said.

The Security Service of Ukraine assigned an investigator to his case, but Buryak said she has made little progress. The Security Service did not respond to an interview request. Vlads case sheds a somber light on the hurdles Ukrainians face in finding their loved ones, when even a prominent government official with connections struggles to arrange his sons release.

Except for my friends, nobody is helping me, Buryak said in a recent interview.

Some 300 miles north of where Vlad was taken, Viktoria Andrusha, a 25-year-old schoolteacher, managed to send her sister one last text: They just passed down the street. Soon after, they  a group of Russian soldiers driving an armored vehicle  stormed into her parents home in the village of Staryi Bykiv, about 60 miles east of Kyiv.

They tore through the house and found Andrushas cellphone with the message to her sister, Iryna. Their parents later recounted to Iryna the terrifying moments that followed. The soldiers accused Andrusha of sharing intelligence with the Ukrainian military and blamed Russian casualties on her text. As they questioned her with guns drawn, they demanded that she speak Russian. She refused.

Youre nobody here, this wont happen your way, Andrusha told the soldiers, Iryna said. We are on our land, youre not welcome here.

That day in late March would be the last time her family saw her.

- - -

Yuriy Belousov, Ukraines lead prosecutor for human rights violations, said his team is overwhelmed.

Ukraine authorities have opened more than 13,000 investigations into possible war crimes, an unprecedented effort during a bloody and ongoing conflict. They have registered nearly 800 instances of forced disappearances. In just one of the cases, Russian soldiers took 70 Ukrainians from their houses and kept them in a basement for weeks, Belousov said.

Officials and nongovernmental organizations say they are struggling to keep up with the flood of reported disappearances, and some experts say Ukraines criminal justice system is unprepared to deal with the vast number of cases. They also have proved especially difficult to investigate, since many of the missing people have been secreted away to Russia or Russian-held territory, putting them out of authorities reach, activists and officials say.

But it doesnt mean that we cant do anything, Belousov said in a recent interview. We are instructing and telling our staff at our regional offices to not wait for the Russians to leave.

Belousovs focus is to ensure Russian perpetrators are convicted in eventual war crimes trials. When they can, investigators rush to the crime scene and gather evidence: They talk to witnesses and relatives, they search for fingerprints and forgotten belongings of Russian soldiers.

They also scan social networks and Russian media, where they often find videos of captured Ukrainians that offer tidbits of information to puzzle cases together and they interview victims who have been released.

Before the war, Belousov led a small unit of 45 people, investigating wrongdoings committed by Ukrainian law enforcement. Now, almost every employee in prosecutors offices across the country has been asked to investigate war crimes, he said.

The scale of atrocities has prompted international organizations, including the International Criminal Court and the International Commission on Missing Persons, to help document the reported cases.

The United Nations has recorded 210 cases of forced disappearances since the beginning of the war, its mission in Ukraine said in a statement to The Washington Post last month. Investigators have found that victims were usually taken at their home, workplace, or at checkpoints. Many men disappeared after being taken to filtration camps.

In most of these cases, the U.N. mission said, victims were held incommunicado in improvised places of detention  schools, government buildings, warehouses, barns and police stations. After days or weeks of detention, many victims were transferred to Russia, or Russian-held areas like Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, regions controlled by Russian-affiliated armed groups before the February invasion.

Only in rare cases have relatives received information directly from Russian military officials, the U.N. mission said.

The United Nations also has documented 11 cases of forced disappearances committed by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.

Russian officials have in the past denied reports of kidnappings and forced dislocations, calling their alleged use of filtration camps a lie and blaming civilian harm on Ukrainians. The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on the reported forced disappearances.

- - -

In recent history, scholars trace the tactic of forced disappearances to Nazi Germany, when Adolf Hitlers Night and Fog decree ordered the seizure of anyone in occupied territory who was endangering German security. They were transferred to Germany and effectively vanished without a trace. Since then, disappearances have been the authoritarians gateway into violating peoples fundamental rights with impunity, said Elisa Massimino, executive director of Georgetown Laws Human Rights Institute.

Tetiana Pechonchyk, director of ZMINA, a Kyiv-based human rights organization, said the majority of the disappearances she has logged have come from Russian-occupied or recently liberated regions, such as Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Kyiv. Once investigators gain access to occupied territory, the numbers are expected to soar.

Pechonchyk said Russian forces are targeting prominent community members, many of whom are actively involved in opposing the Russian invasion  journalists, activists, humanitarian volunteers and local officials.

Why? To break local resilience, she said. The Russians saw how strong Ukrainian civilians were in opposing the war and so they have chosen precise people to send a signal to dissuade and stop this resilience.

Olena Kuvaieva, a lawyer with the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, is compiling evidence of abductions for an eventual case in front of the European Court of Human Rights, where an emergency provision could compel Russia to release unlawful detainees or, at least, improve their living conditions. But theres no guarantee Moscow would comply.

Were trying to create a situation where Russia is pressed from every corner  from the journalists, from the European Court of Human Rights, the United Nations, the international community, Kuvaieva said. We hope this pressure will work.

But some human rights activists in Ukraine have said that the international outpouring has done little to deter Russian forces from committing such crimes. A case in The Hagues International Criminal Court is nice, they say, but a verdict in the distant future does not prevent Ukrainians ongoing suffering.

We have a completely ineffective international system, said Matviichuck, of the Center for Civil Liberties. Despite the robust architecture of international courts and mandates what we have learned is that they can do nothing.

Massimino said the frustration is justified, but she argued the international justice system has improved in recent years, both at the intergovernmental and state levels, pointing to tribunals set up to prosecute war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and a growing infrastructure to support domestic prosecutions.

It will take both international and local efforts to deter and prevent war crimes, she said.

Ukraine took an important first step last month when it handed down a guilty verdict in its first war crime trial. Investigating and prosecuting a kidnapping or forced disappearance will be even more difficult, experts say.

You cant see a picture of a forced disappearance, Massimino said. Its the crime of absence, the crime of invisibility.

The practice has been used in Pinochets Chile and Argentinas Dirty War. In Algeria, as many as 20,000 people disappeared during the civil war in the 1990s, and activists say the government is still denying the practice and suppressing information about victims. In Bosnia, investigators are still finding bodies of the roughly 30,000 people who went missing during the war there nearly three decades ago. And more recently, about 100,000 people have been reported disappeared in Syria and Mexico.

The human rights nonprofit Freedom House bluntly declared last year: Impunity for perpetrators of enforced disappearances remains the norm.

- - -

After weeks of frantic efforts and sleepless nights, Buryak recently managed to orchestrate a plan he thinks will get Vlad home. He said the Russian counterparts have agreed to it but declined to offer more details, fearing it could endanger his son and the negotiation process.

Vlad, who has been transferred to a different location, has slowly recovered his optimism and is holding up strong.

Buryak is hopeful, but with uncertain days ahead, he said emotion is a luxury he cant afford.

Vlad needs me like this: coldblooded, rational and wise, he said. I have no right to get into my feelings right now. When we free him up then we will cry, we will be happy, we will do everything.

The months since also have been agonizing for Andrushas family. They have heard nothing from her Russian captors, but have learned through the informal whisper network of captured and returned Ukrainians that she was being held in a detention center in the western Russian region of Kursk, where human rights monitors say many others are also being kept. But their most recent information is from early May. Since then, nothing.

Andrushas family has contacted the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, they have called every number they can find and filled out every online form available. They have plastered Andrushas photo across their social media feeds.

What reaction can there be? Anger! Iryna said. The silence scares us. Its a dead end. Since we cannot go there on our own, we cannot get any information.

Still, the family has hope. A math instructor devoted to her work, Andrusha is beloved in the classroom.

The whole school is looking for her  all of her students, their parents, honestly, the whole country, Iryna said. Everybody keeps waiting until we can finally post that shes back home and shes OK.

Irynka Hromotska contributed to this report.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.  The Kentucky Supreme Court has agreed to consider a lawsuit that seeks to re-erect a statue of a Louisville civic and military leader who fought for the Confederacy before later renouncing it.

The statue of John B. Castelman was vandalized several times over a few years before it was removed in June 2020 from its pedestal near Louisville's Cherokee Park, 107 years after is was erected, The Courier Journal reported. That followed a 2019 decision from Louisville's landmarks commission that the monument could be taken down. It is currently in storage.

The monument depicts Castleman riding a horse and wearing a suit and tie, not a military uniform.

A group called Friends of Louisville Public Art filed a lawsuit challenging the landmarks commission ruling that allowed the statue to be removed. They argue the statue is a local landmark and claim several commission members should not have been allowed to vote because they have a conflict of interest.

While the group acknowledges Castleman's Confederate ties, they argue that he later renounced his allegiance to the Confederacy. Castleman later served as a brigadier general in the U.S. Army. He was partially responsible for establishing Louisville's park system and fought to keep the city's parks and playgrounds open to Black residents.

Kentucky's Court of Appeals upheld a Jefferson Circuit Court judge's ruling dismissing the lawsuit. The appeals court ruled that there were "no facts to support the conflict of interests claim."

In an order earlier this month, the state Supreme Court said it will review that ruling, a decision that has encouraged Friends of Louisville Public Art.

"We're very optimistic," Steve Wiser, who serves on the group's executive committee, said in an email to the paper.

Sarah Martin, the director of the Jefferson County Attorney's Office Civil Division, told The Courier Journal in an email the office will file a brief in support of the statue's removal.
DALLAS  After Opal Lee led hundreds in a walk through her Texas hometown to celebrate Juneteenth, the 95-year-old Black woman who helped successfully push for the holiday to get national recognition said it's important that people learn the history behind it.

"We need to know so people can heal from it and never let it happen again," said Lee, whose 2 1/2-mile walk through Fort Worth symbolizes the 2 1/2 years it took for enforcement in Texas of President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery in the Southern states.

A year after President Joe Biden signed legislation last year making June 19 the nation's 12th federal holiday, Americans across the country gathered this weekend at events filled with music, food and fireworks. Celebrations also included an emphasis on learning about the past and addressing racial disparities. Many people celebrated the day just as they did before any formal recognition.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to order freedom for the enslaved people of the state  two months after the Confederacy had surrendered in the Civil War.

Great nations dont ignore their most painful moments, Biden said in a statement Sunday. They confront them to grow stronger. And that is what this great nation must continue to do.

A Gallup Poll found that Americans are more familiar with the day than they were last year, with 59% saying they knew "a lot" or "some" about the holiday compared with 37% a year ago in May. The poll also found that support for making Juneteenth part of the history taught in schools increased from 49% to 63%.

Yet many states have been slow to designate it as an official holiday. Lawmakers in Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and elsewhere failed to advance proposals this year that would have closed state offices and given most of their public employees paid time off.

Celebrations in Texas included one at a Houston park created 150 years ago by a group of formerly enslaved men who bought the land. At times, it was the only public park available in the area to Blacks, according to the conservancy's website.

"They wanted a place that they could not only have their celebration, but they could do other things during the year as a community," said Jacqueline Bostic, vice chairwoman of the board for the Emancipation Park Conservancy and the great-granddaughter of one of the park's founders, the Rev. Jack Yates.

This weekend's celebration included performances from The Isley Brothers and Kool & The Gang. In the weeks leading up to Juneteenth, the park hosted discussions on topics ranging from health care to policing in communities of color to the role of green spaces.

As more people learn about Juneteenth, "we want to harness that and use this moment as a tool to educate people about history and not just African American history but American history," said Ramon Manning, chairman of the board for the Emancipation Park Conservancy.

Those participating included Robert Stanton, the first African American to serve as director of the National Park Service, and Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, who grew up in the historically Black neighborhood where the park is located and whose killing by a Minneapolis police officer two years ago sparked protests around the globe.

In Fort Worth, celebrations included the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, named for the Black cowboy who is credited with introducing bulldogging, or steer wrestling. The rodeo's president and CEO, Valeria Howard Cunningham, said children often express surprise that there are real Black cowboys and cowgirls.

More young people have become involved in planning Juneteenth events, said Torrina Harris, program director for the Nia Cultural Center in Galveston, the holiday's birthplace.

Juneteenth provides an opportunity to reflect on "the different practices or norms that are contradicting the values of freedom" and consider how to challenge those things, Harris said.

Some of the largest celebrations in the U.S. not only touch on the history of slavery in America, but celebrate Black culture, businesses and food.

In Phoenix, hundreds of people gathered for an annual event at Eastlake Park, which has been a focal point for civil rights in Arizona. The recently crowned Miss Juneteenth Arizona used her platform to speak about how she felt empowered along with her fellow Black women during the state pageant, which is part of a nationwide competition that showcases and celebrates the academic and artistic achievements of Black women.

It's a "moment to build up sisterhood, it's not about competing against each other for a crown, it's about celebrating Black women's intelligence and staying true to ourselves," said Shaundrea Norman, 17, whose family is from Texas and grew up knowing about Juneteenth.

Kendall McCollun, 15-year-old Teen Miss Juneteenth Arizona, said the holiday is about the fight for social justice.

"We have to fight twice as hard to have the same freedoms that our ancestors fought for hundreds of years ago," she said. "It's important we continue to fight for my generation, and this day is important to celebrate how far we've come."

Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tenn., contributed to this report. Mumphrey reported from Phoenix and is a member of The Associated Press' Race and Ethnicity team.
In our book 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting, E.J. Dionne and I make a case for universal voting  that voting should be a required civic duty for every American citizen.

Universal voting could be enacted federally or  more likely  by states or municipalities. If adopted, it would dramatically increase voting participation; make the voting electorate a complete reflection of our population; make government more responsive to everyone; improve the nature of our political campaigns; and lessen our toxic polarization, at least to a degree.

Universal voting has not been seriously discussed in this country, but it is hardly a new or radical idea. First, the system is used in 26 democratic countries worldwide, including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Greece, Luxembourg, Peru and Uruguay. The processes and practices vary; Australia is probably the best example for us. Mandatory participation has been in place since 1924, for nearly 100 years. It is a widely accepted part of the countrys democratic process, and there have been no serious attempts to repeal it.

So how does it work?

The Australian Electoral Commission  a non-partisan, well-funded and professional agency  makes every effort to register voters, and conducts energetic public education about coming elections, as do the political parties and civil society organizations. Citizens are well aware of the elections as they get closer and of their responsibility to vote.

As of last December, 96.3% of Australians were registered, and in the election of 2019 (the figures are not yet published for the most recent election in May), 91.9% of those registered voted. It is important to note that Australians are not required to vote for any candidate; blank ballots and ballots with comments or cartoons, called donkey ballots, are acceptable.

In our recommendations for the United States, we recommend that a none of the above option be placed on all ballots.

After the election, the rolls are examined, and people who do not vote receive a notice asking for the reason. Almost all reasons are accepted, but if there is no response from the non-voter after two attempts, a fine of $20 in Aussie currency ($15 in the U.S.), is assessed. Less than 1 % of potential voters were fined; the requirement is a recognized part of the civic culture.

And speaking of culture, elections are held on Saturday and have a celebratory nature, complete with ubiquitous democracy sausage stands at almost all polling places.

For another reason, closer to home, that voting as a civic duty is not a radical idea, think of jury service. Everyone is required to serve on juries as a matter of civic responsibility. This has been the case for more than 100 years, and we accept it as entirely reasonable, even if we may wince when the summons arrives.

The reason for doing this is clear; we want the pool of jurors to be fully reflective of our society as the surest means of a fair outcome. We think the same reasoning applies to voting: We want, or should want, the public policies that affect our lives, and the choices of who will be in office to make them, to be made by all of us, fully represented. And universal voting will bring that to us.

There are other benefits as well. We think the nature of campaigns would change for the better. Right now, the currency of the realm in campaigns is to turn out your base and, in worse-case scenarios, depress the turnout of your opposition. Some call this enrage to engage. But if everyone is going to vote, then everyone is listening all the time, and parties and campaigns will have to speak to everyone and will have to persuade a true majority that their ideas are the best. Persuasion, and not hyper-turnout efforts, will be the norm. In turn, that will help to lessen our toxic and increasing polarization.

Evidence also shows that in countries with universal voting, policies that help lessen inequality get stronger governmental support, and in our view, that would be a significant benefit.

We have been gratified that the initial response to our book and the idea has had far more expressions of interest in universal voting as a potentially game-changing idea and far less of the skepticism that naturally greets any big new proposal.

Universal voting is an idea that can move American democracy a long way to our stated ideals of a fully inclusive democracy. We are putting the idea of 100% Democracy forward as a North Star goal, and we are eager for the conversation to begin.

Miles Rapoport is co-author, with E.J. Dionne, of 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting. He is the senior practice fellow in American democracy at the Ash Center of the Harvard Kennedy School. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.

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WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court seems poised to take on a new elections case being pressed by Republicans that could increase the power of state lawmakers over races for Congress and the presidency, as well as redistricting, and cut state courts out of the equation.

The issue has arisen repeatedly in cases from North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where Democratic majorities on the states' highest courts have invoked voting protections in their state constitutions to frustrate the plans of Republican-dominated legislatures.

Already, four conservative Supreme Court justices have noted their interest in deciding whether state courts, finding violations of their state constitutions, can order changes to federal elections and the once-a-decade redrawing of congressional districts. The Supreme Court has never invoked what is known as the independent state legislature doctrine, although three justices advanced it in the Bush v. Gore case that settled the 2000 presidential election.

"The issue is almost certain to keep arising until the Court definitively resolves it," Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in March.

It only takes four of the nine justices to agree to hear a case. A majority of five is needed for an eventual decision.

Many election law experts are alarmed by the prospect that the justices might seek to reduce state courts' powers over elections.

"A ruling endorsing a strong or muscular reading of the independent state legislature theory would potentially give state legislatures even more power to curtail voting rights and provide a pathway for litigation to subvert the election outcomes expressing the will of the people," law professor Richard Hasen wrote in an email.

But if the justices are going to get involved, Hasen said, "it does make sense for the Court to do it outside the context of an election with national implications."

The court could say as early as Tuesday, or perhaps the following week, whether it will hear an appeal filed by North Carolina Republicans. The appeal challenges a state court ruling that threw out the congressional districts drawn by the General Assembly that made GOP candidates likely victors in 10 of the state's 14 congressional districts.

The North Carolina Supreme Court held that the boundaries violated state constitution provisions protecting free elections and freedoms of speech and association by handicapping voters who support Democrats.

The new map that eventually emerged and is being used this year gives Democrats a good chance to win six seats, and possibly a seventh in a new toss-up district.

Pennsylvania's top court also selected a map that Republicans say probably will lead to the election of more Democrats, as the two parties battle for control of the U.S. House in the midterm elections in November. An appeal from Pennsylvania also is waiting, if the court for some reason passes on the North Carolina case.

Nationally, the parties fought to a draw in redistricting, which leaves Republicans positioned to win control of the House even if they come up just short of winning a majority of the national vote.

If the GOP does well in November, the party also could capture seats on state supreme courts, including in North Carolina, that might allow for the drawing of more slanted maps that previous courts rejected. Two court seats held by North Carolina Democrats are on the ballot this year and Republicans need to win just one to take control of the court for the first time since 2017.

In their appeal to the nation's high court, North Carolina Republicans wrote that it is time for the Supreme Court to weigh in on the elections clause in the U.S. Constitution, which gives each state's legislature the responsibility to determine "the times, places and manner" of holding congressional elections.

"Activist judges and allied plaintiffs have proved time and time again that they believe state courts have the ultimate say over congressional maps, no matter what the U.S. Constitution says," North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger said when the appeal was filed in March.

The Supreme Court generally does not disturb state court rulings that are rooted in state law.

But four Supreme Court justices  Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh  have said the court should step in to decide whether state courts had improperly taken powers given by the U.S. Constitution to state lawmakers.

That was the argument that Thomas and two other conservative justices put forward in Bush v. Gore, although that case was decided on other grounds.

If the court takes up the North Carolina case and rules in the GOP's favor, North Carolina Republicans could draw new maps for 2024 elections with less worry that the state Supreme Court would strike them down.

Defenders of state court involvement argue that state lawmakers would also gain the power to pass provisions that would suppress voting, subject only to challenge in federal courts. Delegating power to election boards and secretaries of state to manage federal elections in emergencies also could be questioned legally, some scholars said.

"Its adoption would radically change our elections," Ethan Herenstein and Tom Wolf, both with the Brennan Center's Democracy Program at the New York University Law School, wrote earlier this month.

Robertson reported from Raleigh, N.C.
SCOTTSBORO, Ala.  Finally, Thomas Fagan was in for a surprise visit from one of his best friends, Donald Goeppner. The two met while serving in the Marines during the Korean War, and their reunion was 69 years in the making.

"It was like 'finally,' we're seeing each other after all these years. It's an emotional event," Goeppner said. "It's a good feeling  I'm just proud that we got together."

The last time Thomas Fagan and Donald Goeppner saw each other, they were saying their goodbyes after serving in Korea in 1953. Despite signing up to fight the war, they had to find ways to try to get there.

Originally being trained as riflemen, they were sent to Hawaii as guard Marines, a post that neither man saw fit.

"We were gung-ho Marines, we signed up to fight in Korea, not be guard Marines," Goeppner said.

Goeppner and Fagan hatched a plan: they stowed away on a merchant ship in the hopes that they would get to Korea and be stationed once they arrived. After stowing away on the life boats for three days with no food or water, they climbed on the boat, to which the merchants fed them, gave them some IV's to rehydrate them and dropped them off at Yokosuka, Japan.

"After we got off the boat in Japan, these merchant marines that were on the ship, they all loved us, they wished us gung-ho and everything," Goeppner said.

Fagan and Goeppner were promptly thrown in the brig in Yokosuka before being sent back to Pearl Harbor and thrown in the brig for 10 more days. After they got out, the colonel of the base gave them the order: they were going back to Korea. From there, they served in Dog Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines as riflemen.

"It was a hell hole but that's what we wanted, we were prepared for it," Goeppner said.

Despite living in caves and enduring temperatures of 38 degrees below zero, by the time their time in the war had ended, both men were private first class.

"We weren't good for promotion, we were gung-ho Marines but not what they called spick and span," Goeppner said.

After getting out of the Marines, both men went back to their homes, Goeppner in Chicago, Fagan in New Jersey. Goeppner would work as a fireman in Chicago for 40 years and raise six children while Fagan worked as a boilermaker and spent a little time as a bus driver for Greyhound, raising five children. When Fagan first got back home, he learned that he had gotten drafted to serve in the war he just left.

"I had to show them the paperwork that I was over there," Fagan said.

Now, 69 years later, the opportunity finally presented itself for the two veterans to see each other face to face for at least one more time. After delays, Goeppner and his son arrived from Chicago for a visit at Fagan's house in Scottsboro recently.

When Fagan first saw Goeppner, he didn't recognize him until he spoke.

"There's only one Goepp," Fagan said.

From there, both men hugged, sat down and started catching up with each other, enjoying having a conversation without the need for a phone or a postcard.

"It made my heart so glad because he wanted to see him for so many years now and it just never happened. For them to see each other, it's my privilege and makes me so happy for Tom that he got to see his marine corps buddy again," Rita Fagan said.
WASHINGTON  When Alice Kraatz was 8 years old, the grandfather of her brother's friend spoke to them about when he returned home from the war in Vietnam.

He said the first thing that he wanted was a steak dinner. However, someone spat in his face instead.

"As an 8-year-old, still, even today, I can't understand why anybody would do that," said Kraatz, now 17. "And so that prompted me  and my brother as well  to become really passionate about Vietnam veterans."

At 13, Kraatz reached out to the Honor Flight Network, an organization that flies veterans free of charge to visit memorials in Washington, D.C. She proposed an idea to have a trip only for Vietnam veterans and asked how much that would cost.

Bobbie Bradley, chief operating officer at Honor Flight Network, said the organization told her that the amount would be about $126,000.

"She went, 'Oh, well, if I raise, you know, 5, or $10,000, can I put 10 or 20 veterans on the flight?' And we said, 'Absolutely,' " Bradley said. "And she went on and raised more than $140,000 for this flight."

On Saturday, an Honor Flight from Michigan flew more than 80 Vietnam veterans to D.C., which included a ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

"It's an honor to be with all these veterans," Navy veteran Mike Goodpaster, 72, said at the ceremony. "It's a life-changing thing for me."

In 2019, Kraatz served a one-year term as the Michigan president of the Children of the American Revolution. She had also been involved with the Talons Out Honor Flight in Portage, Mich., since her family moved to the state when she was in the third grade.

"It sort of came naturally that my project should be to fund an Honor Flight solely for Vietnam veterans since I was so involved in both those things," she said.

At 14, Kraatz sold MIA/POW bracelets and recruited other youth organizations to be involved in her project by collecting bottles and cans, having yard sales and seeking sponsorships.

Bradley said Kraatz updated the Honor Flight Network after reaching her goal.

"There is a chapter in Michigan of [Children of the American Revolution] of 4- or 5- and 6-year-olds, and they raised $1,500, collecting bottles and cans at 10 cents a can," Bradley said. "That is an incredible accomplishment. And then you have the Boy Scouts that were out selling meat sticks. She pulled the youth together in an amazing way and they all had a piece in this. They've all celebrated this with her, so it just it's not just her while she's leading the charge. She's activating the youth across Michigan to support these veterans."

It took Kraatz about a year to raise all the money. The trip was dubbed "C.A.R. Yellow Ribbon Honor Flight," and was supposed to happen in 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic struck. As a result, it was not until Saturday that the trip took place.

The veterans received the Vietnam War commemorative pin and had a special pinning ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The pins are issued by the Defense Department and given to a veteran who served during the Vietnam era.

At the ceremony, Kraatz read: "A grateful nation thanks and honors you for your courage, integrity, strength and dedicated service to your country. Welcome home."

Afterward, family and friends of the veterans who made the D.C. trip with them attached the pins to the collars of the veterans.

Army veteran Mike Leaver, 72, said he spent 1970 in Vietnam as an infantry company medic. Leaver's former neighbor was a World War II veteran who had gone on an Honor Flight, convincing him to sign up for one.

"I was very excited to go. So when they say, 'Well, you'll need a guardian,' I asked my youngest daughter to come with me. So we were both very excited to be here. It's been a wonderful, great experience, he said.

Leaver said he was impressed with the younger people who helped organize the Honor Flight.

"It's just unheard of anymore, so we're very happy somebody's doing this," he said. And we'd like to say, is this going to continue down the road for future generations? We hope so. [Kraatz has] done a wonderful job."

Goodpaster joined the military in 1969 and served as a gunner's mate on a patrol boat on the rivers of Vietnam. He said he had never planned on visiting Washington and only found out a week ago about Kraatz's efforts to set up the trip.

"For somebody to be that young and take that momentum and just keep on going with it, that's fabulous," Goodpaster said. "I wish more younger people would listen to that and get involved."

Brothers Jim and Ken Ferguson also served in the military. Jim, 74, joined the Air Force in 1966 and served for four years. Ken, 72, joined the Army in 1967 and served for three years.

I miss the Air Force, Jim Ferguson said. And I was going to reenlist, but they said I was going to go to Japan, and I couldnt take my wife, and we had a 6-month-old child. So I said, I cant do it. 

Ken Ferguson said he was not permitted to be in a combat zone at the same time as his brother. So by the time Jim completed his tour, Ken did not have enough time in his enlistment to go to Vietnam. Thus, he spent one year at Fort Knox, Ky., and his remaining two years stationed in Italy.

"I'm good, Ken Ferguson said. I didn't go through what [Jim Ferguson] did and everything else. But just being here with my brother. That's what it meant to me."

Kraatz is about to enter her senior year in high school and will focus on her studies and plans after graduation. However, she said she still plans on staying active with her local Honor Flight group.

"It's just been really incredible, becoming closer with all of the veterans and hearing all those stories and being on the receiving end of the thanks has been really odd," she said. "But it's been really incredible to know that I've made such an impact on so many people's lives."
WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service)  A computer system at Spokanes VA hospital has caused harm to at least 148 veterans in the Inland Northwest, a draft report by a federal watchdog agency reveals.

The draft report also claims that Cerner Corp., which is being paid at least $10 billion for the electronic health records system, knew about a flaw that caused the harm but failed to fix it or inform the Department of Veterans Affairs before the system launched at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in October 2020.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough said this spring he was not aware of any harm caused by the system and he would halt its rollout if safety experts determined it increased risk to veterans, yet the draft report shows a VA patient safety team briefed the departments deputy secretary in October 2021 about the harm and ongoing risks. Despite those warnings, the VA has since launched the system at more facilities in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Ohio.

The draft report by the VAs Office of Inspector General, or OIG, found the electronic health record system developed by Cerner failed to deliver more than 11,000 orders for specialty care, lab work and other services  without alerting health care providers the orders had been lost. Those lost orders, often called referrals, resulted in delayed care and what a VA patient safety team classified as dozens of cases of moderate harm and one case of major harm.

The content of the draft, obtained by The Spokesman-Review from multiple sources, may change by the time it is published. The final report will include responses from VA leadership that are not included in the draft.

The department did not respond to questions about the draft report, but on Friday, after The Spokesman-Review sent the questions, VA officials told Military Times they would delay the systems planned launch in Seattle, Portland and other large facilities until 2023.

The case identified as major harm occurred after a homeless veteran in his 60s, who had been identified as at risk for suicide, saw a psychiatrist at Mann-Grandstaff in December 2020. After prescribing medication to treat the veterans depression, the doctor ordered a follow-up appointment one month later, but the order disappeared in the computer system and the appointment was not scheduled.

Weeks after the follow-up appointment was supposed to occur, according to the report, the patient called the Veterans Crisis Line saying he had a razor and planned to kill himself. First responders reached the man in time to take him to a local, non-VA hospitals mental health unit, where he was hospitalized.

While the draft OIG report notes that the VA and Cerner have taken steps to limit the number of orders that get lost in what users describe as the unknown queue, it calls those mitigation efforts inadequate and warns the flaw will continue to put veterans safety at risk when the system is deployed in other hospitals and clinics.

Previous OIG reports and reporting by The Spokesman-Review have identified an array of problems with the Cerner system, but the draft report shows the scale of its impact and concludes for the first time that it caused harm to veterans.

To protect the integrity of our work, the VA Office of Inspector General does not publicly disclose the findings from any of its projects until the publication of a final report, OIG spokesman Fred Baker said in a statement.

The OIG is an independent oversight agency, but its report is based on the findings of a patient safety team deployed by the Veterans Health Administration  the division of the VA that provides health care to more than 9 million veterans  after McDonough visited Mann-Grandstaff in April 2021.

According to the draft OIG report, that team briefed Deputy Secretary Donald Remy and other top VA officials in October 2021 on its findings, including 60 safety problems related to the Cerner system that had harmed veterans. The team identified the unknown queue issue as a top priority after classifying it as major severity, frequently occurring, and very difficult to detect, according to the draft report.

While the draft report focuses on harm caused by lost orders in Cerners system, it also mentions other cases of harm linked to the system, including one of catastrophic harm and another case the VA told the OIG may be reclassified as catastrophic. Catastrophic harm is defined by the VA as death or permanent loss of function.

Cerner was acquired by the tech giant Oracle in a $28.3 billion deal that officially closed June 8. In a statement, an Oracle executive said the companys engineers were already making technical and operational changes, with an emphasis on patient safety, to ensure the system exceeds the expectations of providers, patients, and the VA.

We intend to bring substantially more resources to this program and deliver a modern, state-of-the-art electronic health system that will make the VA the industry standard, said Deborah Hellinger, Oracles senior vice president for global corporate communications. We have a contractual and moral obligation to deliver the best technology possible for our nations veterans, and we intend to do so.

While McDonough ordered the review himself, its unclear what he knew about its findings.

After The Spokesman-Review reported a veteran was hospitalized with heart failure after the Cerner system contributed to a vital medication being mistakenly stopped, McDonough said April 25 he was not aware of any other cases of patient harm related to the system. Three days later, the secretary told the House VA Committee he would halt the systems rollout if he ever had any reason to think that this is creating risk for our patients.

In response to a question from The Spokesman-Review on May 25, McDonough said he heard specific concerns about safety during his visit to Mann-Grandstaff a year earlier that worried him enough that he sent a patient safety team to the hospital, so that our veterans and our clinicians have some confidence that were not continuing practices that would increase risk.

Asked how he defines risk, the secretary said he relies on the advice of those patient safety experts and VA clinicians on the ground  the same sources whose findings form the basis of the draft OIG report.

If we then assess that there is reason to discontinue service, McDonough said, or discontinue use of the new technology  which, at the end of the day, is designed ... to improve patient outcomes  then wed obviously use that as part of the decision-making process.

While he called the OIGs oversight of the Cerner systems rollout really important, McDonough noted those reports usually describe problems the VA has addressed by the time a report is published. In contrast, the draft report on the unknown queue issue emphasizes the problem has not been fixed and continues to create risk.

According to the draft report, the patient safety team presented its findings to top VA and Cerner officials on Oct. 12, 2021, warning that the unknown queue issue would continue to present a risk that future facilities would need to address for at least a year after launching the system. A slide from that presentation, included in the draft report, compares the lost orders to undelivered mail.

Imagine having what you think is a list of your entire extended family on your list to send holiday cards, the slide says. Now, imagine half those addresses are incorrect. Finally, when the post office tried to return the cards that went to the wrong address, they stuffed them behind a bush instead of placing them back in your mailbox. End result: Your family doesnt know you made the effort, and you dont know your effort failed.

Doctors, nurses and other health care workers rely on electronic health record systems to keep track of patient information and send orders requesting additional care, including X-rays, blood tests and appointments with specialists.

To send an order, the OIG report explains, the Cerner system requires users to choose a location from a drop-down list that has been matched to that specific order through data mapping in the underlying software code, a process for which Cerner is responsible.

Depending on the specific order, some of the location options were not recognized as a match by the system, which sent the mismatched orders to what Cerner users have called the unknown queue.

The location names are far from intuitive. For example, choosing the location labeled 668QD SW would send the order correctly while choosing 668QB SW or 668QD MH would send it to the unknown queue without alerting users that their patients would not get the care they needed. Instead, the draft report says, the system gave healthcare providers submitting orders the false feedback that the orders had been successfully entered.

On Oct. 28, 2020, just five days after the Cerner system launched in Spokane, a radiology technician at Mann-Grandstaff submitted the first report of a missing order. When Cerner staff responded to the report the next day, they found it was not an isolated incident  more than 2,000 more orders were already in the unknown queue, lost during the transition from the old system.

The safety teams initial review found more than 11,000 orders had gone missing between October 2020 and June 2021. Each of those orders had to be re-entered into the system by a VA employee to ensure veterans were scheduled for the care they needed.

A Mann-Grandstaff leader estimated the initial review of lost orders took staff nearly 600 hours of work, according to the draft report. Monitoring and managing the unknown queue took another 165 hours between Nov. 1, 2021, and May 3, 2022.

It is already enough loss of efficiency and time to have to reenter the orders on our side, a Mann-Grandstaff leader said, according to the draft report, adding that the additional demand on staff in Spokane ultimately reduces access to care on our end.

After canceling a planned visit to Spokane, Remy met virtually with Mann-Grandstaff employees in November 2021 and was informed of specific cases of harm. Following those meetings, the draft report says, a physician in Spokane sent Remy a statement that called the unknown queue issue inexcusable and indefensible in the case of patient harm.

These require a great deal of staff time to research and redirect to proper location, the doctor told Remy, according to the draft report. This is unsafe and rather than having a well-constructed conduit, these queues reflect a fraying rope, poorly constructed and conceptualized product from its foundation.

In December 2021, the report states, Remy forwarded that statement and detailed information on the unknown queue issue to Terry Adirim, who had just taken over as the executive director of the VA office in charge of rolling out the Cerner system. In an op-ed in The Spokesman-Review on June 8, Adirim acknowledged difficulties with the systems deployment in Spokane but said transitioning to a new, modernized electronic health record system is difficult.

Any rollout of this scale and complexity understandably comes with challenges. They were expected, Adirim wrote. Of course, throughout all these efforts, patient safety remains our highest priority.

More than three-quarters of the orders lost between October 2020 and June 2021 were for radiology services, but there were more than 2,500 lost requests for other clinical services, the OIG found. The initial review found 273 different providers had submitted orders that went missing and one patient had 29 orders in the unknown queue.

According to the draft report, a VA leader asked Cerner in June 2021 to remove the unmatched locations from the drop-down menu to reduce the risk of orders being lost. Cerner finished that work in September 2021 and updated the system in February 2022 to add an alert if a user tries to submit an order with an unmatched location. Until March 2022, the only way to recover the lost orders was for a Cerner employee to send a daily report of orders in the unknown queue that VA employees then had to re-enter.

Since March 11, the draft report says, VA employees have been able to generate those reports, but the problem has not been fully resolved. The OIG found more than 200 orders remained in the unknown queue on May 16.

In addition to the single case of major harm, the VA patient safety team identified 52 cases of moderate harm that required an increased level of care or a longer hospital stay, and 95 cases of minor harm. The draft report gives an example of minor harm in which a follow-up appointment for a veteran with uncontrolled diabetes was delayed by 14 months, suggesting that even delays that didnt result in severe harm could still impact a patients long-term health.

That harm may have been avoided if Cerner had notified VA of the problem that has existed in all versions of its system since at least 2014, when the companys commercial clients reported the problem in an online help forum the OIG found.

The draft report indicates Cerners lack of transparency has persisted, with the OIG noting that two of the four Cerner employees contacted for the investigation  including a Cerner vice president  did not respond to repeated requests for information. The two executives who cooperated with the investigation didnt provide a rationale for failing to notify the VA of the problem, the draft report states, and admitted that it is something all of their clients have to monitor and work through.

One of the executives confirmed that communication about the issue from Cerner did not occur for a few months, and the OIG noted that if VA employees hadnt noticed the problem, it may not have been identified and more care would have been missed.

Cerner also has failed to meet its contractual obligations for keeping the system online, prompting Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and other top Democrats on the House and Senate VA panels to send a letter to McDonough on June 7 with detailed questions about the more than 50 incidents when the system has been partly or completely unusable.

VA pioneered the use of electronic health records in the 1980s, when the department developed a system called VistA that is still used in nearly all of VAs 171 medical centers and more than 1,100 clinics across the country. Both VistA and the Cerner system are built on database technology and programming language that date back to 1979, but VA officials have pitched Cerner as a more modern product.

In 2017, then-President Donald Trump announced the VA would sign a $10 billion contract to replace VistA with Cerners system, although the OIG has estimated the total cost of the project could exceed $21 billion. In May, the Senate sent a bill to President Joe Bidens desk that requires more transparency from the VA about the cost and progress of implementing the Cerner system.

In an online event June9, a day after Oracles acquisition of Cerner was finalized, Oracle founder Larry Ellison promised to modernize the Cerner system and make it much easier to use.

The official rationale for the VAs contract with Cerner has been to improve coordination with the Department of Defense, which started rolling out a version of Cerners system at Fairchild Air Force Base in 2018. Mann-Grandstaff and its affiliated clinics in Spokane, Coeur dAlene, Sandpoint, Wenatchee and Libby, Montana, were chosen as the VA pilot sites partly because of their proximity to Fairchild.

After the Cerner system was launched at Mann-Grandstaff on Oct. 24, 2020, the VA delayed its launch at other facilities until March 26, 2022, when it went live at Walla Wallas VA medical center and its affiliated clinics in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. The draft report reveals top VA officials were told the flaw presented ongoing risk five months before they deployed the system at those facilities.

The system has since been deployed at facilities in central Ohio on April 30 and in White City and Roseburg, Oregon, on June 11. It is set to launch in Boise on June 25.

The system was scheduled to roll out at larger, more complex facilities in Seattle and elsewhere in the Puget Sound region Aug. 27, but on Friday VA officials told the Military Times the department would delay its deployment at those sites until March 2023. The Portland VA medical center, previously scheduled to go live in November, will now adopt the system in April 2023.

Orion Donovan-Smiths reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspapers managing editor.

(c)2022 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.)

Visit at www.spokesman.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
During the month of May, the TECT Rescue Helicopter carried out 46 life-saving missions, including 27 inter-hospital transfers, seven medicals, one rescue, eight rural/farm incidents and three motor vehicle accidents.

The TECT Rescue Helicopter was seen in the likes of Te Kaha, Matakana Island, Opotiki and Kaituna Cut. The most visited locations were Whakatane, which was visited six times, and Rotorua five times.

The month commenced with the TECT Rescue Helicopter being tasked to transport a patient from Tauranga who had suffered from a medical event. The patient was flown to Auckland Hospital for further treatment.

The next day, May 2, the TECT Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Rotorua for a man in his 60s who had suffered from a medical event. The onboard crew transported the patient to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

The TECT Rescue Helicopter on a rescue in the Kaimai Range. Photo: Supplied.

On the afternoon of Thursday, May 5, the TECT Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to a car and motorbike crash near Whiritoa. The bike rider, a man in his 20s, had received pelvic injuries in the accident. He was flown to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

On Wednesday, May 11, the TECT Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to transport a man in his 30s from Rotorua Hospital who had sustained burns. He was airlifted to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.

On Saturday, May 14, the TECT Rescue Helicopter was tasked to the Kaituna Cut for a girl who had collapsed. The patient was treated and transported to Tauranga Hospital for further care.

The same day, the helicopter was tasked to Edgecumbe for a man in his 50s who had suffered from a serious cardiac event. He was flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.

The next day, the TECT Rescue Helicopter responded to a motor vehicle accident in Opotiki, where a woman in her 20s had sustained serious injuries. The patient was flown to Tauranga Hospital in serious condition.

The TECT Resuce helicopter at Starship after flying a woman from Tauranga to Auckland Hospital with pregnancy complications. Photo: Supplied.

On Friday, May 20, the TECT Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Matakana Island for a woman in her 60s who had suffered a hip injury. Due to the patient's remote location, the rescue helicopter was the best equipped for the job. The patient was flown to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

The same day, the rescue crew was tasked to transport a woman in her 50s suffering from a serious cardiac event from Whakatane Hospital. She was airlifted to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

On Monday, May 23, the TECT Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Ruatoki for a woman who had suffered a serious medical event. The patient was flown to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

On Saturday, May 28, the TECT Rescue Helicopter was tasked to transport a woman in her 30s from Tauranga Hospital who had suffered from pregnancy complications. The woman was flown to Auckland Hospital for further treatment.

The same day, the helicopter was dispatched to Kaimai Forest Park for an activated Personal Locator Beacon, where a man in his 20s had sustained a leg injury whilst tramping. The patient was airlifted to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment.

On Sunday, May 29, the TECT Rescue Helicopter was tasked to a beacon search for a sunken boat in the Tauranga Harbour. The two occupants had made their way to shore and were assessed and treated by the onboard Critical Care Flight Paramedic.

The same day, the TECT Rescue Helicopter was tasked to transport an infant who was suffering from a medical event for Tauranga Hospital. The young patient was flown to Starship Hospital for further treatment.

The helicopter was later dispatched to Omokoroa for a man in his 30s who had sustained injuries in a motor vehicle accident involving a motorcycle. The patient was airlifted to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.

To keep life-saving missions like these possible, please considering donating to the TECT Rescue Helicopter at give.rescue.org.nz today.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is downplaying the suggestion the Tauranga by-election was a drubbing for the Labour Party, saying it is hard to read anything into the result.

National's Sam Uffindell won by more than 6000 votes, well ahead of Labour's Jan Tinetti and ACT's Cameron Luxton.

But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Tinetti received one of the better results the party has seen in Tauranga in a number of decades.

"I think actually for by-elections, it's very hard to read into them as someone who's run in a by-election myself because it's just simply not the same as in general elections, you don't often have every party represented, so I'm not quick to read into individual outcomes."

Tinetti came in with a very similar proportion of the vote to what Labour did in Tauranga when it became government in 2017, Ardern says.

But it's difficult to extrapolate too many lessons from by-elections, she says.

"Of course hearing from Jan and what she was hearing and experiencing, we listen to that in the same way as what we hear and experience with all of our MPs and every Tuesday we reflect on that in our caucus meeting."

Ardern acknowledges that it's tough for many people at the moment.

"People do see the government taking every effort we can to try and ease those pressures on people and Jan heard that out on the streets as well."

People were likely look to the international environment and see that New Zealand was not the only country currently dealing with significant inflation and energy issues, says Ardern.

"It is our job to ease the impact of that and that's what our Budget initiatives were all about."

Covid-19 traffic light settings

Flu is now a greater cause of respiratory hospitalisation in some Auckland hospitals than Covid-19, Ardern says when asked if the government is considering raising the Covid traffic light setting back to red.

"When you think about back when we changed to the orange settings, then we were looking at roughly a rolling average of 10,000 cases, we had over 500 hospitalisations, you know close to 30 in ICU.

"Our rolling average now is under 5000 cases, we've got about, what did we have yesterday - about 350 in hospital and five in ICU."

Some hospitals, particularly Counties Manukau, are currently experiencing significant pressure but it is not just Covid-19 but also flu and winter illnesses, says Ardern.

"Here I have an ask for the public, please get your flu vaccine, please wear your mask, it's not only helpful for Covid it's helpful for flu and please if your issues are non-acute but you do need medical attention, do also make use of Healthline."

-RNZ.
Update: 19-06-2022 | 08:46:55

The Vietnamese Embassy and Vietnamese Trade Office in Indonesia jointly held a talk with the Vietnamese business community in the country on June 17, aiming to foster trade partnership between the two countries.

The Vietnamese Embassy and Vietnamese Trade Office in Indonesia jointly held a talk with the Vietnamese business community in the country on June 17, aiming to foster trade partnership between the two countries.



The event, held in both in-person and online formats, drew representatives from more than 30 Vietnamese firms operating in Indonesia, including Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, FPT, Sunhouse, Kangaroo, The gioi Di dong, as well as a number of enterprises intending to invest in Indonesia.



This was the first trade exchange activity held in in-person form after COVID-19 is put under control, helping promote investment in the Indonesian market.



Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong highlighted the sound relations between Vietnam and Indonesia in all fields, with two-way trade reaching a record of 11 billion USD in 2021. He highly valued the great potential of the 270-million-strong market.



He reaffirmed Vietnams wish to boost trade exchange with all countries, including Indonesia, expressing a hope to find out advantages and difficulties for Vietnamese firms and receive their proposals on solutions, thus making Vietnamese investment activities in Indonesia smoother in the future.



Meanwhile, Pham The Cuong, head of the Vietnamese Trade Office in Indonesia, briefed participants on the current situation of the Vietnam-Indonesia economic and trade cooperation and gave an evaluation of advantages, potential and difficulties in the field.



Representatives from Vietnamese businesses pointed to advantages and potential of the Indonesian market, including high population, high demand for e-commerce development, locals interest in Vietnamese food, and similarities in culture, history and tourism, and the operation of direct air routes between Vietnam and Indonesia.



They underlined difficulties facing them, including those from Indonesia's domestic market protection policy and tight control over raw materials, high import tax, and lack of staff who can speak Bahasa language and information on business procedures at Muslim markets.



They expressed hope to receive more support from the Vietnamese Embassy in fostering their connectivity and overcome those difficulties.



Ambassador Thong vowed that the embassy will continue to accompany Vietnamese firms during their operations in Indonesia, and roll out measures to remove difficulties facing them./.

VNA
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On the morning of June 18, the Department of Tourism coordinated with relevant units to welcome the Malaysian famtrip delegation to survey tourist attractions in Hue.

Leaders of the tourism industry welcome and give gifts to the famtrip group

This activity aims to connect the Malaysian tourist market to Hue and vice versa. Accordingly, the famtrip group consisted of more than 30 travel agencies in Malaysia came to scope out the relics of the Complex of Hue Monuments such as the Imperial Citadel, Tu Duc Tomb, Khai Dinh Tomb. The delegation also visited Thien Mu pagoda and Dong Ba market, enjoyed Hue cuisine and experienced tourist services such as taking a boat trip to listen to Hue Singing (ca Hue) on the Huong River...

When visiting the Imperial Citadel, the famtrip delegation was welcomed and given souvenirs by the leaders of the Department of Tourism. This is an opportunity for Hue tourism industry to step up promotion of special tourist attractions, contributing to attracting international tourists, especially traditional visitors from ASEAN countries; including Malaysian tourists.

This activity is part of the program to link and develop tourism in three localities Thua Thien Hue - Da Nang - Quang Nam.

By Duc Quang
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SpaceX's second Falcon 9 launch was a success. The independent aerospace agency previously announced that it would conduct three consecutive spaceflights before June ends.

(Photo : Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images)

In this handout image provided by NASA, the NASA/German Research Centre for Geosciences GRACE Follow-On spacecraft launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The first one was a success. Thanks to the efficiency of Falcon 9, the first of the trio launches took off on June 17. The second one, which happened on Saturday, June 18, was also successful.

The second Falcon 9 launch began at exactly 10:17 a.m. EDT, vaulting out from the fog-shrouded pad 4E, located at Vandenberg Space Force Base northwest of Los Angeles, as reported by CBS News.

Why SpaceX's Second Falcon 9 Launch Concerns Experts

While SpaceX rejoices, space experts shared their concerns after the second of the trio Falcon 9 launch successfully took off.

(Photo : Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the manned Crew Dragon spacecraft attached takes off from the Kennedy Space Center on May 30, 2020 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley lifted off today on an inaugural flight and will be the first people since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011 to be launched into space from the United States.

Also Read: SpaceX Fires Employees Who Wrote Open Letter Denouncing Elon Musk's Behavior

SpaceFlight Now reported that scientists and other space experts are now more concerned with the increasing number of orbital satellites.

They said these cube sats could interfere with astronomical observations.

Pat Seitzer, an orbital debris researcher at the University of Michigan, said that things are actually going in the wrong direction.

"We'll have to see what magic SpaceX can perform in terms of the surfaces that they use, the orientation that they fly in. They made a commitment to the astronomical community to try to reach that 7th magnitude goal," Seitzer further explained.

Risks of Satellite Constellations

Having advanced satellites orbiting Earth can help defense agencies and other organizations in various ways. But, too many of these cube sats can also lead to negative outcomes.

Aside from affecting the astronomical observations, here are other negative effects posed by satellites:

Satellites can be harmful debris if they accidentally collide with one another due to overcrowding.

Experts claim that too many satellites re-entering the planet can lead to another ozone hole.

Harmful chemicals are released once satellites burn as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the SpaceX Cargo Dragon launch has been delayed again.

On the other hand, SpaceX's Starship finally received FAA's final assessment.

For more news updates about SpaceX and its upcoming activities, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches its 13th Flight! One of Three Flights in 36 Hours?

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Experts at Concordia University claim that renewable energy certificates (RECs) are "ineffective" in limiting major companies' carbon footprint worldwide.

Renewable Energy Certificates, Ineffective in Discouraging Carbon Footprint

In a journal published by experts from Concordia University, they showed pieces of evidence indicating that many companies still have much larger carbon footprints. This finding is also the reason why the authors of the journal noted that RECs are also ineffective in encouraging more renewable energy production.

RECs were designed as a "market-based instrument, " certifying that its holder owns at least one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity from a renewable energy source. RECs can be sold to other companies, especially those that seek to offset their carbon emissions. It is also commonly referred to as green tags or tradable renewable certificates (TRC).

"RECs do not reflect the physical electricity flow supplied to the companies purchasing them, and there is evidence that RECs are unlikely to lead to additional renewable energy generation," according to researchers.

The finding also indicated that RECs had become a way for some companies to offset the actual record of their carbon emissions. According to the study, corporations can use RECs to report zero emissions on paper by purchasing RECs that can offset each unit of their electricity consumption.

We Might Actually be Behind on the Paris Temperature Goal, Researchers Believe

Moreover, the researchers stressed that emission reduction reports that factor in RECs cannot assure a real update on a company's global emission reductions and compliance with the Paris temperature goal.

This issue can be problematic because if RECs are removed, it can reveal that many companies remain far behind their commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement.

While we have seen a combined 30.7% reduction in market-based carbon emissions, most of it can be credited to the "use of RECs which increased from covering 8% of their purchased energy in 2015 to 27% in 2019."

"It's basically ineffective in terms of influencing renewable energy investment or generation," says Michael Gillenwater, REC expert, executive director, and dean of the Greenhouse Gas Management.

If RECs are not factored in carbon emission reduction reports, it could reflect that only 36% of the world's companies are meeting the Paris Agreement targets.

What Might be a Better Alternative to Foster Carbon Reductions?

Researchers stated their assumption that power purchase agreements (PPAs) are more effective in encouraging the use of renewable energy.

"Although empirical evidence is still needed, we have adopted here the common assumption that PPAs do lead to additional renewable energy production and real emission reductions, as the long-term power price de-risks new projects and allows access to project finance," said researchers.

In the study, the researchers referred to the public disclosure of 115 companies. All of which also covered the reports that included data about their RECs. It also zeroed in on Scope 2 emissions which refer to how companies are purchasing energy.

According to researchers, the findings reflect lacking credibility in REC as a way to reduce carbon emissions. Since the Greenhouse Gas Protocol is set for amendments this year, the researchers say that the way emissions are reported must be incorporated with a more nuanced consideration of RECs.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Unsplash/Jared Brashier) drone

June is not yet over, but the tech industry has many significant historical changes. Among the updates and announcements in the tech sector are Amazon's drones and PayPal's Buy Now Pay Later feature to the controversial US bill seeking to investigate massive tech giants' power in the industry.

Let's check out the highlights this week.

Amazon's Prime Air Drone Service

Beginning in late 2022, e-commerce giant Amazon will start making drone deliveries in Lockeford, California, as part of its Prime Air service.

In a blog post published by The Verge, former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos explained how the new program would work.

The Amazon Prime Air service will use drones to carry the items ordered by their customers straight to their backyards.

This means that customers will no longer have to wait for hours, or even days, for their orders to be shipped, and it will also remove the need for delivery drivers.

Also Read: PayPal to Implement Price Hike for Merchants, Increasing Stock Value by 1.9%

The e-commerce giant will have to obtain a Part 135 certification from the Federal Aviation Administration before its drones can be permitted to fly.

Amazon's drone plan was announced back in 2013. At the time, Bezos revealed that the company was working on drone deliveries that would only take 30 minutes tops.

The former CEO predicted that the service would be launched in 2015, but Amazon had issues with static and moving objects that affected the drone's performance. Now, it seems like the device is ready for service.

PayPal's Buy Now Pay Later Program

Following Apple Pay's Pay Later Program, online payments system PayPal announced that it will be launching its own version of the Buy Now Pay Later scheme called "Pay Monthly."

According to ZDNET, PayPal's Pay Monthly program will allow its US customers to spread payments over longer periods of time, from a minimum of six months to a maximum of two years.

The option will be available for customers who made purchases costing between $199 and $10,000. The customers will be charged the first payment 30 days after the purchase.

As soon as the customer opts into the Pay Monthly program, they need to complete an application form, which will be subject to approval. They will also be presented with three plans of varying lengths, and the APRs will range from 0% to 29.99%.

Microsoft Surface Deals for June

For those looking into purchasing a new laptop, here is the good news. Microsoft Surface is now offering incredible discounts on its laptops and tablets.

You can now get the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 for only $899, which is $300 off its original price of $1,199.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is equipped with a 13-inch touch screen, 8GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, and 2.4-GHz Intel Evo Core i15.

You can also purchase the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 for only $999 for the 13.5-inch screen or $1,299 for the 15-inch screen.

The laptop has a beautiful metal design, a comfortable keyboard, and clear display options. It also has faster performance and longer battery life compared to its predecessor, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3.

Related Article: Amazon Drone Testing Expands In Britain Thanks To Partnership With UK Government

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Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google offers several features and services that can make your life easier. From Gmail, Google Books, Google Charts, Google Assistant, and more.

However, there is one feature that goes under the radar: Google Collections.

What is Google Collections?

Google Collections is a feature that is similar to Pinterest, but it is built into Google Search, according to 9to5Google.

First introduced in 2018, this feature allows you to save your search results from images, bookmarks, and map locations, to check afterward. You can then organize them into groups called "Collections."

In 2020, the search giant made suggestions about items you can add to your Collections based on your Google Search history.

This is because those who use the Google Search feature often forget to save the web pages they need, making it challenging to retrieve them.

Also Read: Google Chrome: How to Activate Hidden Features

When this happens, users will dig through their Google Search History to find the page they lost.

Google believes that using AI can improve the overall process by helping users create collections, so they can easily find the pages they need.

How Google Collections Work

So how does Google Collections work? After you have visited a page on Google Search via the app or the mobile version, the search giant will immediately group together the similar pages that are related to the things that you looked for.

The site will then prompt you to save them to Google Collections so you can easily go back and check on them later.

Once you are ready to check your saved pages, just go to Collections under the Collections tab in the app or through the side menu on the web version.

If you do not want to use Google Collections, you can turn off the feature under Settings. Otherwise, it is enabled by default, according to TechDippers.

Google's Inspiration Behind Collections

According to Fox News, the Pinterest-like feature aims to keep users from venturing off Google to other websites where they can save and organize pages, images, and other things they are interested in.

'The Collections' feature can also be used by online shoppers, so they don't have to go from one page to another.

Google also rolled out an update for its Google Shopping feature, so users can shop directly from their search results.

For users, Google Collections is created to encourage them to put their searchers into groups for later access.

But for the company, Google Collections can help them to keep the users on the site, getting them to shop on Google and stay there, no matter what their interests are.

The feature may lure users in as an easy way to organize their pages, but ultimately, it will allow users to develop a habit of saving their searches to Google.

Once the Collection is ready, Google will point you to other related items like images, websites, and more. It will also serve as a new way to get users to search for more pages.

Google can immediately send users to related pages without users having to type in the search query. Users can share their content and suggestions worldwide.

Related Article: Google+ Attempts Comeback With Pinterest-Like Collections

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Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The U.S. military will soon receive new advanced Valkyrie drones. These upcoming UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) can actually move or fly on all terrains.

(Photo : Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Two X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV) are shown to members of the news media July 11, 2002 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The X-45A, developed by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Boeing Company, is the first unmanned system designed from inception for combat missions.

For the past few years, the United States defense agencies have relied on drones and other unmanned weapons to target enemies without dealing with casualties.

However, existing UAVs still have some limitations that prevent them from becoming the perfect defense techs of the U.S. military.

But, this is expected to change, thanks to the upcoming drones of the Valkyrie Systems Aerospace.

U.S. Military To Receive New Valkyrie Drones

According to Defense Post's recent report, the Valkyrie Systems Aerospace previously received a research grant from the U.S. Air Force to work on drones.

(Photo : Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Michael Martinez, airframe and power plant mechanic with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., inspects an MQ-9 Reaper during a pre-flight check August 8, 2007 at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada. The Reaper is the Air Force's first "hunter-killer" unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), designed to engage time-sensitive targets on the battlefield as well as provide intelligence and surveillance.

Also Read: US and Germany Will Supply Ukraine With Advanced Rockets and Anti-Aircraft Missiles

These are specifically the new Guardian and Eagle drones, capable of performing personnel recovery, aeromedical evacuation, Tactical Mobility operations, and Space Operations Forces exfiltration.

On the other hand, these two new drones can also fly or move on all terrains, acting as amphibious vehicles, aircraft, and hovercraft.

Thanks to these capabilities, the U.S. military and other American defense agencies can use Valkyrie Guardian and Eagle drones depending on their needs.

The Valkyrie Systems Aerospace said that their new defense techs could maximize the payload, size, flexibility, survivability, range, and speed of the missions conducted by the U.S. military, as reported by AutoEvolution.

How Efficient Valkyrie's New Drones Are?

Recently, Valkyrie shared its solutions for UAVs. These include the development of drones capable of taking off and landing vertically on water, ice, land, and rough terrains.

The UAV manufacturer will also integrate features that will allow these new drones to operate in all kinds of weather conditions.

If you want to see more details about the new drones that the U.S. military will soon receive, you can visit this link.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Space Command planned to use non-traditional sensors for ground and sea missile defense radars.

On the other hand, the U.S. military wants to demonstrate a new space nuclear system around 2027.

For more news updates about the U.S. military and its upcoming defense techs, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: U.S. Navy's Hypersonic Missile Integration To Enhance Zumwalt Class Destroyer!

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday refuted remarks by US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns concerning China's dynamic zero-COVID approach.

"The reason why China adopted the dynamic zero-COVID approach is that we put the 1.4 billion people's lives and health before anything else," Wang told a press briefing, adding it is a testament to the governance philosophy of the CPC and the Chinese government, which is to give top priority to protecting the people and their lives.

He said whereas the average life expectancy in some developed countries, such as the United States, declined during the pandemic, China's average life expectancy has steadily gone up in recent years.

China's COVID containment measures are constantly adjusted to better respond to the latest developments in the COVID situation, which has proven to be effective, Wang said.

Noting the overall epidemic metrics in China have been stable, Wang said China has effectively brought virus transmission under control in Shanghai and other places, where life and work are going back to normal.

"Facts have proven that the existing anti-epidemic protocols can help to achieve the dynamic zero-COVID goal," Wang said, adding China's COVID policy suits its national reality and can stand the test of history.

Thanks to China's science-based, precise and effective epidemic prevention and control measures, China has not only mitigated the impact of the coronavirus on economic and social development to the greatest extent, but achieved steady economic growth, Wang said.

"According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China's economy has gradually emerged from the shadow of COVID-19, with major indexes showing better performance in May. China's economy has shown momentum of recovery," Wang said.

Noting China's foreign trade went up 8.3 percent and FDI expanded 17.3 percent year-on-year in the period from January to May, Wang said China is fully confident in ensuring effective COVID response, stable economic performance and safe and secure development.

"During the same period, investment from the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Germany climbed by 52.8 percent, 27.1 percent and 21.4 percent respectively," Wang noted.

"These specific figures reflect foreign investors' genuine interest in investing in China and confidence in China's socioeconomic development," he added.

Wang said it is clear evidence that effective COVID response provides a good foundation for socioeconomic development and an important condition for fostering a favorable business environment.

"We are fully confident in ensuring effective COVID control, stable economic performance and safe and secure development," he added.




(Photo : Unsplash/Julian O'hayon) Apple

Miami authorities arrested two cargo workers at an airport in South Florida after they were caught with more than $21,000 worth of stolen Apple electronics that were supposed to be shipped to Chile.

Cargo Workers Arrested for Stolen Apple

According to Local 10, the two cargo workers at Miami International Airport, Alberto Duardo Vera and William Gonzalez Torres have been arrested for stealing 30 Apple AirPods and Airpods Pro, five MacBook Pro laptops, and 20 Apple iPhones.

The authorities revealed that all in all, the two workers stole a total of $21,728.35 worth of Apple electronics.

The Miami police said that the two arrested men worked for Cargo Handling Airport Services, which is a subcontractor of LATAM Airlines based in Chile.

The two men were arrested after a Miami police detective arrived at the LATAM cargo facility on May 19 to review the CCTV footage of a theft that happened on May 1.

Also Read: Thieves Using Stolen Credit Card Data On Apple Pay: Who's Responsible?

In the CCTV footage, the two workers were seen removing two cargo boxes from a shipping pallet, dropping them inside a rolling trash bin, and covering the boxes with a net.

The two men then rolled the trash bin to a wall, wrapped the boxes in large jackets, and left carrying the boxes under their arms. The stolen Apple electronics that cost $15,000 were owned by a logistics company DB Schenker.

The Apple products were supposed to be shipped to the company's office in Chile.

The logistics company reported $6,000 worth of additional Apple products stolen from the shipping pallet. The two men are now facing charges of grand theft and organized scheme to defraud.

Stolen Credit Card Used to Purchase Apple Products

In other news, Fort Lauderdale police are looking for a man accused of stealing a credit card to purchase expensive items at an Apple store in Florida.

According to WSVN, the suspect walked into an office at 515 E. Las Olas Blvd. on Apr. 22 and stole a credit card while the victim and his business partners were busy on a call.

The authorities said the victim noticed the suspect walking through the office and immediately confronted him. The suspect then claimed that he was lost and exited the building.

After, the victim was notified that someone had made a purchase of $7,000 at Apple. The police collected CCTV video from the Apple store, showing the suspect making the purchases.

The authorities released a statement and described the suspect to be public. The suspect is described as a Black man in his 40s, around 5'9 tall with long dreadlock style hair, and is covered in tattoos.

Man Arrested for Stealing iPhones in Indonesia

News about stolen iPhones also happens in other countries. On June 19, Apple Insider reported that a man was arrested after he was caught stealing two iPhones from another traveler while they were in a bathroom at the Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Indonesia.

The victim had left his two iPhones on a urinal stall and forgot about them as he left without putting them back in his pockets. The thief was then caught after the authorities saw the CCTV footage.

Related Article: Wonder How Fast Stolen Credit Card Data Can Travel In Dark Web? You'll Be Shocked

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Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Only strong and sovereign states can have a say in this emerging world order, or they will have to become or remain colonies with no rights," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary meeting of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 17. Indeed, history is showing that it is might that makes right, which means that if Russia does not achieve all of its goals in Ukraine, the United States and its allies will not respect and treat Moscow as a strong and a sovereign country.

According to the Russian leader, the modern world is undergoing an era of fundamental changes. The St. Petersburg economic forum illustrated all the changes that Russia is going through. Last year, representatives from 141 countries participated in the forum. This year  only 69, including self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Lugansk People's Republic."

In the past, it was hard to imagine that they would ever participate in "Russia's answer to the Davos Forum". Now leaders of the "republics" are treated as VIP guests, while the governors or various Russian regions discussed with them the reconstruction of Mariupol, as well as other cities in the war-torn entities.

Moreover, during all previous economic forums in St. Petersburg, Western corporations were the ones that played the major role, and they were granted special treatments. In 2022, Russian companies and authorities from various regions of the Russian Federation signed agreements that could have a positive impact on the development of the Russian economy. In other words, Russian industry is expected to start working for the domestic market, rather than to rely on exports for revenue.

"Russia must reduce its decades-old reliance on exports of raw materials and stimulate private enterprise to avoid slipping back towards a Soviet-style technological lag with the West," said Elvira Nabiullina, head of the Russian Central Bank.

But in order to change the main vector of its economic policy, Russia will have to transform its economy, which is a long-term process. The West, for its part, will continue imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation and continue pressuring countries world to reduce or break off economic ties with Moscow.

Putin, for his part, claims that the Kremlin will "never take the path of self-isolation, and will focus on expanding interactions with nations who want to work with Russia." Egypt, Mali, Turkey, Syria, and Afghanistan are some countries that openly showed their ambitions to develop economic cooperation with Moscow.

This year, no official representatives from "unfriendly nations"  those that imposed sanctions on Russia  participated in the "Russian Davos," which indicates that the Kremlin plans to pay more attention to economic cooperation with Asian and African countries.

According to Putin, Russia stands ready to boost its exports of grain and fertilizers, and deliver food exports to Africa and Middle East. However, the problem for Moscow is that the conflict in Ukraine  especially if it drags on for a long time  could have a significant impact on the Russian economy, and force the Kremlin to make some unpopular moves.

For instance, if the West continues supplying Ukraine with weapons, sooner or later Russia will have to change its strategy and declare at least a partial mobilization in order to achieve all the goals of its "special military operation." Such an action would mean not only deploying additional troops to Ukraine, but also a mobilization of Russia's military industry, as well as other segments of the country's economy.

At this point, it remains uncertain if the Russian business, and also the country's political leadership, is ready to make such a radical move. But given that the United States and its allies will continue backing Kyiv and its armed forces, military developments in the Eastern European country could soon force Moscow to change its approach vis-a-vis Ukraine.

While Russian leaders were preoccupied holding the economic forum in St. Petersburg, representatives from more than 50 nations pledged to get more military capabilities into the hands of Ukrainian forces. Thus, the West and Ukraine are determined to continue fighting, which means that they will raise the stakes and cross Russia's "red lines." How will Moscow react?

"Russia is entering the new era as a powerful and sovereign country. We will make sure to take advantage of the new tremendous opportunities that this era is opening for us and will grow even stronger," Putin stressed, accusing the West of "colonial arrogance" and trying to crush his country with sanctions.

The United States and its allies will not treat Russia as one of major world powers if its leadership does not take all necessary steps to demonstrate Russian strength, but continues complaining about the injustice of the West.

As Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military strategist, wrote in his book The Art of War around 2500 years ago: "If you fight with all your might, there is a chance of life; where as death is certain if you cling to your corner."

The ball is once again in the Russian court.

By Nikola Mikovic, a freelance journalist based in Serbia. (Source: CGTN)
Lara Nicholson writes for The Advocate as a Report for America Corps Member. Email her at lnicholson@theadvocate.com or follow her on Twitter @LaraNicholson_.

To learn more about Report for America and to support our journalism, please click here.
Russian invaders have thrown all their reserves into the Sievierodonetsk and Bakhmut directions, continue attempts to gain full control over Sievierodonetsk and cut off the Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway.

The relevant statement was made by Luhansk Regional Military Administration Head Serhii Haidai on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Rashists have no success, massively die. It is inappropriate to compare this situation to the one that took place at the Azovstal steelworks, as they are completely different. Despite the fact that all bridges leading to Sievierodonetsk had been destroyed, we are maintaining connection with the city. There are routes used for evacuation purposes and to deliver everything necessary. Lysychansk is fully controlled by Ukraine. The city is under continuous enemy fire, but silent evacuation efforts take place, humanitarian goods are delivered every day, Haidai told.

In his words, civilians hiding in bomb shelters at the Azot plant refused to evacuate. The relevant video was recorded by the National Guard servicemen when communicating with them.

[Russian] orcs are intentionally firing at the places where civilians may hide. The situation is challenging in satellite settlements near Sievierodonetsk. Heavy battles were raging in Metiolkine. We are waiting for the night events. Considering the amount of reserves pulled, we expect major offensives in the coming days, Haidai noted.

A reminder that, on February 24, 2022, Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops are shelling and destroying the key infrastructure facilities, extensively firing at residential areas in Ukrainian cities and villages with artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, air bombs and ballistic missiles.
PETR HEREL May 19, 1943-April 2, 2022

Distinguished and much-cherished artist Petr Herel left a remarkable and distinctive body of prints, drawings and exquisite artists books for which he is perhaps best known.

State Library Victoria began collecting artists books in 1989, directly inspired by the body of work Herel had created in this field. His work has been widely exhibited and collected in France and the Czech Republic and is represented in major institutions in Australia, especially the National Library in Canberra and State Library Victoria.

Herel was also a gifted teacher empowering students to develop their own voice  to believe in themselves, in the words of Paul Uhlmann, a former student. Art historian Sasha Grishin wrote: Herel as an artist and as a teacher introduced a sensibility, as well as a bewildering wealth of experience in techniques and possibilities in book arts that he brought from continental Europe, and which had a profound impact on several generations of artists, particularly in Canberra and Melbourne. He was, however, a teacher who did not clone disciples, but cultivated fellow travellers and led by example.

Born in Czechoslovakia in 1943 in the ancient town of Horice in the north of Bohemia, he grew up under the yoke of Russian communism, yet his studies at the Prague College of Visual Arts from the age of 14 and later, the Prague Academy of Applied Arts (1964-69) were uncompromised. Prague was one of the principal centres of European cultural achievement in the Renaissance and Baroque and continued to be so through the decades of the Hapsburg empire. Later, in the early 20th century, it was one of the most important centres of surrealism, a formative influence on Herels art. Even under the oppressive communist regime, which he loathed, Prague remained a city rich in history, art and literature.
Snowflake Mountain



A snowflake, according to the voiceover in this new reality series, is a young person who is considered overly emotional, easily offended and dramatic. This definition isnt quite at Piers Morgan levels of derision, but a catch-all for spoiled kidults. The snowflakes here are 10 bratty 20-somethings, tricked by their fed-up parents into attending a wilderness camp to toughen them up. (Apparently, theyre told theyre being sent to a five-star resort.) All these 20-somethings live at home, rent-free, apparently unable even to load a dishwasher, most of them fully supported financially.

Some of the snowflakes on Netflixs new reality show Snowflake Mountain. Credit:Pete Dadds/Netflix

Eight American and two British 20-somethings must live together at what Netflix describes as a back-to-basics camp in the Lake District of Cumbria, which most of us would consider glamping: tents the size of small cabins on raised platforms with stretcher beds and wood-burning stoves. Wilderness training will hopefully teach them how to behave like fully functioning adults, with a motivational $50,000 cash prize.

Worse than the lack of hot water for this group is the fact that there is no Wi-Fi; more than one of these Gen Zs is a wannabe influencer. Under the tutelage of former army combat engineer Matt Tate, and Joel Graves, a former navy explosive ordnance disposal expert, these brats will hopefully develop skills in adaptability, teamwork, resilience and other self-help buzzwords.
Theres no single solution. The former energy minister Angus Taylor was right when he said we need a capacity market to ensure theres always power in reserve to deal with fluctuations in supply. The current Energy Minister Chris Bowen is right when he says we need more interstate transmission lines and more new renewable energy capacity, and hes right when he says that 10 years of uncertainty about climate policy have chilled investment in the energy system. NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean is right when he says AEMO needs more visibility of individual generators capacity to supply. Many people, including my Grattan Institute colleague Tony Wood, are right when they call for more gas to be made available for the domestic market, including a windfall-profits tax on gas exporters if necessary. Others are right when they say more investment in batteries, storage, and energy efficiency are needed. Its all of the above.

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What is critical is avoiding quick-fix market reforms and ad-hoc government interventions that respond to the problems in front of us right now but leave the market unable to respond to future challenges. This decade will be one of the most challenging the energy system has faced, as it transitions away from coal and gas to meet the governments target of 82 per cent renewable energy in less than eight years. Ministers (on behalf of us voters, citizens, and energy users) need to be clear what they want. Promises of cheaper electricity arent enough: it has to be clean and reliable, and the system that delivers it has to be able to withstand shocks and anticipate and respond to risks.

Ministers then need to decide the best way to deliver. The next decade involves a lot of risks, and these need to be shared equitably between governments, consumers, generators, fuel suppliers, renewable energy developers, and energy network owners and operators. Sometimes markets will be the best way to do this, sometimes regulation will do the job, and other times it will require governments to carry risk as well. Sharing information about risks, who is carrying them, and whether they are increasing, will be key.

Hemingway also observed that everyone behaves badly  given the chance. It will be very tempting  but counterproductive  for politicians and commentators to jump into blame games and restart the climate wars. It will be tempting for state ministers to go their own ways. But the energy system operates better when they all work together.
The NSW government is challenging Queensland as Australias premier state for rainforest eco-tourism with the creation of a four-day walk through Gondwana rainforest in Dorrigo National Park on the Northern Tablelands.

Three suspension bridges, new camping areas, rest huts and 46 kilometres of walking trails will be constructed to create the Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk. The trail will take hikers into World Heritage-listed ancient Gondwana rainforest on the lands of the Gumbaynggirr people.

Hikers will have greater access to the Dorrigo National Park Gondwana Rainforest as the NSW government announces a new $56 million walk.

The rainforest at Dorrigo National Park is even more spectacular than the Daintree, said NSW Environment Minister James Griffin.

Well be happily tempting domestic and international tourists away from Queensland.
A crime scene was declared after a woman was found dead inside a Brisbane bayside home on Sunday afternoon but her death was later considered not suspicious.

Police are investigating after a woman was found dead inside a Victoria Point home in Brisbanes bayside. Credit:Seven News

Police were investigating the sudden death of a woman, 39, at Victoria Point after the body was found about 2.40pm.

Emergency services attended the Elysian Street property where the woman was found dead inside.

People who were inside the house at the time were assisting police with their investigation.
Credit:Badiucao

There are many reasons for being happy that Labor won the federal election. The first is Anthony Albanese prioritising taking action on the Uluru Statement from the Heart in his victory speech. The second is that he stands by the comments he made in December on Julian Assanges extradition from the UK to the US when he said: I do not see what purpose is served by the ongoing pursuit of Mr Assange. The purpose is political, of course, and therefore, as Bob Carr points out, negotiations with the US will be sensitive, and must be made behind the scenes. Julian Assange should be brought back to Australia as soon as possible, both in the interests of justice and to avoid further damage to his mental health and physical condition.

Elizabeth Sprigg, Glen Iris

The pursuit was purely political

The decision to extradite Julian Assange to face trial and a potential life prison sentence in the US must be condemned by those who value freedom of expression and fair and just treatment of those brave enough to reveal unpalatable truths. It is the final step in a disturbingly chilling chapter of the persecution of a man who dared to expose information that shone a light on the dark side of American war activities. There is no doubt that the decision of the US to pursue Assange on spying charges is not only ludicrous, but politically motivated. Will he receive a fair trial? Sadly, highly unlikely given the consistent demonisation of Assange and WikiLeaks in that country.

Where does Australia stand in all of this and why has there not been a stronger outcry to date? He is, after all, an Australian citizen. Muted noises behind the scenes to free Assange by the Albanese government are heartening but more urgent action is now critical. Right now a mans life  a husband and father  hangs in the balance and our right to frank and fearless investigative journalism, to know the truth and to keep our governments accountable, is under very serious threat. No longer can Australia remain an acquiescent bystander. There is far too much at stake.

Anne Moorhouse, Inverloch

A morning to dread has come

I have dreaded the morning when I would wake hearing the news that Julian Assange has been sent to serve a possible life sentence in America. Assange has suffered enough years for his journalistic investigation that unfairly was perceived as a crime. Barack Obama saved whistleblower Chelsea Manning and now it is time for Anthony Albanese to make the same request of US President Joe Biden.

Maggie Cross, Kew

Let the legal process go its course

What right have we to meddle in the legal processes of other countries, namely the UK and US, in the matter of Julian Assange? None whatsoever. He must face the music, instead of hiding in embassies for years and sheltering behind a new wife and family.

Tim Nolan, Brighton
Montanans across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support conservation funding tied to marijuana sales. Montana continues to lead the nation in maintaining a strong conservation legacy through the creation of the Montana Outdoor Fund. In 2021 Gov. Gianforte signed HB701 into law, creating this robust funding source for outdoor recreation that is tied to the tax structure of our recreational marijuana sales. This multi million dollar fund provides a much needed boost for underfunded accounts that will help with maintaining state parks and trail systems, improving access for hunting and fishing, managing non game species, and protecting our working landscapes.

Habitat Montana, our premier habitat program in Montana, which was previously funded almost entirely through hunting license sales, is receiving nearly ten million dollars annually to be used to conserve key at-risk habitat. It also increases public access through the purchase of Wildlife Management areas, conservation easements and conservation leases. This newfound funding source is coming at a time when outdoor recreation is booming across the state. Our state parks and fishing sites have seen record breaking visitation, hunting and fishing license sales saw double digit increases, while more and more of our open landscapes have been developed into subdivisions. Now more than ever we need this stable funding source to maintain Montana as The Last Best Place.
Health Minister Martin Foley has defended the state governments decision to further relax mask and vaccination rules despite Victoria recording the highest average daily coronavirus death rate in June.

So far this month, Victoria has recorded an average of almost 18 deaths each day from the virus, up from an average of 15 a day in May and the highest daily rate for any month since the pandemic began in early 2020.

Martin Foley talks to media at the Royal Childrens Hospital on Sunday. Credit:Scott McNaughton

Foley said all deaths were a tragedy, but he insisted Victoria was in a position to further relax restrictions following advice from public health officials.

The public health advice was at this stage of the pandemic, lifting those restrictions makes public health sense, he said on Sunday. Im more than happy to follow that public health advice because its steered Victorians well through what has been a very challenging time.
Australians have donated $5.1 million to the crisis appeal helping Ukraine after the Russian invasion almost four months ago, with a healthcare company offering medical kits for 750 patients in the latest example of the support.

About 10,000 donors have helped the Ukraine Crisis Appeal send aid to people in regular deliveries that include medical supplies being flown to Europe and distributed by volunteers inside Ukraine to some of the most devastated parts of the country.

Ambulance officers outside a hospital in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in March. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Sydney company Device Technologies added to the tally in the past week by offering 140 kits to hospitals in Ukraine to treat up to 750 patients with severe bone injuries using sterile packs that come with metal plates and screws.

Donations surged in the wake of the February 24 invasion but subsided as the war continued, prompting those involved in the appeal to admit the risk of fatigue among donors.
None of that is within the remit of IBAC, which has fewer powers than its NSW counterpart, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, which can investigate any allegation upon suspicion of corruption, including alleged substantial breaches of the ministerial code of conduct. IBAC also does not have the same coercive powers as ICAC to conduct preliminary investigations, and nor does it hold public hearings as a matter of course like ICAC. Redlich said governments needed to be far more transparent if they were to reverse a global trend of declining trust in politics, adding: If governments feel theyre immune from scrutiny in terms of how they apply the public purse it can have enormous ramifications. Han Aulby, the executive director of think tank the Centre for Public Integrity, said pork barrelling breached public trust and serious cases should be investigated by integrity commissions, with the discretion to investigate lying with the commissioner. If they believe an allegation of pork barrelling meets the definition of corrupt conduct, then investigations should proceed, Aulby said. The Albanese government has confirmed its national integrity commission, to be introduced to parliament before the end of this year, will have the powers to investigate pork barrelling as well as serious and systemic past corruption allegations.

Redlich would like IBAC to be granted greater power to investigate suspicions of corruption and coercive powers to be used in preliminary investigations. He acknowledged the agencys powers had been bolstered since it was first set up by the Baillieu government in 2012, but called for a number of further reforms. Loading He said the commission needed the power to search police and charge people with destroying or concealing evidence; new powers to prevent cases becoming clogged up in legal proceedings; a better definition of what constitutes the offence of misconduct in public office and clarity on which police misconduct cases IBAC can investigate. Redlich said whistleblowers who make complaints about politicians need to be protected, and the current requirement forcing people to report MPs to IBAC via the president and speaker of the parliament must be removed. Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said the government continues to work closely with Victorias integrity agencies to ensure they have the powers they need, including through the systemic review of police oversight. She said a review of the IBAC Act had concluded the natural justice process, under which people named in draft reports were given the opportunity to challenge them in court, was important and appropriate.

Strong protections on the use of IBACs investigative powers ensure that a balance is maintained between rooting out corruption and the welfare of individuals, she said. In the wake of criticism in recent months that Premier Daniel Andrews had been quizzed behind closed doors in two inquiries while other witnesses had been publicly grilled, Redlich said he believed the Victorian commission had struck the right balance between public and private hearings. Robert Redlich publicly examining former Labor minister Adem Somyurek as part of Operation Watts. Credit: Operation Richmond, which has been probing the Andrews governments dealings with the firefighters union, has been conducted entirely in secret, while Andrews was questioned in private as part of two other inquiries, Operation Watts probing MPs misusing public funds and Operation Sandon probing planning decisions in Melbournes south-east. Redlich acknowledged the need for public hearings to act as a deterrent, educate the community and prevent corruption, but stressed the welfare of witnesses always takes precedence over the priorities of the investigation.

He said he was unable to confirm or deny whether Andrews had been examined in any case, but said IBAC was not a royal commission, and that investigators must be satisfied interviewing a witness in public wont unreasonably damage their reputation. How do we decide whether or not unreasonable damage to reputation might arise? The answer is: do we have cogent evidence that shows the persons misconducted themselves? Redlich said. Gladys Berejiklian was grilled before the NSW ICAC for two days last year. Credit:ICAC On welfare, he said witnesses would not be required to face a public inquisition if they had a history of mental illness or if they broke down during hearings and were unable to continue. The commissioner said IBAC paid for a counselling service for all witnesses if they choose to take up the offer. In Operation Watts, for example, we had, on the public record, we had a significant witness who had health issues, Redlich says.

Initially, we were going to call that witness in public and they asked to be called in private, and we agreed to that. And then it became evident that they wouldnt be able to cope in private either and so they werent called. The agency has come under attack over its decision to publicly examine former Casey mayor Amanda Stapledon as part of Operation Sandon. Stapledon took her own life earlier this year, three days after receiving a draft report from IBAC. Her friends and family have alleged IBAC ignored Stapledons indication to the agency that she had expressed suicidal ideations as early as April last year. Redlich did not comment specifically on Stapledons case, but said in general terms that witness welfare was at the forefront of the commissions thinking. The oppositions spokeswoman for government scrutiny, Louise Staley, said the Coalition was committed to giving IBAC the powers it needed and the funding it required to return integrity to Victoria. Its no coincidence that Daniel Andrews continues to gag, cut and frustrate the IBAC when he himself is under investigation on at least three separate corruption matters. 
Social media giants including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, WeChat and TikTok may be forced to turn over data on posts and audience figures so the government can decide whether to tighten laws on misinformation.

Such data is the currency of social media companies, which have become among the worlds most valuable firms by using it to target ads, and they guard it closely.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland believes media regulators will not be able to understand the problem misinformation poses if they cannot see it. Credit:Oscar Colman

Communications minister Michelle Rowland doesnt know what the data might show, but believes media regulators will not be able to understand the problem misinformation poses if they cannot see it.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has no power to demand the data despite an industry code intended to show how the industry is stamping out misinformation.
London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain has defended his governments plans to electronically tag asylum seekers who cross the English Channel, days into a new, yearlong pilot program that has drawn widespread condemnation from refugee and human rights groups.

Under the new guidelines, those who travel to Britain via what the government terms unnecessary and dangerous routes would be fitted with a GPS tag and be required to regularly report to authorities. Some people could also be subject to curfew and exclusion from certain locations, the guidelines said.

A woman thought to be a migrant who undertook the crossing from France in a small boat waits on a transfer boat in Dover, Britain. Credit:AP

Those who fail to comply would risk detention and prosecution.

Johnson, speaking to reporters at a British air force base on Saturday (UK time) after returning from an unannounced visit to Ukraine, defended the monitoring as a way to keep people arriving in the country in the migration system, saying the plans would ensure asylum-seekers cant just vanish into the rest of the country. He added that he was proud of Britains track record on taking in refugees.
Odesa: In a nation at war, and a city aching for some semblance of normality, the Odesa Opera reopened for the first time since the Russian invasion began, asserting civilisation against the barbarism unleashed from Moscow.

The performance in the magnificent Opera Theatre, opened in 1810 on the plateau above the now shuttered Black Sea port, began with an impassioned rendering of the Ukrainian national anthem. Images of wheat swaying in the wind formed the backdrop, a reminder of the grain from its fertile hinterland that long made Odesa rich but now sits in silos as war rages and global food shortages grow.

Sandbags at the entrance to the 212-year-old Odesa Opera Theatre, which reopened for the first time since the Russian invasion. Credit:Laetitia Vancon/The New York Times

In case of sirens, proceed to the shelter within the theatre, said Ilona Trach, the theatre official who presented the program on Friday night (Ukraine time). You are the soul of this opera house, and we think its very important to demonstrate after 115 days of silence that we are able to perform.

Odesa has been generally quiet in the past few weeks, but just 100 kilometres to the east  in the port city of Mykolaiv, where President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine paid a visit on Saturday (Sunday AEST)  Russian shelling forms a daily onslaught. That Russian President Vladimir Putin covets Odesa  as a port critical to Ukraines economy, as a city long part of the Russian and then Soviet empires and as a cultural symbol  is no secret.
A joke is making the rounds of the late-night comedians in the US as the congressional hearings into the January 6 attack on the Capitol continue in Washington. The joke goes something like: Yes, the committee is investigating whether Donald Trump actually did all those things we saw him do in real time.

We all know what Trump and his supporters did, but the lack of shame, denials in the face of obvious evidence, and the refusal to acknowledge or atone for the extensive damage they are wreaking have brought us to this point. So it might seem you dont need to pay attention to the hearings. Dont we know all of this? Wont he get off again?

Former president Donald Trump at the Faith and Freedom Coalitions Road to Majorityevent on Friday in Nashville, Tennessee. Credit:Mark Humphrey/AP

The answers: Not really and Possibly not. Heres why:

1. This is a prosecution. They are officially called hearings, but they are not remotely like a typical US Congressional hearing where politicians jaw endlessly and do what they can to grab a few minutes of TV screen time. Here, there is no grandstanding, no yapping backbenchers. The bipartisan group is actually laying out a specific legal case, establishing that Trump knew he had lost the election and was fighting to somehow overturn the result.
Cheyenne, WY (82001)

Today

Rain showers early with clear skies overnight. Low 54F. WSW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Rain showers early with clear skies overnight. Low 54F. WSW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Authorities say a Michigan man was arrested after Minot police seized 15,000 fentanyl pills and 80 grams of fentanyl powder with an estimated street value of more than $1 million. The drugs were found after a search warrant was executed at a storage garage where police say they found the powerful opioid along with a large amount of marijuana. A search at a second site resulted in the seizure of two firearms and $18,000 in case. Thirty-year-old Ryan Rattler, of Flushing, Michigan, was charged Tuesday with possession with intent to deliver more than 40 grams of fentanyl and possession with intent to deliver marijuana. Police say fentanyl was the cause of the vast majority of the 38 overdose deaths in the Minot area in 2020 and 2021.
What is Juneteenth and how did it become a U.S. holiday?


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94 Percent of Medication Not Supported by High-Quality Evidence, Harms Underreported: Study

Less than 6 percent of medical drugs have high-quality evidence to support their benefits, according to a recent study by the University of Oxford.

The study found that, of the 1,567 eligible medications tested within Cochrane Reviews from 2008 to 2021, more than 94 percent werent supported by high-quality evidence.

Cochrane Reviews is a British international charitable organization that has made a name for itself by conducting systematic reviews. Essentially, the organization will look at a large number of studies and analyze them to formulate conclusions about whatever the area of study was, from treatments for cancer to the effects of different vitamins.

These influential reviews are often referenced in national and international health care guidelines, and the organizations work is especially prominent in Europe.

Researchers found that less than half of the drugs approved from 2008 to 2021 had moderate to high-quality evidence, according to the reviews. Further, harms were underreported, with around 37 percent of interventions found with harm and 8.1 percent had significant evidence of harm.

It is particularly worrying that the harms of healthcare interventions are rarely quantified, Dr. Jeremy Howick, one of the co-authors of the study, wrote in The Conversation.

For a doctor or patient to decide whether to use a treatment, they need to know whether the benefits outweigh the harms. If the harms are inadequately measured, an informed choice is not possible.

According to Howick, the cut-off year was 2008, since that was when Cochrane Reviews incorporated a system called grading quality of evidence and strength of recommendations (GRADE) to assess the quality of evidence.

The GRADE system used by Cochrane is a transparent framework for developing and presenting summaries of evidence and provides a systematic approach for making clinical practice recommendations.

Its a widely adopted tool for grading the quality of evidence and for making recommendations, with over 100 organizations worldwide endorsing GRADE.

Although authors of the Oxford study speculated that the poor findings for drugs backed up by high-quality evidence may be because the sample studies were unrepresentative of the population, Howicks argued that it was unlikely given the strictness of Cochrane Reviews.

A 2020 U.S. study published in JAMA also indicated the problem of medications being approved without rigorous testing, and then causing harm. The study examined drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration from 1983 to 2018 and found that while the number of novel biologics approved increased, the FDAs review period decreased.

The authors wrote in the study that the FDA increasingly accepted less data and more surrogate measures, including clinical measures that show a correlation but may not necessarily guarantee a relationship.

Dr. David Light from Harvard University argued in a 2014 article that the majority of newly approved drugs bring little to no improvement, with 1 in 5 new prescriptions causing severe adverse events. At the same time, pharmaceutical prices for new drugs have soared with drug median release prices growing 85 times higher from 2008 to 2022.

Potential harms should be measured with the same rigor as potential benefits, Howick concluded. The evidence-based medicine community is correct to continue calling for higher-quality research, and also justified in their skepticism that high-quality evidence for medical treatments is common or even improving.
Because we are incarnate beings, our spirits receive meaning through our bodies and their physical senses. If we dont see (or hear or taste or smell or feel) it, we dont believe it. We dont even get it. To be effective, any work of art must convey meaning in some form.

Poetry tooat least good poetrymust unite the poets idea or notion or insight with a form in which it can be effectively conveyed. When that happens, we empathically experience meaning. Looking carefully into our own experience of a passage of good poetry, we can sometimes discern the bones and muscles and tendons that make an effective poetic utterance.

In Shakespeares plays, the default form is blank verse, that is, unrhymed iambic pentameter lines (five iambsba-BUMper line). When Shakespeare wants to make a particularly formal point, he has his character speak in rhymed coupletsevery two lines rhyming. The general effect of this form is a sense of order, balance, and stability.

By the power of rhyme, the second line of any couplet gives a sense of completeness and closure to what is expressed in the first line. Building on that expectation, Shakespeare works wonders for our experience of meaning.

Making Sense of King Lear

Lets take an example from King Lear, the tragedy of a king who tries to impose his arrogant will upon his daughters, his country, nature, and the gods. The English King Lear ends up having to suffer the loss of everything in order to be purged, healed, and made able to love.

Here is the King of France, announcing that he is taking King Lears rejected youngest daughter as his queen:

Gods, gods! tis strange that from their coldst neglect

My love should kindle to inflamd respect.

Thy dowrless daughter, King, thrown to my chance,

Is queen of us, of ours, and our fair France:

Not all the dukes of watrish Burgundy

Can buy this unprizd precious maid of me.

Bid them farewell, Cordelia, though unkind:

Thou losest here, a better where to find.

Cordelia Championed by the Earl of Kent from Shakespeares King Lear, Act I, scene I, circa 1770s, by unknown artist. Oil on canvas. Yale Center for British Art, Yale University. (Public Domain)

The King of France is doing a noble, good, and wise thing, and he is doing it formally. Receiving no dowry, he acknowledges and embraces the virtuous daughter of King Lear and formally proclaims her to be his wife and Queen of France. The official proclamation of a royal betrothal is made in the form of majestic rhymed couplets.

What is King Lears response? Lear has been acting extremely foolishly and willfully. He has just announced that he is going to divide up his kingdom (always a bad sign to Shakespeares audience). After basking in the false flattery of his evil daughters and rejecting the simple honesty of his one virtuous daughter, Cordelia, he disowns her and reduces her dowry to nothing. He is angry. His ego is at war with nature, with truth, with his favorite daughter, and with himself, and he will have to go through almost unbearable suffering to be purged of the sins he is committing here.

But he is a king, who must respond officially to the King of France. Here is what he says:

Thou hast her, France: let her be thine; for we

Have no such daughter, nor shall ever see

That face of her again. [To Cordelia] Therefore be gone,

Without our grace, our love, our benison.

Benison means blessing. Lears response ought to be formal and stately, as befits a king officially and publicly bestowing his daughter on another king. Instead, because Lear is in a rage, we experience his speech as chaotic, especially compared to the previous lines of France, in part because, technically speaking, he has gone from end-stopped lines to enjambed lines. That means from lines with grammatical phrases that end where the metrical lines end, to lines in which phrases end in the middle of the verse line and new phrases dont stop at the end of the line but wrap around onto the next. Frances order is followed by Lears chaos. The rhymed couplets have been exploded.

But wait. Look at the last words of Lears lines: we/see, gone/benison. Couplets! Disguised, mangled, troubled, disordered, but couplets nonetheless. What has Shakespeare done?

King Lear displaying an unsettled mind; driven out by his daughters, he is pummeled by a storm while the Duke of Kent begs him to take shelter. King Lear, 1788, by Benjamin West. Oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan. (Public Domain)

He has incarnated the mentalities of the two kings within the very form of the verse. Frances mind is in order and he is saying what is good, right, and noble. To convey that, Shakespeare has him speak in clear, simple, balanced rhymed coupletslines end-stopped, syntax smooth.

Lears mind is at war with itself, and so his speech is at war with itself. He must speak in rhymed couplets because he is a king answering a king. And he does. But his couplets are enjambed, disjointed, conveying the disjointed chaos and self-battling passions within his mind. Rational France speaks in ordered couplets. Raging Lear is at war with harmonious form.

As ones body may be in perfect health when ones mind is filled with fear or anger or frustration, so a kings rhymed couplets may be superficially present even as their mangled form expresses mental and moral disorder in the speaker.
My mother once told me that, when I was a little girl, the biggest joy my father had was playing Go to Sky with me to make me happy.

Daddy, sky! Daddy, sky! I repeated to myself like singing a cheerful nursery rhyme whenever I was expecting my father to come home from the high school in China where he was teaching Chinese.

When he appeared in our front yard, I ran to him and shouted, Daddy, sky!

He would take me in his arms and kiss me and suddenly use one hand to lift me from my back over his head, with my face looking up toward the sky, my mouth giggling, my hands and feet grabbing and kicking in the air.

Go to Sky! Go to Sky! my father shouted and laughed, his hearty laughter seemed to burst from his tanned face into his black hair, long arms, and long legs.

I was like a mockingbird singing and dancing on a special stagemy father's handswithout knowing many things that had happened or would happen.

In 1999, when my father was 63, he suffered a stroke that left the right half of his body paralyzed, including his right hand. Before the stroke, as a famous and newly retired high school Chinese teacher in China, my father had his retirement life well planned. He was going to write books on teaching, give lectures at schools across the country, and more. The stroke, however, changed my father and his retirement plans forever. He realized that writing a memoir for his children was the most important thing he wanted to do, even though he knew it wouldn't bring him any fame or money, because his memoir cannot be published in China. My father was wrongly labeled as a counter-revolutionary during the Cultural Revolution in China. He was sent to the countryside to work as a peasant for eight years, from 1970 to 1978, to reform through labor until he was rehabilitated.

Five years after his stroke, my father started to write his 300,000-word memoir with his left hand and finished it within a year. Since my father was right-handed before the stroke, he had to practice very hard to get used to writing on the paper word by word with his left hand. Reading his memoir, his college classmates, colleagues, and friends were moved to tears; they urged him to have it published. The book focuses on his experiences during the Cultural Revolution, and because of political sensitivity, it still cannot be published publicly in China. We had to wait. When my father was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in November 2011, our family decided we could no longer wait. We informally self-published it and shared it with more people.

I didn't know much about the persecution and pain my father had suffered during the Cultural Revolution until I received an electronic copy of his memoir several years ago when I was studying in the U.S. One of his students typed his memoir on a computer and sent it to me. From his memoir, I learned that, before he was sent to the countryside, he was subjected to criticism meetings at his workplace, which were common during the Cultural Revolution (the Cultural Revolution began in 1966). At these criticism meetings, a victim was criticized and often subjected to humiliation and assault until he or she confessed to imaginary crimes. Because of the false accusations made up against my father, he was forced to confess; he refused. Then he was placed in an interrogation room, where he was repeatedly questioned and not allowed to sleep for five consecutive days and nights.

Finally one of the leaders of the task force of the Cultural Revolution in his school said to him, Are you afraid of being shot to death? Confess if you are! Aren't you afraid?

For a long time my father didn't know how to answer.

Are you afraid? Answer me! Hurry up! the leader snapped, a layer of thin frost seeming to start to appear on his cold face.

Give me a cigarette, please, my father said, sitting on a small square stool, his voice trembling.

My father never smoked before. He sucked the cigarette a few times and immediately choked and coughed. The cigarette fell off.

He picked up the cigarette from the floor, stubbed it out with his right hand, and said, I'm not afraid.

My father's answer surprised the task force of the Cultural Revolution. He was not shot, however, he was locked into a small room and continually commanded to confess. He decided that he would rather die than incriminate himself.

One night he tried to commit suicide by holding a pair of electric power cords in his left hand. His left hand violently flicked and felt burning. The suicide was unsuccessful because of his lack of electrical knowledge. He didn't know it wouldn't kill him unless he held one cord in one hand while he held the other cord with the other hand, causing the current to flow through his body. His ignorance saved his life. The suicide attempt, however, left a permanent irregularly shaped scar on the center of his left palm. After the suicide attempt, my father felt sorry for that he had tried to kill himself. He realized he must stay strong and live for his children, his wife, and his hope.

Two weeks later, when I was about two years old, my father was sent to the countryside to reform through labor, starting his eight-year peasant life.

When I grew older, I learned from my mother that my father's strong body and his ability to adapt and endure hardship helped him survive the intense physical labor in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. On the first day of his eight-year peasant life, my father was assigned to pick up one-hundred and thirty pounds of wheat seeds from a farm six miles away, using a shoulder pole and a pair of baskets. A couple of strong villagers who were assigned the same task thought my father could not make it, since they knew my father had been an intellectual and had no experience with such physical labor. My father, to their surprise, was the second person to return. At that time, he was unfamiliar with the skill of switching the shoulder pole from one shoulder to another on the way. To save time, he didn't switch it at all and didn't even stop to take a rest. His strength and spirit impressed the villagers and won their respect and friendship. My father soon became capable at all kinds of farm work, such as using a simple wooden wheelbarrow to carry large loads, transplanting rice seedlings, making thousands of brooms, and many more strenuous tasks. My father's hands saved him and led him through the dark years. I have heard that many intellectuals committed suicide when they were forced to work in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution.

My father was still working as a peasant at the end of the Cultural Revolutionin 1976as I started elementary school. One day at home, I was reciting some words while my father was doing some housework nearby. My father interrupted me and pointed out that my pronunciation of one word was wrong.

Daddy, that's what my teacher taught me; it should be correct, I said, looking at my father.

Baby, maybe you didn't pay attention to your teacher's pronunciation.  Or, maybe your teacher pronounced it wrong. Double check with him tomorrow, he said and wrote down the pronunciation for me.

To my surprise, my teacher said his pronunciation was wrong and my father's was correct.

Daddy, you are a peasant. How can you read and write? I asked with my eyes wide open, sitting on my father's lap and screwing his sticky and disheveled hair (the peasant population in China was largely illiterate at the time).

My father didn't say a word; he cried. He wiped away his tears with his rough hands, full of thick calluses. It was not until two years later, when my father was rehabilitated and restored to his former position that I knew he used to have smooth hands and teach Chinese in high school.

In the fourth grade, I planned to participate in the first children's essay contest in our city, but it seemed hard to pick a topic. One day, I asked my father for his suggestions while he was reading in his study. He was in his forties, wearing a white shirt and a grayish-blue tie, sitting on a wooden chair in front of his cherry wood bookshelf. The bookshelf occupied a whole wall, filled with books, magazines, and newspapers.

Well, sweetie, let's see.  You love your little catfish and you love your kitten as well. What if your kitten eats your little fish? Do you still love your kitten? my father put down his book and said, teasing.

My eyes lit up, but I didn't know how to answer at the moment. He smiled and patted my head gently with his big and delicate hand.

Use your imagination, my sweetie. You might want to write something about your little fish and kitten and see how it goes, he said, picking up his book.

I nodded. That night I wrote my essay entitled The Little Fish and the Kitten and it won the grand prize because of its novelty, creativity, and the vivid description of a child's psychology. I'm going to be a writer, I thought.

When it was time for me to choose either the Arts Stream or the Science Stream in high school, however, my father didn't encourage me to follow his road. Instead, I entered the Science Stream and three years later started to study medicine in college. I didn't realize the reason behind his concern until I read his memoir and knew about his suffering during the Cultural Revolution. People in the field of arts were much more likely to be attacked and persecuted during that dark period than the people with science backgrounds. I understand that deep in his heart, like most intellectuals of his generation, he was still traumatized by the years of pain he had suffered, even though the Cultural Revolution had been over for about a decade when I began high school.

After finishing his memoir, my father continued to write poems using his left hand and he shared them with other people. He also kept a poetry journal for his grandson, recording the child's growth and emotions.

While studying in the U.S., I went back to China to visit my father in June 2011. He seemed to feel that his time with us wouldn't be long. He insisted on going with my brother to pick me up at the airport when I arrived and on going to the airport again when I departed.

Dad, you take care. I have to go, I said and hugged my father, who was sitting in the front passenger seat of my brother's car, his hair gray and dry, his face smelling of the fresh scent of a familiar soap.

You take care too, daughter. I wish  next time I can come with your brother to pick you up again, he said slowly, his left handwith brown spots and bulging veinsholding my hands for a long time.

Five months later, he was taken to an emergency room and diagnosed with late-stage cancer.

Three weeks before my father passed away, he left a note in his study for my brother. My brother discovered the note the next day; he had to hold back his tears and not cry.

On the note, my father wrote, Please don't cry. Let me go. Donate my body unconditionally for medical research. If my body has no value for medical research, cremate it immediately, and don't save the ashes. In the Chinese tradition, people rarely want to donate their bodies for medical research, and, they usually want to have their ashes saved.

It took my father almost two hours to write the note. His left hand was too weak to write, but he felt he must get it done while his mind was still clear. In China, doctors allow elderly cancer patient's families to decide if they want to tell the diagnosis to the patient. Almost every family chooses not to tell; they believe it's the best way to help their loved ones keep confidence and look forward to recovering.

The diagnosis had been kept secret from my father. From his note, however, we realized he knew in his heart and he was just pretending not to know. My father's note turned out to be his final written words, written with his left hand.

The other night I dreamed of my father: his hands were holding my hands; he was smiling at me and saying, Daughter, write if you want. Follow your little fish and kitten ......

Although my father and I can no longer hold hands with one another, everyday I feel he has been looking at me from heaven. His spirit has passed from his hands to my hands, helping me sing and dance on the world stage ......

(Originally written in June 2012, one month after my father passed away in China)



 Fathers Hands - CBA7 -  (wenxuecity.com)

 Fathers Hands - CBA7 -  (wenxuecity.com)
The Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) has developed a protocol for those injured by the COVID jabs called I-RECOVER, which you can download from covid19criticalcare.com in several different languages

Were now finding the COVID shots have negative efficacy, meaning, if you have received the shot and are exposed to COVID, you are more likely to get sick, not less likely, compared to someone who is unvaccinated

Data also show highly vaccinated and boosted nations are now experiencing record case and death rates from COVID compared to countries with low injection rates

Raw data from the Pfizer trial also show the shots were associated with an increased risk for death from the start, and both Pfizer and the FDA knew it

COVID-19 is clearly no longer an emergency. The real emergency now is the continued use of the COVID vaccines, because theyre creating injuries on a level that is truly alarming and unprecedented. VAERS data reveal the COVID jabs have caused more harm in 18 months than all other vaccines on the market, combined, over the past three decades

Despite 500,000 potentially losing their lives to these shots (theyve caused more harm in 18 months than all other vaccines combined over 30 years), patients injured by the COVID jab repeatedly report receiving no help. Finally, heres a treatment, and you can download it now.

In the Tea Time episode above, Drs. Pierre Kory and Paul Marik review the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) protocol for those injured by the COVID jabs. They also discuss whats in the shots, their lack of safety and efficacy, adverse events, and the controversial issue of shedding.

Kory and Marik are both part of the FLCCC, which was founded in 2020 to share early treatment protocols for COVID-19. Kory is an ICU specialist, triple board certified in internal medicine, critical care and pulmonary medicine. He now runs a private tele-health practice specializing in the treatment of COVID-19, so-called long-COVID and vaccine injuries.

Marik is one of the most-published ICU specialists in the world, and best known for his vitamin C protocol for sepsis. The FLCCCs protocol for COVID is known as the MATH+ protocol, which has undergone multiple revisions over the course of the pandemic.

Now, as injuries from the COVID jab are stacking up, theyve also added a post-vaccine treatment called I-RECOVER,1 which you can download from covid19criticalcare.com in several different languages.

A Pandemic of Serious Vaccine Injuries

My heart is so broken, I cannot keep quiet anymore, Marik said, choking back tears during a Childrens Health Defense hearing in Ohio where several vaccine injured patients also shared their tragic journeys. This is a humanitarian crisis! These people are suffering. This is real disease.

Patients injured by the COVID jab repeatedly report receiving no help when they go to the hospital. Theres seemingly no help anywhere. This must change. We have to face the fact that we now have an unrecognized epidemic of vaccine injury.

At present, there are no specialized vaccine injury clinics, but eventually, there probably will be. In the meantime, the FLCCC is sharing their I-RECOVER2 protocol with the world, with the hopes that doctors will begin to take those with COVID jab injuries seriously and treat them appropriately.

As noted by Kory, COVID-19 is no longer an emergency. The real emergency now is the continued use of the COVID vaccines, because theyre creating injuries on a level that is truly alarming and unprecedented.

He also cites life insurance data showing historic rises in excess mortality among young people, and those data are supported by vaccine injuries reported to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) as well. According to Kory, estimates suggest some 500,000 Americans may have lost their lives to these shots.

Data also show highly vaccinated and boosted nations are now experiencing record case and death rates from COVID compared to countries with low injection rates.

Whats in the Shots?

The short answer to that question is, we have no idea, and that puts medical professionals in a very precarious position. Since they do not know theyre giving their patients, they cant even make educated recommendations based on the patients medical history, allergies and so on.

While the manufacturers have revealed some of the ingredients  such as mRNA, PEG and nanolipid particles  investigations have discovered things in the shots that arent indicated by the manufacturer. One such ingredient is graphene oxide, which can be seen under an electron microscope, but isnt on the list of ingredients. Other unknown contaminants have also been found.

Whats more, while we know the shots contain mRNA, we have no way of knowing exactly what that mRNA is designed to do, or might accidentally do. As noted by Marik, its been genetically altered, so its not a direct copy of the mRNA found in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but aside from that, we cannot be sure about its makeup.

Marik also points out the Pfizer data shows there are distinct differences in side effects depending on the lot you get. So, all lots are not the same. This basically makes it impossible to make definitive assertions about the ingredients, as any given lot may or may not contain them. The amount of any given ingredient may also vary.

Is the COVID Shot Safe and Effective?

When media and health officials say the shots are safe and effective, what does that actually mean? As noted by Kory, safe and effective is NOT a statement about a scientific conclusion. Theyre neither safe nor effective, he says.

The safe and effective claim is simply propaganda and meets the definition of false information, because the data backing the safe and effective narrative completely ignore the adverse event data.

Kory notes we have documents showing the Department of Health and Human Services paid $1 billion to media companies to advertise the jabs. We also have evidence that first-tier journals are rejecting analyses of injuries. So, theyre very selective about what they publish.

Direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads accounted for $6 billion in spending alone in 2016, which amounted to 4.6 million ads, including 663,000 television commercials, mostly for high-cost biologics and cancer immunotherapies.3 It may be close to $10 billion now as that statistic is 6 years old. We know it is at LEAST $7 billion as the government kicked in $1 billion for COVID propaganda.

Public health agencies have also been very selective about the data they publish in order to protect the narrative. Health agencies in Scotland and the U.S., for example, suddenly stopped publishing data when the trend turned against the COVID shots and ineffectiveness and harms were becoming apparent.

Still, VAERS data reveal these jabs have caused more harm in 18 months than all other vaccines on the market, combined, over the past three decades. Raw data from the Pfizer trial  which were analyzed by experts after Pfizer and the Food and Drug Administration were sued and forced to release them  also show they were unsafe and associated with an increased risk for death from the start, and both Pfizer and the FDA knew it.

According to Marik, Moderna and Pfizer also manipulated their efficacy data to make the shots appear far better than they actually were. Recalculations have found the initial efficacy was actually more like 12%, not 95% as claimed, Marik says.

Negative Efficacy Demonstrated

Not only did the shots fail to live up to their initial claims of effectiveness, but were now finding they even have negative efficacy. As explained by Kory, negative efficacy means that if you have received the shot and are exposed to COVID, you are more likely to get sick, not less likely, compared to someone who is unvaccinated.

According to Kory, negative efficacy is demonstrated in several different data sources, including Walgreens, which created its own COVID tracker database for patients getting their tests and shots at Walgreens. Its data show COVID-jabbed individuals are testing positive for COVID at far higher rates than the unjabbed, and those who got their last shot five months or more ago have the highest risk.

As you can see in the screenshot from Walgreens COVID-19 tracker4 below, during the week of May 31 through June 6, 2022, 24.4% of unvaccinated individuals who got tested for COVID got a positive result. Of those who had gotten just one COVID shot, the positivity rate was 31.6%.

Of those who received two doses five months or more ago, 34.3% tested positive, and of those who received a third dose five months or more ago, the positive rate was 38.5%. Im very, very concerned for those who have been vaccinated and boosted, Kory says.

Data from the U.K. Health Security Agency also show that the boosted now have three to four times higher COVID case rates, compared to the unvaccinated, and this is true for all age groups except children under 18.5,6 Theyre also at greater risk of repeated COVID infections.

Do the COVID Shots Shed?

What about vaccine shedding? Marik admits to being extremely doubtful about the idea of spike protein shedding when he first heard about it, but has since changed his mind. Hes now convinced that it does happen, even though we do not yet fully understand the mechanism behind it.

He cites a study that looked at unvaccinated children of parents who had received the injections. The parents all had an antibody against the spike protein in their noses, and surprisingly, a large percentage of the unvaccinated children did as well. So, somehow, the antibody is getting from the parent to the child, he says.

Another concept that might explain it is that of exosomes. Exosomes are lipid particles that circulate in your blood. Theyre also found in the nose and lungs. If youve received the COVID jab, youre going to have circulating exosomes with spike protein on them, so its not inconceivable that you might spread these exosomes via nasal discharge or even just through breathing. You could exhale these exosomes, Marik says, which are then inhaled [by others].

Kory also points out that in the Pfizer trial, they included a very curious exclusion criteria. Anyone in the same household as someone who had received the shot was excluded from the trial, which suggests they may have been concerned about some sort of transfer or shedding.

Anecdotally, he has also encountered many unvaccinated patients, primarily women, who report severe disruptions to their menstrual cycles after coming into close contact (although not necessarily intimate contact) with someone who had recently received the jab.

Post-Jab Avalanche of Rare Diseases

Regardless of where the spike protein comes from  the virus itself, the shot or close contact shedding  its clear it can have wide-ranging adverse effects. The jab itself, however, is the most problematic, as your body is continuously producing this toxic protein, and we still dont know if that production ever shuts off.

As previously predicted, were now starting to see a rapid rise in a number of conditions, including previously very rare ones. Among them, hepatitis among young children, appendicitis and several rare forms of cancer, some of which are extremely aggressive and fast-moving.

Post-jab cancer proliferation is not all that surprising, as several of the mechanisms of the jabs degrade your immune function, and your immune system is your first line of defense against all disease, including cancer.

In late 2021, Dr. Ryan Cole, a pathologist, reported seeing a 20-fold increase in endometrial cancer, as well as a massive uptick in autoimmune diseases.7 (Not surprisingly, hes now accused of misdiagnosing two patients with cancers they never had in order to support a false claim.8)

According to Kory, post-jab cancer proliferation is not all that surprising, as several of the mechanisms of the jabs degrade your immune function, and your immune system is your first line of defense against all disease, including cancer.

Marik also points out that the spike protein is profoundly toxic in and of itself as well, and interferes with cancer suppressing genes. So, theres no doubt that the spike protein causes an increase in the risk of cancer, he says. The problem is, what do you do about it? How do you get rid of the spike?

Two Strategies to Eliminate Spike Protein

Marik and Kory believe there may be ways to boost the immune system to allow it to degrade and eventually remove the spike from your cells. One of the strategies they recommend for this is TRE (time restricted easting), which stimulates autophagy, a natural cleaning process that eliminates damaged, misfolded and toxic proteins.

In many ways Marik is a fairly rigid conventional physician who is simply unaware of many effective therapies natural physicians use. One major omission he is unaware of is sauna therapy. This is especially true when combined with TRE, as it will radically increase autophagy and heat shock proteins which will address the prion like diseases recently reported with COVID jabs and as predicted last year by MIT research scientist Stephanie Seneff.

Infrared saunas are clearly the best saunas out there as I detail in my epic article on sauna earlier this year. One of the primary reasons is the increase in mitochondrial melatonin.

Ivermectin also binds to the spike protein, thereby facilitating its removal. As noted by Marik, the best advice is to avoid the spike protein in the first place. Dont take the COVID jab, and if you get COVID-19, treat it early and aggressively.

The spike protein is toxic regardless of whether it comes from the natural infection or the injection. Early and aggressive treatment will lower your spike protein load, thereby reducing your risk of long-COVID.

Kory stresses that, at present, they still do not know the exact correct dose for ivermectin. When prescribed for long-COVID and vaccine injury, he monitors the patient and adjusts the dosage based on individual response. That said, he typically starts patients out at a mid-range dose of 0.3 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight, daily.

Now, hes noticed that when it comes to ivermectin, there are responders and nonresponders. It works exceptionally well for some, while benefits are negligible in others. That said, a majority of patients do tend to experience a benefit. The length of treatment is also highly variable.

As for safety, its been used for over 50 years9 and has a remarkably robust safety profile. We now also have a large-scale Brazilian study in which patients received ivermectin for four days every month for six months. Curiously, not only was COVID incidence dramatically reduced, but kidney and liver function actually improved with this treatment. Marik also dismisses claims that ivermectin can be harmful to your liver, saying its actually used to treat fatty liver disease.

So, overall, we have not seen a safety signal  with long-term use, Kory says. Some of that is published data, and some of it is just our experience with treating patients. Marik adds, Its one of the safest medications  even when taken in high doses appropriately.

FLCCC Vaccine Injury Protocol: First Line Therapies

The full first line protocol for vaccine injury is as follows. Keep in mind, however, that the treatment must be individualized to the symptoms of each patient. As explained by Marik, the patients response will determine future treatment and adjunct therapies. These are not symptom specific but rather listed in order of importance:10

FLCCC Second Line Therapies for Vaccine Injury

Adjunctive and/or second line therapies in the FLCCCs vaccine injury protocol are:

Examples of third line therapies and other potential remedies include hyperbaric oxygen therapy, whole body vibration therapy, cold hydrotherapy, nutraceuticals such as dandelion and broccoli sprout powder and carbon 60 (C60 fullerenes). For the full list, see the I-RECOVER Post-Vaccine Treatment Protocol12 available on covid19criticalcare.com.13

Originally published June 18, 2022 on Mercola.com

Sources and References
A man checks his phone in an Apple retail store in Grand Central Terminal, in New York City, on Jan. 29, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Apple Store Workers in Maryland Become Companys 1st in US to Unionize

Workers at an Apple store in a Baltimore suburb have voted to join a union, making theirs the first of the companys more than 270 U.S. stores to unionize.

More than 100 workers in Towson, Maryland, have overwhelmingly voted to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, or IAM, the union said in a statement.

An initial tally of the vote by Towson employees was 6533. Voting had begun on June 15 and concluded on June 18.

The employees will be part of a trade union that represents more than 600,000 active and retired members in North America, in aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, health care, automotive, and other industries.

We did it Towson! We won our union vote! Thanks to all who worked so hard and all who supported! organizers said in a Twitter post late on June 18. Now we celebrate with @machinistsunion. Tomorrow we keep organizing.

I applaud the courage displayed by CORE members at the Apple store in Towson for achieving this historic victory, said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. in a statement. They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election.

I ask Apple CEO Tim Cook to respect the election results and fast-track a first contract for the dedicated IAM CORE Apple employees in Towson, he added. This victory shows the growing demand for unions at Apple stores and different industries across our nation.

The National Labor Relations Board needs to certify the votes.

The newly formed union is called the Apple Coalition of Organized Retail Employees, or AppleCORE.

In an open letter to Cook in May, the employees explained their unionizing efforts.

This is something we do not [do] to go against or create conflict with our management. Rather, we have come together as a union because of a deep love of our role as workers within the company and out of care for the company itself, the Towson organizers said.

To be clear, the decision to form a union is about us as workers gaining access to rights that we do not currently have.

They also asked Cook to not engage in an anti-union campaign to dissuade employees and to voluntarily recognize the union so that all parties can begin working together as equals in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration.

Apple, in a statement to CNN Business on June 15, said that it is pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits for full-time and part-time employees, including health care, tuition reimbursement, new parental leave, paid family leave, annual stock grants and many other benefits.

We are fortunate to have incredible retail team members and we deeply value everything they bring to Apple, the statement said.

Last month, Apple announced that it would raise its starting wage to $22 per hour from $20.

Apple workers at a store in Atlanta had been seeking to unionize before they withdrew their request last month.

Other Apple stores, including in Louisville, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee, have also been in the process of organizing a union vote, NBC News reported.

Unionization efforts have been gaining momentum at some large U.S. corporations, including Amazon and Starbucks.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, recipient of the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom during the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation's ceremony in his honor, at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 28, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Arrest of 90-Year-Old Catholic Cardinal in Hong Kong Signals Beijings Increasing Persecution: Former US Ambassador

Hong Kongs arrest of 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen in May signals Beijings growing oppression of religious freedom in Hong Kong amid its widening clamp down on freedoms in the financial hub, according to Andrew Bremberg, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Hong Kong police on May 11 arrested 90-year-old Zen, former head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, along with four other pro-democracy figures allegedly linked to a fund supporting Hong Kong protesters. The arrests were made under the citys national security law, which was imposed by Beijing in June 2020 and has been used to quash dissent in the city.

In several months leading up to his arrest we saw in state media outlets repeated, increased mentions of the [Chinese Communist] Partys concern about the influence that religion was having, Bremberg said in an interview on NTD, an affiliate of The Epoch Times.

This was laying the groundwork for greater crackdowns and arrests, he added.

Zen has long been an advocate of religious and civic freedoms in Hong Kong and mainland China and has spoken out against the communist regimes growing authoritarianism, including its imposition of the national security law and the persecution of Roman Catholics in China.

Bremberg, president of the Washington-based advocacy group Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, said the allegations against Zen were an excuse used by the Chinese regime to detain him.

The Chinese Communist Party can create whatever pretext it wants, as an excuse for any individuals arrest. Weve seen this across the board, he said.

Beijings religious oppression in Hong Kong today was an inevitability, according to Bremberg.

As part of the CCPs broader crackdown on Hong Kong, the destruction of democracy and self-governance in Hong Kong, it obviously now leads to greater religious oppression, he said.

Bremberg noted that communist regimes have a history of arresting and harassing prominent religious leaders.

Throughout the last 100 years of communist regimes weve seen religion, churches and other religious figures have always been viewed as a threat to communism, he said.

The advocate pointed to historical examples of prominent religious leaders arrested by the Soviet regime in Central and Eastern Europe.

He singled out the case of Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty, the highest Catholic official in Hungary, who was arrested in 1948 and then sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1956, Mindszenty was released during the Hungarian Revolution. The cardinal later fled to the U.S. embassy in Budapest as Soviet troops entered Hungary to crush anti-communist protests. He stayed inside the embassy grounds until 1971 before being exiled to Vienna.

Americans should be concerned about Zens arrest, Bremberg said.

Religious liberty has always been a bedrock of the American way of life, he said, pointing out that the founding of the United States stems from immigrants coming to the United States from Europe seeking the freedom of belief.

Crackdowns on religious liberty are frequently the first sign of increasing persecution and totalitarianism and violations of human rights across the board by any regime, he added.
The Aboriginal Flag is seen flying during the NAIDOC March. tek of July each year. NAIDOC Week. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Australian Aboriginal Flag to Fly on Sydney Harbour

The Aboriginal flag will have a permanent spot on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with the NSW state government committing $25 million (US$17.3 million) to install a third flagpole by the end of the year.

Flying the Aboriginal flag alongside the Australian and NSW state flags was an important gesture towards Closing the Gap, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said about the 2022/23 budget announcement.

Our Indigenous history should be celebrated and acknowledged so young Australians understand the rich and enduring culture that we have here with our past, Perrottet said in a statement on Sunday.

Installing the Aboriginal flag permanently on the Sydney Harbour Bridge will do just that and is a continuation of the healing process as part of the broader move towards reconciliation.

The flagpoles are about 20 metres high, the same as a six-storey building, while the flags require an attachment strong enough to withstand all weather conditions.

Transport for NSW and Aboriginal Affairs will engage with key Aboriginal stakeholders about the project.

Meanwhile, the state government has also committed $37.9 million to improve before and after school care services and $206 million towards a sustainable farming program.

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said the landmark program would reward farmers who voluntarily reduce their carbon emissions and protect biodiversity.

The Perrotet government is due to hand down its 2022-23 state budget this week.

Perrottet, Treasurer Matt Kean, and Planning Minister Anthony Roberts will make a budget announcement in northwest Sydney later on Sunday morning.
Babies as Young as 6 Months Could Get COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines From Tuesday

After the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months of age, those children could get the shots as early as Tuesday, June 21.

The CDC on Saturday signed off on giving both Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA vaccines to infants and children between 6 months and 5 years. It came after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel unanimously voted to authorize the use of the vaccines.

Because June 20 is the recently created Juneteenth federal holiday, officials in some U.S. municipalities released press releases saying that very young children can receive the vaccines Tuesday.

For example, officials in Santa Clara Countylocated in Californias Bay Areasaid on June 17 that officials will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 6 months to 5 years old beginning Tuesday, June 21, assuming the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides final approval and vaccine supplies arrive as scheduled.

Earlier this month, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White Houses COVID-19 response coordinator, suggested that after the FDA and CDC advisory meetings, shipments of the first 10 million doses would start this weekend.

We expect that vaccination will begin in earnest as early as June 21 and really roll on throughout that week, Jha told reporters.

The FDA Friday authorized the Moderna vaccine for children aged six months to five years as well as Pfizers shot for children aged six months to four years. Pfizers vaccine is already authorized for children over the age of five.

After the authorizations were handed down, President Joe Biden said that in the coming week, parents will be able to start scheduling appointments at places like pediatricians offices, childrens hospitals, and pharmacies to obtain the mRNA shots.

Appointments will ramp up as more doses are shipped out, and in the coming weeks, every parent who wants a vaccine will be able to get one, Biden said in a statement As the vaccination program ramps up, Vaccines.gov will be live next week with vaccine availability and appointments increasing throughout the week.

Its not clear how many parents will actually have their young children and infants receive the shot. According to federal data, only about 29 percent of children aged 5 to 11 are considered fully vaccinated after the Pfizer vaccine was authorized in October 2021 for the age group.

Meanwhile, sporadic polls targeting parents of young kids suggest that the vast majority of parents of young children dont want their kids to receive the shots. Last month, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey revealed that only 18 percent of American parents with kids in that age group are planning on vaccinating their children.

A slew of studies and data has shown that children and young children have by far the lowest COVID-19 mortality rates of any age group, with elderly people and immunocompromised individuals having the highest. And in March, the CDC quietly removed about 25 percent of COVID-19 deaths among individuals younger than 18 as some doctors have sounded the alarm about giving the vaccines to the youngest children.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Carrie Lam said the epidemic prevention measures for mainland and overseas are completely different, no foreseeable customs clearance in the short term. (Song Bilong/ The Epoch Times)

Carrie Lam Acknowledged No Foreseeable Traveller Clearance to Mainland in the Short Term

Hong Kong government has been following the Zero-COVID policy from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has caused a tremendous impact on the citys economy.

Outgoing Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has been trying in her tenure to communicate with the mainland for the resumption of normal traveller clearance between Hong Kong and mainland. But until leaving office, she acknowledged that Hong Kongs pandemic prevention policy is midway between mainland and international countries, there isnt any foreseeable traveller clearance to mainland in the short term.

In her last question-and-answer session in Legislative Council, on June 9, Lam was asked about suggestions for the next leader to deal with the next wave of epidemic and strive for customs clearance. Lam said most government experts are not worried about the epidemic, because Hong Kong has established protective barriers to effectively reduce serious cases through natural infections and vaccination.

Lam said there are great challenges in the resumption of normal traveller clearance with mainland China, because the epidemic prevention theories and measures for mainland and oversea are completely different, and Hong Kong is in the middle of the two. She said that according to the basis of discussion with the mainland from September to December last year (2021), the possibility of traveller clearance will not be possible in the short term.

To achieve the normal traveller clearance to the mainland, Hong Kong government also introduced a mandatory LeaveHomeSafe app to track individual whereabouts, and the Hong Kong health code system for connection with the health code from the mainland.

Lam said on the Hong Kong TV program on June 11, 2022, that she looked forward to how the new leader will expedite the above issue with mainland authorities.

With the cancellation of entry restriction by most of other countries, Hong Kong is still maintaining a 7-day quarantine measures. Lam admitted she was worried about the citys international metropolitan status would be affected, but she needs to learn the relaxation of entry measures from Beijings views.

Regarding the issue of traveller clearance to China prior to overseas, Lam said if it will take a long time to settle the issue with the mainland, then Hong Kong needs to evaluate how long it can accept the current difficulties, for people from outside the city to come to Hong Kong.

As the Zero-COVID policy from the CCP has caused a serious impact on Hong Kongs economy, the business and financial organizations in Hong Kong have put pressure on the government to relax entry restriction.

Sally Wong Chi-ming, CEO of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association, recently said that Hong Kongs financial industry is hit severely by the immigration quarantine policy, if it keeps on maintaining the policy, it might pull down Hong Kongs connection and competition status on international market.

David Hui Shu-cheong, an expert consultant to the Hong Kong government, said that there are conditions for traveller clearance to other countries, the period for hotel quarantine can be shortened or even changed to home quarantine, like Singapore and other countries. But the external customs control can not be too relaxed if the traveller clearance to mainland is a top priority, for the mainland is still maintaining a Zero-COVID policy.

Since the CCP opened up the individual visit scheme of mainland residents to Hong Kong and Macau in 2003, Hong Kongs tourism, retail and other industries have begun to rely on mainland tourists.

According to data from the Hong Kong government, tourism is one of the main pillars of the citys economy. In 2018, mainland tourists accounted for nearly 80 percent of the total number of tourists, which contributed about 4.5 present of Hong Kongs GDP and 6.6 percent of employment in the tourism industry. After the outbreak of the epidemic, both Hong Kong and China implemented strict entry policy, the number of tourist visiting Hong Kong decreased from 43.77 million in 2019 to 65,000 in 2021.

The restriction of traveller clearance has not only impacted Hong Kongs tourism industry, but also badly hit the retail industry that relies on tourists. The 30-year-old snack food franchise Ahi Ichiban announced the closure of its business earlier this month. A company spokesman said they decided to close up shops, due to the large number of tourists that were lost after the outbreak of the epidemic and the resumption of normal traveller clearance between Hong Kong and mainland is indefinite.
Chinas Zero-COVID Policy Driving Foreign Investors to Other Countries: Attorney

The Chinese regimes stringent zero-tolerance policy toward COVID-19 has scared foreign investors away from China, according to international law attorney Dan Harris.

The way China handled COVID-19 scared the heck out of a lot of people, Harris, founder of law firm Harris Bricken and co-editor of China Law Blog, recently said in an interview with NTD news, an affiliate of The Epoch Times.

Theyre terrified. They see whats happening in China. And they worry, and many of them believe things are only going to get worse, even much worse, he added.

He referred to one of his clients who had two factories in China, saying, they have not gotten a single product since January.

Analysts at Japanese bank Nomura estimate that 26 Chinese cities were implementing full or partial lockdowns or other COVID-19 measures as of May 23, accounting for 208 million people and 20.5 percent of Chinas economic output.

After more than two months of heavy restrictions, the financial hub of Shanghai lifted its lockdown on June 1 but in Harriss opinion, disruption to manufacturing would persist as China is not going to change its zero-COVID policy for political reasons and medical reasons.

As a result, given the long-term risks associated with such a policy, quite a lot of companies have been looking for other destinations such as Vietnam and India, the attorney said.

For most of them, its difficult. For some of them, its impossible. And for many small companies, the cost of leaving is just very high relative to their revenues, Harris said.

Even though Vietnam has advantages over China given its lower rate of intellectual property theft, fewer employee problems, and lower overall costs, Harris pointed out that companies looking to the Southeast Asian country still face numerous challenges.

Vietnam does not have the same infrastructure as China, Harris said. It doesnt have the same logistics as China.

A lot of companies that move into Vietnam still need to get components from China, and shipping components from China to Vietnam increases costs, he added.

Thats why there is no country thats perfect for every company.
In this file photo, people attend the Leimert Park Rising Juneteenth celebration to mark the end of slavery, in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 19, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Concerts, Parades Celebrate Juneteenth in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELESA parade in Inglewood, a classic music and dance festival in the Crenshaw district, a celebration in Culver City and concert at the Hollywood Bowl were scheduled for June 19 to mark Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.

Slavery did not fully end in the United States until more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863. Enforcement of President Abraham Lincolns proclamation generally relied on the advance of Union troops, and word did not reach Galveston, Texas until June 19, 1865.

In September 2020, then-president Donald Trump proposed establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. It officially became a holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed legislation into law.

The third annual Juneteenth Drive-Thru Parade started at 11:15 a.m. at Inglewood High School. The Los Angeles Rams served as the parades grand marshal with their cheerleaders and mascot Rampage leading the parade with the Vince Lombardi Trophy in hand. The Rams provided Rams-branded car flags to attendees.

A Freedom Fest with music, food vendors and games will run through 5 p.m. on Grevillea Avenue near Inglewood City Hall.

Juneteenth: A Classical Music and Dance Festival began at noon at the Lula Washington Dance Theater in the Crenshaw district. The festival will include music, dance and a reading of Gwendolyn Brooks poem Primer for Blacks.

Culver City is hosting what it is billing as a special event in celebration of Black music, spoken word and dance from 1-6 p.m. at The Culver Steps with Aloe Blacc, Will Gittens, and the Benkadi African Drummers among the performers.

Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom at 4:30 p.m. at the Hollywood Bowl will feature performances by Khalid, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Roots, Chaka Khan, Lucky Daye, Robert Glasper, Billy Porter, Mary Mary, Anthony Hamilton, Michelle Williams, Mickey Guyton, and the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.

Thomas Wilkins and Derrick Hodge will lead the Re-Collective Orchestra, the first performance by an all-Black symphony orchestra in the Hollywood Bowls 100-year history. Musical direction for the night will be provided by Adam Blackstone and Questlove.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundations 50/50 Raffle for Sundays game against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium will be dedicated to the California Funders for Boys & Men of Color Southern California.

The organization describes itself as aligning the resources, networks and voices of Californias foundations with the goal of improving opportunities for African American, Latino, Asian Pacific Islander, and Native American boys and young men.

In San Diego County, the Surfrider Foundation hosted its Juneteenth community barbecue at 9:00 a.m. with a Paddle for Peace, yoga and surf lessons, a beach cleanup and food. La Jolla Shores, 8300 Camino Del Oro.

At noon, The La Mesa Juneteenth and Friends 2022 celebration kicked off at MacArthur Park, featuring food, art, music, history, dance, crafts, and family fun.

Juneteenth is a day to reflect on both bondage and freedoma day of both pain and purpose, Biden declared in his proclamation declaring Sunday as the Juneteenth Day of Observance. It is, in equal measure, a remembrance of both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation, as well as a celebration of the promise of a brighter morning to come.

On Juneteenth, we remember our extraordinary capacity to heal, to hope, and to emerge from our worst moments as a stronger, freer, and more just nation. It is also a day to celebrate the power and resilience of Black Americans, who have endured generations of oppression in the ongoing journey toward equal justice, equal dignity, equal rights and equal opportunity in America.
A mobile phone displaying the logos for Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok in front of a monitor showing the flags of the United States and China on an Internet page, in Beijing, on Sept. 22, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Elon Musk Calls Out TikTok Over Civilization Risk

Elon Musk recently questioned whether the short video app TikTok is leading to the collapse of civilization, following a new report that alleged the China-owned platform had obtained private U.S. user data.

Is TikTok destroying civilization? the billionaire said on June 17 via Twitter. Some people think so, his post reads, offering no further explanation.

The remarks came after leaked audio from more than 80 internal meetings showed employees of TikToks Beijing-based parent company ByteDance have repeatedly accessed nonpublic data about U.S. TikTok users in China, according to Buzzfeed. It said the recordings include 14 statements from nine employees who indicated engineers had access to U.S. user data at the very least for five months between September 2021 and January 2022.

Although the company has also previously claimed that it does not share user information with Beijing, and has a world-renowned U.S.-based security team to decide who can access this data, evidence shows employees had to turn to colleagues in China to decide how user data would flow.

U.S. staff did not have permission or knowledge of how to access the data on their own, the Buzzfeed report reads, citing tape recordings. Shortly before, TikTok announced that it had completed migrating its American user data to U.S.-based servers at Oracle, a move that could address U.S. regulatory concerns over data integrity on the popular short video app.

Counting the United States as its largest market, TikTok has more than 1 billion active users globally. Washington has been scrutinizing app developers over the personal data they handle, especially when it involves U.S. military or intelligence personnel.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Or perhaps social media in general  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 18, 2022

Musk later posted that perhaps it is social media in general that poses the risk to civilization.

He called censorship on Twitter a civilization risk in April. While negotiating a $44 billion buyout of Twitter, Musk has said his offer is about the future of civilization, not for profit.

The billionaire, who used to stay out of politics, has also declared his concerns over Twitters apparent left-wing political bias.

When asked on Twitter last month about his intentions in wading into political controversy, the founder and chief engineer of SpaceX mentioned civilization again, in the context of what he called woke progressive policies.

Unless it is stopped, the woke mind virus will destroy civilization and humanity will never reach Mars, Musk responded.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to members of the media as Gen. Glen VanHerck, Commander of United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, and Canadian Minister of National Defence Anita Anand look on at the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station facility in Colorado Springs, Colo., on June 7, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Expectations High as Canada Prepares to Reveal Plan for Aging North American Defences

OTTAWAExpectations are high as Defence Minister Anita Anand prepares to unveil the federal governments plans to upgrade North Americas aging defences, whose importance has only grown in the aftermath of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The announcement at an Ontario air force base on Monday morning comes amid numerous warnings from U.S. and Canadian military officials and experts about the state of Norad, the shared earlywarning defence network thats badly showing its age.

Anand has been promising a robust package of investments for upgrading the system, which was first established in the 1950s and is responsible for detecting incoming airborne and maritime threats to North America, including missiles and aircraft.

Those promises were reiterated earlier this month when Anand and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Norad headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., though neither offered any specific details at that time.

The Liberal government has only said that some of the $8 billion in new military funding in Aprils federal budget will be spent on Norad, which is expected to include a new longrange radar system capable of detecting threats coming over the Arctic.

Anand also said last month that the government was weighing whether Canada should finally join the U.S. in actively defending against intercontinental ballistic missiles, after Ottawa famously opted out of the controversial program in 2005.

Yet all of that to this point has been largely talk from the Canadian side as the U.S. has pressed ahead on several fronts  including with new missile interceptors and artificial intelligence to merge data from a variety of different sources to detect an attack.

Anand has instead said discussions have lingered on the threat of longrange missiles and the importance of four key principles: situational awareness, command and control, research and development and an understanding of potential threats to North America.

There have been questions about how much the entire effort will cost. Most experts predict the price tag will be in the billions, with Canada on the hook for 40 per cent of the total.

The lack of concrete Canadian action has not gone unnoticed in Washington, said University of Manitoba associate professor Andrea Charron, one of Canadas top experts on Norad. That is especially true in light of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

They need Canada to do certain things, Charron said. And whereas before they could be patient and say: Okay, itll come, I think theyre at the end of their patience.

That growing impatience has been illustrated by several highlevel visits by U.S. officials to Ottawa, Charron said, as well as during congressional hearings in Washington.

When asked about Canadas involvement in continental defence during one such hearing in March, Norads commander, U.S. Gen. Glen VanHerck, said Ottawa was in the decisionmaking process, adding: I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

VanHerck had previously said during a visit to the Canadian capital in November that he was awaiting political direction on Norad modernization, including what to do with a string of 1980sera radars in Canadas Arctic known as the North Warning System.

Last summer, thendefence minister Harjit Sajjan and U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin issued a statement in which they committed to several priority areas, including maintaining the North Warning System until a new longrange radar system can be built.

Canadian defence firms were briefed earlier this year about plans to build an overthehorizon system that could detect threats approaching North American cities from over the Arctic. The radar, to be based in southern Canada, is expected to cost $1 billion.

Retired general Tom Lawson, who was Norads deputy commander before serving as Canadas chief of the defence staff from 201215, said replacing the North Warning System is one of several areas of continental defence in need of investment.

But at this point in time, he said, any movement would be welcome after so many years of talk.

If we get an announcement that adds $1 billion or $2 billion in investment over the coming five years, Im a happy man.

By Lee Berthiaume
Processed cheese brand Velveeta is getting weird, y'all. First, in November 2021, they launched their rebranding and ad campaign, "La Dolce Velveeta," which, according to AdWeek, set out

to pivot Velveeta from a cheese-adjacent product to a lifestyle brand thanks to a nod to the Italian phrase "the sweet life" and an ad with consumers living their best lives with Velveeta cubed, melted and more.

The ad campaign includes commercials like this one, which "depicts the glamour a Velveeta dish can bring to everyday settings." The commercial highlights people engaged in activities of everyday lifean older woman in a floral dress mowing her grass on a riding lawnmower, a young woman in a bathing cap and swimsuit coverup lounging in a lawn chair inside a blow-up pool in her backyard, a group of young adults eating dinner in their living room.

As the camera pans in closer, you see that in each vignette, folks are enjoying Velveeta products. The woman on the riding mower holds a martini glass filled with Velveeta Shells & Cheese; the woman in the pool daintily eats Shells & Cheese out of a bowl with a tropical umbrella toothpick, and one woman at the dinner party pours melted Velveeta out of a silver teapot into a china teacup on a platter while another sips the cheese with her pinky finger held high. According to AdAge, set to the tune of "O Mio Babbino Caro," the "60-second ad depicts the glamour a Velveeta dish can bring to the everyday setting." With the soprano aria soaring in the background, the ad's depiction of a technicolor slice of suburbia is, I have to admit, sort of engaging.

Now they're back with a product I first thought was a joke but, in fact, actually exists. The company recently launched a nail polish collaboration with Nails.INC. It's called "Pinkies Out Polish," and they describe it as a "Creamy Smooth Cheese Scented Nail Polish Duo". For $15 you can buy a pair of polishes one shade is called "La Dolce Velveeta yellow" and the other is "Finger Food red," and both are "inspired by your favorite VELVEETA." The description of the product goes on to warn that "While our polish is cheese-scented, it is (unfortunately) not made of VELVEETA. Please don't eat itthat's what cheesy, melty VELVEETA is for!" (WELL THANK GOODNESS THEY WARNED ME!), and asserts that the nail polish is "Designed to help you live every day PINKIES OUT."

AdWeek provides more insight into the product:

"Velveeta is known for its rich, creamy texture and cheesy, melty goodness, so what better way to bring this to life for our fans than with something equally as rich and creamynail polish," said Kelsey Rice, senior brand communications manager at the Kraft Heinz Company, in a statement. "Our Velveeta Pinkies Out Polish gives pleasure seekers everywhere an irresistible new way to show the world that they are living 'La Dolce Velveeta' by living pinkies out."

It's a tough decision. I mean, summer's here, and my nails (as usual) are bare. Dare I start living La Dolce Velveeta?
Florida's Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo speaks during a press conference at the University of Miami Health System Don Soffer Clinical Research Center in Miami, Florida, on May 17, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Florida Puts Data Over Ideology in Opposing COVID-19 Vaccines for Young Children: States Surgeon General

Florida is defending its decision not to preorder COVID-19 vaccines for young children or vaccinating them, after drawing criticism from the White House.

Did the COVID-19 vaccine trials for kids <5 show a reduction in severe illness? Did the trials show a benefit for those with a prior COVID-19 infection? Is there a benefit for kids with no pre-existing conditions? wrote Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo on Twitter on June 18. Ladapo also serves as the states health secretary.

He added: Florida puts data over ideology. Thats not going to change.

Days earlier, he explained his rationale for not supporting the idea of vaccinating young kids.

From what I have seen, there is just insufficient data to inform benefits and risk in children. I think thats very unequivocal, he said while speaking to reporters in Tallahassee.

In early June, the Biden administration started a preordering system, making available 10 million vaccines for young children to states, Native American tribes, territories, and other entities. On June 16, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Florida is the only state to not preorder the vaccine doses.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference at the University of Miami Health System Don Soffer Clinical Research Center in Miami on May 17, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Also on June 16, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that local doctors and hospitals can get the vaccines, but theres not going to be any state programs that are going to be trying to get COVID jabs to infants and toddlers and newborns.

Our Department of Health has been very clear: The risks outweigh the benefits and we recommend against, DeSantis said.

DeSantis added that young children have practically zero risks of COVID-19 complications, before calling clinical trial data on kids abysmal.

On June 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDAs) advisory panel recommended Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months, following a unanimous vote. The panel said the FDA should give emergency authorization to the two COVID-19 vaccines since the benefits outweigh the risks.

On Friday, the FDA authorized the two COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in children down to 6 months of age.

Before the FDA decision, James Lyons-Weiler, president and chief executive officer of advocacy group Institute for Pure and Applied Knowledge, criticized the FDA for using what he called unreliable and inconsistent data to support the argument for vaccinating young children, based on his analysis published on June 11.

Ashish Jha, White House coronavirus response coordinator, called Floridas decision not to preorder unconscionable, during a briefing on June 17.

The state of Florida intentionally missed multiple deadlines to order vaccines to protect its youngest kids, Jha added. Elected officials deliberately chose to delay taking action to deny Florida parents the choice of whether to vaccinate their children or not.

Disagreement

The White House is also in disagreement with DeSantiss administration over whether the governor had changed his position on how vaccines should be provided to young children.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told McClatchy that DeSantis had reversed course and is now ordering vaccines.

We are encouraged that after repeated failures by Governor DeSantis to order COVID-19 vaccines even after every other state had ordered, the State of Florida is now permitting healthcare providers to order COVID-19 vaccines for our youngest children, Jean-Pierre stated.

In response, DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw took to Twitter to say both Jean-Pierre and McClatchy were spreading disinformation.

The State of Florida is not placing any orders of covid shots for 0-5 year old babies & kids, she wrote. What they have couched as a reversal is actually the Governors steadfast position that the State of Florida does not recommend nor distribute shots for babies. Any healthcare provider that wants the vaccines can obtain them and any parent who wants it for their child can get it.

No state policy change in Florida. The only thing thats changed was the federal government (FDA) issued the EUA [emergency use authorization] for the shots today, Pushaw added. Retract your lies.

The Florida Department of Health also issued an alert saying nothing has changed.

Contrary to disinformation circulating, the vaccine ordering process has not changed in Florida, the announcement said. It said the enrolled providers can order the vaccines directly following the FDA approval on Friday.
Flu Vaccination Rates Dropping in States With Low COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

Attitudes to COVID-19 vaccinations spread to public health perception

Researchers are seeing a divide in adult flu vaccine uptake between states, with low flu vaccination uptake in states that had low COVID-19 vaccination rates, whilst states that had high COVID-19 vaccination have increased flu vaccine uptake.

The study by the University of California suggests that attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations have also spilled over to the publics general health behaviors, demonstrated by the low uptake of influenza in low COVID-19 vaccinated states.

Many Americans who never before declined a routine, potentially life-saving vaccine have started to do so, said the studys lead author Dr. Richard Leuchter, expressing his alarm in the universitys media release.

Though flu vaccination uptakes of adults were polarized amongst different states, ranging from 50 percent to 80, the authors still observed a general negative trend in the publics perception of public health.

Flu vaccination uptake in children also collectively dropped across both the 2019 to 2021 flu seasons, regardless of the state of COVID-19 vaccination.

This supports what I have seen in my clinical practice and suggests that information and policies specific to COVID-19 vaccines may be eroding more general faith in medicine and our governments role in public health.

Researchers compared the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions publicly available data on uptake of the influenza vaccine in 2019prior to the pandemicand during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

States were split into quartiles based on the percentage of their COVID-19 vaccination uptake. The states in the top two quartiles had the highest COVID-19 vaccination uptake whilst the states in the bottom two quartiles constituted the bottom 50 percent for vaccine uptake.

The authors observed that in 2020, even prior to the dispatch of COVID-19 vaccines, there was a slight decline in influenza vaccine uptake for each of the quartiles, but the average percentage for vaccine uptake remained close.

By 2021, after the release of the COVID vaccines, influenza vaccine uptake resulted in a split with the states in the top 2 quantiles for COVID-19 vaccine uptake increasing their influenza vaccine uptake to the highest levels since at least 2010, whilst the bottom two quantiles saw a steep decrease, lower than levels in 2019 and 2018.

The authors suggest that the two polarizing attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccines are influencing polarizing behavior toward other public health measures; those that approved of the COVID-19 vaccines readily took up the influenza annual vaccine, whilst those that declined the COVID-19 vaccines also declined subsequent vaccines.

The authors proposed a belief generalization, giving the example that just like how someone may not wear a mask to signal their beliefs publicly, those that oppose or support the COVID-19 vaccine may feel that they should in turn oppose or support other vaccines.

Though the study did not make any direct associations between specific pandemic policies and promotion of COVID-19 vaccines, it indicated that safety concerns and mistrust of COVID-19 vaccines or government may have been factors associated with the COVID-19 vaccination rates and the decrease in influenza vaccine uptake.

The United States Accountability Office previously called for (pdf) improved transparency in vaccine emergency use authorizations to improve trust in the public health system. Additionally, a 2021 study by the University of Maryland also suggested transparency in clinical trials and policymaking for COVID-19 vaccinations to improve patient trust.
Containers on a shipping dock in the Port of Los Angeles on April 16, 2020. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Global Port Congestion, High Shipping Rates to Last Into 2023: Executives

SINGAPOREGlobal port congestion is set to continue until at least early 2023 and keep spot freight rates elevated, logistics executives said on Wednesday, urging charterers to switch to long-term contracts to manage shipping costs.

Ship delivery times have lengthened amid the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, pushing up freight costs, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict and lockdowns in Shanghai have added to supply chain disruptions this year.

We believe the current congestions, not only the ports but also the landside infrastructure, will be there at least till Q1 2023, said Peter Sundara, head of global ocean freight product for the global logistics division at Visy Industries.

While more vessels could be added to the global fleet next year, this does not mean that freight rates will drop broadly as it depends on how ship carriers allocate increased vessel capacities, he told the S&P Global Platts Bunker and Shipping Summit.

Eric Jin, head of investment support at industrial equipment supplier BMT Asia Pacific, said rising shipping costs, longer transit times, and higher uncertainty will be the new normal for the shipping industry.

Spot chartering rates have held firm so far this year, with supply chain disruptions and port congestion affecting ships globally, particularly in the United States and China.

The executives recommended charterers sign longer-term contracts with shipowners to overcome issues of volatile cost and availability.

Its no longer a case of going for three months or six months, one month, not even one year, but two to three years  because we want certainty in cost and certainty in space, said Sundara.

BMTs Jin said more than 60 percent or 65 percent of shippers were remaining on spot rates.

This means they are not taking measures to deal with the new situation, this means they are prone to full supply chain risks, he added.
The logo for Google LLC at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York, on Nov. 17, 2021. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Googles Russian Subsidiary Submits Bankruptcy Declaration: Ifax

The Russian subsidiary of Alphabets Google has submitted a declaration of bankruptcy, Interfax reported on Friday, citing court filings online.

The subsidiary announced plans to file for bankruptcy in May after authorities seized its bank account, making it impossible to pay staff and vendors.

The Russian authorities seizure of Google Russias bank account has made it untenable for our Russia office to function  Therefore, Google Russia has filed for bankruptcy, a company spokesperson said.

People in Russia rely on our services and well continue to keep free services such as Search, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Android, and Play available.

Russia has restricted access to Twitter and Meta Platforms Inc.s flagship social networks, Facebook and Instagram.

Google and its YouTube video hosting service, though under pressure, remain available for now. Moscow in particular objects to YouTubes treatment of Russian media, which it has blocked.

But Anton Gorelkin, deputy head of the State Duma committee on information policy, said the U.S. company was not yet at risk of being blocked.
Police cars in a parking lot near El Monte Police Department in El Monte, Calif., in February 2021. (Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Gunman in Killing of 2 El Monte Officers Died by Suicide: Coroners Report

A man who allegedly killed two police officers in a June 14 motel shooting in El Monte, California, died at the scene by suicide, the county coroners office reported on June 18.

Justin Flores, 35, died on a sidewalk outside the Siesta Inn near the San Bernardino (10) Freeway, with his cause of death identified as a gunshot wound of the head in the manner of suicide, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroners online records.

The shooting occurred at about 5:10 p.m. on Tuesday at the motel when El Monte Police Department Officer Joseph Santana, 31, and Cpl. Michael Paredes, 42, were responding to a stabbing report, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

Flores allegedly shot Santana and Paredes in a room before running outside into a parking lot, where he exchanged gunfire with other arriving officers and later turned the gun on himself, authorities said.

The two officers were taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where they both were pronounced dead.

The coroners records also show that Santana was killed by a gunshot wound to the head, and Paredes sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the head as his cause of death.

El Monte Police Department Officer Joseph Santana, 31, and Cpl. Michael Paredes, 42, were killed in the line of duty during a motel shooting in El Monte, Calif., on June 14, 2022. (Courtesy of El Monte Police Department)

Floress wife, Diana Flores, told CBS2 on Thursday she was at the motel room with him when the 911 call was made, saying the responding officers were trying to help [her]. She said she tried to warn the officers that Flores had a gun before they went into the room.

Im so deeply sorry, she said. My condolences for saving me.

While the investigation is still ongoing, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has been criticized for his justice system reforms.

With a history of arrests, Flores was charged with methamphetamine possession in 2020, along with being a felon in possession of a weapon and ammunition. He was given a plea deal last year that allowed him to avoid prison time for two of these charges, which were later dropped by Gascons office. Flores was later placed on two years of probation, and 20 days in jail.

I blame the death of my son and his partner on Gascon, Santanas mother Olga Garcia said at a news conference Friday outside police headquarters. Gascon will never know how he destroyed our families.  Crime is so high in California because criminals dont stay in jail long enough. We need to make criminals responsible for their actions. We need law and order.

The District Attorneys Office on June 15 issued a statement saying that the decision was consistent with case resolutions for this type of offense given his criminal history and the nature of the offense since Flores did not have a documented history of violence at the time of sentencing.

A candlelight vigil for the fallen officers was scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. at the El Monte Civic Center.
Implication From Chinas Four Scissors

Commentary

China released a series of May economic data; all are better than expected and some show improvement from the previous month. But a months change right after massive lockdown is certainly not confirming a change of downtrend (to flat or up). Whether there will be a structural change is hard to judge simply from the latest trend. After all, economic data are not market data where technical analysis applies. Although a worsening economy will ultimately mean reverting and bottoming out, it is not easy to tell in advance from individual data series.

However, there could be some hints when related times series are viewed in combinations. From the released headline data for example, the gap between retail sales (RS) and industrial production (IP) growth rates gives the excess demand (with respect to supply). The difference in broad and narrow money (M2, M0) growth rates measure the multiplying effect of repeated deposit creations. The gap between consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) growth rates captures firms profits, while that between exports (EX) and imports (IM) reflects the nations profits from the rest of the world.

For each of these pairs, whenever sign switching happens the Mainlanders term it as scissors where one cuts across the other. It is intuitive that economic outlook is good when these pairs of difference are positive. From the post financial tsunami period shown in the accompanying chart, the first challenge where some of these pairs dipped below the zero line was in 2016. That was an emerging market crisis rehearsal where eye of storm was in Middle East. Although China was mildly affected, some cities had housing crisis and some firms defaulted.

Chinas four pairs of scissors (Courtesy of Law Ka-chung)

The true downturn happened last year when all these pairs fell into the negative zone. That says, both domestic demand (RS-IP) and external demand (EX-MI) were weak, credit was stuck despite money had been strong (M2-M0), thereby firms were unable to pass through costs to buyers (CPI-PPI). These are not easy to turnaround because for each of these pairs only one variable is under control: retail sales (RS) and M2 are market determined which are not easy to boost, while imports (IM) and PPI are externally driven which are even harder to manipulate.

The only better-looking pair from the chart is exports-imports growth gap. Nevertheless, this is not because of strong external demand but weak domestic demand (from overseas): both eased yet imports slowed down much faster to zero than exports. With lockdown measures partly removed, imports growth might pick up which means the gap will dip below zero again. By then, all pairs will reappear in the contraction zone. Regardless of the high growth rate of each individual series compared to other countries, the scissors are telling the ugly truth.

Deleveraging is painful in nature. The worst is when this happens when most countries are monetary tightening at a speed not seen for decades. If easing against the wind, Japan has demonstrated with their currency value depreciating by a quarter. If not, deleveraging will bound to be highly painful.
Taliban fighters stand guard at the site where an explosive-laden vehicle detonated amidst an attack on a Sikh Temple in Kabul, Afghanistan, on June 18, 2022. (Ali Khara/Reuters)

ISIS Claims Attack on Sikh Temple in Kabul That Killed 2

KABULThe ISIS terrorist group claimed an attack on a Sikh temple in the Afghan capital Kabul on June 18. Officials said at least two people were killed and seven were injured in the attack.

On an affiliated Telegram channel, the local branch of ISIS said the attack was in response to insults leveled at Mohammed, the founder of Islaman apparent reference to remarks made by an Indian government spokeswoman.

Gray smoke billowed over the area in images aired by domestic broadcaster Tolo. A Taliban interior spokesman said attackers had laden a car with explosives but it had detonated before reaching its target.

A temple official, Gornam Singh, said there were around 30 people inside the building at the time.

A spokesman for Kabuls commander said one Sikh worshipper had been killed in the attack and one Taliban fighter was killed as his forces took control of the area.

Since taking power in August, the Taliban terrorist group says it has increased security in Afghanistan and removed the country from terrorist threats, although international officials and analysts say the risk of a resurgence in terrorism remains.

ISIS has claimed some attacks in recent months.

The group said a suicide attacker stormed the temple on June 18 armed with a machine gun and hand grenades after killing its guard.

Other terrorists reportedly fought for more than three hours with Taliban fighters who tried to intervene to protect the temple, targeting them with four explosive devices and a car bomb.

The blast on June 18 was widely condemned as one of a series of attacks targeting minorities, with a statement from neighboring Pakistan saying its government was seriously concerned at the recent spate of terrorist attacks on places of worship in Afghanistan.

The U.N.s mission to Afghanistan said in a statement that minorities in the country needed to be protected and Indias President Narendra Modi said on Twitter he was shocked by the attack.

Sikhs are a tiny religious minority in largely Muslim Afghanistan, comprising about 300 families before the country fell to the Taliban. Many have since left, according to members of the community and media.

Like other religious minorities, Sikhs have been a continual target of violence in Afghanistan. An attack at another temple in Kabul in 2020 that killed 25 was also claimed by ISIS.

The June 18 explosion followed a blast at a mosque in the northern city of Kunduz the previous day that killed one person and injured two, according to authorities.
Its Genocide: Family Alleges Ominous Conclusion in Seeking Answers to Their Daughters Death

Eight months after his 19-year-old daughter Grace died in a hospital after having been given a combination of a sedative, an anxiety medication, and morphine, Scott Schara and his family continue to bring attention to why they think she died, and whos responsible.

Their most recent billboard campaign targets St. Elizabeths Hospital in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his daughter with Down syndrome passed.

Hospital staff driving to and from work would have a hard time not seeing the billboards that ask, Was Grace given a lethal combination of meds at St. Elizabeths Hospital? Intentional?  Whos Next?

Others ask, Was Grace labeled Do Not Resuscitate without family consent at St. Es?

Grace died in October 2021, a month after COVID-19 vaccine mandates had been announced by President Joe Biden.

People who didnt want to take the experimental vaccine were being fired, while unvaccinated patients in hospitals were being treated much differently than the vaccinated.

Reports from people such as Anne Quiner in Minnesota painted a picture of medical discrimination and unusual hospital protocols that many, like Quiner, alleged led to the death of their loved ones.

According to Schara, Grace, who, like the rest of her family, was unvaccinated, was admitted to St. Elizabeths for COVID-19 respiratory issues on Oct. 6 but had been recovering when the doctor began giving her a sedative called Precedex.

Schara said there were frequent incidents of discrimination regarding Graces unvaccinated status, and their choice to use other early treatment medications that werent approved by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Grace was on Precedex for four days preceding her last day, Schara told The Epoch Times, despite severe risks associated with being on the drug for longer than 24 hours.

On Oct. 13, the day Grace died, she was givenin addition to the PrecedexLorazepam, and morphine within a 29-minute window, Schara said, even though the package insert for morphine warns against using it in combination with the other two drugs because it can result in death.

With an armed guard standing near the doorway of her room at the hospital, Schara said Graces sister and patient advocate begged nurses she saw in the hallway to revive Grace as their parents watched from Facetime, joining her in their pleas.

There was nothing to be done, a nurse responded because Grace had been coded as Do Not Resuscitate (DNR), a label that Scott said must be legally approved and signed off on by the medical power of attorney, who was Graces mother, Cindy.

The family said this never happened.

Why would we agree to a DNR when we would not only want the doctors to save our daughter at any cost but also the morning of Graces last day, the doctor recommended a feeding tube to start the process of getting Grace home? he asked.

The doctor had told the family, Schara said, that Grace had a good day yesterday; we should work on nutrition, before recommending a feeding tube.

Medical records seen by The Epoch Times show that the DNR order was put into the system eight minutes after a maximum dose of Precedex was administered at 10:48 a.m., on Graces last day, which Schara calls the smoking gun.

She had been on Precedex for four days at this point, then they gave her close to the maximum dose, he said. Eight minutes later, the doctor puts the illegal DNR on her.

According to her death certificate, Grace died of acute respiratory failure with hypoxemia.

Schara said respiratory failure is a direct side effect of using Precedex for more than 24 hours.

Of course, COVID-19 pneumonia is listed as the second cause of death in order for the hospital to receive the killing bonus from the government, he said.

The Schara familys billboard campaign, 2022. (Courtesy of Scott Schara)

We Are in a Spiritual Battle

Since then, Schara said he has continued investigating and has found even more negligence.

To bring attention to what happened, hes been on over 100 media outlets, and has even held a rally with city approval outside of the hospital, he said.

Schara said the family has committed over $300,000 to the campaigns, $225,454 of that is for the billboards they put up through May 2023.

Money is temporary, Schara said. I dont want this to happen to anyone else. We are in a spiritual battle, and people must realize that.

After telling his story to a wider audience, Robin Riley from Newtown, Connecticut, reached out to Schara on Graces website to share her own experience.

Rileys and Scharas stories share many similarities. Riley told The Epoch Times that her daughter with Downs syndrome, 37-year-old Megan, was admitted to a hospital for COVID-19 and put on numerous tranquilizers and Fentanyl, as well as remdesivir.

Megan was also labeled as DNR, which Riley said she had never approved, and didnt know until she got Megans records.

Megan died on Dec. 9, 2021, Riley said.

After discovering that the hospital had put Megan on DNR, Riley said it made her grief worse.

Because they had her on DNR the whole time, I just keep thinking, did the doctors do everything they could to save her? she asked.

Megan Riley, 2021. (Courtesy of Robin Riley)

There Was No Reason to Sedate Her

For Schara, none of this is a coincidence, he said.

For the combination of meds given to Grace, the doctor had to order, a pharmacist had to sign off, the hospital medication alarm had to be overridden, and in Graces case, a 14-year ICU nurse delivered the lethal combination, Schara said.

We were not provided informed consent about the drugs administered to Grace, nor did we know they were being administered in the first place, Schara said. There was no reason to sedate her. There was no reason to give her Lorazepaman anti-anxiety drugwhile she was knocked out from Precedex. There was no reason to give her morphine. The Nuremberg Code was created to ensure people would have informed consent in regard to any medical procedure, and to be able to opt out of such things. St. Elizabeths ignored providing informed consent and they ignored all the warnings in the package inserts.

Schara first thought the hospital protocols leading up to her death were about the hospital getting federal reimbursements; however, now he suspects a motive much worse: hospitals are taking federal funding to enact COVID protocols that were not only killing the unvaccinated but the disabled, he said.

He cited one 2020 study from the UK Office for National Statistics that show that disabled people had made up about three-fifths of COVID-related deaths in England and Wales.

Disabled females between nine and 64 were even more at risk, in comparison with non-disabled females in the same age group, with a rate of death 10.8 times higher, he said.

He cited a 2021 report from the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy that stated that intellectual disability is second to old age as a risk factor for COVID-19 deaths.

In unadjusted analysis, compared with 431,669 patients without intellectual disabilities, the 127,003 patients with intellectual disabilities were more suspectable to hospitalization, intensive care admission, and death, he said.

Hes collected several additional studies and articles that support the theory that the disabled are at higher risk.

Combining that with his own experience, he thinks the disabled with COVID-19 are purposely being murdered.

He points to an article from NPR that tells the story of Melissa Hickson, who claimed a hospital where her quadriplegic husband was admitted for COVID-19 denied him life-saving treatment because of his disability.

The Milgram Experiment

All these reports and studies connect for Schara, implying ominous motives funded not only by money, but blind obedience, he said, alluding to a set of experiments in the 1960s that tested how far a person would go to follow orders.

In the Milgram experiments, these psychologists tested the willingness of the participants in how far they would go to administer electric shock treatment to their peers under orders from an authority figure, Schara said.

The experiments were held at Yale University by Stanley Milgram three months after the start of the trial of German Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.

Milgrams intent of the experiments was to study the psychology of genocide, he explained in his reports.

Death Protocols

Todd Callender, an international lawyer with Disabled Rights Advocates and legal counsel to Truth for Health Foundation, previously told The Epoch Times that the death protocols being enacted in hospitals are passed down hierarchically from the World Health Organization to the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health, using the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act and Health and Human Services authorization to release funding for the declared pandemic that sets the protocols in motion.

From there, hospitals that are federally funded through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) use coding tied to NIH and CDC-written protocols. If those hospitals take that funding, they must follow those protocols, starting with ICD-10 codes (International Classification of Diseases).

According to Callender, the CDC and NIH protocols are based on the WHOs 2005 International Health Regulations which directs each of its 196 signatory countries to cede all sovereign powers to the WHO in the case of a declared health emergency.

The WHO then directs the various state health bodiesin this case, the CDC and NIHon treatment, Callender said. This is why every country is responding in the same way at the same time globally; its a back door to a one-world dictatorial government.

When these protocols are passed down to the hospitals that take funding, under the emergency declaration, patients rights are waived under the CMS COVID waiver program in conjunction with the PREP and CARES Act, giving participating hospitals legal immunity.

Patients admitted for a broken arm can be given a COVID-19 test that will almost always come back positive, then are admitted and put on an IV with a tranquilizer that lowers oxygen levels, which then justifies putting the patient into COVID isolation where the antiviral drug remdesivirwhich Callender called lethalis added to the bag before being moved into the intensive care unit where the patient is then given morphine and fentanyl while being deprived of nutrition, he said.

Everybody talks about their fear of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) death camps, Callender said. Well, theyre already here; theyre called hospitals.

Each of these procedures brings in high federal reimbursements of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, Callender said.

Tom Renz, an attorney with Americas Frontline Doctors and Make Americans Free Againorganizations that oppose unconstitutional federal health mandateshosts his own show on Brighteon TV where he interviewed Schara.

He told The Epoch Times that, because the PREP and CARES Acts have been passed, its made it impossible to sue hospitals because they convey immunity to these hospitals.

Through those acts, weve given hospitals as much immunity as weve given vaccine makers as long as the state of emergency is continuing, he said. And weve got to ask ourselves, why is there still a national emergency?

In addition to immunity, hospitals get federal funding through the CARES Act, which gives a 20 percent increase in reimbursement to hospitals for inpatient stays resulting from COVID-19, Renz said.

The laws are structured in a way that incentivizes hospitals to kill people, Renz said. The hospital makes more money if you die from COVID-19 than if you recover from it. Why dont we incentivize hospitals for getting people cured of COVID?

Renz supports Scharas conclusion that the hospital killed Grace, he said.

Can you imagine watching your daughter die on Facetime, begging the hospital to revive her, and they say, No, we are not going to do that, claiming that they have a DNR that you didnt agree to? he asked. I mean, can you imagine the horror? No person should have to go through that, and weve got to have accountability.

Like Scharas response from the hospital, Riley said the hospital contended that the family agreed to the DNR.

In a Dec. 15 letter to the Schara family, the hospital said that multiple and in-depth discussions and explanations occurred with you, your wife and family in regards to resuscitation and intubation. The medical record documentation on October 13, 2021, reflects additional discussion and confirmation of the family decisions related to resuscitation and intubation interventions should Graces condition deteriorate.

What a bunch of crap, Schara said, reemphasizing that his family never agreed to a DNR.

The doctors only discussed the concept of DNR, Schara said. Why would we agree to a DNR when he just got done telling us that Grace had such a good day yesterday that we should work on nutrition?

St. Elizabeths Hospital did not respond to The Epoch Times request for comment.

Genocide

Theres a pattern, Schara said, that he hasnt been able to ignore.

If I would have listened to me saying these words now seven months ago, I would have thought, at best hes become a conspiracy theorist; at worst: a whack job, he said.

However, too many incidences of negligence have lined up to be a coincidence, he said.

At first I thought this was about money, but its clear to me now that money was used to simply grease the wheels to accomplish a bigger agenda, which, in my opinion, is genocide, he said.
Ryan Kelley, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, speaks to conservative activists outside the Michigan Capitol in Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 8, 2022. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

Michigan Judge Orders GOP Candidate for Governor to Surrender Guns

Michigan Republican candidate for governor Ryan Kelley will have to surrender his guns while he awaits trial on misdemeanor criminal charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach, a judge ruled on June 16.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather made the ruling even as Kelleys attorney argued he needs to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense as he makes campaign appearances in Michigan, local media reported. The judge also said Kelley cant leave the state while awaiting trial and must surrender his passport.

Kelley is a bit of a high-profile candidate in Michigan as recent polls showed that he was the front-runner among GOP gubernatorial candidates, his lawyer, Gary Springstead, said. Kelley, who has a license to carry a concealed weapon, asked that he be permitted to carry his firearm for his own self-defense, during the campaign, Springstead added.

About a week ago, Kelley was arrested in Michigan and charged with participating in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol, federal prosecutors said in a court filing in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The complaint noted that Kelley didnt actually enter the Capitol building on Jan. 6, and instead is being charged with entering and remaining within a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds, knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence against a person or property on restricted grounds, and willfully injuring or committing any depredation against any property of the United States government.

The whole thing with Jan. 6, its another Democrat show trying to do power control, Kelley said at an event last week, MLive reported. They obviously have no real solutions. Look at the price of gas, look at the price of food; we have baby formula shortages.

Michigan Republican Party co-Chairs Ron Weiser and Meshawn Maddock said that Kelleys arrest is proof that top Democrats are weaponizing our justice system to obtain their political goals. Other GOP gubernatorial candidates spoke out about the arrest, echoing Weisers and Maddocks concerns.

Meanwhile, some analysts suggest that Kelleys arrest could actually benefit his campaign. Adolph Mongo, a political consultant who worked for former Democratic Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick while the mayor was under federal investigation, said Kelley should run with the misdemeanor charges.

I would say lean into it, Mongo told MLive. Dont go into hiding, go out on the campaign trail. He can raise a lot of money.
GOP Lawmaker Seeks to Punish Those Responsible for Police K9 Deaths

A Republican lawmaker is seeking to punish the perpetrators of police K9 deaths, and shes also promoting a plan for officers to help get addicts off the streets. Those measures form part of the congresswomans efforts to stand up for law enforcement officers who she says deserve support from Americans, despite the lefts narratives against them.

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) will soon introduce two bills in support of law enforcement, hoping to boost the morale of all law enforcement personnel in the process. The first she calls a K9 protection bill. The bill would allow the federal framework to make the killing of a police K9 a felony, the congresswoman told The Epoch Times.

Each time a canine is lost, Cammack said, its tragic and communities lose their tremendous contribution to keeping drugs and criminals off the streets. A K9s contribution to upholding law and order cannot be matched.

The lawmaker said the second piece of legislation would help marry the work that our law enforcement does in getting drugs off of the streets to how they are addressing the real challenges of addictions that people are facing.

The bill is essentially an opioid amnesty program for individuals who are addicted and hoping to get clean, Cammack explained. Addicts can turn their drugs and themselves in to law enforcement to be placed into a rehabilitation facility without criminal charges. The legislation will be named after Chief Graham of the Ocala Police Department who started a similar program in Ocala, Florida, before he tragically died in a helicopter accident in 2020.

Cammack said her ultimate goal is to help people fighting and battling addiction to rebuild their lives and get clean, adding that this really starts with the law enforcement component. It is also the lawmakers desire to get the community to come behind this particular individual to help bridge the gap and get him or her back on their feet.

Specifically, Cammack said this would also involve helping an individual find work, develop skills, and seek mentorship. She is hopeful the two bills will be introduced later this summer.

Support of Law Enforcement

Cammack said her offices support for law enforcement cannot be overstated. Much of her motivation is spurred on by whats happening across the United States, [specifically] a violent crime rate that is through the roof in both rural and urban America. She added that the opioid and fentanyl crisis is also fueling her support for law enforcement.

And the only way that we are going to stop the lawlessness in our communities is with law and order, said Cammack. Our men and women who wear the badge, theyre the ones who are upholding law and order in our communities.

The lawmaker considers the lefts efforts to defund the police to be ludicrous. Taking the border invasion into account, she said, anyone with common sense call tell you that you cannot protect our hometowns if you cant defend the homeland. She added that upholding law and order is the countrys first and last line of defense.

With support for law enforcement fading in some areas around the country, Cammack said that some officers are feeling an overwhelming sense of dejection, sadness, and frustration.

It all stems from the rhetoric, which has been followed closely by the action, of the ultra-liberal left to defund and dismantle our departments.

This has had a far-reaching impact on the police forces ability to operate effectively, she noted. Sadly, even the pro-law enforcement community doesnt make deputies immune from whats happening around the rest of the country, Cammack said. As a result, the retention rate of some police departments is suffering, she said, adding that in some areas, getting people interested in the profession is like pulling teeth because it has been so marred by the left.
Many are still reeling from the May 24, 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, TX. Since Uvalde, 57 more mass shootings have occurred (up through noon on June 18, 2022), according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting this way: "if four or more people are shot or killed in a single incident, not including the shooter, that incident is categorized as a mass shooting based purely on that numerical threshold."

Given these very real events, it is difficult for me to understand how so many people believe the conspiracy theories positing that this gun violence doesn't exist  that events like Sandy Hook or the Uvalde massacre are "false flag" events filled with "crisis actors" and orchestrated by individuals and groups whose agenda is gun control. And yet, this is exactly what one-fifth of Americans currently believe.

According to research by PolitiFact, false flag conspiracies about mass shootings are not new, and some trace their appearance to 2012, as such conspiracy theories arose in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. PolitiFact explains:

"The way we've been paying attention to it in recent years has really come about from Sandy Hook," said Joseph Uscinski, an associate professor of political science at the University of Miami who researches conspiracy theories. Alex Jones, owner of the site InfoWars and a known peddler of misinformation, suggested that the tragedy was "fake" and that the shooting was a "false flag" attack coordinated by the government. It was plainly untrue, and so incendiary that it got a lot of media attention. And so now, with each shooting, it always pops up that it's a false flag, Uscinski says. Google Trends data indicate that Uscinski has a point. Search queries for the term "false flag" over the past five years have spiked during mass shootings, including those at Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs (November 2015) and the Pulse nightclub in Orlando (June 2016).

These trends have continued since the PolitiFact article was published in 2019, as such theories are no longer peddled only by fringe pundits such as Alex Jones and non-mainstream sites like 4chan and 8chan. Instead, they are spread widely through Facebook and other social media sites by ordinary, everyday people. Micah Sifry explains just how many people believe such theories:

A 2013 poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University found that a quarter of all Americans thought that the facts about Sandy Hook were being hidden, and an additional 11 percent were unsure. Joe Uscinski, a University of Miami political science professor who studies conspiracy theories, tells Williamson that according to his research, as of 2020, one-fifth of all Americans believed that every school shooting was faked. And not just school shootings; Uscinski says virtually all high-profile mass shootings draw this level of doubt.

To help make sense of why so many people believe such theories, New York Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson recently published a book with Dutton entitled Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth. The publisher's description of the book reads:

Based on hundreds of hours of research, interviews, and access to exclusive sources and materials, Sandy Hook is Elizabeth Williamson's landmark investigation of the aftermath of a school shooting, the work of Sandy Hook parents who fought to defend themselves, and the truth of their children's fate against the frenzied distortions of online deniers and conspiracy theorists.

Williamson also just published an article on Slate where she provides an overview of the book, and presents a fascinating look of one of the Sandy Hook deniers she interviewed for the book, a woman named Kelley Watt  one of those "ordinary, everyday people" I mentioned above who stumble upon these conspiracy theories and use their social media platforms to spread their lies.

Here's an excerpt from the article, which I read with a gaping mouth, as each paragraph was more shocking than the next. I can't wait to read the book, which I'm sure is equally horrifying. But it's imperative to understand these political conspiracies, especially when so many people believe them and they cause so much harm.
Former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar addresses the court during the sentencing phase in Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing, Mich., on Jan. 24, 2018. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)

Michigan Supreme Court Rejects Larry Nassars Appeal

By Kim Kozlowski

From The Detroit News

The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday rejected hearing an appeal from serial sex offender Larry Nassar, concluding that the case presented a close question regarding the conduct of Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina during his sentencing.

I just signed your death warrant, Aquilina said at sentencing in January 2018. But in the wake of the court decision, Aquilina said Friday that there were reasons for everything I did.

We are not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this court, according to the high courts opinion.

The justices added that the additional trauma where the questions at hand present nothing more than an academic exercise.

Rachael Denhollander, the woman whose first publicly sexual assault accusation of Nassar brought out hundreds of other accusers, tweeted that the ordeal was behind the victims.

Its over, Denhollander tweeted. Almost six years after I filed the police report, its finally over.

The appeal by Larry Nassar had been based on the conduct of Aquilina during his trial.

Nassars court-appointed lawyer was not available. But Jonathan Sacks, director of the State Appellate Defender Office, said lawyers in his office were reviewing the order.

We are gratified that the entire Michigan Supreme Court expressed concern about the conduct of the judge, Sacks said.

Aquilina said her sentence was not predetermined, and it was the lowest sentence for the seven counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct, which carry life sentences, to which he pleaded guilty. His plea agreement set sentencing to 25 and 40 years in prison on the low end and life in prison on the high end.

Aquilina said she was happy that the more than 150 women who gave victim impact statements in her courtroom over seven days of testimony in 2018 may be able to put this behind them.

Im relieved for the girls, and glad there is closure so they can move on, Aquilina said during a telephone interview. So many things that happened. They deserve to have closure in every aspect of this case so they can truly focus on healing and all the happiness they deserve.

Nassar is the former Michigan State University doctor accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of young women, teenage and prepubescent girls under the guise of medical treatment over more than two decades. Most said he digitally penetrated them without gloves, lubricant or consent while treating them for injuries. In some cases, the treatments lasted up to 45 minutes. At times their parents were in the room while he was abusing them, but the young women said he positioned himself so their parents couldnt see what he was doing.

He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving nine victims and for collecting 37,000 images and videos of child pornography on his computer and is now incarcerated for life.

After Nassar was sentenced in three courts, he launched and lost several appeals aiming to reduce his prison time. He appealed his 2017 sentence of 40175 years issued by Aquilina. It amounted to an effective life sentence in prison for Nassar, who is now 58 years old.

Though Nassar admitted guilt, he argued his Ingham County sentence was invalid due to Aquilinas bias based on comments she made during his sentencing. He claimed that even before the sentencing hearing began, Aquilina had already decided to impose the maximum allowed by the sentence agreement.

But the Supreme Court noted in its order that the range of concurrent 40 to 175 years were within the range agreed upon in the parties plea and sentencing agreement.

Rachael Denhollander speaks as former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar listens to impact statements during the sentencing phase in Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing, Mich., on Jan. 24, 2018. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)

In December, the Michigan Court of Appeals in a split 21 decision denied an appeal from Nassar. The majority criticized Aquilina but said Nassar admitted guilt, received a fair sentence and Aquilina did not show bias.

Nassars court-appointed attorney appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court.

The high court said the case presented a a close question about Nassars motion for resentencing.

We share the concerns of both the Court of Appeals majority and dissent about the conduct of the sentencing judge in this case, and seriously question whether the majority committed error by affirming the trial courts denial of defendants motion for disqualification and motion for resentencing, according to the courts order.

But the court said Nassars claims suffer from preservation problems, and to prove that judicial disqualification is warranted requires defendant to shoulder a heavy burden.

Second, we conclude that the jurisprudential significance of any holding from this Court would be seriously limited, as the question of this judges impartiality or bias arises in markedly fact-specific circumstances, involving an unusually high-profile and highly scrutinized case, and a unique sentencing procedure, the opinion said.

The court concluded it wouldnt spend any additional judicial resources and further subject the victims in this case to additional trauma where the questions at hand present nothing more than an academic exercise.

2022 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A boy wades through a flooded area during a widespread flood in the northeastern part of the country, in Sylhet, Bangladesh, on June 19, 2022. (Stringer/Reuters)

Monsoon Floods Kill 42 People, Millions Stranded in Bangladesh, India

DHAKA/ASSAM, IndiaAt least 25 people were killed by lightning or landslides over the weekend in Bangladesh while millions were left marooned or homeless in low-lying northeastern parts hit by the worst monsoon floods in the countrys recent history, officials said.

In the neighboring Indian state of Assam, at least 17 people were killed during the wave of flooding, which began this month, police officials said on June 19.

Many of Bangladeshs rivers have risen to dangerous levels, and the runoff from heavy rain from across Indian mountains exacerbated the situation, said Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, head of the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Center.

Thousands of policemen and army personnel have been deployed to parts of the country to help search-and-rescue efforts.

About 105,000 people have been evacuated so far, but police officials estimated that over four million are still stranded.

Syed Rafiqul Haque, a former lawmaker and ruling party politician in Sunamganj district, said the country would face a humanitarian crisis if proper rescue operations were not conducted.

Almost the entire Sylhet-Sunamganj belt is under water, and millions of people are stranded, he said, adding that victims had no food or drinking water, and that communication networks were down.

Regional officials said about 3.1 million people were displaced, 200,000 of whom were staying in government-run makeshift shelters on raised embankments or on other highlands.

People move a boat in a flooded area during a widespread flood in the northeastern part of the country, in Sylhet, Bangladesh, on June 19, 2022. (Stringer/Reuters)

Lightning in parts of Bangladesh killed at least 21 people on June 17, including three children aged between 12 and 14.

Bangladesh and India have experienced increasing extreme weather in recent years, causing large-scale damage.

Last month, a pre-monsoon flash flood, triggered by a rush of water from upstream in Indias northeastern states, hit Bangladeshs northern and northeastern regions, destroying crops and damaging homes and roads. The country was just starting to recover when fresh rain flooded the same areas again this week.

By Ruma Paul & Zarir Hussain
A police officer stands guard before the closing session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 10, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

More High-Ranking Chinese Officials Purged Amid Fierce Infighting Within the CCP

A few provincial and ministerial-level officials have been recently investigated and punished over various alleged crimes. Some China observers believe that Xi Jinping and his political allies are being targeted by other factions within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ahead of the most important political meeting of the year, the 20th National Congress of the CCP.

China expert Zhuge Mingyang told The Epoch Times: Corruption is one of the characteristics of the CCP, so cracking down on corruption is just an excuse to crack down on political enemies. The recent investigation of some members of Xis faction highlights the fierce infighting within the CCP before the 20th National Congress of the CCP.

Xi wants to secure an unprecedented third term as Party chief this year. But some officials oppose him, particularly those loyal to former leader Jiang Zemin, according to China observers.

On June 1, Chen Rugui, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Peoples Congress, was placed under investigation. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a briefing that Chen was suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and was undergoing discipline review and supervisory investigation.

Chen, 60, is the former mayor of Shenzhen city and gradually climbed up the political ladder in Guangdong and assumed various high-level roles.

Political commentator Chen Pokong believes Shenzhen is significant to the CCP, and the city was designated Chinas first Special Economic Zone. Furthermore, Shenzhens proximity to Hong Kong makes it a battleground for military strategists, he said. Chen Rugui was appointed mayor of Shenzhen in 2017 when Xis power reached its peak. This shows that he was Xis ally, Chen Pokong added.

Another official who held a high-level position during the peak of Xis power was recently sacked. On May 31, Zhang Jinghua, former deputy secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, was removed from his post and expelled from the Party.

Zhang, 60, had a long political career in Jiangsu Province, including being the former mayor of Xuzhou city. After 2021, he served as deputy secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and deputy secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Political Consultative Conference Party Group.

Zhangs alleged crimes listed in the notice by the CCDI include the following: deliberately resisting censorship, engaging in superstitious activities, accepting gifts and briberies, seeking personal gain in the selection and appointment of officials, falsifying economic data, and violating market regulations for personal gain.

The accusations of falsifying economic data and violating market regulations are significant because it is the first time a senior CCP official has been accused of engaging in such activities, Chen Pokong said.

Moreover, Chen believes Xis political faction may not have been involved with Zhangs sacking because Premier Li Keqiang and his faction are in charge of the market economy. In other words, Lis faction could have been responsible for bringing down Zhang.

Li has consistently opposed the falsification of economic data. According to a U.S. diplomatic telegram disclosed by WikiLeaks, in 2007, when Li served as secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee, he told the U.S. Ambassador to China Clark T. Randt Jr. that Chinas GDP figures are man-made and, thus, unreliable.

Between May 31 and June 1, other provincial and ministerial-level officials were placed under investigation and given sentences, including the following: Sun Guoxiang, deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Liaoning Provincial Peoples Congress; Zhang Bencai, the procurator-general of the Shanghai Municipal Procuratorate; Tong Daochi, former secretary of the Sanya Municipal Party Committee, Hainan Province. Tong was given a suspended death sentence for bribery and insider trading.

Li Zefeng, former vice chairman of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Political Consultative Conference, was sentenced to one year and dismissed from his post.
Russia Continues Attacks After EU Boost for Ukraine

Russia continued its attacks after the European Union recommended that Kyiv should be granted the status of a candidate to join the bloc.

Sievierodonetsk, a prime target in Moscows offensive to seize full control of the eastern region of Luhansk, was again under heavy artillery and rocket fire as Russian forces attacked areas outside the industrial city, the Ukrainian military said.

The Ukrainian armed forces general staff admitted its forces had suffered a military setback in the settlement of Metolkine, just to the southeast of Sievierodonetsk.

As a result of artillery fire and an assault, the enemy has partial success in the village of Metolkine, trying to gain a foothold, it said in a Facebook post late on Saturday.

Serhiy Gaidai, the Ukrainian-appointed governor of Luhansk, referred in a separate online post to tough battles in Metolkine.

Russias Tass news agency, citing a source working for Russian-backed separatists, said many Ukrainian fighters had surrendered in Metolkine.

To the northwest, several Russian missiles hit a gasworks in Izium district, and Russian rockets rained down on a suburb of Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, hitting a municipal building and starting a fire in a block of flats, but causing no casualties, Ukrainian authorities said.

Ukrainian authorities also reported shelling of locations further west in Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk, and on Saturday they said three Russian missiles destroyed a fuel storage depot in the town of Novomoskovsk, wounding 11 people, one critically.

The Ukrainian armed forces general staff said Russian troops on a reconnaissance mission near the town of Krasnopillya had been beaten back with heavy casualties on Saturday.

Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield accounts.

NATO Warns of Long Ukraine war

The head of NATO said on Sunday the war in Ukraine could last years.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was cited by Germanys Bild am Sonntag newspaper as saying the supply of state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukrainian troops would increase the chance of liberating the eastern Donbas region from Russian control.

We must prepare for the fact that it could take years. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine, he said. Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, also because of rising energy and food prices.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who visited Kyiv on Friday, made similar comments about the need to prepare for a long war in an op-ed for Londons Sunday Times newspaper.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday he stressed the need to avoid Ukraine fatigue and with Russian forces grinding forward inch by inch, for allies to show the Ukrainians they were there to support them for a long time.

In the op-ed, he said this meant ensuring Ukraine receives weapons, equipment, ammunition, and training more rapidly than the invader.

Time is the vital factor, Johnson said. Everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its ability to defend its soil faster than Russia can renew its capacity to attack.

Ukraine received a significant boost on Friday when the European Commission recommended that it be granted EU candidate statussomething European Union countries are expected to endorse at a summit this week.

This would put Ukraine on course to realize an aspiration seen as out of reach before Russias Feb. 24 invasion, even if actual membership could take years.

Zelenskyy Visits Front Line

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post on Saturday he had visited soldiers on the southern front line in the Mykolaiv region, about 550 kilometers (340 miles) south of Kyiv.

Our brave men and women. Each one of them is working flat out, he said. We will definitely hold out! We will definitely win!

A video showed Zelenskyy in his trademark khaki T-shirt handing out medals and posing for selfies with servicemen.

Zelenskyys office said he had also visited National Guard positions in the southern region of Odesa to the west of Mykolaiv. Neither he nor his office said when the trips took place, but he did not deliver his customary nighttime address on Saturday.

Zelenskyy has remained mostly in Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine, although in recent weeks he has made unannounced visits to Kharkiv, and two eastern cities close to where battles are being fought.
Despite the statistics and mathematical models dramatically overrating the risk of the virus, and the obvious side effects of the vaccine  many are not capable of seeing it. This is why you should continue to push back, before this monster devours its own child.

Ultimately, totalitarianism refers to the ambition of the system. It wants to eliminate the ability of individual choice, and in so doing, it destroys the core of what it is to be human. The quicker a system destroys the individual, the sooner the system collapses

Key strategies to disrupt the mass formation process are to speak out against it and to practice nonviolent resistance. Dissenting voices keep totalitarian systems from deteriorating into abject inhumanity where people are willing to commit heinous atrocities

Under mass formation, a population enters a hypnotic-type trance that makes them willing to sacrifice anything, including their lives and their freedom

Four central conditions that need to exist in order for mass formation to arise are widespread loneliness and lack of social bonding, which leads to experiencing life as meaningless, which leads to widespread free-floating anxiety and discontent, which leads to widespread free-floating frustration and aggression, which results in feeling out of control

Mass formation is a form of mass hypnosis that emerges when specific conditions are met, and almost always precede the rise of totalitarian systems

Professor Mattias Desmet, a Belgian psychologist with a masters degree in statistics, gained worldwide recognition toward the end of 2021, when he presented the concept of mass formation as an explanation for the absurd and irrational behavior we were seeing with regard to the COVID pandemic and its countermeasures.

He also warned that mass formation gives rise to totalitarianism, which is the topic of his new book, The Psychology of Totalitarianism. Desmets work was further popularized by Dr. Robert Malone, whose appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast was viewed by about 50 million people.

But as the search term mass formation exploded in popularity, Google responded by manipulating the search engine results in an attempt to discredit Desmet and show people in their search results information that would cause them to discount the importance of this work. Why? Because Google is at the core of the global cabal and movement toward totalitarianism.

Understanding the Psychology of the Times Is Crucial

Those who refuse to learn from history are bound to repeat it, they say, and this appears particularly pertinent in the present day because, as explained by Desmet, if we dont understand how mass formation occurs and what it leads to, we cannot prevent it. How did Desmet reach the conclusion that we were in the process of mass formation? He explains:

In the beginning of the Corona crisis, back in February 2020, I started to study the statistics on the mortality rates of the virus, the infection fatality rates, the case fatality rate and so on, and immediately, I got the impression  and with me, several world-famous statisticians, such as John Ioannidis of Stanford, for instance  that the statistics and mathematical models used dramatically overrated the danger of the virus.

Immediately, I wrote an opinion paper trying to bring some of the mistakes to peoples attention. But, I noticed immediately that people just didnt want to know. It was as if they didnt see even the most blatant mistakes at the level of the statistics that were used. People just were not capable of seeing it.

This early experience made him decide to focus on the psychological mechanisms at play in society, and he became convinced that what we were seeing were in fact the effects of a large-scale process of mass formation, because the most salient characteristic of this psychological trend is that it makes people radically blind to everything that goes against the narrative they believe in.

They basically become incapable of distancing themselves from their beliefs, and therefore cannot take in or evaluate new data. Desmet continues:

Another very specific characteristic is that this process of mass formation makes people willing to radically sacrifice everything that is important to them  even their health, their wealth, the health of their children, the future of their children.

When someone is in the grip of a process of mass formation, he becomes radically willing to sacrifice all his individual interest. A third characteristic, to name only a few, is that once people are in the grip of a process of mass formation, they typically show a tendency of cruelty towards people who do not buy into the narrative, or do not go along with the narrative. They typically do so as if it is an ethical duty.

In the end, they are typically inclined, first, to stigmatize, and then, to eliminate, to destroy, the people who do not go along with the masses.

And thats why it is so extremely important to understand the psychological mechanisms at work, because if you understand the mechanisms at work, you can avoid the mass formation to become so deep that people reach this critical point in which they really are fanatically convinced that they should destroy everyone that does not go along with them.

So, its extremely important to understand the mechanism. If you understand it, you can make sure that the crowd, the mass, will first destroy itself, or will exhaust itself, before it starts to destroy the people that do not go along with the mass.

So, its of crucial importance, and thats what my book describes. It describes how a mass, a crowd, emerges in a society, under which conditions it emerges, what the mechanisms of the process of mass formation are, and what you can do about it. Thats extremely important. I will mention this from the beginning.

Usually, it is impossible to wake up the masses. Once a process of mass formation emerges in a society, its extremely difficult to wake the masses up. But, [waking them up is] important, [because] you can avoid the masses and their leaders becoming so fanatically convinced of their narrative that they start to destroy the people who do not go along with them.

Indeed, to those of us who did not fall under the spell of the irrational COVID narrative, the cruelty with which political leadership, media and people at large tried to force compliance was shockingly abhorrent. Many were physically attacked, and some even killed, simply for not wearing a face mask, which we knew was a useless prevention strategy.

Historical Context for Mass Hypnosis

It is easier to understand what mass formation is if you consider it as mass hypnosis, because theyre not merely similar, theyre identical, Desmet says. Mass formation is a kind of hypnosis that emerges when specific conditions are met. And, disturbingly, these conditions, and the hypnotic trance that emerges, almost always precede the rise of totalitarian systems.

While totalitarianism and a classical dictatorship share certain features, there are distinct differences at the psychological level. According to Desmet, a classical dictatorship, at the psychological level, is very primitive. Its a society that is frightened of a small group, a dictatorial regime, because of its aggressive potential.

Totalitarianism, on the other hand, arises from a very different psychological mechanism. Interestingly, the totalitarian state didnt actually exist before the 20th century. Its a relatively new phenomenon, and its based on mass formation or mass hypnosis.

The conditions for this mass hypnotic state (listed below) were first met just before the emergence of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, so thats our historical context. These conditions were again met just before the COVID crisis. What were seeing now is a different kind of totalitarianism, largely due to technological advancements that have created extremely effective tools to subconsciously influence the public.

We now have very sophisticated tools with which to hypnotize far larger masses of people than they could in earlier times. But while our current-day totalitarianism is global rather than regional, and the information war more sophisticated than anything the Soviets or Nazis could muster, the basic psychological dynamics are still identical.

Understanding Hypnosis

So, what are those psychological dynamics? Mass formation is a clinical term that in laymans jargon could simply be translated as a kind of mass hypnosis, which can occur once certain conditions are fulfilled.

When you are being hypnotized, the first thing the hypnotist will do is to detach or withdraw your attention from the reality or environment around you. Then, through his hypnotic suggestion  usually a very simple narrative or sentence stated out loud  the hypnotist will focus your full attention on a single point, for instance, a moving pendulum or just his voice.

From the perspective of the hypnotized person, it will seem as though reality has vanished. An extreme example of this is the use of hypnosis to make people insensitive to pain during surgery. In that situation, the patients mental focus is so narrow and intense, that they dont notice that their body is being cut into.

In the same way, it doesnt matter how many people are injured by the COVID measures, because the focus is on COVID and everything else has vanished, in psychological terms.

People can be killed for not wearing a mask and the hypnotized wont raise an eyebrow. Children can die from starvation and friends can commit suicide from financial desperation  none of it will have a psychological impact on the hypnotized because to them, the plight of others doesnt register. A perfect example of this psychological blinding to reality is how COVID jab deaths and injuries are simply unrecognized and not even considered to be causal.

People will get the shot, suffer massive injuries, and say, Thank goodness I got the shot or it would have been so much worse. They cannot conceive the possibility that they were injured by the shot. Ive even seen people express gratitude for the shot when someone they supposedly loved died within hours or days of getting it! Its just mindboggling. The psychological dynamics of hypnosis does explain this irrational and otherwise incomprehensible behavior, but its still quite surreal.

Even while I know the mechanisms at work, Im still baffled every time it happens, Desmet says. I almost cant believe what I see. I know someone whose husband died a few days after the vaccine, during his sleep, from a heart attack.

And I thought, Now she will open her eyes and wake up. Not at all. She just continued in the same fanatic way  even more fanatic  talking about how happy we should be because we have this vaccine. Unbelievable, yes.

The Psychological Roots of Mass Formation

As mentioned, mass formation, or mass hypnosis, can occur when certain psychological conditions are present in a large-enough portion of society. The four central conditions that need to exist in order for mass formation to arise are:

Widespread loneliness and lack of social bonding, which leads to: Experiencing life as meaningless, purposeless and senseless, and/or being faced with persistent circumstances that dont make rational sense, which leads to: Widespread free-floating anxiety and discontent (anxiety/discontent that has no apparent or distinct cause), which leads to: Widespread free-floating frustration and aggression (frustration and aggression have no discernible cause), which results in feeling out of control

How Mass Formation Emerges in a Society

Once a large-enough portion of society feels anxious and out of control, that society becomes highly vulnerable to mass hypnosis. Desmet explains:

Social isolation, lack of meaning, free floating anxiety, frustration and aggression are highly aversive because if people feel anxious, without knowing what they feel anxious for, they typically feel out of control. They feel they cannot protect themselves from their anxiety.

And, if under these conditions a narrative is distributed through the mass media, indicating an object of anxiety, and at the same time, providing a strategy to deal with the object of anxiety, then all this free-floating anxiety might connect to the object of anxiety.

And, there might be a huge willingness to participate in a strategy to deal with the object of anxiety, no matter how absurd the strategy is. So, even if it is clear from the beginning  for everyone who wants to see it  that the strategy to deal with the object of anxiety might claim many more victims than the object of anxiety itself  even then, there might be this huge willingness to participate in a strategy to deal with the object of anxiety.

That is the first step of every major mechanism of mass formation. Whether it concerned the Crusades, or the witch hunts, or the French Revolution, or the beginning of the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany, we see the same mechanism, time and time again.

There is a lot of free-floating anxiety. Someone provides a narrative that indicates an object of anxiety and a strategy to deal with it. And then all the anxiety connects to the [proposed] object of anxiety.

People participate in a strategy to deal with the object of anxiety that yields a first important psychological advantage, and from then on people have the impression that they can control their anxiety. Its connected to an object and they have a strategy to deal with it.

The Problematic Social Bonding of Mass Formation

Once people who used to feel lonely, anxious and out of control start to participate in the strategy presented to them as the solution to their anxiety, a brand-new social bond emerges. This, then, reinforces the mass hypnosis, as they now no longer feel isolated and lonely.

This reinforcement is a kind of mental intoxication, and is the real reason why people buy into the narrative, no matter how absurd. Theyll continue to buy into the narrative, because it creates this new social bond, Desmet says.

While social bonding is a good thing, in this instance it becomes extremely destructive, because the free-floating frustration and aggression are still there, and need an outlet. These emotions need to be directed at someone. Whats worse, under the spell of mass formation, people lose their inhibitions and sense of proportion.

So, as weve seen during the COVID pandemic, people will attack and lash out in the most irrational ways against anyone who doesnt buy into the narrative. The underlying aggression will always be directed at the part of the population that isnt hypnotized.

Speaking in generalized terms, typically, once mass formation is taking place, about 30% of the population will be hypnotized  and this typically includes the leaders who pronounce the hypnotizing narrative to the public  10% remain unhypnotized and do not buy into the narrative, and the majority, 60%, feel theres something wrong with the narrative, but go along with it simply because they dont want to stick out or cause trouble.

Another problem with the social bonding that emerges is that the bond is not between individuals, but rather a bond between the individual and the collective. This gives rise to a feeling of fanatic solidarity with the collective, but theres no solidarity toward any given individual. So, individuals are remorselessly sacrificed for the greater good of the faceless collective.

This explains, for instance, why during the Corona crisis, everybody was talking about solidarity, but people accepted that if someone got into an accident on the street, you were no longer allowed to help that person unless you had a surgical mask and gloves at your disposal.

That also explains why, while everybody was talking about solidarity, people accepted that if their father or mother was dying, they were not allowed to visit them, Desmet says.

In the end, you end up with a radical, paranoid atmosphere in which people do not trust each other anymore, and in which people are willing to report their loved ones to the government.

So, thats the problem with mass formation, Desmet says. Its solidarity of the individual with the collective, and never with other individuals. That explains what happened during the revolution in Iran, for instance. I talked with a woman who lived in Iran during the revolution, which was actually the beginning of a totalitarian regime in Iran.

She witnessed, with her own eyes, how a mother reported her son to the government, and how she hung the rope around his neck just before he died, and how she claimed to be a heroine for doing so. Thats the dramatic effects of mass formation.

With No External Enemy, What Happens?

Were now facing a situation that is more complicated than at any previous time, because the totalitarianism that is now arising has no external enemies, with the exception of citizens that arent hypnotized and dont buy into the false narratives. Nazi Germany, for example, was destroyed by external enemies that rose against it.

On the other hand, theres advantage to this, because totalitarian states always need an enemy. Thats something that was very well described by George Orwell in his book 1984. In order for the process of mass formation to continue to exist, there must be an external enemy onto which the state can focus the aggression of the hypnotized masses.

Nonviolent Resistance and Outspokenness Are Crucial

This brings us to a key point, and that is the need for nonviolent resistance and speaking out against the narrative. Violent resistance automatically make you a target for aggression, so resistance from within a totalitarian system always has to stick to the principles of nonviolent resistance, Desmet says. But you must also continue to speak out in a clear, rational and nonabusive way. Desmet explains:

The first and foremost principle the resistance has to stick to during a process of mass formation and emerging totalitarianism, is that people who do not go along with the masses have to continue to speak out. Thats the most crucial thing.

As totalitarianism is based on mass formation, and mass formation is a kind of hypnosis, the mass formation is always provoked by the voice of the leader, which keeps the population in a process of hypnosis. And when dissonant voices continue to speak out, they will not be able to wake the masses up, but they will constantly disturb the process of mass formation.

They will constantly interfere with the hypnosis. If there are people who continue to speak out, the mass formation will usually not become so deep that there is a willingness in the population to destroy the people who do not go along with the masses. Thats crucial.

Historically speaking, if you look at what happened in the Soviet Union and in Nazi Germany, its clear that it was exactly at the moment when the opposition stopped to speak out in public that the totalitarian system started to become cruel.

In 1930, in the Soviet Union, the opposition stopped to speak out, and within six to eight months, Stalin started his large purges, which claimed tens of millions of victims. And then, in 1935, exactly the same happened in Nazi Germany.

The opposition was silenced, or stopped to speak out. They preferred to go underground. They were thinking that they were dealing with a classical dictatorship, but they were not. They were dealing with something completely different. They were dealing with a totalitarian state.

And by deciding to go underground, it was a fatal decision for themselves. So, also in Nazi Germany, within a period of one year after the opposition stopped to speak out in public, the cruelty started and the system started to destroy first its opponents. Thats always the same.

In the first stage, totalitarian systems or the masses start to attack those who do not go along with them. But, after a while, they just start to attack and to destroy everyone, group after group.

And, in the Soviet Union, where the process of mass formation went very far, much further than in Nazi Germany, Stalin started to eliminate the aristocracy, the small farmers, the large farmers, the goldsmiths, the Jews, all people who according to him would never become good communists.

But after a while, he just started to eliminate group after group without any logic. Just everyone. So, thats why Hannah Arendt said that a totalitarian state is always a monster that devours its own children. And that destructive process starts when people stop to speak out.

Thats probably the reason why, in the beginning of the 20th century, there were several countries where there was mass formation, but where there was never a full-fledged totalitarian state.

Probably, there were enough people who didnt shut up, who continued to speak out. Thats something that is so crucial to understand. When mass formation emerges, people typically feel that it doesnt make sense to speak out because people dont wake up. People dont seem sensitive to their rational counter arguments.

But, we should never forget that speaking out has an immediate effect. Maybe not that it wakes the masses up, but that it disturbs the process of mass formation and the hypnosis. And in that way, prevents the masses from becoming highly destructive towards the people who do not go along with them.

Something else also happens. The masses start to exhaust themselves. They start to destroy themselves before they start to destroy the people who do not go along with them. So, thats the strategy to be used for internal resistance towards totalitarian regimes.

Push Back Against Transhumanism and Technocracy

As mentioned earlier, the leaders who declare the narratives are also always hypnotized. They are fanatics in that sense. However, while todays world leaders are fanatics about transhumanism and technocracy, they may not necessarily believe what theyre saying about COVID.

In the end, the ultimate challenge is not so much to show people that the coronavirus was not as dangerous as we expected, or that the COVID narrative is wrong, but rather that this ideology is problematic  this transhumanist and this technocratic ideology is a disaster for humanity  To show people that, in the end, a transhumanist view on man and the world will entail radical dehumanization of our society.  Mattias Desmet

Many know that theyre telling lies, but they justify those lies as necessary in order to bring the ideologies of transhumanism and technocracy to fruition. The ridiculous COVID agenda is a means to an end. This is another reason why we must continue to push back and speak out, because once the counter arguments disappear, these leaders will become even more fanatic in their ideological quest.

In the end, the ultimate challenge is not so much to show people that the coronavirus was not as dangerous as we expected, or that the COVID narrative is wrong, but rather that this ideology is problematic  this transhumanist and this technocratic ideology is a disaster for humanity; this mechanistic thinking, this belief that the universe and man is a kind of material mechanistic system, which should be steered and manipulated in a mechanistic technocratic transhumanist way.

Thats the ultimate challenge: to show people that in the end, a transhumanist view on man and the world will entail radical dehumanization of our society. So, I think thats the real challenge we are facing. Showing people, Look, forget for a moment about the Corona narrative.

What we are heading for if we continue in the same way, is a radically, technologically controlled transhumanist society, which will leave no space whatsoever for life for a human being.

Itll Get Worse Before It Gets Better

Like me, Desmet is convinced that were rapidly headed toward global totalitarianism and that things will get far worse before they get better. Why? Because were only in the initial stages of the process of totalitarianism. On the horizon, digital identity still looms large, and with that comes an unfathomably powerful control grid capable of breaking just about anyone.

The glimmer of hope is this: Everyone who has studied mass formation and totalitarianism has concluded that both are intrinsically self-destructive. They cannot survive. And, the more means it has at its disposal to control the population, the sooner it might destroy itself, because totalitarianism destroys the core of the human being.

Ultimately, totalitarianism refers to the ambition of the system. It wants to eliminate the ability of individual choice, and in so doing, it destroys the core of what it is to be human, because psychological energy in a human being emerges at every moment a human being can make a choice that is really its own choice, Desmet says. The quicker a system destroys the individual, the sooner the system collapses.

Again, the only weapon against the brutal destruction of humanity is to push back, to speak out, to nonviolently resist. It may not stop totalitarianism in its tracks, but it can keep the most heinous atrocities at bay. It will also provide a small space where the resistant can try to survive together and thrive in the midst of the totalitarian landscape.

Then, if we want to succeed, we will have to think about parallel structures which can allow us to be a little bit self sufficient. We can try to make sure that we dont need the system too much anymore. But, even these parallel structures would be destroyed in a moment if the people do not continue to speak out. So, thats the crucial.

I try to bring this to the attention of everyone. We can build parallel structures as much as we want, but if the system becomes too destructive and decides to use its full aggressive potential, then the parallel structures will be destroyed. But, the system will never reach this level of depth of the hypnosis if there are dissonant voices that continue to speak out. So, Im very dedicated myself to continue to speak out.

While its impossible to make accurate predictions, Desmets gut feeling is that itll probably be at least seven or eight years before the totalitarian system currently emerging with burn itself out and self-destruct. Could be more, could be less. Society is a complex dynamic system, and even simple complex dynamic systems cannot be predicted even one second in advance. This is known as the deterministic unpredictability of complex dynamic ecosystems.

More Information

Regardless of how long it takes, the key will be to survive it all and do what we can to minimize the carnage. A key challenge on an individual level will be to maintain elementary principles of humanity. In the interview, Desmet discusses Aleksandr Solzhenitsyns book, The Gulag Archipelago, which highlights the importance of holding on to your humanity in the midst of an inhumane situation.

That, maybe, is the one and only thing that can guarantee us of a good outcome of the entire process  which is a necessary process, I think. This crisis is not meaningless. Its not meaningless. Its a process in which society can give birth to something new, something much better than exists up until now, he says.

To learn more about this truly crucial topic, be sure to pick up a copy of Desmets book, The Psychology of Totalitarianism.

Originally published June 19, 2022 on Mercola.com
Morning hours on the pedestrian bridge, people going to work at HK Government Headquarters complex at Tamar. (Song Bi-long/The Epoch Times)

Required to Pledge Allegiance by Oath, 129 Public Servants and 535 Contractors Have Left the Government Last Year

Over a hundred (129 to be exact) Hong Kong civil servants and 535 non-civil servant government employees have left or resigned last year, refusing to comply with the newly introduced oath-taking declaration-signing requirement by the Hong Kong government.

The Hong Kong government requires civil servants to take an oath or sign a declaration of allegiance to the Hong Kong authority under the Chinese Communist Party. This requirement was introduced last year and had been extended to cover non-civil servant employees as well.

Tsang Kwok-wai, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, revealed in reply to a written question during a recent sitting of the Legislative Council, that 129 civil servants who had ignored or refused to sign and return the declaration left their government posts last year.

Another 535 non-civil servant government employees, 149 full-time and 386 part-time, had also refused take the oath and left the government by last August, Tsang reported, before the oath-taking requirement took effect last September, to cover non-civil servants hired on or after July 1, 2020.

Tsang also emphasized that all 180,000 serving civil servants have taken the oath or signed the declaration, so have all the serving non-civil servants.

As at 31 December 2021, the numbers of full-time and part-time non-civil service contract staff were 10,319 and 6,899 respectively, while the numbers of full-time and part-time post-retirement service contract employees were 5,195 and 860.

When asked if he would look into requiring teachers in aided schools, employees of government-funded agencies and other public officials to take oath, and set a timetable for this requirement, Tsang said the government is actively formulating suitable implementation plans for oath-taking arrangements of other public officials, and will report the relevant situation to the Legislative Council as soon as possible.

Hong Kong passed an amendment bill last May, of the oaths ordinance, requiring district councillors to take the oath before office. Tsang also reported that all current district councillors have pledged their allegiance.
Law enforcement stand guard outside of the state capitol building in downtown Raleigh, N.C., on Jan. 17, 2021. (Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images)

SCOTUS Seems Likely to Take Up Case That Could Recognize States Power to Regulate Elections

The 'independent state legislature doctrine' is a longtime favorite of conservative legal thinkers

News Analysis

The Supreme Court seems likely to accept a new election law case that Republicans hope will recognize what they say is the preeminent constitutional authority of state legislatures to set the rules for redistricting and congressional and presidential elections, as well as curb the power of state courts to intervene in such disputes.

The U.S. Constitution is crystal clear: state legislatures are responsible for drawing congressional maps, not state court judges, and certainly not with the aid of partisan political operatives, Tim Moore, a Republican who is the speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, said in March when he launched an appeal of his state Supreme Courts order redrawing the states electoral map against the wishes of the states GOP-majority legislature.

We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will reaffirm this basic principle and will throw out the illegal map imposed on the people of North Carolina by its highest court. It is time to settle the elections clause question once and for all.

The case is Moore v. Harper, court file 21-1271; a petition filed on March 17 that was preceded by an emergency application seeking to stay a Feb. 14 ruling by the Supreme Court of North Carolina that required the state to modify its existing congressional election districts for the 2022 primary and general elections. Respondent Rebecca Harper is one member of a group of 25 individual North Carolina voters.

On March 7, the Supreme Court turned away (pdf) the stay application. In an opinion concurring in the denial of the stay, Justice Brett Kavanaugh stated that the high court has repeatedly ruled that federal courts ordinarily should not alter state election laws in the period close to an election.

The petition (pdf) was scheduled to be considered by the justices on June 16. The court is next scheduled to announce decisions on pending petitions on June 21. For a petition to be granted, at least four of the nine justices must agree.

Republicans say the Constitution directly empowers state legislatures to make rules for the conduct of elections, including presidential elections, and yet the Supreme Court has reportedly never invoked the so-called Independent State Legislature Doctrine. The doctrine, a favorite of conservative legal thinkers such as radio host Mark Levin who speaks of it frequently, was often advocated by Republicans throughout the 2020 election that they claim was stolen from the incumbent president, Donald Trump.

The elections clause in Article 1 states: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.

The presidential electors clause in Article 2 states: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress.

Four conservative Supreme Court justices have gone on record expressing an interest in ruling on the doctrine and three justices said it applied in the Bush v. Gore case that resolved the disputed 2000 presidential election.

Although Kavanaugh turned down the stay application, he noted that the issue is almost certain to keep arising until the Court definitively resolves it. In an opinion dissenting from the same order, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that if the elections clause said the rules were to be prescribed by each State, that wording would have left it up to each State to decide which branch, component, or officer of the state government should exercise that power, as States are generally free to allocate state power as they choose.

But that is not what the Elections Clause says. Its language specifies a particular organ of a state government, and we must take that language seriously, Alito wrote in a dissent that was joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.

Left-wing election lawyers are dismayed that the Supreme Court could rule on the doctrine.

A ruling endorsing a strong or muscular reading of the independent state legislature theory would potentially give state legislatures even more power to curtail voting rights and provide a pathway for litigation to subvert the election outcomes expressing the will of the people, University of CaliforniaIrvine law professor Rick Hasen, told The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, legal observers are awaiting a Supreme Court opinion as the justices deliberate another case from the Tar Heel State called Berger v. North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, court file 21-248. Phil Berger, a Republican, is president pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate. The NAACP is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The court heard oral arguments in the case on March 21, as The Epoch Times reported.

Berger argued the states GOP-majority legislature should be allowed to step in to advocate for a voter ID law in court because Josh Stein, the states Democratic attorney general, allegedly wasnt doing enough to defend the statute.

It is unclear when the opinion will be issued. The justices are trying to clear a backlog of 18 opinions from the current termincluding other cases dealing with abortion, school prayer, gun rights, and climate changebefore they break for summer recess.

The court is scheduled to release more opinions on June 21 and 23.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks at the IV CEO Summit of the Americas on the sidelines of the IX Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, Calif., on June 8, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Supreme Court Finds HHS Violated Drug Reimbursement Rules for Low-Income Patients

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) illegally reduced prescription drug reimbursements to hospitals by $1.6 billion per year in a program aimed at helping poor patients.

The decision, a win for hospitals serving low-income individuals, allows those hospitals to seek the improperly withheld funding from the federal government. The reduction in reimbursements was ordered by the Trump administration in 2018 and defended in court by the Biden administration. The government argued the rate cuts would more accurately mirror the cost to hospitals of buying the drugs and that it was allowed to do so under a legal provision that gave regulators authority to order adjustments to rates.

But HHS improperly relied on a formula that Congress made available only in specific circumstances, which didnt apply in the case, the court determined. President George W. Bush in 2003 signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act into law. The statute requires HHS to establish reimbursement rates every year for certain outpatient prescription drugs provided by hospitals using a predetermined formula.

Despite the urging of the Biden administration, the Supreme Court didnt address whether the so-called Chevron doctrine that the Supreme Court enunciated in 1984 applied to the case. In Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, the high court held that while courts must give effect to the unambiguously expressed intent of Congress, where courts find Congress has not directly addressed the precise question at issue and the statute is silent or ambiguous with respect to the specific issue, the question for the court is whether the agencys answer is based on a permissible construction of the statute.

Apparently, the Supreme Court found the issues involved were straightforward enough that Chevron didnt need to be examined.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the courts opinion (pdf) in American Hospital Association v. Becerra, court file 20-1114, which was decided on June 15 after oral arguments on Nov. 30, 2021. Xavier Becerra is the HHS secretary. The opinion overturns a decision made by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

As Kavanaugh summarized in the opinion, federal Medicare law states that HHS is required to reimburse hospitals for some outpatient prescription drugs that the hospitals give to Medicare patients. These reimbursements total tens of billions of dollars every year.

HHS may calculate reimbursements in two ways. It may vary reimbursement rates for different categories of hospitals if it first carries out a survey of the amount that hospitals pay to acquire the prescription drugs. Alternatively, if the agency has not done such a survey, it has to establish reimbursement rates based on the average sales price manufacturers charge for the drugs and is not allowed to vary the reimbursement rates for different kinds of hospitals.

For 2018 and 2019, HHS didnt carry out a survey of hospitals acquisition costs for outpatient prescription drugs but still slashed reimbursement rates for one cohort of hospitalsSection 340B hospitals, which generally serve low-income or rural communities.

According to an informational website, to qualify as a 340B hospital, a hospital must meet certain criteria. Among them is that it must be owned or operated by a state or local government, be a public or private nonprofit corporation, and must be formally authorized to exercise governmental powers by a state or local government, or be a private nonprofit hospital that has a contract with a state or local government to provide health care services to low-income persons who dont qualify for benefits under Medicare or Medicaid, a joint federal-state program for the indigent.

For those 340B hospitals, this case has immense economic consequences, about $1.6 billion annually, Kavanaugh wrote. The question is whether the statute affords HHS discretion to vary the reimbursement rates for that one group of hospitals when, as here, HHS has not conducted the required survey of hospitals acquisition costs. The answer is no.

The court stated: We do not agree with HHSs interpretation of the statute  [and] conclude that, absent a survey of hospitals acquisition costs, HHS may not vary the reimbursement rates for 340B hospitals. HHSs 2018 and 2019 reimbursement rates for 340B hospitals were therefore contrary to the statute and unlawful.

The Supreme Court reversed the ruling of the D.C. Circuit and remanded the case to that court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

The new decision is a fairly strong rebuke from the Supreme Court about how the agency has attempted to overstep its authority, Mark Polston, a partner at the law firm of King and Spalding, told Bloomberg Law.

If they know the Supreme Court unanimously thinks its the duty of the courts to do their own interpretation of statute, then there will be justices of the lower courts who take notice of that and perhaps follow suit.
Soldiers stand onboard a Taiwan Navy minelayer in Keelung, Taiwan, on Jan. 7, 2022. Taiwan is bracing for more Chinese military patrols this year, after People's Liberation Army incursions more than doubled in 2021, fueling concern about a clash between the region's big powers. (I-Hwa Cheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Taiwanese Military Expert Sheds Light on Why Japan Treats Taiwan Emergency as Its Own

Authoritarian regimes make democratic camp more united

Over 90 percent of Japanese adults believe that Japan should prepare for an emergency response in case Beijing decides to invade Taiwan, according to a recent poll.

According to a May 27 to May 29 poll by Japanese media Nikkei Asia on the issue of how Japan should prepare for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, 50 percent of respondents said that Japan should do as much as possible within the scope of existing laws; and 41 percent said Japan should improve its responsiveness, including revising the countrys constitution as needed. Together, over 90 percent said they believe it is necessary for Japan to make preparations in case of a Taiwan emergency, while 60 percent also expressed support for Japan to possess its own counter-strike capabilities.

In the event of an emergency in Taiwan, Japan may take action in accordance with the provisions of the Peace and Security Law, which allows the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to provide necessary support activities in a situation that has an important influence to Japans peace and security or threatens international peace and security.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also publicly expressed his support of Taiwan.

In a video conference with Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China, on March 22, Abe said: Last year, at a seminar held by a Taiwan think tank, I said that if Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem, and the Japan-U.S. alliance also has a problem. Of course, this was a way of expressing my own sense of urgency, and I myself advocated for the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

3 Reasons Japan Wants to Help Taiwan

So why does Japan strongly support Taiwan?

In an interview with The Epoch Times on June 1, Su Tzu-yun, an associate research fellow at Taiwans Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said there are three main reasons.

The first is to defend the common value of democracy because the democratic system is currently under threat from the CCPs authoritarianism, and it is apparent that the CCP is attempting to expand its authoritarian rule, Su said.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses democratic means to destroy democracy, and uses freedom of speech to destroy freedom of speech, he said.

Just as former U.S. President Donald Trump had said, the CCP destroys free trade through free trade; in other words, through unfair competition. Therefore, these evil conducts of the CCP are in the same line, regardless of whether it is in the economical, political or military aspects, he added, saying that the CCP has been infiltrating all major democratic countries, including the European Union, the United States, and Australia.

In addition, the CCP is exporting its model of digital authoritarianism, such as exporting surveillance technology to some monarchies in the Middle East, which worries democratic countries, Su said.

Moreover, the CCP acts as an irresponsible member in the international community, he continued. It wants to subvert the stability of the rules-based international society by creating another set of rules.

When the United States invited China to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), it originally hoped that the CCP would carry out political reforms after it has made progress in economic development, Su said. However, instead of embarking on the right path, the CCP has deviated farther and farther away from democracy, posing a threat to human civilization.

My observation is, this is not merely a Taiwan Strait issue, nor is it a so-called reunification issue at all. The Taiwan Strait issue is a competition between democracy and authoritarianism, and that is the key.

The second reason for Japans supportive attitude is out of the consideration of national security interests, according to Su.

Japan relies on the waterway from the South China Sea through the waters surrounding Taiwan to get 90 percent of its crude oil and 76 percent of its natural gas. Its exports to Europe rely on this waterway even more, Su said.

That is why Japans political elites believe that if Taiwan has a problem, then Japan has a problem. Its maritime lifeline is really dependent on the security of Taiwan, Su elaborated.

He believes that the CCPs military expansionism is another reason for Japan to support Taiwan.

The CCP has become a real threat to world peace, because it is obsessed with military expansion, thinking that only military expansions will guarantee national security, Su said.

The democratic camp has now formed a stronger alliance under the CCPs threat.

Putins invasion of Ukraine is a very good analogy. He has achieved what neither Trump nor Biden can do, which is to unite the entire NATO, Su explained.

Relaxing Export Controls on Defense Equipment

A May 28 article from The Japan Times revealed that the Japanese government is discussing further relaxation of export control measures for defense equipment, hoping to enhance cooperation with allies and strengthen deterrence against the CCP.

In 2014, Japan established the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology as the first step to ease its export ban, but the export of lethal weapons was still prohibited.

According to these principles, exports to countries that do not jointly develop arms with Japan are limited to equipment for rescue, transport, warning, surveillance, and minesweeping missions.

Su told The Epoch Times that there is currently no direct military cooperation between Taiwan and Japan. Assuming that Japan eventually eases its export rules, Taiwan may consider purchasing submarines from Japan.

The performance of Japans submarines are superb, and they will be a very important defense tool for Taiwan in fighting this asymmetrical warfare [with the CCP], he said.

The second category for Taiwan to consider is electronic warfare equipment, as Japans electronic technology is also very advanced, Su continued. (And) there is another cooperation that is relatively easy to achieve in the short term, that is strategic intelligence cooperation.

Su believes that Taiwan and Japan may get started with economic security cooperation first, before preceding with military cooperation.

This is because we want to make sure the bilateral cooperation is set on a solid and steady basis, he explained.
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, looks on during a game between Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons at Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City on Dec. 12, 2019. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Teen Who Tracks Elon Musks Jet Agrees to Stop Monitoring Mark Cuban

Jack Sweeney has interacted with two of the richest people in the world in 2022, but it wasnt exactly pleasant conversations.

Sweeney is the man behind accounts on Twitter Inc. that track the private jets of several notable billionaires. While Sweeney turned down an offer from Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk to stop tracking, heres why Mark Cubans jets will no longer be tracked.

What Happened

Sweeney turned down an offer of $5,000 from Musk to stop a Twitter account tracking his jet. Sweeney later said he would shut down the account for $50,000 and was ultimately blocked by Musk on Twitter.

Another billionaire whose jets are tracked by Sweeney is Mark Cuban, the investor, Shark Tank host, and Dallas Mavericks owner.

Cuban reached out via Twitter direct messages to Sweeney earlier this year with a discussion of privacy concerns for himself and his family by sharing the data, according to a Business Insider report.

Are you not concerned about safety issues with tracking jets? Cuban asked. Not everyone on this platform is stable.

Cuban and Sweeney Reach Deal

Cuban then asked Sweeney what it would take to get the account taken down.

You tell me what you want so that I can end this risk to my familys safety, Cuban said.

An agreement was reached that will see Cuban give Sweeney support on business endeavors and advice for his life.

By ending this you have me as a friend for life, he said.

Cuban gave his email address to Sweeney.

Thats the deal I made. I will answer his business questions, Cuban told Business Insider.

Sweeney also reached out with a request to meet Cuban at a Maverick game, which Cuban agreed to.

By Chris Katje

 2022 The Epoch Times. The Epoch Times does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Back in April, Gov. Kathy Hochul committed $225 million in spending on Buffalo's East Side for workforce training, infrastructure, small businesses and historic attractions.

On Saturday, Hochul announced $50 million more, but with a different primary focus in the wake of the May 14 massacre at a Tops supermarket: assisting struggling East Side homeowners.

Complete coverage: 10 killed, 3 wounded in mass shooting at Buffalo supermarket Ten people were gunned down at a Buffalo supermarket May 14 in a horrifying mass shooting that officials were quick to label as "pure evil" an

"I want this community to know this is my home. This is deeply personal to me," Hochul said in announcing the funding at the Apollo Media Center, two blocks from the-now shuttered Tops, and flanked by a coterie of state and local officials. "This is not a press conference day and we walk away. This is a longstanding, personal commitment from the governor of New York State to this community."

Hochul said she had asked her team to identify pressing needs on the East Side.

"Let's go big, let's be bold," Hochul told them.

"This is a moment of turning pain into progress," Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado said.

Here's how $34.5 million of the $50 million will be used for housing:

 $20 million: 4,000 homeowners will receive an average of $5,000 each to pay off delinquent tax, water and sewer bills.

 $10 million: More than 1,000 East Side homeowners will get up to $10,000 each in grants for home repairs.

 $4.5 million: 150 first-time homeowners will receive down payments of $30,000.

Nurturing East Side projects preceded state's gush of cash: 'A once-in-a-generation opportunity' State officials say the $225 million  $185 million from the state, with $41 from philanthropies and $9 million from the City of Buffalo  will follow a planned, step-by-step approach that began several years ago. Those on the giving and receiving ends point to signs the public funds will be well spent.

Marva Threat, president of the Greater East Side Fields of Dreams Block Club Association in the Broadway Fillmore area, said the need for major home improvement projects is a sizeable one that's out of reach for many.

"I commend the governor for doing that for the East Side," Threat said, though she said she wanted to reserve judgment until she sees how the program is implemented. "There is a great need on the East Side to replace roofs and do painting and other renovations, especially as you get older and your income is limited."

The governor announced $3 million for a "resilience center' within the Resource Council of Western New York, 347 E. Ferry St. It will help with mental health counseling and other community social service needs, and oversee the application process for the housing grants.

A $2 million "public engagement unit" will be created to inform people of services they're eligible for, modeled after a successful program in New York City.

Hochul also announced the establishment of a commission to memorialize the Tops shooting and the individuals who died, with members to be appointed by Mayor Byron W. Brown.

"We want to hear the voices of the community," Brown said, "and we want the vision of the community reflected in the memorial that will be built on Jefferson Avenue."

To address the shortage of grocery stores on the East Side, Hochul announced $3 million to rehabilitate the future home of the African Heritage Food Co-op in the Fruit Belt on the corner of Carlton and Locust streets.

'FUBU of produce': African Heritage Food Co-op needs resources to fill food void in Fruit Belt "We have a building, we have the drive, we have the architect, we have the environmental studies, we have the renderings," African Heritage Food Co-op founder Alex Wright told media in front of the Carlton Street building in which he plans to open. "The only thing we don't have is the funding. Help us do something that's in the community, for the community."

Alexander Wright, founder of the co-op, said the food market will address the "food apartheid" that exists in many East Side communities from a lack of grocery stores, while fostering Black ownership and jobs for community residents.

Small businesses and job training are also receiving significant funding.

The state will invest $7 million in capital and operating grants for businesses in the 14208 and 14209 ZIP codes. Capital grants will go up to $100,000, and operating grants up to $50,000.

The state is also putting $1.5 million into a Goodwill "career building center" near the Tops market. The intent is to train people for higher-paying, in-demand jobs in manufacturing, technology, health care, and sales and services.

To meet short-term transportation needs, Hochul said the state will continue to waive fares on bus routes 12, 13, 18 and 24 and provide a free shuttle to Price Rite on Elmwood Avenue until Tops' scheduled reopening in late July.

Each speaker attacked white supremacy and said the tragedy was an opportunity for the community to emerge stronger in its aftermath.

"We are going to take this atrocity of white supremacy and evil that reared its ugly head in Buffalo, and do something positive about it," State Sen. Tim Kennedy said.

"We can only be as strong in the City of Buffalo and the County of Erie when all of our areas are strong," County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. "These investments will make a difference not only for the East Side, but all of Buffalo and all of Erie County."

A mourning Black community celebrates Juneteenth in Buffalo with pride Exuberance coursed through the sun-soaked crowd gathered for the Juneteenth parade Saturday. But the pain and sadness of last month's racist massacre at Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue was evident.

Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes praised Hochul "as the first leader of our state to truly engage our communities directly to understand what our needs are, and how we believe we should build our future."

Jerry Daniels, owner of Carl-Jeff Barber Shop on Jefferson, said he wished it hadn't taken a disaster for the newly announced investments to be made.

"I think this is something that's long overdue," Daniels said. "If the money is available now, it should have been available before for an area where it's definitely needed."

Hochul expressed confidence that the funds  both the money announced for the East Side before the Tops shooting and the funds announced Saturday  will make a lasting difference.

"These are going to change the face of this community forever," the governor said. "To me that's the most important thing  to give people here the sense that this community has value."

The $50 million in state money adds to the $225 million for the East Side prior to the shooting, which included $185 million from the state, $41 million from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and other philanthropies and $9 million from the City of Buffalo.

In April, the governor committed $76 million to expand the Northland Avenue Belt Line Corridor and the Northland Workforce Training Center; $61 million to repair the concourse, exterior of the tower building and grounds at the Central Terminal; $37 million to create a state-of-the-art Broadway Market; $30 million to build out the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor; $15 million to bolster the commercial corridors; and $6 million to restore greenhouses at Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

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Texas GOP chairman Matt Rinaldi (left) presides over procedures at the Republican Party of Texas Convention in Houston, Texas, on June 18, 2022. (Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

Texas GOP Delegates Rebuke Senior Senator Over Gun Control Legislation

Texas Republican Party delegates on June 16 unanimously approved a resolution rebuking the states senior U.S. senator and other Republican lawmakers for working with Democrats on their gun control proposals that they say disregard the Second Amendment.

The resolution criticized U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who led the group of GOP lawmakers to help put together a bipartisan legislative package in response to the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. The other Republicans were Sens. Thom Tills (N.C.), Roy Blunt (Mo.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Mitt Romney (Utah), and Pat Toomey (Pa.).

The resolution rejects the bipartisan gun agreement and said red flag laws violate due process and are a pre-crime punishment for people not adjudicated guilty. It added that those under 21 are most likely to be victims of violent crime and need to defend themselves. It said all gun control is a violation of the Second Amendment.

Many delegates booed Cornyn and called him a RINO (Republican in name only) during a speech he gave at the GOP state convention on June 17. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), also criticized for being a RINO, had asked Cornyn to negotiate with the Democrats as they pushed gun control legislation incentivizing state red flag laws.

Since the May Uvalde school shooting, in which a teen gunman killed 19 children and two teachers, President Joe Biden and many Democrats have been pushing for stricter gun control as a solution, while others and many Republicans are looking to shore up school security and other initiatives to address early detection and mental health.

Delegates at the Texas GOP state convention in Houston on June 17, 2022, gave U.S. Sen. John Cornyn a thumbs down for working with Democrats to incentivize red flag laws. (Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

Cornyn at the state convention ignored his critics while speaking over the din about his views on gun legislation, right-to-life issues, and opposing the Green New Deal, which calls for phasing out fossil fuels.

Mark Ramsey, a delegate from Harris County and a former congressional candidate, told The Epoch Times that resolutions dont occur at every state GOP convention, and to have one pass unanimouslywhich happened on the gun control resolutionwas something that never happens.

The delegates voted to narrow 15 top legislative priorities to eight. However, the results of the vote werent immediately available. They also voted on a platform that included 275 issues, called planks, with results to be released later.

The No. 1 ranked legislative priority was to protect elections, which has been a top priority in the past. The election security measure would restore felony penalties and enact civil penalties for election code violations, while allowing any Texas jurisdiction, including the state attorney general, to enforce election laws.

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)

Delegates passed a second resolution saying they believe that the 2020 election violated the U.S. Constitution, and that various states secretaries of state illegally circumvented their legislatures to conduct their elections.

That resolution went on to say that the Texas delegates believe that substantial election fraud in key metropolitan areas significantly affected the results in five key states in favor of Biden.

Other noteworthy issues on the legislative priority list included:

Gun rights.

Abolishing abortion.

Stopping the sexualization of children.

Banning gender modification of children.

Giving parents school choice.

Removing social theories from the classroom.

The Texas legislature, which already passed a law prohibiting critical race theory, now wants to give parents the power to leave a school and take their childs educational dollars with them.

James Wesolek, communication director for the Republican Party of Texas, told The Epoch Times that 5,500 delegates attended the convention, which offers Republicans an opportunity to set priorities for the next legislative session in 2023 and elect party leaders.

Delegates reelected Matt Rinaldi as the state GOP chairman and elected Dr. Dana Myers as vice chair.

UPDATE: This article has been updated to note that Dr. Dana Myers was elected as vice chair.
Texas Republican Party Chairman Matt Rinaldi (left) presides over procedures at the Republican Party of Texas Convention in Houston on June 18, 2022. (Darlene McCormick Sanchez/The Epoch Times)

Texas GOP Passes Resolution Declaring Biden Not Legitimately Elected

Texas Republicans have passed a resolution stating that President Joe Biden was not legitimately elected, and that substantial election fraud in key metropolitan areas influenced the results of the 2020 presidential election in favor of Biden.

We believe that the 2020 election violated Article 1 and 2 of the US Constitution, that various secretaries of state illegally circumvented their state legislatures in conducting their elections in multiple ways, including by allowing ballots to be received after November 3, 2020, states a resolution passed on June 18, the last day of a three-day biennial Texas Republican convention held in Houston, the Texas Tribune reported.

We believe that substantial election fraud in key metropolitan areas significantly affected the results in five key states in favor of Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. We reject the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election, and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States.

The states Republican Party, the largest in the nation, passed the resolution after delegates sat through a June 16 screening of 2000 Mules, a documentary directed by conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh DSouza.

The movie features the undercover investigative work of David Lara, a citizen investigator, and Arizona state Senate candidate Gary Snyder, as well as investigations conducted by election integrity organization True the Vote on an alleged coordinated ballot trafficking operation during the 2020 election.

Described as an expose of widespread, coordinated voter fraud in the 2020 election, the movie draws on cellphone location data paired with video surveillance footage that allegedly shows a cohort of people dropping ballots off at drop boxes situated outdoors, on average, more than 20 times each. Those people were dubbed by the investigators as mules.

While some states allow people to gather ballots from certain people and drop them off, the volume of ballots inserted into the boxes and the fact that the people went to multiple boxes to drop ballots off shows that what happened was illegal, filmmakers say.

Filmmaker Dinesh DSouza in Washington on Aug. 1, 2018. (Shannon Finney/Getty Images)

The mules are instructed to do three votes over here or five votes over there, 10 votes over here; they spread it around so as not to raise eyebrows and not to raise suspicion, DSouza previously told EpochTVs Crossroads. The scale of the operation was enough to tip the 2020 election, he said.

The Texas Republican Party passed the resolution on June 18 during a voting session on the partys platform and legislative priorities.

The approved platform also recommends numerous measures to bolster election integrity, including implementing voter photo ID and in-person voting and tightening the voter registration process.

Other issues endorsed in the state Republicans latest platform include a call to abolish abortion, preserve gun rights, remove Marxist ideology and critical race theory from schools, and ban gender modification of children.

James Wesolek, communications director for the Republican Party of Texas, told The Epoch Times that 5,500 delegates attended the convention, which offers Republicans an opportunity to set priorities for the next legislative session in 2023 and elect party leaders.

Remember, the Republican Party of Texas is a grassroots party, Matt Rinaldi, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, told attendees of the convention, Houston Public Media reported. It doesnt belong to me, the governor, or senators or congressmen, or any elected official. This is your party.

According to the U.S. National Archives, Joe Biden received 306 electoral votes in the 2020 election and Donald Trump received 232 electoral votes. Trump and conservative figures across the country immediately challenged the results, alleging that substantial fraud influenced the 2020 election. Democrats and mainstream media have vociferously denied such allegations, claiming them to be unfounded.

The Texas Republican Party, in the resolution, called on voting conservatives in the state to work to overwhelm any possibility of voter fraud.

We strongly urge all Republicans to work to ensure election integrity and to show up to vote in November of 2022, bring your friends and family, volunteer for your local Republicans, and overwhelm any possible fraud, the resolution reads.

White House officials didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

Zachary Stieber and Darlene McCormick Sanchez contributed to this report.
Time to Complete Brexit, Attorney General Says After ECHR Grounded UK Deportation Flight to Rwanda

Attorney General Suella Braverman on Saturday said she has significant reservations about the UKs relationship with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

She said its time to complete Brexit and let the British people decide who can and cannot stay in our country.

Her comment came after the European court effectively grounded a British flight deporting illegal immigrants to Rwanda.

The UK government in April signed a deal to relocate some illegal immigrants, including asylum seekers who arrived in the UK illegally, to Rwanda, where they will be granted asylum or be given other opportunities to remain.

But its first deportation flight was grounded on Tuesday after the ECHR granted last-minute interim measures covering three people who were due to be on the flight.

The Daily Express on Saturday quoted Braverman as saying: This is still a topic being discussed in government but I have significant reservations about our relationship with the European Court of Human Rights. In the EU referendum, the British people voted to take back control of our laws, they are rightly baffled why our immigration controls can still be blocked by European judges.

Its time to complete Brexit and let the British people decide who can and cannot stay in our country, she said.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has previously described the courts decision as politically motivated, while Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said it was wrong for the injunction to be granted.

The ECHR is part of the Council of Europe, with a remit to protect human rights, and has nothing to do with the European Union.

The Rwanda row has led to calls from some Tory MPs to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights, the document interpreted by the court in Strasbourg.

Raab has said the UK would stay within the convention but new laws could ensure that interim measures from the Strasbourg court could effectively be ignored by the UK government.

The government plans to replace the Human Rights Act, which enshrines the convention in domestic law, with a new Bill of Rights.

Ongoing court battles have created uncertainty over when any further attempts to fly illegal immigrants to the African country will be made, although Patel has previously said the government will not be deterred from doing the right thing, we will not be put off by the inevitable last-minute legal challenges.

Chris Summers and PA Media contributed to this report.
Following a surprise visit to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, England, on June 18, 2022. (Joe Giddens/PA Media)

UKs Johnson Sets Out 4-Point Plan to Support Ukraine in A Long War

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday set out a four-point plan to support Ukraine.

He also warned against Ukraine fatigue, saying its very important to show the UK is in for the long haul.

It comes as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the war could take years.

Meanwhile, the UKs new army chief warned that British troops must prepare to fight in Europe once again.

In an article published in Londons Sunday Times newspaper on June 19, Johnson argued that Russian President Vladimir Putins recent speech marking the 350th anniversary of Russian Tsar Peter the Greats birth showed Putin would not stop at dismembering Ukraine if Russia prevails in the war.

Only last week, he compared himself to Peter the Great and arrogated to Russia an eternal right to take back any territory ever inhabited by Slavs, a doctrine that would permit the conquest of vast expanses of Europe, including NATO allies, the British prime minister wrote.

Johnson said while Putins total reconquest of Ukraine had been derailed, in his isolation, he may still think total conquest is possible.

He said the UK and its allies need to steel ourselves for a long war by making sure Ukraine can strengthen its military capabilities faster than Russia can replace its lost tanks and armour.

Johnson set out a four-point plan, including accelerating weapon supplies to Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian soldiers; constant funding and technical support to help sustain the Ukrainian state; developing the overland routes in and out of Ukraine to counter Russias stranglehold on Ukraines economy by blockading its principal export routes across the Black Sea; and getting food out of Ukraine by supporting the United Nations to negotiate a safe corridor for exports by sea.

But he warned that while the need to restore food exports could scarcely be more pressing, none of these steps will yield immediate results.

All will require a determined effort by the UK and our allies, lasting for months and years, he wrote.

Speaking to reporters earlier on Saturday following his second surprise visit to Ukraine, Johnson said, When Ukraine fatigue is setting in, it is very important to show that we are with them for the long haul and we are giving them the strategic resilience that they need.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy light candles at the Mikhailovsky Zlatoverkhy Cathedral (St. Michaels Golden-Domed Cathedral) in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 17, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office of Ukrainian/Handout via PA Media)

Gen. Sir Patrick Sanders, who took over from Gen. Sir Mark Carleton Smith as the British Armys chief of the general Staff, said theres now a burning imperative that the army is prepared for war in Europe.

Writing to troops, Sanders said Russias invasion of Ukraine has underlined the core purpose of the British Army of protecting the UK by being ready to fight and win wars on land.

He also said he is the first chief of the general staff since 1941 to take command of the Army in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a continental power, referring to World War II.

The scale of the enduring threat from Russia shows weve entered a new era of insecurity, he wrote. It is my singular duty to make our Army as lethal and effective as it can be. The time is now and the opportunity is ours to seize.

Sanders said theres now a burning imperative to forge an army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle, adding, We are the generation that must prepare the Army to fight in Europe once again.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg holds the closing press conference at NATO headquarters during the second of two days of defence ministers meetings in Brussels on June 16, 2022. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)

NATO chief Stoltenberg on Saturday told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that the alliance must prepare for the RussiaUkraine war to take years.

A NATO summit in Madrid later this month is expected to agree on an assistance package for Ukraine that will help the country with the move from old Soviet-era weaponry to NATO standard gear, Stoltenberg said earlier this week.

Ukraine vowed on Saturday to prevail against Moscow as it fought Russian assaults near a key eastern city and multiple locations came under shell and missile attacks.

Russian forces were defeated in an attempt to storm Ukraines capital Kyiv in March. Russia has since refocused on the Donbas region in the eastern part of Ukraine.

Reuters contributed to this report.
US Marshals Hunting 4 Fugitives Who Escaped Federal Prison

Federal and state officials are searching for four inmates who escaped from a federal prison in Virginia this weekend, authorities confirmed.

Corey Branch, Tavares Lajuane Graham, Kareem Allen Shaw, and Lamonte Rashawn Willis went missing from a camp at the Federal Correctional Complex Petersburg in Hopewell, Virginia, at around 1:45 a.m. on Saturday, authorities told FOX 5. Officials did not say how the four escaped from custody.

Other details about their escape were not immediately released, but an official told NBC12 that the four walked away in the early morning hours. The Bureau of Prisons confirmed in a news release that the four had escaped.

The U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies were notified of their escape, officials said. An investigation is ongoing.

Branch, 41, was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia to more than 13 years for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and felon in possession of a firearm.

Graham, 44, was sentenced in the Eastern District of North Carolina to 10 years for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Willis, 30, was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia to 18 years for possessing and concealing a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Shaw, 46, was sentenced in the Western District of Virginia to more than 16 years for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a measurable quantity of heroin.

The U.S. Marshals Service said that anyone with information concerning the four inmates whereabouts should call them at (804) 545-8501, an official told FOX 5.

It comes weeks after an Alabama prisoner and accused murder suspect escaped with a female prison guard before they were located and found several states away in Indiana. The guard, Vicky White, killed herself during a police pursuit before the suspect, Casey Cole White, was captured and extradited back to Alabama.

And in early June, police shot and killed a convicted murderer who escaped from a transport bus for high-risk inmates in Texas.

Suspect Gonzalo Lopez is captured [and] deceased, the Leon County Sheriffs Office said in its update.

Lopez, 46, is believed to be connected to the murder of a Houston family of four minors and one adult. The fugitive stole the familys truck, a 1999 white Chevrolet Silverado, from a rural weekend cabin after he allegedly killed the family, police said.

The Associated Press and Lorenz Duchamps contributed to this report.
Contributed / U.S. Coast Guard Northeast

NEW CASTLE, N.H.  Two New Canaan residents were involved in a boating incident in New Hampshire Saturday after a 72-foot-yacht burned and sank in the Piscataqua River.

Passengers Arthur Watson, 67, and Diane Watson, 57, of New Canaan and Jarrod Tubbs, 33, of Jupiter, Florida, were taken to the hospital where they were treated and released, according to the Associated Press.
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MILAN (AP)  Reconciling unusually high temperatures with the looks for next summer on Milan Fashion Week runways is becoming an exercise in cognitive dissonance.

While nodding to sustainability, designers are nonetheless proposing looks that dont jibe with longer summer heat waves, and instead seem to be focused on customers who either live in northern climates, who can count on cool evenings or air conditioning, or who just dont care.

Some highlights from Sundays preview of mostly menswear for Spring-Summer 2023:

___

PRADAS GINGHAM NOSTALGIA

The Miuccia Prada-Raf Simons collaboration at Prada has been a proven success, generating recognizable pieces that grab attention and brand recognition from a distance. That is quite a feat for co-creators who joined forces just as the pandemic put the globe on lockdown, and which hasn't quite loosened its grip.

The silhouette for next spring and summer is studied and refined, another easy read. It started with lapel-less suits with hidden buttons, tapered skinny trousers down to pointy boots. The pair introduced boyish notes with striped ribbed or color-block knitwear. Oversized bags contributed to a sense of childhood, playing with grown-ups things, while models walked through a paper mock-up of an out-of-scale house.

Nostalgia came in the form of oversized gingham, recalling a kitchen tablecloth, traditionally a womans domain, in play against leather grunge: sleeveless short sets, and trenches, sometimes with a gingham trench layered in between.

Questions persist: How is this a summer wardrobe? Where exactly is this summer?

But judging from those in the fashion crowd in knit turtlenecks and leather coats, the question may be beside the point where Prada is concerned.

Backstage, Prada welcomed guests including Jake Gyllenhaal, Jeff Goldblum and Rami Malek, herself wearing a cashmere gray short-sleeved sweater and an organza sheath skirt.

Fashion as a manner, a way as well as a means of appearing," the designers said in show notes. An expression of choice.

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MOSCHINO BRINGS MENSWEAR TO MILAN

Jeremy Scott set the quirky Moschino tone with a squiggle, before exploding into full trompe loiel of graphic inspirations from the late American artist Tony Viramontes.

This was Moschinos first menswear-only show in Milan.

Scott said he wanted to shine some light on this brilliant creator described in the fashion notes as a lively chameleon, hued in pop-bright colors.

A grimacing face on a two-tone jacket set the pop art tone, followed by squiggles painted down trousers and lapels, burgeoning into graphic dot prints and photographic details that recreate the look of wrinkles and creases on garments.

The Moschino silhouette for Spring-Summer 2023 has a punk-militaristic vibe that challenges genders norms in a way that has increasingly become mainstream on luxury runways.

Pleated aprons are worn over shorts or trousers, front or back, for a skirt effect.

But there is no reason to stop there, because Scott also imagines pleated punk skirts and longer straight skirts for men. These looks are not entirely feminine, worn with military-style jackets and caps along with combat boots, not to be under-minded by made-up visages down to the coal eye.

Scott saluted the runway in a olive kilt with a T-shirt reading Misfits on the front and EARTH A.D. on the back.

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REALITY BITES BY SIMON CRACKER

Designers Filippo Biraghi and Simone Botte took a radical turn during the pandemic and devoted the Simon Cracker brand they founded in 2010 entirely to up-cycled materials.

The designers collect unclaimed garments from laundries and textile remnants from producers, to make unique creations for their growing following, known as the Cracker Crew. Source material includes old cotton and linen bedsheets, mens shirts, old parachutes, discarded yarns for new knitwear and recycled jersey.

The collection for Spring-Summer 2023 was titled Reality Bites, from the Gen-X 1990s film but more fittingly a reference to the state of the world, and most specifically the difficulties the up-and-coming brand has been experiencing recently.

"We are living a difficult moment," Biraghi said backstage. 'Reality Bites' is a bit of our experience in this moment.

They described the collection as a cross between Holly Hobby and the Sex Pistols, encapsulated by punk accents with ruffles. Looks were decorated with naive embroidery, tiny patches or childlike doodles.

It is as if the clothes were born beautiful, and then are bitten, Botte said.

The models were people from their Cracker Crew, encapsulating different body types and attitudes.

One older male model wearing a high-waist knitwear trousers, with a red ribbon accent and a deconstructed jacket with flowing orange silk panel moved in a trance-like dance down the runway, while a woman in a corset over a layered skirt of discarded mens shirts carried a miniature dog.
This illustration shows a white dwarf star siphoning off debris from shattered objects in a planetary system. The Hubble Space Telescope detects the spectral signature of the vaporized debris that revealed a combination of rocky-metallic and icy material, the ingredients of planets. The findings help describe the violent nature of evolved planetary systems and the composition of its disintegrating bodies. Illustration Credit: NASA, ESA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

A star's death throes have so violently disrupted its planetary system that the dead star left behind, called a white dwarf, is siphoning off debris from both the system's inner and outer reaches.

This is the first time astronomers have observed a white dwarf star that is consuming both rocky-metallic and icy material, the ingredients of planets.

Archival data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA observatories were essential in diagnosing this case of cosmic cannibalism. The findings help describe the violent nature of evolved planetary systems and can tell astronomers about the makeup of newly forming systems.

The findings are based on analyzing material captured by the atmosphere of the nearby white dwarf star G238-44. A white dwarf is what remains of a star like our Sun after it sheds its outer layers and stops burning fuel though nuclear fusion. "We have never seen both of these kinds of objects accreting onto a white dwarf at the same time," said Ted Johnson, the lead researcher and recent University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) bachelor's graduate. "By studying these white dwarfs, we hope to gain a better understanding of planetary systems that are still intact."

The findings are also intriguing because small icy objects are credited for crashing into and "irrigating" dry, rocky planets in our solar system. Billions of years ago comets and asteroids are thought to have delivered water to Earth, sparking the conditions necessary for life as we know it. The makeup of the bodies detected raining onto the white dwarf implies that icy reservoirs might be common among planetary systems, said Johnson.

"Life as we know it requires a rocky planet covered with a variety of elements like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen," said Benjamin Zuckerman, UCLA professor and co-author. "The abundances of the elements we see on this white dwarf appear to require both a rocky and a volatile-rich parent body - the first example we've found among studies of hundreds of white dwarfs."

A star's death throes have so violently disrupted its planetary system that the dead star left behind, called a white dwarf, is siphoning off debris from both the system's inner and outer reaches. This is the first time astronomers have observed a white dwarf star that is consuming both rocky-metallic and icy material, the ingredients of planets. Archival data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA observatories were essential in diagnosing this case of cosmic cannibalism. The findings help describe the violent nature of evolved planetary systems and can tell astronomers about the makeup of newly forming systems. Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center; Lead Producer: Paul Morris

Demolition Derby

Theories of planetary system evolution describe the transition between a red giant star and white dwarf phases as a chaotic process. The star quickly loses its outer layers and its planets' orbits dramatically change. Small objects, like asteroids and dwarf planets, can venture too close to giant planets and be sent plummeting toward the star. This study confirms the true scale of this violent chaotic phase, showing that within 100 million years after the beginning of its white dwarf phase, the star is able to simultaneously capture and consume material from its asteroid belt and Kuiper belt-like regions.

The estimated total mass eventually gobbled up by the white dwarf in this study may be no more than the mass of an asteroid or small moon. While the presence of at least two objects that the white dwarf is consuming is not directly measured, it's likely one is metal-rich like an asteroid and another is an icy body similar to what's found at the fringe of our solar system in the Kuiper belt.

Though astronomers have cataloged over 5,000 exoplanets, the only planet where we have some direct knowledge of its interior makeup is Earth. The white dwarf cannibalism provides a unique opportunity to take planets apart and see what they were made of when they first formed around the star.

The team measured the presence of nitrogen, oxygen, magnesium, silicon and iron, among other elements. The detection of iron in a very high abundance is evidence for metallic cores of terrestrial planets, like Earth, Venus, Mars, and Mercury. Unexpectedly high nitrogen abundances led them to conclude the presence of icy bodies. "The best fit for our data was a nearly two-to-one mix of Mercury-like material and comet-like material, which is made up of ice and dust," Johnson said. "Iron metal and nitrogen ice each suggest wildly different conditions of planetary formation. There is no known solar system object with so much of both."

Death of a Planetary System

When a star like our Sun expands into a bloated red giant late in its life, it will shed mass by puffing off its outer layers. One consequence of this can be the gravitational scattering of small objects like asteroids, comets, and moons by any remaining large planets. Like pinballs in an arcade game, the surviving objects can be thrown into highly eccentric orbits.

"After the red giant phase, the white dwarf star that remains is compact - no larger than Earth. The wayward planets end up getting very close to the star and experience powerful tidal forces that tear them apart, creating a gaseous and dusty disk that eventually falls onto the white dwarf's surface," Johnson explained.

The researchers are looking at the ultimate scenario for the Sun's evolution, 5 billion years from now. Earth might be completely vaporized along with the inner planets. But the orbits of many of the asteroids in the main asteroid belt will be gravitationally perturbed by Jupiter and will eventually fall onto the white dwarf that the remnant Sun will become.

For over two years, the research group at UCLA, the University of California, San Diego and the Kiel University in Germany, has worked to unravel this mystery by analyzing the elements detected on the white dwarf star cataloged as G238-44. Their analysis includes data from NASA's retired Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), the Keck Observatory's High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) in Hawaii, and the Hubble Space Telescope's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS).

The team's results were presented at an American Astronomical Society (AAS) press conference on Wednesday, June 15, 2022.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.



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Celeste LeClair-Coleman has no memory of her father. She was born six months after the death of Mitchell LeClair, a World War II Navy veteran killed in 1955 while helping to build the Skyway, a tragedy that occurred while he worked alongside his own dad and LeClairs brother.

The loss created what Florence Mickie Golba, one of LeClair-Colemans older sisters, describes as a yearning in the siblings. LeClairs family was originally from Kahnawake, a Mohawk community in Quebec known for generations of ironworkers who have earned their paychecks in "high steel" on city skylines.

Golba can remember her fathers wake, his casket in the living room, but nothing of her dad as a living man. Only June Mahfoud, the oldest sister who was 8 when LeClair died 67 years ago, retains vivid memories of how she and Golba would sit on his back and laugh as he did pushups.

While that loss equated to a lifetime of pensive Fathers Days for the siblings, this one will be different. A Skyway quest started by LeClair-Coleman and joined by the families of two other men who died building that bridge will culminate at 11 a.m. on June 29.

Civic officials plan to raise a sign at the intersection of Main and Perry streets, not far from where the LeClairs lost their dad. Travelers at that spot, maybe heading toward Canalside, will soon be driving, walking or biking on Skywalker Way.

After all these years, Golba said, well finally get what weve been striving for."

The LeClair sisters and their relatives will be joined by the families of ironworkers Gatlin White, born into the Seneca Nation's Cattaraugus territory and a veteran of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, and Daniel Smith, who spent much of his childhood in an orphanage overseen by Father Nelson Baker.

Those men all died in separate falls in 1955, during Skyway construction in the teeth of strong winds from Lake Erie. Patricia White Hancock was a little girl when her brother Gatlin was killed. He never had any fear of heights, and she said he was employed as an ironworker at Bethlehem Steel when he was assigned to help erect the towering bridge across the Buffalo River.

He died on Jan. 4, 1955, when he was bolting a stringer beam high in the air, then fell onto Ganson Street.

Weve been waiting, and this will be beautiful, Hancock said of the ceremony, speaking of herself and another sister, Jacqueline White Gibson. As for Fathers Day, Hancock said it only amplifies the sense of loss about her brother, who  like Daniel Smith  had no children when he died.

He didnt have time, Hancock said of Gatlin, who was only 22.

Asked about the catalyst behind the effort, Mahfoud and Golba both pointed at once to LeClair-Coleman, of Buffalo, who was born within days of the Skyway's opening. She has guts, said Mahfoud, the oldest sister. While their mother was not born into the Haudenosaunee, Joyce LeClair made sure her girls maintained an emotional and spiritual bond to their native heritage after losing their dad, including summers with their grandparents at the Six Nations of the Grand River territory, in Ontario.

Their grandfather, haunted by the day his son fell at the Skyway, became LeClair-Coleman's best way of imagining the father who never had the chance to hold his youngest daughter. But she said she finally came to terms with that lifelong absence while she was teaching at Buffalos Native American Magnet School 19, where Fran Hill, a Mohawk, was a legendary educator.

She was like a mentor to me, LeClair-Coleman said. It was Hill who inspired her to do a school display on native ironworkers that included images of Mitchell LeClair, only 30 when he died, and the passionate response from children and teachers led LeClair-Coleman to pursue a memorial.

With her sisters, she always equated the Skyway with their dad. Raised Catholic, they would make the sign of the cross when they passed over it in childhood. It left them to contemplate the legacy of a guy Golba described as a husband, a father, a veteran, an ironworker, a son, a brother, to which Mahfoud added:

And he sacrificed his life.

They realized the larger community might not understand the kind of loss associated with building the high places of the city. Six years ago, when LeClair-Coleman began a drive for a public Skyway memorial, her older sisters offered their full support.

Almost immediately, they found allies. They met Gatlin White's family through the vibrant connections that tie together the Haudenosaunee. LeClair-Coleman, it turned out, had taught Gatlins great-niece in Buffalo.

As for Smith, LeClair-Coleman said his relatives became involved after seeing a news clip about the effort on television. Mark Weber, Smith's great-nephew, said it is "unbelievable" that the ironworkers will be publicly honored after so many years.

Families hope for Skyway memorial to 'high steel' workers who died on job The ironworkers who helped build the Skyway in the 1950s were in the crosshairs of the unpredictable winds of Lake Erie. Now, the families of those who lost their lives during the bridges construction are looking for a permanent tribute to

The memorial sign will be easily visible, Weber said, "and will do justice to these men who gave their lives."

The original dream was renaming the bridge itself in honor of the skywalkers, a nickname often used to describe Mohawks and other native workers in high steel. But tumultuous debate about the future of the Skyway made the plan a long shot, and then the pandemic brought everything to a halt.

The notion of a Skywalker Way, LeClair-Coleman said, revived the conversation. It came about through a Buffalo Common Council resolution offered by council member Mitch Nowakowski, and LeClair-Coleman also expressed thanks for the patience and diligence of council legislative assistant Derek Smith.

In a statement released through chief of staff Becca Castaneda, Nowakowski offered gratitude to LeClair-Coleman for sticking with the mission. He said the event will be a way to honor the courage of the ironworkers killed on the job, to recall their military service and to remind the larger community of the rich Haudenosaunee heritage in high steel.

LeClair-Coleman, for her part, said she is not done. One of her earliest contacts was Tom Halligan, business manager for Ironworkers Local 6 in West Seneca. Halligan and Joe Barnashuk, a union administrator and historian, recently showed me a union hall memorial that lists the names of about 100 Western New York ironworkers who died along the skyline or in steel plants or raising tall bridges.

I look at it from this perspective: These are the guys who built this city, said Barnashuk, who put together the memorial. The list, which slows down dramatically in the decades after new safety regulations were set in place, holds the names of the three men from the Skyway, and Barnashuk and Halligan spoke with reverence of that collective sacrifice.

To LeClair-Coleman, the entire region - knowing the tale - could appreciate the same emotion. It seems logical to her that anyone who is moved by the great skyscrapers, bridges and towering landmarks of Buffalo would also understand the high price paid by many families in helping those monumental structures come to be.

In a community that loves to celebrate epic architects, LeClair-Coleman envisions a memorable downtown sculpture to honor all those who died raising brick-and-mortar dreams into the air, a tribute that would mesh with the soul of this town.

For now, on this weekend, she will allow herself some peace. The June 29 ceremony at the Skyway is expected to memorably wrap together elements of labor and military service and native culture, and members of all three families hope the new sign will cause larger reflection on what they lost in the building of that bridge.

In one way, it has already done the seemingly impossible: For the first time in her life, Mitchell LeClairs youngest kid is absolutely sure she found a gift her dad would love, on Father's Day.

Sean Kirst is a columnist with The Buffalo News. Email him at skirst@buffnews.com.

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KARACHI, Pakistan (AP)  Pakistan has freed 20 Indian fishermen who spent four years in prison in the port city of Karachi for violating the countrys territorial waters, an official said Sunday.

The group left the prison and boarded a bus for the eastern city of Lahore carrying sweets and gifts handed out by a charity, said Kamran Ahmed Sheikh, a prison official. He said they would be handed over to Indian authorities at the Wahgah border crossing.
The Yoruba Referendum Committee welcomes the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential Candidate of the APC. Placed within the context of his previous political journey as a major participant in the pro-democracy movement which eventually brought about the current post-military civilian order as well as his resistance to the Obasanjo anti-Federalist Administration, the onus is now on him to pursue his Partys Re-Federalization of Nigeria, already acknowledged as a necessity in his Partys Manifesto, whether the party wins the 2023 General Elections or not.

2. This expectation is reinforced by the process that played out during the primaries of the major parties where the primacy of the National Question in Nigeria, heavily laden with the religious, became obvious, despite allusions to Federal Character, Zoning or power rotation between the North and South. The parties eventually picked their candidates from the Nationalities, and the major contenders did not hide their Nationality identities and representation, without recourse to their religious persuasion thereby ensuring the primacy of the Nationality (zone) in their political calculus.

3. The conclusion of these primaries brought into broad and sharp relief the centrality of the National Question and its resolution as categorical imperative and confirms the reality that, regardless of religious identities, political power, representations, and manifestation reflect the Nationality (zone) rather than the religious persuasion of the individual candidate which must therefore further strengthen the responsibility of the Peoples of the zones, the Nationalities, on their engagement with the victorious candidate, the political parties and by extension, the Nigerian State, by placing the quest for True Federalism in Nigeria firmly on the table, as formulated in our conclusion.

4. It is also noted that, this is the context through which an expected third force comprising the Labor Party, civil society, and Yoruba self-determination groups, is to emerge, supposedly anchored on a radical/revolutionary leadership which will turn Nigeria around, disregarding the reality of the National Question alongside colonialism and its successor, the post-Colonial State which sought and still seeks to neutralize the Nations and Peoples of Nigeria as Federating Units. This will be a losing proposition for Self-Determination of any Nationality because the Labor Party has already shown its anti-Federalist nature by rooting for the patently anti-Federalist Local government autonomy while its "third force" associates are yet to establish any roadmap towards self-determination for their Nationalities, which, ordinarily, ought to inform on their political choices.

5. The Yoruba civil society and self-determination groups, falling for this schema, are claiming the acquiescence of the international community, especially the United Nations, in favor of Yoruba self-determination, including for some, secession, regardless of the fact that the United Nations itself is still undergoing a refinement of its processes towards an understanding of Self-determination for Peoples not under colonial rule, as even shown by the report of the Unrepresented Peoples Organization(UNPO) to the United Nations Expert Mechanism for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples where the UN is being asked to, among others, establish a specific United Nations mechanism to consider the right to self-determination, including, for example, the establishment of a relevant Special Rapporteur or Working Group; urgently revise her participation mechanisms to ensure that indigenous peoples can safely participate free from politics inherent to the ECOSOC process and from reprisals from governments; better integrate self-determination into other existing United Nations processes; pursue a Secretary General opinion on self-determination in United Nations peace building activities to guide not only the United Nations own activities but also those of major State actors in conflict and conflict-impacted areas and create an annual reporting cycle in which United Nations member states can report on progress in the implementation of the various peace-accords or peace-negotiations.

6. The above shows that the while United Nations itself is still undergoing a process of addressing fundamental issues on Self-Determination, it is operating under the foundational premises dictated by the Major Powers in its Security Council, with their own interpretations of global order and which demands the Legitimization of our quests in our engagement with them and which, so far, is lacking and cannot be wished into existence.

7. Besides, all military and civilian administrations since 1986, established mechanisms for addressing the above issues, attempting to legitimize doubtful socio-political legacies - IMF debates, Political Bureau, Niki Tobi's Constitutional review, Abubakar's consultations, Obasanjos Technical Review Committee; Yar Aduas Constitutional Review, Jonathans Confab and APCs Committee on Restructuring; none of which yielded the desired degree of Autonomy for Nationalities/Regions making up Nigeria. In each of these, it was a case of working to the answer, with various zonal consultations which were never subjected to the imprimatur of the People, especially through Referendums, either among the various Peoples or in the various zones, for affirmation or rejection, thus making those exercises subject to the whims of those in power as we experienced.

8. The summary of all the above is the recognition of True Federalism as the road towards the development of Nigerias Political Economy as had been known and projected, especially since the return to civil rule in 1999.

9. All efforts stated above failed mainly because the various Peoples or Nationalities in Nigeria played no part in the exercises. Reversing this trend is therefore a necessity for the Yoruba now that the APC is once again expecting to keep power and more so with a Yoruba as its Presidential Candidate.

10. The Yoruba Referendum Committee recognizes the opportunity that once presented itself during the Olusegun Obasanjo Administration, which was aborted by the inability of the then Yoruba Political establishment to rally Yoruba People around the Yoruba Agenda, already agreed upon by the Yoruba in 1994. Rather, they chose to surrender the initiative to the Obasanjo Administration, placing its trust on it to achieve True Federalism. Since then, all processes towards True Federalism have been predicated on continuous reliance on those in power at the center, thereby making it the fulcrum around which every demand revolves and denying the Peoples their participation in their aspirations and hopes.

11. To address which the Yoruba Referendum Committee proposes as follows: (i) Referendums by the various Nationalities as Federating Units aimed at recreating Nigeria as a Multi-National State, defined as a Federal Nigeria, through a valid Federal Constitution, to be known as The Union of Nigerian Constituent Nationalities, with a Federal Presidential Council, whose members will be selected or elected from each of the Nationalities as Federating Units and from whom a Head of State will be selected or elected as the primus-inter-pares with an agreed term.  This form of State will permanently take care of the North/South and Christian/Muslim divides by representation of the Zones or Nationality in the Presidential Council and confine monetization and the Nationality/Religious questions within cultural and social boundaries in existence within the zones/Nationalities and from where resolutions can be advanced (ii) For the Yoruba, this will be the Yoruba Referendum to be conducted through the instrumentality of the Houses of Assembly in Yorubaland and aimed at creating a new political and economic paradigm for Yorubaland modeled along the experiences of our Golden Era (iii) It is strongly advised that the Yoruba Referendum is conducted before the 2023 Elections, because the result of the Referendum will be further reinforced by the results of the General Elections, which will further provide a legitimate basis for Re-negotiating Nigerias Structure.

12. It may be asked why a Yoruba Referendum when there is a National Assembly through whom the Restructuring will go ahead via Constitutional Amendment or any other process. Asking us to look forward to some legislation or Constitutional Amendment from the National Assembly towards Restructuring will be waving a flag at the problem; for, aside from the fact that the current Constitution is the problem that must be resolved, the National Assembly does not represent the Peoples of Nigeria as it does recognize the Peoples as the Federating or Constituent Units, substituting them with the administrations of the States and Local Governments. Therefore, the only way to remedy the situation is for the various peoples of Nigeria, to, in a Referendum within themselves, decide the framework for their aspirations and self-actualization which then becomes the foundation for RESTRUCTURING Nigeria.
Presently, the most particular matter on the minds of Nigerians concerns the 2023 presidential election. A lot is going on in the nation now. The big question is, Who will be the next President of Nigeria?.

Alongside the search for a President, is the hunt for representatives in the Legislature.

In a scenario like Nigeria 2023 , we are all used to the domination between the two largest parties in the West African region - the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), notwithstanding that the other political parties have exceptional individuals. Lets be adept and give the young woman; Barrister Juliet Isi Ikhayere of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) a chance to prove herself.

Barr. Juliet Isi Ikhayere on the 9th of June, 2022 emerged the winner of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) House of Representatives, AMAC/Bwari Federal constituency primary election.

Ms Juliet has been active in sensitization and mobilization programs for peace building purposes and social development in her community.

She had previously contested for Councilor in the just concluded FCT Area Council Elections in Abuja.

Also, when talking about positive qualities, Juliet Isi Ikhayere is a bridge builder and philanthropist. Praises and commendations are always used to describe her person.

Should I say a few things about her?, yes Ill state my experiences while working with her.

Ms Juliet is a happy person. She is one of the very few politicians in Nigeria with a strong Ideology. By working closely with her, I learnt to appreciate female politicians in Nigeria. It is not easy being a woman participating in a mens dominated exercise without compromise.

I remember a moment where we both had to deliberate on an issue, she quickly asked that we be led by our spirits and consider multiple outcomes before moving forward. She doesnt believe in rash decision making.

Having worked with her for long period, I have noticed, she pays attention to every suggestion made by members of her team and doesnt decide solely.

In a speech following her emergence, Barr. Juliet Isi Ikhayere appreciated the members of the partys electoral committee for ensuring a free and fair election. She also thanked the members of the Party as well as the delegates who coordinated themselves peacefully as they exercised their civic responsibilities.

Now that is something about Barr. Juliet Isi Ikhayere, shes always appreciative of every kind of efforts in any activity.

She further assured the people that she will not fail to propagate the significant ideologies of her party as it is a party whose agenda, like hers, focuses on progress, gender balance, unity and care for persons with disabilities.

The Principal partner at the Makhoms -J Attorneys also possesses a straight line as she owns no accounts of experiences with anti-corruption agencies.

All I can say at this moment is that Nigerians must consider a vibrant person that has a plan which puts energy and capacity into consideration and utilization. This is not the time for strong institutions but strong candidates with an upright manifesto. I believe this time we can do better.

Chinedum Anayo is a Political Commentator and can be contacted on : [email protected]
Kebbi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has suspended a senatorial aspirant, Haruna Saidu-Dandio, for allegedly for working against the party.

Saidu-Dandio was suspended by the executive members of his ward in Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of the state.

His suspension was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Ward Chairman, Ibrahim Abdullahi-Na-Mazaba and Secretary, Malam Nasiru Aliyu, and obtained by newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday.

According to the statement, At its extraordinary meeting held on Saturday, 18th June, 2022, the Executive Committee of Nasarawa I Ward noted the inappropriate conduct and anti-party activities of Malam Haruna Saidu Dandio before and after the conduct of the fresh Kebbi Central Senatorial Primary Election held on 19th June as ordered by the National Working Committee.

The statement faulted the former senatorial flag-bearer for his letter to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, dated June 8, without exhausting the internal conflict resolution mechanisms provided in the partys constitution.

Another key issue, according to the statement, is his press interview condemning the decision of the National Working Committee of our great party.

It said, His clandestine activities with the ruling party in the state such that his press interview was conducted in Kebbi State Liaison Office in Abuja and his continued anti-party activities in spite of so many entreaties to him.

Therefore, the Nasarawa I Ward Executive Committee hereby resolved as follows: that the State Executive Committee should be duly and adequately informed of the inappropriate conduct and anti-party activities of Malam Haruna Saidu Dandio for appropriate action.

That Malam Haruna Saidu Dandio be and hereby suspended from the party pending the decision of the State Executive Council or any appropriate disciplinary organ of our party in respect of our request.

That this resolution should be communicated to the Local Government Working Committee.

It should be noted that Saidu-Dandio had initially won the party ticket for Kebbi Central Senatorial District unopposed during a primary election earlier conducted.

But, the national headquarters of the party in Abuja requested a fresh primary election following the defection of Senator Adamu Aliero from the All Progressives Congress Congress to the PDP.

Meanwhile, the order did not go down well with the suspended party member.

Aliero is a two-term governor of the state, ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A forum of stakeholders of All Progressives Congress (APC) has recommended Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, as vice-presidential candidate of the party in the forthcoming presidential election.

The 840 groups, which make up the forum, said if Zulum is adopted as Tinubu's running mate, it would help the party to win the presidential election and also assist in the effort to rescue the country from collapsing.

The National Chairman of the forum, Abdullahi Aliyu Katsina, made this disclosure in Katsina on Sunday.

While addressing leaders of the seven states of the Northwest, he explained that only governor Zulum, who has won the hearts of Nigerians through his exemplary leadership over the last three years, can, in turn, make people vote for the party next year.

He added that the sacrifice Governor Zulum made in Borno State was enough for the APC to give him the opportunity to replicate it in Nigeria.

In his words, Our request is open and is no more than taking Governor Zulum of Borno State as the vice-presidential candidate of APC.

He added, We understand that only Governor Zulum can galvanize the votes from entire nineteen northern states.

To avoid losing the election, the only person in Nigeria today who can bring the desired success for the party is Governor Zulum. Anybody today that is picked as vice-presidential candidate for the APC, if not Zulum, may not give us the desired success.

Failure for the party to pick Zulum, it may end up losing the election.
Navy holds sea rescue exercise in Krabi

KRABI: The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, based on Cape Panwa in Phuket, held a sea rescue exercise in the waters of Koh Lanta in Krabi earlier this week to reinforce confidence among local residents and tourists during the monsoon season.

marineSafetyaccidentsmilitary

By The Phuket News

Sunday 19 June 2022, 12:15PM

The drill took place both in the water and on Phra Ae Beach in tambon Sala Dan on Wednesday (June 15). The event was presided by Krabi Governor Puttipong Sirimat joined by officials from various related agencies. The RTN Third Area Command was represented by Captain Surawut Sumongkol.

The drill simulated two speedboats crashing into each other in the sea off Phra Ae with about 20 people ending up in the water and requiring immediate assistance.

The search and rescue teams rushed to the scene, while medical teams were ready on the beach to do there part when the victims are recovered and handed to them. A Sikorsky S-76B helicopter was used to find and airlift "a missing person" who was "lost" in the sea (see video).

More than 150 participants from 11 relevant agencies took part in the training, the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command said in a Facebook post.
Navy seizes illegal Indonesian fishing boat off Phuket

PHUKET: The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, based in Phuket, has seized an Indonesian fishing boat for illegally entering Thai economic fishing zone waters off Phuket.

economicsmarinemilitary

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Sunday 19 June 2022, 11:30AM

An unnamed Indonesian fishing vessel was seized for fishing in Thai waters on June 17. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

An unnamed Indonesian fishing vessel was seized for fishing in Thai waters on June 17. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

An unnamed Indonesian fishing vessel was seized for fishing in Thai waters on June 17. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

An unnamed Indonesian fishing vessel was seized for fishing in Thai waters on June 17. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

An unnamed Indonesian fishing vessel was seized for fishing in Thai waters on June 17. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Thai fishing boats in the area reported on Friday evening (June 17) that a group of foreign fishing boats was illegally operating 45 nautical miles west of Phuket. In total 65 foreign vessels were spotted, the Third Area Command reported yesterday (June 18).

The Navy responded by dispatching HTMS Laem Singh at around 8pm to check the report and act accordingly if any violations were found. The patrol boat was able to apprehend one Indonesian medium-sized fishing vessel with 15 crew on board while others escaped heading west into the Indian Ocean.

The fishing boat (name not revealed) was escorted to Rassada Pier in Phuket and seized while all the crewmen were taken to Chalong Police Station for further processing in accordance with the law. It was not disclosed what charges were pressed against the foreigners.

The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command explained that local Thai fishermen had previously complained about Indonesian competitors illegally entering Thai fishing zone to catch fish and steal fishing equipment from their local counterparts.

The Royal Thai Navy has authority to bust them if caught red-handed unless they manage to flee to Indonesian waters where the RTN cannot act.

According to the Navy, there have been three seizures in 2021 and 2022, inclusive of the most recent one. In all the cases the violators were Indonesian nationals.

On April 10, 2021, The Phuket News reported an Indonesian fishing boat seized off Phuket for illegal fishing. On January 29, 2022, another vessel was seized. In both cases information was provided by the Navy.

One more incident was reported on February 10, 2021. Yet in that case the violators were busted in the Bay of Phang Nga and not by the Navy. The operation was conducted by the Department of Fisheries Marine Fisheries Suppression and Protection Division.

The Third Area Command assured on June 18 that it continues to protect Thailands national interests in the sea, which is the main income of the Andaman people. People can report any violations or emergencies via the 1465 hotline.
Singapore top prosecutor dies in alleged Phuket accident

PHUKET: Singapore Deputy Public Prosecutor and Porsche Club Singapore Honorary Secretary Gnanasihamani Kannan died on Tuesday (June 14) in an accident believed to take place in Phuket.

accidentsdeath

By The Phuket News

Sunday 19 June 2022, 05:11PM

Gnanasihamani Kannan. Photo from Mr Kannans personal Facebook page (Facebook.com/kannan.gnanasihamani)

The Attorney-Generals Chambers (AGC) is deeply saddened by the passing of Mr Gnanasihamani Kannan, Senior Director and Senior State Counsel at AGCs Crime Division. Mr Kannan passed away due to an accident on 14 June 2022 while on overseas leave. He was 52. AGC said in a statement.

The Straits Times reports that Mr Kannan is believed to have died while on holiday with his family in Phuket. A spokesman for his family said that the relatives have asked for privacy to mourn. Mr Kannan is survived by his wife and two sons.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Kannan was a senior director of the crime division at AGC which he first joined in 1995. Mr Kannan had over 20 years of experience as a prosecutor. He also served for five years in the legal services department in the Ministry of Manpower of Singapore and as a Senior State Counsel.

Besides his official duties, Mr Kannan was Honorary Secretary of Porsche Club Singapore.

Phuket Police have not reported any road accidents or any other incidents resulting in foreigners dying in June. According to the Thai Road Safety Council, over 40 people have died in road accidents in Phuket so far this year, only few of the cases have been reported publicly.
Study finds 30% of cannabis drinks exceed legal THC limit

BANGKOK: More than 30% of random samples of cannabis-based beverages contain amounts of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabis psychoactive ingredient, in excess of the legal limit, according to research from Chulalongkorn University.

drugshealthSafety

By Bangkok Post

Sunday 19 June 2022, 04:05PM

A teacher at Ban Bang Kapi School in Bang Kapi district of Bangkok posts a sign reading the school is free of cannabis and hemp. Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb / Bangkok Post

Assoc Prof Kuakarun Krusong, a lecturer of biochemistry at the universitys faculty of science, conducted a study which found that about 30% of randomly chosen samples contained more than the 0.015 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of drink limit set by the Public Health Ministry, Bangkok Post reported today (June 19).

So far, the authorities have not given any recommendation on how much of the substance can safely be consumed per day or what adverse effects of doing so may follow, she said, adding that long-term studies on the effect of cannabis consumption have yet to be completed.

"Vendors do not know the THC limit per serving. Even those that do cannot control the amount precisely. The process also varies from one vendor to another," Assoc Prof Kuakarun said.

Meanwhile, Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, banned use of cannabis in foodstuffs and drinks on the universitys premises.

The use of cannabis and hemp as an ingredient is forbidden, as is the advertising of cannabis-based products, an announcement said. Also, those who receive services at the university, including staff and students, are not allowed to use cannabis recreationally.

Most Thai support weed legalisation

In a separate story, Bangkok Post reported that "a majority of people agree with the removal of cannabis from the Category 5 narcotics list".

Yet the majority in the survey by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida Poll) is only 58.55%. Of them, 34.81% strongly agreed, saying it is an valuable plant that can generate income and be used for medical purposes. Another 23.74% were in moderate agreement, saying the plant is more useful than harmful.



On the other side, 41.45% were in total disagreement  with 24.98% saying it is harmful to children and youths and the government has not been able to control its use. Another 16.56% were in moderate disagreement, saying use of ganja is hazardous to health.



Asked whether they worried about improper use of cannabis among children and youths, 42.44% said "yes", a lot; 29.62% said "yes", to a certain extent; 16.95% were not at all worried; and 10.99% were somewhat concerned.



Asked how Thai people would use marijuana in the future, 34.05% chose medical purposes; 31.15% recreational purposes; 22.21% for use in food and drinks; and 12.59% for various commercial products.

Asked about their experience with cannabis, 67.02% said they had no experience with it at all, while 32.98% (432 respondents) said they had some experience with it.



Of those with experience, 30.56% said they smoked marijuana; 21.06% used it for medical purposes; 6.94% had cultivated the plant; 1.39% had produced cannabis-based products for commercial purposes; and 0.23% had been involved in the trade of it.
With the stark reality of the world we live in comes the possibility of unspeakable pain and suffering. Sometimes, that suffering is caused by the forces of nature  as we experienced with Covid-19. Other times, the tragedy comes at the hands of fellow humans.

The hate-inspired racist shooting at Tops on May 14 has forever changed our city, but we cannot allow it to forever change our view of another real possibility: that we have the power to determine what happens next.

The community rushed to respond to the devastating act of violence, donating money and food, volunteering time and resources. Collectively, we came together in a way that illustrates that Buffalo isnt where we are, its who we are. Buffalo is a city with heart and soul.

But what comes next? How can we ensure that this heightened sense of compassion and commitment is not transitory? Beyond this immediate, short-term influx of dollars and attention, real change requires the long-term, vested commitment of leadership  including corporate leadership.

The horrific events of May 14 have compelled us to self-reflect and take a deeper look at the investments Delaware North has made in the local community over many decades. In the wake of this tragedy, we are confronted with a glaringly obvious truth: corporate philanthropy may be well-intentioned, but in Buffalo it has come up short in impacting the deepest of inequities.

Buffalos renaissance has been exciting, but the business community must recognize the fact that there has been little renaissance for a significant part of our city. As a result, we are challenging ourselves to meet this pivotal moment in Buffalos history with resolve to actively work to improve the trajectory for the citys most distressed neighborhoods. We need to be intentional so that our investments and actions, not merely our philanthropy, provide equitable opportunities to create self-sustaining communities, capable of creating jobs and providing opportunities for growth.

We are working with local civic leaders and Black-led nonprofits and listening to members of the most impacted communities to understand and identify tangible ways we can make a difference. This needs to be a conversation with those who have been leading this work, and we invite our fellow business leaders in Western New York to join us in these efforts.

Buffalo has been our family home  and home to Delaware North  for more than a century. We have a deep affection for this city and its people. We dont have all the answers today, but we are making this commitment to remain accountable in doing more to secure a more equitable, secure and prosperous Buffalo for all.

Jerry Jacobs Jr., Lou Jacobs and Charlie Jacobs share the title of CEO at Delaware North.
Media set up before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds its second public hearing to reveal the findings of a year-long investigation, on Capitol Hill, Monday, June 13, 2022, in Washington.
As Gov. Kathy Hochul signed 10 new gun control bills back on June 6, a cadre of top ranking Democratic officials stood behind her  very much a symbol of Democrats total control of state government since chasing Republicans from the Senate majority in 2018.

It was with a sense of urgency following the May 14 shooting in Buffalo, Hochul said at the ceremony, that the bills were introduced, passed by the Legislature, and signed into law.

That sense of urgency might not have prevailed during Republican rule of the Senate. Things are different in 2022. And thats the reality of New Yorks new one-party rule.

Depending on your point of view, thats either good or bad. But there is no question that one-party rule now tops the list of the Republican talking points.

For the GOP, most of New Yorks ills stem from Albanys new domination by Democrats. State Republican Chairman Nick Langworthy, now also a congressional candidate in the 23rd District, has emphasized the point in press releases and public pronouncements throughout this election year. The topic rose again on Wednesday, when Langworthy hosted a press conference featuring Rep. Lee Zeldin, the endorsed Republican candidate for governor, at GOP Headquarters. He claims Democratic control of the Assembly, Senate and Executive Chamber means New York City types control the Democratic Party.

Lets face it, he said, upstate gets the short end of the deal.

Zeldin joined in, telling reporters one-party rule has proven a disaster. Young families, he said, are forced to live in their parents basement or move to North Carolina or Tennessee because of New Yorks high taxes.

I hear from New Yorkers who absolutely do not want one-party rule, he said.

But New Yorks reality translates into 3.5 million more Democrats than Republicans. Hochul says support for new gun control measures or ensuring abortion access in New York simply reflects the will of the voters.

I happen to believe Democratic values are best for the people of this state, she said Wednesday. They [Republicans] had their chance to compete in the open marketplace of politics, but their ideas did not win the day.

Theres a competition for ideas and values, and thats why Democrats are winning, she added.

Indeed, Republicans enjoyed the fruits of winning for all those decades of running the Senate, or for those 12 years when George Pataki presided as governor. And the concept remains very much embedded in state politics, dating to Sen. William L. Marcy of New York in 1832 when he declared: To the victors belong the spoils.



 Lost in the big primaries for governor is the Democratic contest for lieutenant governor featuring incumbent Antonio Delagado (with Hochul) , former New York City Councilmember Diana Reyna (with Rep. Tom Suozzi) and Ana Maria Archila (with New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams). Last week, much of Western New Yorks Democratic establishment unsurprisingly endorsed Delgado in another sign of Hochuls grip on the party. They included Rep. Brian Higgins, Mayor Byron Brown, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, County Executive Mark Poloncarz, and 13 others.

 Carmen Vacco and Peter Fiorella never dominated the political headlines during their long careers, but their deaths last week mark the end of their long influences on the local scene.

Fiorella, an attorney, loomed as a behind-the-scenes judge-maker for decades, supporting and advising many candidates for the important office.

Vacco, meanwhile, could make or break GOP candidates as a party vice-chairman and head of the Southtowns Chairmens Association. The father of former Attorney General Dennis Vacco, no Republican even contemplating elective office proceeded without the elder Vaccos counsel.

They are among the many behind-the-scenes who make our political system work.

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The race for New York governor last week produced one of its most relevant and revealing exchanges as Republican Lee Zeldin took a shot at what he calls the problem of one-party rule in New York and Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul took the opportunity to explain voting to him.

In truth, Zeldin raised an issue that should be important in any democracy. The problem for the party  and the public  is, as Hochul described it: Republicans have been poor competitors. The party has made itself unwelcome in large parts of New York, as the Democrats vast advantage in members documents.

What is more, it has done little over the past four years to demonstrate its willingness to adjust. Instead, it has doubled down on policies meant to widen divisions, foster animosities and discourage the possibilities of compromise. Its not what a functioning democracy demands.

Heres how it played out last week. During a campaign stop in Buffalo, Zeldin observed that Democrats have controlled Albany since just after the 2018 elections, when the party  which is to say, a majority of New York voters  wrested control from Republicans. That gave Democrats control of both chambers of the Legislature as well as all four statewide offices: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller.

Zeldin didnt mention it, but the partys fortunes cratered even more deeply in the 2020 elections, when Democrats claimed a supermajority in the Senate. Even in a year when Democrats underperformed in congressional elections, they overran Republicans in New York.

Yet the Republican leadership has shown no interest in expanding the partys appeal. It doesnt even seem to be curious about it. On Wednesday, Hochul explained it to them.

They had their chance to compete in the open marketplace of politics, but their ideas did not win the day, she said. Theres a competition for ideas and values, and thats why Democrats are winning, she added. Shes right  at least, so far.

One of the great values of the American two-party system is that either one can move somewhat to the left or slightly to right to adjust for changes in the electorate. That system doesnt guarantee stability  see the Civil War  but it allows for it and, with exceptions, has mainly delivered it.

But the New York Republican Party leadership is ignoring the warning signs. It refuses to acknowledge the reasonable adjustments it could make to appeal to voters and, if anything, is tramping further into the wilderness.

High-profile candidates not only ignore, but reject the facts of the January 2021 insurrection in Washington, D.C. One well-known congressional candidate, Carl Paladino, promotes vile conspiracy theories about the mass murders in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, and then is discovered to have praised Adolf Hitler for his ability to excite a crowd. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 Republican House leader, nonetheless endorses him.

The nation and its states require responsible, functioning parties for our adversarial system to thrive. Without it, the democratically necessary function of the opposition is compromised, if not corrupted. It certainly has been in New York, where Republicans have made themselves sufficiently unwelcome to lose all statewide power, giving Democrats a free hand.

Maybe it will all work for them this year. Parties in power can wear out their welcome and electorates do change. But even if Republicans win some big races, that doesnt make the party healthy. Theres no long-term advantage to becoming a caricature.

Thats among the reasons that this page endorsed former Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino as the Republican nominee for governor. He takes governing seriously. Hes demonstrated his effectiveness and his ability to lead responsibly. Hes someone in whom voters can have confidence, should he win the nomination and then the November election.

The Republican Party should be working to expand its influence, offering conservative solutions to the concerns of New Yorkers, not just stoking anger in its base. It isnt doing that and the risk is that this blue state will continue pushing it to the sidelines, to everyones detriment.

  

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.
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Juneteenth: Where We Are and How Far We Still Have to Go
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The war in Ukraine could last for years, the head of NATO said on Sunday, calling for steadfast support from Ukraines allies as Russian forces battle for territory in the countrys east.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said supplying state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukrainian troops would boost the chance of freeing its eastern region of Donbas from Russian control, Germanys Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported.

After failing to take the capital Kyiv early on in the war, Russian forces have focused efforts in recent weeks on trying to take complete control of the Donbas, parts of which were already under the control of Russian-backed separatists before the Feb. 24 invasion.

We must prepare for the fact that it could take years. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine, Stoltenberg was quoted as saying.

Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, also because of rising energy and food prices.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who visited Kyiv on Friday with an offer of training for Ukrainian forces, also said on Saturday it is important Britain provide support for the long haul, warning of a risk of Ukraine fatigue as the war drags on.

In an opinion piece in Londons Sunday Times, Johnson said this meant ensuring Ukraine receives weapons, equipment, ammunition and training more rapidly than the invader.Advertisement  Scroll to continue

Everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its ability to defend its soil faster than Russia can renew its capacity to attack, he wrote.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had visited troops in several places, including the southern Mykolaiv region, about 550 km (340 miles) south of Kyiv.

I talked to our defenders  the military, the police, the National Guard, he said in a video on the Telegram message app on Sunday that appeared to have been recorded on a moving train.

Their mood is assured: they all do not doubt our victory, Zelenskiy said. We will not give the south to anyone, and all that is ours we will take back.

BATTLE FOR SIEVIERODONETSK

The eastern industrial city of Sievierodonetsk, a prime target in Moscows offensive to seize full control of Luhansk  one of the two provinces making up the Donbas  faced heavy artillery and rocket fire again, the Ukrainian military said.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, wrote in a note that Russian forces will likely be able to seize Sievierodonetsk in the coming weeks, but at the cost of concentrating most of their available forces in this small area.

Serhiy Gaidai, the governor of Luhansk, told Ukrainian television: All Russian claims that they control the town are a lie. They control the main part of the town, but not the whole town.

In the twin city of Lysychansk across the river, residential buildings and private houses had been destroyed, Gaidai said on the Telegram messaging app, adding, People are dying on the streets and in bomb shelters.

Ukraines military said the enemy has partial success in the village of Metolkine, just southeast of Sievierodonetsk.

Russias state news agency TASS said many Ukrainian fighters had surrendered in Metolkine, quoting a source working for Russian-backed separatists.

Russian forces trying to approach Kharkiv, northwest of Luhansk, aimed to turn it into a frontline city, a Ukrainian interior ministry official said.

Kharkiv, Ukraines second largest city, experienced intense shelling in the first two months of the war.

A fuel storage depot in Novomoskovsk, northeast of Dnipro, exploded on Sunday, killing one person and injuring two, after it had been hit by three Russian missiles, the regional administration chief said in an online message.

Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield accounts.

Russia has said it launched what it calls a special military operation to disarm its neighbour and protect Russian speakers there from dangerous nationalists. Kyiv and its allies dismissed that as a baseless pretext for a war of aggression.

Ukraine received a significant boost on Friday when the European Commission recommended it for candidate status, a decision EU nations are expected to endorse at a summit this week. Actual membership could take years.

SOURCE: REUTERS
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  One photograph shows a kneeling soldier kissing a child inside a subway station, where Ukraine families shelter from Russian airstrikes. In another, an infant and a woman who appears on the brink of tears look out from a departing train car as a man peers inside, his hand spread across the window in a gesture of goodbye.

In an uplifting Fathers Day message Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted 10 photos of parents and children set against the grim backdrop of war, praising fathers who protect and defend the most precious.

There are scenes of childbirth, as a man and woman look toward a swaddled baby in what appears to be a hospital room where the spackled walls show scars of fighting. In another, a man lifts a child over a fence toward a woman with outstretched arms on a train platform.

Being a father is a great responsibility and a great happiness, Zelenskyy wrote in English text that followed the Ukrainian on Instagram. It is strength, wisdom, motivation to go forward and not to give up."

He urged his nation's fighters to endure for the "future of your family, your children, and therefore the whole of Ukraine.

His message came as four months of war in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers orders. NATOs chief warned the fighting could drag on for "years."

Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale," Britain's defense ministry said in its daily assessment of the war.

Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, the assessment said, but added that Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled.

It said cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.

Separately, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate released what it said were intercepted phone calls in which Russian soldiers complained about front-line conditions, poor equipment, and overall lack of personnel, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

In an interview published on Sunday in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that nobody knows how long the war could last.

We need to be prepared for it to last for years," he said.

He also urged allies not to weaken support for Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military aid, but also because of the increase in energy and food goods prices."

In his nightly address Sunday, Zelenskyy said the week ahead would be historic and perhaps bring Ukraine closer to membership in the European Union. But that move could portend a more hostile response from Russia, he warned.

EU leaders recommended Friday that Ukraine join the bloc, and their proposal was to go to members for discussion this week in Brussels. Zelenskyy called the outcome of those talks one of the most fateful moments for Ukraine since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

I am sure that only a positive decision meets the interests of the whole of Europe, he said.

In such a week we should expect greater hostile activity from Russia," he added. "And not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe. We are preparing.

In recent days, Gazprom, the Russian gas company, has reduced supplies to two major European clients  Germany and Italy. In Italy's case, energy officials are expected to huddle this week about the situation. The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through the coming winter, but he warned Italians that restrictions affecting gas use might be necessary.

Germany will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia, the country's economy minister said on Sunday. Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the cold winter months.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, he said.

Stoltenberg stressed, though, that the costs of food and fuel are nothing compared with those paid daily by the Ukrainians on the front line.

Stoltenberg added: What's more, if Russian President Vladimir Putin should reach his objectives in Ukraine, like when he annexed Crimea in 2014, we would have to pay an even greater price.

Britain's defense ministry said that both Russia and Ukraine have continued to conduct heavy artillery bombardments on axes to the north, east and south of the Sieverodonetsk pocket, but with little change in the front line.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said via Telegram on Sunday: It is a very difficult situation in Sievierodonetsk, where the enemy in the middle of the city is conducting round-the-clock aerial reconnaissance with drones, adjusting fire, quickly adjusting to our changes."

Russias defense ministry claimed on Sunday that Russian and separatist forces have taken control of Metolkine, a settlement just to the east of Sievierodonetsk.

Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas, is 55 kilometers (33 miles) southwest of the twin cities of Lysyhansk and Siervierodonetsk, where fierce military clashes have been raging. Every day, Russian artillery pummels Bakhmut.

But Bakhmut's people try to go about their daily lives, including shopping in markets that have opened again in recent weeks.

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In principle, it can be calm in the morning,'' said one resident, Oleg Drobelnnikov. The shelling starts at about 7 or 8 in the evening." Still, he said, it has been pretty calm in the last 10 days or so.

You can buy food at small farmer markets,'' said Drobelnnikov, a teacher. It is not a problem. In principle, educational institutions, like schools or kindergartens, are not working due to the situation. The institutions moved to other regions. There is no work here."

Ukraines east has been the main focus of Russias attacks for more than two months.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy made a trip south from Kyiv to visit troops and hospital workers in the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions along the Black Sea. He handed out awards to dozens of people at every stop, shaking their hands and thanking them again and again for their service.

Zelenskyy, in a recorded address aboard a train back to Kyiv, vowed to defend the countrys south.

"We will not give away the south to anyone. We will return everything thats ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe.

He added: "Russia does not have as many missiles as our people have a desire to live.

Zelenskyy also condemned the Russian blockade of Ukraines ports amid weeks of inconclusive negotiations on safe corridors so millions of tons of siloed grain can be shipped out before the approaching new harvest season.

In other attacks in the south, Ukraines southern military operational command said Sunday that two people were killed in shelling of the Galitsyn community in the Mykolaiv region and that shelling of the Bashtansky district is continuing.

Russia's defense ministry said seaborne missiles destroyed a plant in Mykolaiv city where Western-supplied howitzers and armored vehicles were stored.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns that a bit of Ukraine fatigue is starting to set in around the world."

It would be a catastrophe if Putin won. Hed love nothing more than to say, Lets freeze this conflict, lets have a cease-fire,'" Johnson said on Saturday, a day after a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy and offered offer continued aid and military training.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines. But Ukraine's leaders have insisted for weeks that they need more arms, and sooner.

___

Julia Rubin in New York, Sylvia Hui in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Frances DEmilio in Rome and Srdjan Nedeljkovic in Bakhmut, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators replaced one politically appointed ethics commission with another and seemed to hope everyone would just accept it as reform. Sadly, some government watchdog groups are doing just that.

The acceptance of the new ethics body, however grudging, and the involvement of law school deans from around the state in the new process may lend it an air of legitimacy. That doesn't make it progress.

The commission will replace the Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which was created by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature in 2011. JCOPE was a tool of state officials from the start, with a board appointed by the governor and legislative leaders and dominated by the governor's picks. Unusual rules  ostensibly intended to prevent political witch hunts  allowed minorities of commission members to block investigations. And secrecy provisions kept the public from seeing to what degree factions within JCOPE were able to protect their political patrons and allies. But JCOPE's failure to pursue high-level corruption spoke for itself.

The new Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, which is scheduled to take over on July 8, started out as an intriguing concept from Gov. Hochul, who proposed having a board composed of deans from the New York's 15 state-accredited law schools, or their designees. But by the time that proposal made it through the meat grinder of negotiations with legislative leaders, the result looked an awful lot like the old sausage with new packaging. Rather than an independent board, this 11-member body will be selected by  wait for it  the governor and legislative leaders.

To be fair, there are some noteworthy differences: The governor gets fewer appointees  three of the 11 instead of six of the 14 on JCOPE; the state comptroller and attorney general also make one appointment each; and the law school deans will vet the appointees.

The process for vetting potential commission members was heralded last week as a significant advance in public integrity, but it fails to address what was the fundamental problem with JCOPE and is likely to be with its successor. The new process calls for candidates to undergo a rigorous background check and be evaluated by a nominating committee composed of the deans. The committee will be able to reject any who are found to lack "undisputed honesty, integrity and character."

That's all well and good, but the problem with JCOPE was not that politicians were appointing felons and other ne'er-do-wells. They appointed mostly accomplished, upstanding New Yorkers  and also loyalists. Perhaps not all of them, but certainly enough to make JCOPE into a lapdog rather than a watchdog.

We just saw how claims of independence don't make a commission independent in the wretched performance of the so-called Independent Redistricting Commission that was tasked with drawing new legislative and congressional district maps. The commission  appointed by the Legislature, sound familiar?  deadlocked along party lines and tossed the ball to the Democrat-controlled Legislature, which drew gerrymandered maps that have now been declared unconstitutional by courts. It was a sham.

And so is this. This new commission can dress itself up in all the rules it wants, good government groups can marvel all they care to, but to borrow from a morality tale: This body has no clothes.
Clonmel World Music will present Noel McKaay (Nashville) at Jerry Moynihans in Clonmel on Thursday, June 23 as part of the Country Sessions series.

Gerry Lawless, and his Clonmel World Music crew, hosted The Leroy Troy trio, from Nashville USA, in Clonmel on September 12, 2019.

We didnt know at the time that it would be the last artists from the US that we would see in Clonmel for years, says Gerry.

Little did we know what was ahead of us all for the next two years. Americana artists, especially from America, are the backbone of our musical shows for the past 13 years. It is a genre of music that the people of Clonmel really supported and allowed us to consistently get the finest touring US artists. We are delighted to be back booking US artists again, and we have a long list of them coming to Clonmel into 2023 and beyond, along with our usual mix of the best Irish artists. Clonmel World Music is delighted to welcome our first US artiste in almost three years to Clonmel, said Gerry.

Noel McKay is a wonderful song creator and instrument sculptor, and an internationally travelling singer of stories, as well as a student of molecular biology.



Noel McKay released his latest album Blue, Blue, Blue on October 8, 2021.

In 1993, he was discovered by songwriting legend Guy Clark while performing his songs at a venue in Kerrville, Texas.

Clarks mentorship has been a key component to Noels success, with his songs recorded by Guy Clark, Sunny Sweeney, Sarah Borges and others.

Noel McKay and Guy Clark co-wrote four songs together over the years, including one (El Coyote ) that ended up on Clarks first Grammy- winning album, My Favorite Picture of You.

A song on Noels latest album, Flying and Falling was also co-written with Guy Clark.

In the 2000s, Noel had several regional hits across the state of Texas with his brother Hollin McKay in the band McKay Brothers.

Those songs continue to enjoy widespread airplay on Texas Radio stations and satellite radio.

In addition to writing solo, Noel has co-written songs with greats such as Clark, Richard Dobson, David Olney, John Scott Sherrill, Shawn Camp and others.

Brennen Leigh also joined Noel in recent years as a songwriting partner and duet partner, with their collaborations as McKay & Leigh garnering wide acclaim. They toured extensively, including in Ireland.

When not on the road, Noel splits his time between Austin and Nashville.

This gig will be part of The County Sessions series, held in Jerry Moynihans, Gladstone Street Clonmel.

Contact Gerry Lawless on 086 3389619 for more information.
A Vermont woman who shot her dog twice and left it chained outside in the snow so severely injured that it was later euthanized has been found guilty of aggravated cruelty and animal torture
Debate over "the science" following Kansas cows BBQ'd before their time continues across the globe as keyboard warriors, veterinarians and researchers attempt to offer answers.

A glimpse at local perspective to start the latest facet of the discussion . . .



Among those working to educate with facts is Dr. Nels Lindberg, a veterinarian who works with feed lots across Kansas. Dr. Lindberg said the way to understand this situation is as a natural disaster.



A specific set of factors coming together makes it difficult to avoid this kind of devastation and you can think of it like you would a blizzard or a hurricane, just with heat instead of a storm. What happened to the thousands of cattle found dead is referred to as a heat stress event.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Climate change is causing "mass die-offs" of animals With a vast portion of the U.S. experiencing record high heat indexes, climate change is taking a toll on many other parts of the world as well, with a deadly impact on humans and animals alike.

Veterinarians work to quash misinformation about SW Kansas cattle deaths RENO COUNTY, Kan. (KWCH) - Veterinarians in southwest Kansas say there is a lot of misinformation circulating online in connection withthousands of sudden cattle deaths. Video of dead cattle has gained national attention along with confirmation that at least 2,000 cattle in southwest Kansas feed lots died from heat stress.

It's not summer yet, but climate change is already showing its teeth in 2022 The evidence of how climate change is already affecting our world seems to grow more pronounced with every passing day. At least 2,000 cows at a Kansas feedlot were killed this week by excessively high temperatures, as the latest record-breaking spring heat wave pushed east across the country.

Burning planet: why are the world's heatwaves getting more intense? hen the temperature readings started to come through from Antarctic weather stations in early March, scientists at first thought there might have been some mistake.

Very stable geniuses are blaming 10,000 cattle heat deaths on President Biden, who apparently poisoned them to force us to eat "fake toxic meat" | Boing Boing A TikTok video ostensibly showing footage of thousands of dead cattle, accompanied by a dark, instrumental version of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," is currently making the rounds on social media. According to Progressive Farmer, approximately 10,000 head of cattle in a Kansas feedlot have died in the last few days from...

Developing . . .
Today's tribute from the nation's leading progressive magazine might be exceptional book promo OR possibly a glimpse at the Democratic Party desperately searching their bench after Prez Biden now ranks as more unpopular than former Prez Trump.



Here's a glimpse at the future for Kansas City's favorite politico . . .



In multiple conversations, Kander insisted to me that Invisible Storm is not a precursor to a 2024 presidential announcement. But with each passing day, as pressure grows on Joe Biden to not seek reelection, Democrats are again on the lookout for their next big thing. And according to Kellyn Sloan, his right hand for more than a decade, Kanders presidential future is a persistent topic of curiosity: I dont think that those calls have ever stopped.



One lingering issue is whether Americans would be ready for a leader who is open about his mental-health challenges. I took this question to the CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who has long been supportive of veterans causes and developed a rapport with Kander during the latters brief stint as a commentator at the network. The honest answer is I dont know, Tapper said. He noted that it was unlikely that previous veterans who have run for president, such as John McCain, didnt also have some degree of PTSD, even if they didnt publicly disclose it.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Does the Jason Kander Story Have a Third Act? There's a saying, though it's more of a whisper, that politicians are damaged people. That those who run for office have a pathological need for validation, that they're willing to go to obscene lengths to get attention, even if it means putting themselves or their family at risk.

Developing . . .


There are over 200 mass shootings this year alone.

There is an uptick in citizens here applying for gun permits since the Buffalo shooting.

The mass shooters in Buffalo and Uvalde had no history of mental illness.

The NRA contributes millions of dollars to certain politicians that condone any type of weapon because it lines their financial pockets and assures their re-election.

And yet, many politicians "dance around" the banning of AK-47s and AR-15s.

Their solutions are to arm teachers, but a pistol-carrying teacher with 20-25 students shooting at a killer with an assault weapon is a ridiculous idea.

They cry out that the shootings are caused by mental illness and we need to find out who these deranged people are. The real facts are that not all mass shooters have any history of mental illness on record.

Ultimately these politicians have a want to keep receiving financial contributions from the NRA, because personal power and position seem of greater value to them than the lives of American children and adults.

Show me statistics on how many people used their guns for personal protection and Ill provide you with numbers on gun holders who attempted suicide, children who got access to guns and caused accidents or deaths and numerous angry Americans who killed others due to personal vendettas, rather than choosing alternate problem-solving measures.

We have become a nation of hate and instant revenge for our perceived injustices. The carnage is proceeding steadily and rapidly downhill because of this political inaction.

Even when a politician, such as Chris Jacobs, can see that problem realistically and has the courage to speak up, he is denounced by his own political party. I thought we elected politicians because we believed their job was to protect and defend Americans, but they seem to have become puppets for their partys unyielding beliefs.

To paraphrase a saying: If we keep doing the same thing, well get more of the same. Yet no one has the backbone to make the life-saving changes.

The deaths lie at the door of this adamant, unyielding position.

Shame on them.

Kathryn Trusso

Burt
It's not our job to play talking head (ew) and try to justify the political antics of ANYBODY but ourselves.

However . . .



A special thanks to one of the VERY BEST & BRIGHTEST TKC READERS for sending this meme that gave us a nonpartisan giggle . . .



News link for more context and further reading . . .

Bill Clinton: 'Fair chance' US could 'completely lose' its democratic system Bill Clinton says he's never before been so concerned about the country's foundational future, lamenting there's a "fair chance" that the United States could "completely lose our constitutional democracy." The former president appeared Wednesday on CBS's "The Late Late Show" and responded to a question from host James Corden that alluded to Donald Trump's presidency...

You decide . . .
Dr. Peter Juni says his first three chaotic months in Ontario, before he joined the science table, stripped away a layer of arrogance he didnt even know was there. - Giovanni Capriotti / Toronto Star file photo
Should Gary Griffith reapply for the Police Commissioner job he once held? Well the Opposition Leader says he should. She took time to address that matter as she voted in her party's internal election today which she predicts she will win by a landslide.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
The Russian invasion forces have fired missiles at the oil depot in Novomoskovsk district, Dnipropetrovsk region, injuring eleven people at the site.

Thats according to the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, Valentyn Reznichenko, who broke the news on Telegram and later released a follow-up on the number of casualties, as seen by Ukrinform.

We have arrivals, again. Its the Novomoskovsk district. Three missiles destroyed an oil depot," Reznichenko wrote.

Read also: Two people injured in missile strike on Kryvyi Rih

He said the strike caused a massive fire at the depot. Rescuers are putting out the flames.

Reznichenko said that eleven people were injured, having sustained burns. All of them were rushed to a hospital. One of the injured persons is "in grave condition," the report reads.

As Ukrinform reported, two people were injured, two households were destroyed, and a social infrastructure facility caught fire in Dnipropetrovsk region earlier today as a result of a Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih.

Note: The story has been updated for the number of casualties.
Yesterday, Russians twice attacked Mykolayiv city with missiles, destroying industrial enterprises and infrastructure objects.

"On June 18, Mykolayiv was attacked with missiles twice. In the middle of the day, a double missile strike was launched on industrial infrastructure. In the evening, the second strike was launched with five missiles from Kherson region. According to the Operational Command South, one missile was destroyed by a portable anti-aircraft missile system. Two missiles hit an industrial facility, one  a residential building, and another one  hit the production infrastructure," the press service of the Mykolayiv Regional Military Administration posted on Facebook.

In addition, on June 18, Halytsynove community came under fire. Two people were killed. A fire broke out in the territory of a private agricultural enterprise.

Moreover, one person was seriously injured in the shelling of the village of Zasillia in Pervomaisk community.

During the day, June 18, the village of Parutyne in Kutsurub community came under fire. Shelling of Bereznehuvate community continues. Information on casualties is being clarified.

As reported, more than 5,300 civilian objects have been damaged in Mykolayiv region since the beginning of the war.

ol
There is so much wrong in this country these days. So much hate! Best friends are at odds with each other over politics. My wife and I cant discuss politics with each other. This country is in such turmoil; it's very unnerving to most of us.

With high gas prices, open borders, Russia invading Ukraine, mass shootings, and on and on, it can be very disheartening. Abortion is always on the table it seems. TV ads show our governor spouting about a womens right to abort. Nothing is cut and dry, including killing a baby in the womb. I believe incest, rape, and to save a mothers life are legitimate enough reasons to abort a pregnancy, though even that sounds cruel to me.

Our president is of the Catholic religion (as I am) along with Gov. Hochul. Being of the Catholic faith (and all Christians detest abortion), I would pick another subject to try to convince the voters to vote for me. Just an observation on my part, but I really find her ads very distasteful.

Ray Suto

Blasdell
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have destroyed 11 Russian troops and three military equipment units in southern Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made by the South Operational Command on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Our rocket and artillery forces and other units continue to complete fire missions at the contact line, systematically cutting down the long army of the world. Last night 11 rashists were eliminated and three motor vehicles, including armored vehicles, were destroyed, the report states.

As of 01:00 p.m., June 19, 2022, Russian troops were keeping the defense at the captured frontiers. They have no chance to advance and, thus, chaotically fire at settlements and Ukrainian positions.

In Mykolaiv Region, the enemy continues to shell Bashtanka District. The data on casualties and the damage caused is yet to be checked.

In Kherson Region, hostilities are underway. Russian invaders continue to fire at settlements, both seized and liberated, as well as neighboring regions from the territory of Beryslav District and Kherson District.

The enemys naval group in the Black Sea has not changed over the past day. The threat of missile strikes from the sea, air and land is persisting.

A reminder that, in the night of June 19, 2022, the Russian military again fired Oniks cruise missiles at Odesa Region from the temporarily occupied Crimea. But, the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense units shot them down.

mk
Over the past day, Russian troops have been shelling civil infrastructure in the Huliaipole community, Zaporizhzhia Region. Casualties among civilians were reported.

The relevant statement was made by Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Yesterday, the Huliaipole community residents were reporting to the police that Russian troops again fired at their houses. [] Russian projectiles hit several dozens of detached houses. As a result, some of them were destroyed completely and some damaged to a different extent, the report states.

Enemy shells also caused damage to various household buildings, garages, cellars, outdoor kitchens and yards.

In addition, rocket fragments damaged a local shop, oil mill and the administrative premises of Orikhiv REM. Windows were broken, facades and roofing were cut.

mk
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have advanced more than 10 kilometers towards the temporarily occupied city of Melitopol.

The relevant statement was made by Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Our heroic Armed Forces have significantly advanced and are now at the border of Kherson. I am confident, in the near future, our military will liberate Kherson. A similar situation is in the direction of Melitopol. Our Armed Forces have advanced more than 10 kilometers from Zaporizhzhia towards Melitopol, Fedorov told.

He called on local residents to trust in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukraines victory.

A reminder that Russian troops seized the city of Melitopol in late February 2022.

mk
The first four M113AS4 armored personnel carriers handed over to Ukraine by the Australian government have left the RAAF Base Amberley.

That's according to the Ministry of Defense of Australia, Ukrinform reports.

Loaded into a Ukrainian Antonov AN-124 aircraft, the four vehicles are the first of 14 M113AS4s to be provided by Australia, the report says.

The Australian governments military assistance package consists of over AUD 285 million worth of support including Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles, M777 Howitzers; anti-armour weapons, ammunition, unmanned aerial systems and a range of personal equipment.

Prime Minister, The Hon. Anthony Albanese said the latest shipment of military assistance responds to a direct request by the Minister of Defence of Ukraine for additional vehicles and demonstrates Australias sustained commitment to the people of Ukraine.

The M113AS4 Armored Personnel Carrier is a longstanding in-service ADF armored fighting vehicle capability, designed to transport infantry soldiers on the battlefield.
Ukraine has done everything possible to obtain the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a video address, Ukrinform reports.

He noted that the positive opinion of the European Commission on Ukraine's EU candidate status brings the country closer to the beginning of full European integration. According to him, this is a historical achievement of all those who work for Ukraine.

"The only thing left is to wait for the decision of the European Council next week. And I believe that Ukraine has done everything possible for this step to be positive as well  the decision of the European Council, i.e. the leaders of the EU states," Zelensky said.

In his opinion, Ukraine deserves this. "Ukrainian values are European values. Ukrainian institutions maintain resilience even in conditions of war. Ukrainian democratic habits have not lost their power even now. And our rapprochement with the European Union is not only positive for us. This is the greatest contribution to the future of Europe in many years," Zelensky said.

He recalled that after February 24, Ukraine joined the European energy system. The Ukrainian and EU power grids have been synchronized despite the full-scale war.

"Even this fact alone shows everything at once - the professionalism of our people, the strength of our institutions, our ability to fulfill promises and the magnitude of Ukraine's potential," the president said.

At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine's European integration is not something purely political, not something detached from the lives of ordinary people. He noted that on the contrary, it will create more opportunities to guarantee all Ukrainians a modern and prosperous life.

The European Commission on June 17 recommended that the European Council confirm Ukraine's perspective to become a member of the EU and grant it candidate status.

Representatives of the European Council will hold a substantive discussion on granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country for membership in the European Union at a meeting on June 23-24.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the agreement on amendments to the Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ukraine.

"Law No. 0155 was passed to ratify the agreement on amendments to the Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ukraine," Pavlo Frolov, MP from the Servant of the People party, chair of the Subcommittee on the Rules of Procedure of the Verkhovna Rada, posted on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

According to the explanatory note, the adoption of the document is needed to complete the domestic procedure required for the entry into force of the agreement in the form of an exchange of letters.

As reported, on January 1, 2021, a new agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom entered into force.

The Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ukraine replaced in bilateral relations with the United Kingdom the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States in connection with Brexit.

The new international agreement is based on the Association Agreement with the EU and is a continuation of it in bilateral relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

ol
Italy's foreign minister Luigi Di Maio has accused his 5-Star Movement party of undermining government efforts to support Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion.

In a statement, Mr Di Maio said the government had to defend the values of democracy and freedom, adding that while everyone wanted peace, Russian President Vladimir Putin was pursuing war, Sky News reports.

Di Maio said that members in his 5-Star Movement party were attacking him with "hatred" and causing trouble for the government and its standing with its EU partners.

"[This is] an immature attitude that tends to create tensions and instability within the government," he said.

The comments come as Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi faces an important vote in parliament on Tuesday over Ukraine, with some 5-Star members looking to limit Italy from sending further weapons to Kyiv.

As reported, on June 16, President of France Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi held talks with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

The leaders stressed that France, Germany, and Italy support granting Ukraine the EU candidate status.

ol
The foreign ministers of the EU member states will discuss in Luxembourg on Monday further support for Ukraine in the war against Russia, as well as exchange views on granting Ukraine EU candidate status.

That's according to APA, Ukrinform reports.

"The foreign ministers will discuss further support for Ukraine in Russia's war of aggression in Luxembourg on Monday. Views are to be exchanged on the European Commission's proposal to grant Ukraine candidate status," the statement said.

According to the agency, the EU foreign ministers may also discuss providing military assistance to Ukraine in Luxembourg. The EU has already allocated EUR 2 billion under the European Peace Facility for the purchase of weapons and military equipment for Ukraine.

Other topics of the meeting will be the EU's relations with Egypt and the situation in the Horn of Africa. Austria is represented in Luxembourg by Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

On June 17, the European Commission recommended granting the European perspective and candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, while Georgia received only the European perspective.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has endorsed a draft bill on the termination of the agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation on scientific and technical cooperation, which was submitted by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on May 11, 2022. In addition, book imports from Russia and Belarus were banned.

The relevant statement was made by Member of Parliament from the Servant of the People Faction, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Subcommittee on the Rules of Procedure Pavlo Frolov on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Law 0149 terminated the agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation on scientific an technical cooperation, Frolov wrote.

In his words, Parliament also endorsed draft bill 7459, which prohibits the import and distribution of printed products from Russia, Belarus and the temporarily occupied territories in Ukraine. As for the printed products in the language of the aggressor state, imported from other countries, the licensing import procedure will be introduced, which used to be applied to the printed products imported from Russia.

In addition, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted in favor of draft bill 6287, introducing an incentive for the development of Ukraines publishing market as an important factor in humanity development and national security.

A reminder that, on February 24, 2022, Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

mk
The Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge have released heartwarming family photographs through the ages to mark Fathers Day.

William issued a picture of himself beaming and surrounded by his children on a holiday in the Middle East, while the Queen and Charles shared old photos through their official Twitter accounts.

Kensington Palace said the dukes photograph was taken in Jordan in autumn 2021, and the family are pictured with a rocky, sand-coloured backdrop.

A smiling William is shown with his arms around Prince George, eight, and Princess Charlotte, seven, while four-year-old Prince Louis sits on his shoulders.

All the children have cheeky grins.

The duke and his eldest son are wearing casual, khaki-coloured outfits, and the younger children are dressed in navy and white tops.

Wishing all of our followers a very happy Fathers Day.  The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) with her father King George VI in 1946. pic.twitter.com/mSxXNT6kZz  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 19, 2022

Meanwhile, the Royal Family official Twitter account shared a photograph of a young Queen smiling as she stands in a garden facing her father, King George VI, in 1946.

The monarch is wearing a long, patterned summer dress while her father, who died in 1952, sports a suit and tie.

The photograph was shared with the words: Wishing all of our followers a very happy Fathers Day.

Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, shared three family photographs with the words: Wishing everyone a very happy Fathers Day.

The first is a black-and-white image of the prince in high spirits with his father, the Duke of Edinburgh.

They are dressed in military uniform, and Charles is glancing sideways at a grinning Philip.

Story continues

A second image shows Charles wearing knee-high red socks and a kilt, lying on a lawn, with William and Harry as children.

A young William is wearing a white shirt and has his arm around his father, while Harry is sporting a green sweater and matching green wellies as he leans on Charles.

Wishing everyone a very happy Fathers Day! pic.twitter.com/HcaCjBMq3w  The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) June 19, 2022

Another image shows Camilla interlinking arms with her father, Major Bruce Shand, at Clarence House.

They are dressed formally, with the smiling duchess in a long, gold-patterned jacket and headdress while her father, looking more serious, wears a suit with a sand-coloured waistcoat.

In Kate and Williams photograph, the children appear in high spirits, reminiscent of Louis mischievous antics at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, which won the hearts of the nation.

The young prince pulled faces as he sat on the laps of members of his family to watch the show.

He let out a howl and clapped his hands over his ears on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the RAF flypast on Thursday June 2, as his Gan Gan, the Queen, told him what was happening.

The Cambridges also used a photograph from Jordan for their official Christmas 2021 card.

The image showed William sitting on a gold pouffe next to Kate, with the two eldest children next to them, while Louis sat on what appeared to be a sheepskin rug at his mothers feet.
Welcome to the World Refugee Day 2022 Live Blog, where we'll be bringing you stories and events from around the world celebrating refugees and the countries and communities that have taken them in.

Every World Refugee Day, 20 June, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, joins millions of others around the world in honoring those who have fled conflict, violence and persecution in search of safety. With the number of forcibly displaced people around the world now standing at more than 100 million, the theme of this year's event  the right to seek safety  is more critical than ever.

Today and every day, we believe that everyone has the right to seek safety  whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee.

By keeping our doors and hearts open to refugees, we can offer them a chance to use their energy and talents in meaningful ways that ultimately benefit us all.

Check back here throughout the day for updates.

Last entry of UNHCR's 2022 World Refugee Day Live Blog  New York City

Everyone has the right to safety. Whoever they are, wherever they come from and whenever they are forced to flee. The numbers are daunting  100 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, war and persecution. We all must do more. And countries must end the conflict, persecution and human rights abuses that give people no choice but to run.

This year, like every year, we have been awed by the celebrations around the world. Watching refugees and the communities who have welcomed them sing, dance, cook, paint, run and play together reminds us there is hope.

Finally, a special thank you to the designer of this year's World Refugee Day Twitter emoji, Iryna Morykvas, who fled Ukraine with her 10-year-old son. We leave you with her words, to remind us all to keep our doors and hearts open:

"In everyday life, we can rely on ourselves a lot, we can plan, make an effort. With the beginning of the war, everything changes  the feeling of security disappears, there is uncertainty, fear, helplessness. Then even the slightest help is invaluable. When someone gives warm tea, a blanket, food, a toy to a child or even just says something encouraging and smiles."

Meet Iryna, the refugee designer from Ukraine who created this years #WorldRefugeeDay Emoji. pic.twitter.com/VP5S4rNj1q  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) June 20, 2022

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Cities like Albuquerque show that welcoming refugees is not only the right thing to do  it also builds strong, vibrant communities.

This #WorldRefugeeDay we join @MayorKeller and our partners in Albuquerque to honor refugees and their welcoming community.



Whoever, wherever and whenever, everyone has the right to seek safety. #WithRefugees pic.twitter.com/EUlwzJCkAu  UNHCR United States (@UNHCRUSA) June 21, 2022

Stockholm, Sweden

UNHCR Nordic and Baltic colleagues organized a pass the mic night so refugees could share their stories.

What an inspiring evening.



The speakers at Pass the Mic shared their personal stories about the experiences & challenges they have faced standing behind the title of refugee.



The audience were moved and definitely rediscovered their motivation to stand #WithRefugees. pic.twitter.com/cLim5ZxobP  UNHCR Nordic and Baltic Countries (@UNHCR_NE) June 20, 2022

Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, expressing solidarity with those forced to flee  billboards in Riyadh and Jeddah, and the Kingdom Tower lit up in UN blue.

 #__     #__                            pic.twitter.com/dMRIJlrDv8  UN in Saudi Arabia  (@UN_SaudiArabia) June 20, 2022

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

To celebrate WRD, children of Haitian refugees gather to paint murals at an event organized by UNHCR and its partner, Dominicano de Desarrollo Integral.

Children of Haitian refugees paint mural during Dominican Republic's World Refugee Day Celebration.  globalizateradio

Kampala, Uganda

A special song just for WRD!

Sapporo, Japan

More than 40 landmarks across Japan were lit up in blue on 20 June in solidarity with refugees across the world, including the historical Clock Tower in Sapporo, the capital of northernmost prefecture Hokkaido. Built in 1878, today the clocktower serves as a museum and cultural centre for the city.

The Clock Tower in Sapporo is lit up in blue as part of Japan's World Refugee Day celebrations.  UNHCR/Yuji Akasaka

Bella Vista, Belize

In Bella Visa, Belize, UNHCR and its partner, HUMANA People to People, led a 5-kilometre run to highlight the contributions of refugees. Locals and asylum seekers, many of them children, participated in the run which was followed by a ceremony and a fair.

In Bella Vista, in Belize's Toledo district, UNHCR and its partner HUMANA People to People organized a run to highlight the contributions of refugees.  UNHCR/Aida Escobar

Kalobeyei, Kenya

In Kalobeyei refugee settlement in northern Kenya, refugee and host communities celebrated World Refugee Day together. The different communities showed off their traditional dances. The ceremony afterwards was attended by UNHCR and government officials, and Goodwill Ambassador and refugee athlete Pur Biel.

Dublin, Ireland

Each year, UNHCR and Children's Books Ireland invite children to experience life as someone forced to flee. Check out the selections in the window of Hodges Figgis, Ireland's oldest bookstore!

A delightful #WithRefugees display in @Hodges_Figgis window this week! Pop down and grab a read ahead of #WorldRefugeeDay, next Monday 20th June  @UNHCRIreland @Refugees pic.twitter.com/GLxXomoquT  Children's Books Ireland (@KidsBooksIrel) June 15, 2022

Algiers, Algeria

The historic National Theatre in Algiers threw open its doors to 700 refugees and locals for a night of music and entertainment, including a free concert featuring musician and television personality Manal Gherbi, singer-songwriter Djam, and guests Dima Stand. Outside the venue, the organizers had errected a tradtional Sahrawi refugee tent in recognition of the 90,000 Sahrawi refugees living in the country.

a Sahrawi refugee tent,tea,henna tattoos, braids, refugee made handcrafts, and a lot of music



Thanks to @GherbiManal, @djamil_djam and #dimastand amazing concerts refugees and Algerian population had a blast together at #WorldRefugeeDay #WithRefugees pic.twitter.com/2NgBhUNkLd  UNHCR Algeria (@unhcralgeria) June 20, 2022

Lima, Peru

To the Peruvian capital, where UNHCR organised the first "Great inclusive run" and encouraged everyone to take part however they wished - walking, running, cycling, in wheelchairs or even on skates. During the race, participants were driven on by the precussive sounds of a local samba-inspired Batucada group, and after there was a concert featuring popular Venezuelan band Los Bacanos.

Batucada group "Lucha y Tambo" entertain participants at the Great Inclusive Race with their samba-infused beats.  UNHCR/Emily Alvarez

Two runners with big smiles on their faces celebrate reaching the finish line.  UNHCR/Emily Alvarez

A group of cyclists reach the finish line wearing t-shirts with World Refugee Day messages.  UNHCR/Emily Alvarez

A participant holds a sign reading: "Solidarity! With refugees and migrants from Venezuela and the world".  UNHCR/Emily Alvarez

A young boy riding a tricycle accompanies his mother across the finish line.  UNHCR/Emily Alvarez

Ukraine/Poland

Actor, director and long-time UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller is visiting Ukraine and Poland to meet refugees and others forced to flee their homes by the war in Ukraine. In a statement to mark World Refugee Day, Stiller said: "Protecting people forced to flee is a collective global responsibility. We have to remember this could happen to anyone, anywhere."

Tbilisi, Georgia

In what has become an annual tradition in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, refugees, members of the public and staff from UN agencies, governments and NGOs took part in a solidarity walk through the picturesque Tbilisi Botanical Gardens to show their support for forcibly displaced people everywhere.

People take part in a Solidarity Walk in Tbilisi Botanical Gardens, Georgia, in support of forcibly displaced people around the world.  UNHCR/Ika Pirveli

Among the participants were refugees from different countries living in Georgia, members of the public, UN staff and government officials.  UNHCR/Ika Pirveli

Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan

Home to more than 80,000 Syrian refugees  over half of them children  Jordan's Zaatari camp is the largest refugee camp in the Middle East. As part of their World Refugee Day celebrations, 30 children aged between 6 and 10 took part in a Little Chef Competition organised by UNHCR and its partner Blumont. The young bakers made Syrian bread before judging which was the tastiest.

Cote dIvoire

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi is spending World Refugee Day in Cote dIvoire, where he accompanied a group of Ivorian refugees returning home from Liberia. Together, they boarded a barge to cross the Cestos River which divides the two countries and Grandi disembarked holding the hand of one of the youngest passengers. Last year, he recommended that asylum countries end refugee status for Ivorians following the peaceful resolution of two decades of civil conflict and instability in Cote dIvoire.

This little girl took my hand and walked across the border into her country.



She was born a refugee, her parents had sought asylum abroad.



Solidarity allowed her to grow up safely. Wise politics now allow her to return home.



It should always be so.



Today is #WorldRefugeeDay pic.twitter.com/sI4CT61S4I  Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) June 20, 2022

Argentina

Riders of all ages took to the streets in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires and the western city of Mendoza for a bike ride to celebrate World Refugee Day. After cycling their way past major landmarks in both cities in glorious winter sunshine, particpants were treated to dancing and other cultural activites by refugees before sharing lunch.

Riders of all ages enjoyed cycling in the winter sunshine before sharing lunch in Mendoza.  UNHCR/Marcelo Aguilar Lopez

Cyclists take to the streets in the city of Mendoza.  UNHCR/Marcelo Aguilar Lopez

A young refugee from Colombia joins in the fun following the bike ride in Mendoza, Argentina.  UNHCR/Marcelo Aguilar Lopez

Two youngsters who moved to Argentina with their parents from the Democratic Republic of the Congo take part in the bike ride in Buenos Aires.  UNHCR/Eliana Sarraf

Lisbeth, who arrived in Argentina two and a half years ago with her family from Venezuela, takes part in a World Refugee Day bike ride in Buenos Aires.  UNHCR/Eliana Sarraf

Makati, Philippines

As part of World Refugee Day celebrations in the Philippines, a food festival was held at a marketplace in Makati near the capital Manilla featuring an array of food stalls, many of them run by refugees. During a food challenge participants had to identify and buy food from vendors specializing in cuisines from countries where past or present refugee crises are taking place.

Canada

Canadian soccer star and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Alphonso Davies has shared a personal message for World Refugee Day. Anyone can become a refugee  they deserve our support, says the FC Bayern Munich player, who himself was resettled from a refugee camp in Ghana to Canada at the age of 5.

#WorldRefugeeDay is an important moment for me. Anyone can become a refugee at any moment. They deserve our support. #WithRefugees https://t.co/nGQZf4rCgM  Alphonso Davies (@AlphonsoDavies) June 19, 2022

The Netherlands

Iryna Morykvas, a Ukrainian artist and childrens book illustrator, fled the war in Ukraine with her 10-year-old son to seek safety in Poland and later in the Netherlands.

Iryna created a unique emoji  a heart with an open door  for WRD to symbolize the love and solidarity she encountered along her journey to safety. Through a partnership between Twitter and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the emoji will be available on Twitter from June 19 to 25, with the hashtag #withrefugees, to honour the 100 million people forced to flee war and persecution. Read more about her, and see more of her beautiful artwork, here.

Tacna, Peru

Peru stands #WithRefugees! Blue lights up the sky at the Tacna Parabolic Arch.

Comenzamos la conmemoracion del #DiaDelRefugiado

La Catedral y el arco de #Tacna de pintan de azul.

Todas y todos estan #ConLosRefugiados



Comparte! pic.twitter.com/OiYdj3Km4O  ACNUR Peru (@ACNURPeru) June 17, 2022

Geneva, Switzerland/New York, USA

The right to seek asylum is not up for negotiation. Watch UNHCR's moving World Refugee Day video to hear from refugees first-hand what it's like to be forced to leave everything behind in search of safety.

Seeking asylum is a human right. It's non-negotiable. #WorldRefugeeDay pic.twitter.com/s6Su4lEV8y  UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) June 19, 2022

Warsaw, Poland

Poland is hosting more than 1.1 million refugees from Ukraine, and among them is Vic, a student from Nigeria who was studying in Ukraine when the conflict began. Now living in Warsaw, Vic led a dance session for people of all ages as part of a World Refugee Day event organised by UNHCR and local NGO Strefa WolnoSlowa.

Vic, a refugee from Nigeria who was studying in Ukraine when the war forced him to flee to Poland, leads a dance session in Warsaw.  UNHCR/Rafal Kostrzynski

Juba, South Sudan

Refugees and UNHCR staff celebrated World Refugee Day in South Sudan with a football match at the training ground of national soccer team The Bright Stars. A UNHCR team featuring UN staff and displaced players from Sudan and Ethiopia faced off against a refugee team from Rwanda, Sudan and Burundi. With the teams tied at one all after normal time, the match was decided on penalties with the UNHCR team claiming victory after the winning goal was scored by a refugee midfeilder from Sudan. Here's the team claiming the silverware...
Fathers Day falls on 20 June 2021 this year (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Fathers Day takes place on Sunday 19 June this year and like every year, sons and daughters will be searching for the perfect gifts to mark the occasion.

Its a day to honour fatherhood and paternal bonds, and many mark the occasion by doing something special for their fathers or father figures.

Fathers Day is a recognised public and national holiday in some places, such as Lithuania, Estonia, Samoa, some parts of Spain, and South Korea, where it is celebrated as Parents Day.

But when did this tradition begin and why?

When did Fathers Day start?

Fathers Day began in the United States in the early 20th century as a result of the success of Mothers Day.

Anna Jarvis from West Virginia created a committee to establish a Mothers Friendship Day in an attempt to reunite families that had been divided during the American Civil War.

Fathers day was set up as a complement to the first successful mothers days a few years after the celebrations began gaining traction.

The first observance of a Fathers Day was held on 5 July 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia, in the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South.

The holiday initially failed to achieve as much popularity as Mothers day, but was formally recognised In 1966, President Lyndon B Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honouring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day.

Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

How is Fathers Day celebrated in the UK?

In the UK, Fathers Day is not a public holiday, but follows the American rule of falling on the third Sunday of June.

According to Steve Roud, author of The English Year, which documents festivities in English life, the day only entered British popular culture sometime after the Second World War.

Most people celebrate the day by giving their fathers or father figures cards and presents, or spending a day out together with the whole family.

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Is Fathers Day celebrated on different dates in other parts of the world?

Yes. While the vast majority of countries celebrate Fathers Day on the third Sunday of June, the day is marked elsewhere in the year in other places.

Countries that celebrate Fathers Day in March include Andorra, Croatia, Mozambique, Angola, Honduras, Portugal, Antwerp, Italy, Spain, Bolivia, Lichtenstein, and Ticino.

Some countries mark the occasion in May, such as Kazakhstan, South Korea, Romania, Tonga, and Germany.

In Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, and Chile, it falls on 21 June of every year, regardless of the day of the week.

Meanwhile, a handful of countries observe the day in July and August, such as Haiti, Uruguay, Taiwan, Brazil, Samoa, and South Sudan.

Latvia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea celebrate in September, while Luxembourg and Russia celebrate in October.

Estonia, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Indonesia mark Fathers Day in November, and Bulgaria and Thailand celebrate in December.
By Nelson Bocanegra, Oliver Griffin and Carlos Vargas

BOGOTA/BUCARAMANGA (Reuters) - Leftist Gustavo Petro, a former member of the M-19 guerrilla movement, who has vowed profound social and economic change, won Colombia's presidency on Sunday, the first progressive to do so in the country's history.

Petro beat construction magnate Rodolfo Hernandez with an unexpectedly wide margin of more than 700,000 votes in what analysts said was a demonstration of Colombians' eagerness for efforts to combat deep inequality.

Petro, a former mayor of capital Bogota and current senator, has pledged to fight inequality with free university education, pension reforms and high taxes on unproductive land. He won 50.5% to Hernandez's 47.3%.

Petro's proposals - especially a ban on new oil projects - have startled some investors, though he has promised to respect current contracts.

His victory was likely to cause market jitters until his cabinet is announced, analysts told Reuters on Sunday.

"From today Colombia changes; Colombia is different," Petro told cheering supporters in Bogota's concert arena. "Change consists precisely in leaving behind sectarianism."

"It is not a time for hate, this government, which will begin on Aug. 7, is a government of life," he said.

Alejandro Forero, 40, who uses a wheelchair, cried as results came in.

"Finally, thank God. I know he will be a good president and he will help those of us who are least privileged. This is going to change for the better," said Forero, who is unemployed.

Thousands of people took to the streets in Bogota to celebrate, with some dancing near its largest polling place under intermittent rain.

This campaign was Petro's third presidential bid and his victory adds the Andean nation to a list of Latin American countries that have elected progressives in recent years.

Graphic: Leftist Petro wins Colombia presidency - https://graphics.reuters.com/COLOMBIA-ELECTION/dwpkrmabovm/chart.png

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Petro's victory showed people in Colombia - where nearly half the population lives in some form of poverty - are eager to fight inequality, said Daniela Cuellar of FTI Consulting.

"What the Colombian population demonstrated today is that they are seeking a government focused on key social issues," she said. "Colombia's longstanding ailments of inequality, which were exacerbated by COVID-19, have contributed to the electorate seeking a shift."

But a fragmented congress, where a dozen parties have seats, will act as a check on Petro's proposals.

"Colombia's institutional strength and rule of law appear sufficiently robust for the country to maintain economic stability," Cuellar said. "Moreover, campaigning is not governing, Petro's policies will be more moderate."

"Even if he tries to pass radical reforms, he does not have the congressional support to implement them," she added.

Petro, 62, said he was tortured by the military when he was detained for his involvement with the guerrillas, and his potential victory had high-ranking armed forces officials bracing for change.

Petro's running mate, Francia Marquez, a single mother and former housekeeper, will be the country's first Afro-Colombian woman vice-president.

"Today I'm voting for my daughter - she turned 15 two weeks ago and asked for just one gift: that I vote for Petro," said security guard Pedro Vargas, 48, in Bogota's southwest on Sunday morning.

"I hope this man fulfills the hopes of my daughter, she has a lot of faith in his promises," added Vargas, who said he typically does not vote.

Petro has also pledged to fully implement a 2016 peace deal with FARC rebels and seek talks with the still-active ELN guerrillas.

MARKET JITTERS

Analysts have said the proposed halt to oil development could send investment elsewhere at a time when Colombia is struggling with low credit ratings, a large trade deficit and national debt which has doubled to 72% of GDP over the last decade.

Oil accounts for nearly half of exports and close to 10% of national income, but Petro argues new projects should be barred for environmental reasons and to move Colombia away from dependence on the industry.

Petro has also promised to increase taxes and royalties on extractive industries and charge major landholders for unproductive land, raising some $5.2 billion. He also proposes to raise up to $3.9 billion by progressively taxing companies.

"We think on Tuesday both interest rates on TES bonds and the exchange rate will depreciate, but we need to see what type of rhetoric Petro gives us, what type of cabinet he'll give us," said Sergio Olarte, head economist for Colombia at Scotiabank.

Monday is a holiday in Colombia.

"The magnitude of movements in the coming trading sessions will depend on the economic line that the new president offers," agreed David Cubides, head economist at Allianz brokerage, who said he expects local market volatility during the next week.

Current President Ivan Duque tweeted he had called to congratulate Petro, and they have scheduled a meeting in coming days to ensure a harmonious transition.

Colombian presidents are limited to one term.

Some 22.6 million people voted, about 1.2 million more than in the first round. Some 2.3% of voters turned in protest votes, backing neither candidate.

(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra, Oliver Griffin, Carlos Vargas, Luis Jaime Acosta and Julia Symmes Cobb; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Grant McCool, Chizu Nomiyama, Lisa Shumaker and Nick Zieminski)
Dakar, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jun, 2022 ) :Raiders in Mali have killed at least 20 civilians in attacks on villages near the northern town of Gao, while a UN peacekeeper died in a mine explosion in the troubled region.

"Criminal terrorists" on Saturday killed at least 20 civilians in several hamlets in the commune Anchawadj, a few dozen kilometres north of Gao, said a senior police officer who asked to remain anonymous.

A local official blamed the attacks on jihadists put the death toll at 24, saying the killings occurred at Ebak some 35 kilometres (23 miles) north of Gao and neighbouring hamlets.

The official, in Gao the main town in the region, described a "general panic" in the area.

The situation in Anchawadj as "very concerning," and civilians were fleeing the area fearing further violence, he added.

Following Saturday's bloodshed, a mine killed a UN peacekeeper Sunday as he was out on patrol further north, at Kidal, the head of the UN's MINUSMA Mali force El Ghassim Wane tweeted.

A MINUSMA official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the peacekeeper was part of the Guinean contingent.

- Separatists and jihadists - While there has been no official confirmation that the attacks were carried out by jihadist groups, fighters affiliated to either Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group are active in the region.

The region has become increasingly violent and unstable since Tuareg separatist rebels rose up against the government in 2012.

Jihadist fighters took advantage of their rebellion to launch their own offensive, threatening the capital Bamako in the south until a French-led force pushed them back in 2013.

The Tuareg separatists and the government agreed a peace accord in 2015, but it has yet to be applied.

So now Mali's weak, national government faces both separatist and jihadist insurgencies in the north of the country.

For as well as the separatist groups who were part of the stalled 2015 peace deal, Mali's government also has to contend with the jihadist groups.

They target those they deem to be supporters of the state apparatus.

The north of the country is a largely desert region that is all but devoid of state infrastructure.

"A good part of the Gao region and that of Menaka" are occupied by the jihadists, said the official in Gao. "The state must do something." Some of the rebel groups have also been fighting each other as they battle for influence and territory. Adding to the volatile mix are traffickers and other criminal groups.

Government stability meanwhile has been interrupted by military coups in August 2020 and May 2021.

Following his latest report into the area, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres last month warned that instability in Mali and Burkina Faso were undermining attempts to stabilise the region.

The security situation in the Gao region had badly deteriorated in recent months, he said.

He also voiced concern over Menaka, the eastern region bordering Niger.

Initially captured by a Tuareg rebel group a decade ago, it was quickly subsequently taken over by Islamist groups.
VIENTIANE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jun, 2022 ) :A contest as part of the 21st Chinese Bridge Chinese proficiency competition has been held in the Lao capital.

The latest edition here for college students of the Chinese Bridge Chinese proficiency competition, which is an annual event for non-Chinese students in various countries, was held in the Confucius Institute at the National University of Laos (NUOL) on Friday.

Vice President of NUOL Phosy Thipdavanh said in his opening remarks that the Chinese Bridge competition has been an important platform to inspire Lao students to learn more about the Chinese language and culture.

He encouraged contestants to become envoys of friendship between the two countries, and contribute to promotion of the Laos-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership as well as construction of the Laos-China community with a shared future.

Counselor of the Chinese embassy in Laos Qin Chen said in his speech that he is delighted to see people in Laos attach great importance to the Chinese language teaching, noting that many Lao schools have included the Chinese language course in their curriculum.

The Chinese diplomat expressed hope that young people of the two countries will learn more about each other's culture and language and become envoys of bilateral friendship.

Qin encouraged Lao students to help increase the mutual understanding and further develop ties between the two peoples and countries.

The Chinese proficiency competition themed "One world, One family" comprised the three sections of speech, real time Q&A, and talent show.
Berlin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jun, 2022 ) :Germany announced Sunday emergency measures including increased use of coal to ensure it meets its energy needs after a drop in supply of Russian gas.

"To reduce gas consumption, less gas must be used to generate electricity. Coal-fired power plants will have to be used more instead," the economy ministry said in a statement.

The move comes after Moscow turned up the pressure last week on Western allies, sharply reducing flows of natural gas in its pipelines to western Europe, driving up energy prices.

Gazprom said the supply reductions via the Nord Stream pipeline are the result of repair work, but EU officials believe Moscow is punishing allies of Ukraine.

Berlin's temporary return to coal marks a turnaround for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's ruling coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and the liberal FDP, which has vowed to wind down its coal usage by 2030.

"It's bitter but indispensable for reducing gas consumption," economy and climate minister Robert Habeck said in a statement.

A law outlining the new measures is due to be adopted in the coming weeks, he added.

They include an "auction" system for the sale of gas to manufacturers, which, according to the government, will help bring down consumption by the powerful sector.

Funding will also be released to finance the filling up of tanks before winter.

Habeck stressed that the increased use of coal was only "provisional" in the face of the "worsening" situation in the gas market.
(@FahadShabbir)

Nabk, Syria, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jun, 2022 ) :A Syrian desert monastery that was once a hub for interfaith dialogue, attracting tens of thousands, has reopened to visitors after more than a decade of war and isolation.

"We yearn for people to return. We want to see them pray and meditate with us once more, so that they may find here a space for calm, silence and contemplation," Father Jihad Youssef told AFP, his voice echoing through the dark, empty halls of the monastery he heads.

In 2010, 30,000 people visited Deir Mar Moussa Al-Habashi (St Moses the Ethiopian), a 7th century monastery perched atop a barren, rocky hill about 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Damascus.

But the onset of civil war in 2011 and the disappearance of Father Paolo Dall'Oglio, who had led and revived the community since 1982, scared away visitors for nearly a decade.

With security having improved in surrounding areas, the monastery reopened its doors to visitors this month.

They must climb 300 steps to reach the stone monastery, built on the ruins of a Roman tower and partly carved into the rock.

It has an 11th century church adorned with icons, ancient murals and writing in Arabic, Syriac and Greek that says "God is love" and "in the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful" -- a phrase that serves as Muslim praise to God.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jun, 2022 ) :Pakistan joined the international community in commemorating the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

In a statement the Foreign Office Spokesperson Sunday said, "this day is an important occasion to renew global solidarity for combating hate speech which is the prime catalyst for hatred, inter-religious discord, discrimination, incitement to violence, and acts of violence against people and communities." Pakistan had been advocating for an international framework against hate speech, disinformation and balanced approach between fundamental freedoms and responsibilities, he added.

He said the tragic hate crimes and incidents witnessed around the world were a clear verdict against those who justify hate speech, denigration and vilification of religious personalities and symbols, and derogatory remarks to hurt sentiments of minorities, as the fundamental freedom of expression or opinion.

"Guided by the vision of our founding fathers, Pakistan has always been at the forefront of international initiatives for promoting peace, tolerance, inter-cultural and inter-faith harmony and respect, both at home and abroad." He said based on principles enshrined in our Constitution, the government had taken a number of steps domestically for combating hate speech whilst promoting fundamental freedoms. Moreover, judicial and administrative avenues had been strengthened in order to provide remedial measures to the victims of hate speech such as the establishment of National Commissions, effective implementation of Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, strengthening of law enforcement agencies concerned with hate speech and so on, he added.

He said, "moreover, curbing hate speech is one of the cross-cutting themes in various National Action Plans. As we commemorate this day, we are particularly alarmed at the global resurgence in Islamophobia, xenophobia, hatred and acts of violence against minorities." "Even as victims of violence belong to diverse religious minorities across the world, there is a disproportionate growth in hate speech and stigmatization of Muslim communities and individuals, leading to acts of violence." "In our own region, the BJP-RSS dispensation, inspired by the extremist Hindutva ideology, is embarked upon a campaign to cleanse India of all vestiges of its Islamic heritage and making Muslims second class citizens, even non-citizens. The ensuing hate speech and consequent hate crimes have reached unprecedented levels. The recent calls for Muslim genocide, state complicity in extra-judicial measures, and state-sponsored grave human rights abuses against Muslims protestors, in the backdrop of hate-driven derogatory remarks made towards the Holy Prophet (PBUH) by the senior BJP officials, are alarming and highly condemnable. The international community must end impunity for perpetrators of such abominable hate speech and crimes."On its part, the spokesperson said Pakistan will continue to advance the international efforts to protect individuals from hate speech and related xenophobia, intolerance, discrimination, negative stereotyping, stigmatization, violence and incitement to violence and will reinforce efforts to promote inter-faith and inter-civilizational understanding and harmony.
Pope Francis is suggesting to each and every one of us to ask ourselves how are we manifesting solidarity towards the suffering people of Ukraine, nearly four months from the beginning of the war.

By Linda Bordoni

The post-Angelus address on Sunday provided Pope Francis with yet another occasion to remind all men and women of goodwill of the suffering of the people of Ukraine and to invite us to put solidarity into action.

Almost four months since the Russian invasion and the start of the war in Ukraine that continues to kill, injure, destroy and displace, concern is being expressed about a possible onset of Ukraine fatigue that may cause people to lose interest in the unfolding tragedy.

Pope Francis asks us not to forget.

Lets not forget the battered Ukrainian people at this time, a people that is suffering. I would like to invite you all to ask yourselves a question: what am I doing today for the Ukrainian people?

Alluding to a collective human responsibility the Pope added:

Do I pray? Do I act? Do I try to understand? What do I do today for Ukrainians? Answer that question within your hearts.
Growing up on a 200-acre registered Angus cattle farm in Huntingdon County, I was fortunate to fish in Emmas Creek, a small tributary that runs through our farm and out into the Juniata River. When I went fishing with my grandparents, our catch wasnt very impressive. Mostly, we caught creek chubs  a fish that is an indicator of poor water quality. A generation later, when Im fishing in Emmas Creek with my 3-year-old daughter, Quinn, (and soon our twin boys, Connor and Sully), were pulling a variety of trout (rainbow and brook), as well as sunnies. How did this happen?

Over the course of three decades, our farm implemented more than 30 conservation practices that are routinely maintained and monitored. These practices not only improved fish diversity, but they also build the value of our small operation by increasing efficiencies on our farm, improving the health of our cattle, and reducing flooding during heavy rain events.

But these practices arent cheap. Projects such as building a heavy use area for cattle, installing a fence along a stream, and planting streamside buffers can come with six-figure price tags. With most farmers throughout the Keystone State operating on razor thin margins, getting these conservation practices on the ground by themselves is often prohibitively expensive. Indeed, the future of agriculture in Pennsylvania is in doubt given the immense financial pressures of running a farm, particularly on the next generation of farmers.

This challenge is why Pennsylvania so badly needs to pass the Clean Streams Fund (CSF). Included in this legislation is $125 million to provide funding assistance directly to farmers or landowners to implement conservation practices on their land. And these practices dont only help the farmer. Passing CSF would provide a desperately needed shot in the arm to local economies harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, pouring millions of dollars into local contractors and businesses such as construction companies, nurseries and environmental engineering firms.

But perhaps the most critical impact of CSF is how it will help protect and restore one of Pennsylvanias most vital resources  our local rivers and streams. A constant from one generation to the next, farmers are continually placed in a position to sell their product at cost, feeding the nation, while also facing directives to improve local water quality. Farmers want to do this work, but they cant do it on their own. With the passage and funding of CSF, farmers can lead the way in reducing pollution entering the Keystone States waterways.

In the years to come, I hope to assume responsibility of our family farm. I dont take this responsibility lightly. While I want to continue the legacy of stewarding our land with an eye towards sustainability, I know Im not the only farmer in my generation that worries about the financial pressures. Its critical that our elected officials in Harrisburg act and invest in agriculture and the families that feed our Commonwealth, and especially the next generation of Pennsylvanian farmers.

If they do by passing the Clean Streams Fund, we stand to reap quite the harvest. We will stimulate one of Pennsylvanias key industries, provide an economic boost throughout the Commonwealth, and clean our rivers and streams. And if we play our cards right, farmers throughout the Keystone State can take their kids and grandkids fishing in local waterways and wonder in delight at what is pulling on the other end of the line.

John Dawes is a fourth-generation farmer for Huntingdon Farm and Founder of The Commons. He writes from Franklin County.

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After two days of deliberations in which they reached verdicts on nearly all of the questions put before them, jurors in a civil trial who were deciding on sexual abuse allegations against Bill Cosby will have to start from scratch on Monday.

By the end of the court day Friday, the Los Angeles County jury had come to agreement on whether Cosby had sexually assaulted plaintiff Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion when she was 16 in 1975, and whether Huth deserved any damages. In all they had answered eight of nine questions on their verdict form, all but one that asked whether Cosby acted in a way that should require punitive damages.

Judge Craig Karlan, who had promised one juror when she agreed to serve that she could leave after Friday for a prior commitment, decided over the objections of Cosby's attorneys to accept and read the verdict on the questions the jury had answered. But he had to change course when deputies at the Santa Monica Courthouse appeared and required him to clear the courtroom. The courthouse has a required closure time of 4:30 p.m. because of no budget for deputies' overtime.

Karlan refused to require the departing juror, who had been chosen as foreperson, to return on Monday, so jurors will have to begin again with an alternate in her place.

"I won't go back on my word," Karlan said.

It was a bizarre ending to a strange day of jury deliberations. It began with a note to the judge about what he called a "personality issue" between two of the jurors that was making their work difficult.

After calling them to the courtroom and getting them to agree that every juror would be heard in discussions, the jurors resumed, but had a steady flurry of questions on issues with their verdict form that the judge and attorneys had to discuss and answer. One question was on how to calculate damages.

After the lunch break, Cosby lawyer Jennifer Bonjean moved for a mistrial because of a photo taken by a member of Cosby's team that showed a juror standing in close proximity to a Cosby accuser who had been sitting in the audience and watching the trial.

Karlan said the photo didn't indicate any conversation had happened, and quickly dismissed the mistrial motion, getting assurances from the juror in question, then the entire jury, that no one had discussed the case with them.

The accuser, Los Angeles artist Lily Bernard, who has filed her own lawsuit against Cosby in New Jersey, denied speaking to any jurors.

"I never spoke to any juror, ever," Bernard told the judge from her seat in the courtroom. "I would never do anything to jeopardize this case. I don't even look at them."

Karlan fought to get past the hurdles and have jurors deliberate as long as possible, and kept lawyers, reporters and court staff in the courtroom ready to bolt as soon as a verdict was read, but it was fruitless in the end.

Jurors had begun deliberating Thursday morning after a two-week trial.

Cosby, 84, who was freed from prison when his Pennsylvania criminal conviction was thrown out nearly a year ago, did not attend. He denied any sexual contact with Huth in a clip from a 2015 video deposition shown to jurors. The denial has been repeated throughout the trial by his spokesperson and his attorney.

In contentious closing arguments, Bonjean urged the jurors to look past the public allegations against Cosby and consider only the trial evidence, which she said did not come close to proving Huth's case.

Huth's attorney Nathan Goldberg told jurors Cosby had to be held accountable for the harm he had done to his client.

The Associated Press does not normally name people who say they have been sexually abused, unless they come forward publicly, as Huth and Bernard each have.
French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to lose parliamentary majority, according to the first estimates of returns from Sunday's legislative elections.

The returns showed Macron's centrists appeared set to remain the biggest party in the National Assembly, or lower house, but with the far-left NUPES coalition scoring strongly as the biggest opposition bloc. Initial results also found the far right scoring historically high.

Earlier in the day, voters in the tossup Paris suburb of Neuilly Plaisance trickled out of city hall, shopping carts in tow. After casting their ballots, their next stops were the bakery and Sunday market to finish their errands.

Gregory, an electrician, had voted for the NUPES coalition. He said Macron was breaking everything the country had worked for regarding social and environmental issues.



NUPES was hoping for an upset victory that would force Macron to pick its leader, far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon, as prime minister.

Michelle, another Neuilly Plaisance voter, said she believed that scenario would be a disaster. Certainly not the NUPES, she said. If they win, France will be in a mess.

Retiree Raymond offered a similar reaction. He said he doubted the feasibility of programs pushed by the leftist coalition. "Wheres the money to pay for them?" he asked.

Macron won a second term against his far-right rival Marine Le Pen just two months ago. But the abstention rate was high, and many French are underwhelmed by their president. Some criticized Macron for not campaigning enough for this crucial parliamentary vote, where this time his main rival was the far left.

These elections for the powerful National Assembly will be critical in determining whether Macron can push through fiscal and retirement reforms that mark his second-term agenda. The NUPES coalition has vowed to block them and enact tougher environmental policies.

Like the April presidential elections, these legislative elections have also been marked by high voter abstention.
Greek Coast Guard vessels were scouring the Aegean Sea on Sunday, searching for at least four asylum-seekers who apparently fell from a refugee-loaded sailboat that had crossed from Turkey and encountered rough weather.

Authorities said the remaining migrants  24 women, 63 men and 21 children  were rescued in choppy waters off the island of Delos. The rickety craft was towed to a port on the nearby island of Mykonos.

Survivors said no life vests were available on the sailboat, nor was the vessel equipped with a lifeboat.

The nationalities of the refugees had yet to be determined. An investigation into their journey was underway.

Greece has long been the main route for migrants seeking to enter the European Union. While the number of illegal entries has dropped dramatically since a refugee crisis saw more than a million Syrians spilling into Europe in 2016, Greece fears a new migratory push may be in the making.

Notis Mitarakis, Greeces migration minister, said, We have noticed in recent weeks increased activity along the border where Turkish forces push, even escort migrants to specific outcrops, forcing Greek authorities to come, pick them up and bring them into Greece.

This all shows, the minister said, that there is an orchestrated activity in the making by the authorities there. These arent just random migratory movements.

On Sunday, Mitarakis urged Turkey to take stronger measures to avert migratory flows from swelling into Europe anew.

But with tensions between the two rivals growing in recent months, pundits and politicians in Athens said they feared Ankara might spark a fresh migration crisis in order to push for greater rights in the oil- and mineral-rich Aegean Sea.

Turkey hosts more than 3 million mainly Syrian refugees, and Athens fears any sudden migratory push would spell serious trouble for Greece, a country of 10 million, at the peak of tourism season.

Greece also faces accusations of migrant mistreatment. Last week, Jason Apostolopoulos, a Greek rescuer, openly accused the Greek Coast Guard of carrying out illegal activities.

"In Greece we have the only Coast Guard in the world that instead of rescuing people at sea, they throw people into the sea," he said. "They kidnap refugees that reach the Greek shores and throw them back into open sea.

Both Greece and Turkey deny the accusations, each blaming the other for the migration crisis.

Pushbacks are illegal because they block refugees from accessing safety and seeking asylum.
Poppies, the blood-red flowers that cover the battlefields of Europe's two world wars, were laid in mourning Saturday on the coffin of yet another dead soldier, this one killed in yet another European war, in Ukraine.

The hundreds of mourners for Roman Ratushnyi, 24, included friends who had protested with him during months of demonstrations that toppled Ukraine's pro-Russia leader in 2014 and who, like him, took up arms when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor this February.

The arc of his shortened life symbolized that of Ukraine's post-independence generations that are sacrificing their best years in the cause of freedom. First, with defiance and dozens of lives against brutal riot police during Ukraine's Maidan protests of 2013-2014 and now with weapons and even more lives against Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops.

"Heroes never die!" friends, family and admirers shouted in Ukrainian as Ratushnyi's coffin was loaded aboard a hearse on a square in the Ukrainian capital now decorated with destroyed Russian tanks and vehicles. Their charred hulks contrasted with the shiny gold domes of an adjacent cathedral where priests had earlier sung prayers for Ratushnyi, who was well-known in Kyiv for his civic and environmental activism.

From the square, the mourners then walked in a long silent column behind his coffin to Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square. The vast plaza in central Kyiv gave its name to the three months of protests that overthrew then President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014 and which helped fuel the political and patriotic awakening of Ukrainians born after independence in 1991.

Ratushnyi had "a heart full of love for Ukraine," said Misha Reva, who traveled overnight in his soldier's uniform from front lines in the east to say goodbye to the friend he met for the first time on Maidan, during the protests. Ratushnyi was then just 16; Reva was in his early 20s. It was Ratushnyi who introduced Reva to the woman who is now his wife, also on the square.

While the funeral was underway in central Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a trip south to visit troops defending the front line in the Mykolaiv region. He handed out awards to men and women in camouflage, shaking their hands.

"I thank each and every one of you, for the great work, for the great service, for what you do protecting our country, each of us, our families," Zelenskyy said in what appeared to be the basement of a building.

He also visited the city of Mykolaiv, on the Black Sea coast, where he met with the governor and went to see the ruins of the administration building, which was destroyed by Russian shelling in April that killed at least 34 people.

In other developments Saturday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed concerns "that a bit of Ukraine fatigue is starting to set in around the world" and said Ukraine must be supported in trying to roll back the Russian invasion to "make sure the Ukrainians are not encouraged to go for a bad peace, something that simply wouldn't endure."

"It would be a catastrophe if Putin won. He'd love nothing more than to say, 'Let's freeze this conflict, let's have a cease-fire,'" Johnson said. "For him that would be a tremendous victory. You'd have a situation in which Putin was able to consolidate his gains and then to launch another attack."

Johnson spoke on his return from a surprise trip Friday to Kyiv where he met with Zelenskyy to offer continued aid and military training.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines, although not in quantities that Ukrainian officials say would be needed to push back Russian forces to the positions they occupied before the invasion or beyond. The Associated Press was granted rare access Saturday to the firing of U.S.-supplied M777 howitzers on Russian positions in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. The powerful artillery pieces are helping Ukrainian forces reply in kind to Russian batteries that have been pounding towns and villages to rubble.

In Kyiv. the bells of St. Michael's cathedral tolled as four soldiers carried Ratushnyi's coffin to the memorial service Saturday morning, held outdoors in the church's sunlit courtyard. Poppies and a traditional loaf of bread were placed on the coffin covered with Ukraine's blue and yellow flag.

During the Maidan protests, where riot police used batons and eventually bullets with deadly abandon, Ratushnyi and Reva had taken shelter together for one night inside the cathedral grounds, the friend recalled.

"He was such a solid and big personality," Reva said. "It's a great loss for Ukraine."

The friends then signed up to fight on the very first day of the Russian invasion Feb. 24. After taking part in the defense of Kyiv in the assault's opening weeks, Ratushnyi then joined an army brigade, doing military intelligence work, Reva said.

Reva said he's been fighting of late in positions away from where Ratushnyi was killed. Reva, 33, said two soldiers were killed and 15 wounded Thursday where he's been stationed.

"People get killed every day on the front line," he said.

Ratushnyi was killed June 9 around the town of Izyum on the war's eastern front, according to the environmental campaign group that he led in Kyiv. He fought for the preservation from development of a wooded park where people ski in winter.

"He was a symbol, a symbol of a new Ukraine, of freedom and a new generation that wants to fight for its rights," said Serhli Sasyn, 21.

The "best people are dying now."
Yemen's Houthi rebels are still recruiting children into their military ranks to fight in the countrys grinding civil war, despite an agreement with the United Nations in April to halt the practice, Houthi officials, aid workers and residents told The Associated Press.

Two Houthi officials told the AP that the rebels recruited several hundred children, including those as young as 10 years over the past two months. They have been deployed to front lines as part of a buildup of forces taking place during a U.N.-brokered truce, which has held since April, one official said.

The officials, both hard-liners within the Houthi movement, said they see nothing wrong with the practice, arguing that boys from 10 or 12 are considered men.

Those are not children. They are true men, who should defend their nation against the Saudi, American aggression, and defend the Islamic nation, one of them said. The two spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid friction with other Houthi leaders.

The Houthis have used what they call summer camps to disseminate their religious ideology and to recruit boys to fight. Such camps take place in schools and mosques around the Houthi-held part of Yemen, which encompasses the north and center of the country and the capital, Sanaa.

Yemens conflict erupted in 2014 when the Houthis descended from their northern enclave and took over Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee to the south. A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the government to power, waging a destructive air campaign and arming anti-Houthi forces.

The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including more than 14,500 civilians and has plunged the country into near-famine, creating one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises.

Child soldiers have been involved in Yemen's war for years. Nearly 2,000 Houthi-recruited children were killed on the battlefield between January 2020 and May 2021, according to U.N. experts. Pro-government forces have also used child fighters but to a much lesser degree and have taken greater measures to halt the practice, according to U.N. and aid officials.

Overall, the U.N. says over 10,200 children have been killed or maimed in the war, though it is unclear how many may have been combatants.

In April, the rebels signed what the U.N. childrens agency described as an action plan to end and prevent the practice. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the rebels committed to identifying children in their ranks and releasing them within six months.

UNICEF did not respond to requests for comment on the continued recruitment since, nor did spokesmen for the Houthi administration. The Houthis have in the past officially denied enlisting children to fight.

In early June, a high-ranking Houthi, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, posted a video from a visit he paid to one of the camps in Dhamar province. It shows dozens of children in uniforms standing in a military-like formation and declaring allegiance to rebel movements top leader, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi.

Soldiers of God, they shout. We are coming.

Four aid workers with three international organizations operating in rebel-held areas said they observed intensified Houthi efforts to recruit children in recent weeks. The Houthis ranks have been thinned because of battlefield losses, especially during a nearly two-year battle for the crucial city of Marib.

The aid workers spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for their safety, and said their groups could be barred from working in Houthi-held territory. They said the rebels have pressured families to send their children to camps where they learn how to handle weapons and plant mines, in return for services, including food rations from international organizations.

One aid worker who operates in remote northern areas described watching children as young as 10 manning checkpoints along the road, with AK-47s hanging on their shoulders. Others are sent to the front line. He said children have returned wounded from fighting at Marib.

Thousands of fighters were killed in the battle for government-held Marib. The Houthis' long attempt to capture it was finally stopped in late 2021, when government forces were bolstered by better-equipped fighters backed by the United Arab Emirates.

Abdel-Bari Taher, a Yemeni commentator and former head of the countrys Journalists Union, said that the Houthis are exploiting local customs to the childrens and societys detriment. Having or carrying a weapon is a tradition deeply rooted in Yemen, especially in rural and mountainous communities, he said.

It is a source of pride and kind of manhood for the boys, he said.

The Houthis also condition crucial food aid on children attending the training camps, some say.

Two residents in Amran province said Houthi representatives came to their homes in May and told them to prepare their children for camps at the end of the school year. The residents, who are farmers, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

They said their five children, aged between 11 and 16, were taken in late May to a training center housed in a nearby school. One father said he was told that if he didnt send his children, his family would no longer receive food rations.

The U.N. panel of experts said earlier this year that the Houthis have a system to indoctrinate child soldiers, including using humanitarian aid to pressure families.

Children are taken first to centers for a month or more of religious courses. There, they are told they are joining a holy war against Jews and Christians and Arab countries that have succumbed to Western influence. Seven-year-olds are taught weapons cleaning and how to dodge rockets, the experts found.
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.

The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT:

10:35 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects Russia to intensify its attacks on his country while Kyiv awaits a European Union decision this week on granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country, Reuters reported.

"Obviously, this week we should expect from Russia an intensification of its hostile activities, as an example," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. "And not only against Ukraine, but also against other European countries. We are preparing. We are ready."

9:50 p.m.: In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called June 19 medical workers, fathers and farmers day, thanking them all for their contributions. "Of course, today I would like to thank all our doctors, all Ukrainian nurses, who have been literally on the frontline since February 24. ...

Of course, I would like to thank all the fathers in Ukraine. All those who raised their children as good, decent, brave people. People who defend the state and do everything to help their neighbors live through the war. The Ukrainian courage that inspires the world so much, the Ukrainian freedom that strengthens the whole of Europe are possible only because Ukrainian parents have raised such children. Children with an understanding of values, able to be true heroes, Zelenskyy said.

8:39 p.m.: Germany announced its latest steps to boost gas storage levels to prepare for the next winter season, when it fears Russia, which has cut deliveries in recent days, could reduce or even completely halt supplies, Reuters reported.

7:40 p.m.:

6:18 p.m.: Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War think tank wrote that "Russian forces will likely be able to seize Sievierodonetsk in the coming weeks, but at the cost of concentrating most of their available forces in this small area, Reuters reported.

5:25 p.m.: In a video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who on Saturday visited the Odesa region, said, Both in Mykolaiv, and in Odesa I held meetings with our military, with all officials who are responsible for defense and maintenance of these two regions. Listened to the reports on the destruction of the regions caused by Russian strikes. The losses are significant. Many houses were destroyed, civilian logistics were disrupted, there are many social issues. I have commissioned to make assistance to people who have lost loved ones more systemic. We will definitely restore everything that was destroyed. Russia does not have as many missiles as our people have the desire to live.

4:37 p.m.:

3:10 p.m.: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on his Facebook page Sunday that Ukraine was in talks with the McDonald's Corporation on resuming its operations, the Kyiv Independent reported. The company stopped operating in Ukraine when the Russian invasion began in February.

2:30 p.m.: Ukrainian troops have repelled a Russian offensive near Berestove, Donetsk Oblast, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing Ukraines General Staff on Sunday. Russia is preparing for an offensive toward the city of Sloviansk; the report said Russian troops also were continuing to storm Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk to try to gain full control of that city, but their efforts so far had been unsuccessful.

1:25 p.m.: The Kyiv Independent cites the Moldovan news outlet NewsMaker, reporting that Moldovan President Maia Sandu has signed a law banning the broadcast of Russian news, political television shows and war films in Moldova to counter Russian propaganda. The law will enter into force next week.

12:45 p.m.: Germanys economy minister said Sunday that the country will limit the use of natural gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a cut in supplies from Russia.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel.

Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, said Habeck, a member of the environmentalist Green party.

Russian gas company Gazprom announced last week that it was sharply reducing supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for technical reasons, but which Habeck said appeared to be politically motivated.

The government has nevertheless insisted that Russian gas will be needed for a while until alternative sources of energy, such as LNG brought in by ship, are available. Over the past months the German government has taken measures to fill gas storage facilities to 90% capacity by November to ensure enough gas is available as a heating fuel through the winter.

12:20 p.m.: Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai says Russian forces have stolen 15,000 tons of sunflower and 10,000 tons of grain from Luhansk Oblast and are also harvesting grain in occupied territories, the Kyiv Independent reports.

11:50 a.m.: Ukraines national guard is warning beachgoers to watch out for hazardous underwater mines after the death of a man who was diving in the Odessa region moments before a device exploded and killed him instantly, the Washington Post reports. They are urging people to stay away from coastal destinations that were once places to unwind and cool off  but are now home to hidden munitions.

11:20 a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed Sunday that his forces "will not give away the south to anyone" after his first visit to the southern frontline, as NATO's chief warned the war in Ukraine could last "for years," France 24 reports.

Making a rare trip outside Kyiv, where he is based for security reasons, Zelenskyy travelled to the hold-out Black Sea city of Mykolaiv and visited troops nearby and in the neighboring Odessa region for the first time since the Russian invasion.

"We will not give away the south to anyone, we will return everything that's ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe," he said in a video posted on Telegram as he made his way back to Kyiv.

He said he talked with troops and police during his visit: "Their mood is confident, and looking into their eyes, it is obvious that they all do not doubt our victory," he said, adding that Russian losses are significant.

"Many houses were destroyed, civilian logistics were disrupted, there are many social issues," Zelenskyy said. Zelensky vows to retake south, NATO chief warns of long war (france24.com).

11 a.m.: Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Sunday accused his own 5-Star Movement party of undermining government efforts to support Ukraine and weakening Rome's standing within the European Union.

His outburst could signal an imminent schism in the group he once led, with 5-Star officials due to meet later on Sunday to consider Di Maio's position following other recent broadsides.

The internal party feuding also creates problems for Prime Minister Mario Draghi as he faces an important vote in parliament on Tuesday over Ukraine, with some 5-Star members looking to limit Italy from sending further weapons to Kyiv.

10:30 a.m.: The Ukrainian parliament passed a law Sunday banning the playing of Russian music on media or in public spaces, the Kyiv Independent reports. The law also bans the import and distribution of books and publications from Russia and Belarus to Ukraine.

10:15 a.m.: Britain's top army general has told his troops to prepare to fight and beat Putin's armies in a European land war, the Daily Mail reports.

General Sir Patrick Sanders, who assumed overall command of the British Army this week, warned soldiers, "We are the generation that must prepare the Army to fight in Europe once again" as Russia's invasion of Ukraine rocks global stability.

"I am the first Chief of the General Staff since 1941 to take command of the Army in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a continental power... The scale of the enduring threat from Russia shows we've entered a new era of insecurity."

Prepare to fight and beat Russia in a Third World War, Britain's top general warns | Daily Mail Online

9:30 a.m.: CNN quotes separate comments by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Stoltenberg and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who warned Sunday that the West must prepare for a long war in Ukraine as Russia makes incremental gains in its battle to control the countrys east.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that nobody knew how long the conflict would last but "we need to prepare for the fact that it could take years."

"We must not cease to support Ukraine. Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, but also because of rising energy and food prices."

Boris Johnson, writing in Londons Sunday Times after his second visit to Kyiv on Friday, said Western allies must "steel ourselves for a long war, as Putin resorts to a campaign of attrition, trying to grind down Ukraine by sheer brutality."

Johnson said that seizing all of Ukraine's Donbas, which covers much of eastern Ukraine, had been Putin's objective for the last eight years "when he ignited a separatist rebellion and launched his first invasion."

9 a.m.: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during an interview that an attempt at reconciliation can never be wrong, and neither can an attempt to get along peacefully (with Russia)," the Kyiv Independent reports. Yet, he acknowledged that his predecessor Angela Merkel made a mistake by relying too much on Russian energy supplies without building the necessary infrastructure to decrease its dependence on Moscow.

8:55 a.m.: The Kyiv Independent reports that the Russian state-controlled news agency Interfax quotes the Russian military as saying more than 1.9 million Ukrainians have been forcibly deported to Russia since the start of the invasion, over 307,000 of them children.

8:30 a.m.: Russia has promised to continue gas shipments to Hungary and that Gazprom will fulfil its contractual obligations to the country, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview on public service radio on Sunday.

In Russia's response to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow since its invasion of Ukraine, state energy giant Gazprom has cut supplies to Denmark's Orsted and to Shell Energy for its contract to supply gas to Germany.

8:15 a.m.: RFE/RL reports that an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister Sunday cited a heightened risk north of Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, as Russian troops seek to once again make it a "frontline city."

Vadym Denysenko told Ukrainian national television that enemy forces are seeking to get closer to Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, in order to shell it.

Within hours of his warning, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it had struck a tank-repair plant in Kharkiv with Iskander missiles. The claim could not immediately be verified.

8 a.m.: Germanys economy minister says the country will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia. Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the winter months, when gas is more urgently needed as a heating fuel. Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. He described the move as bitter, but it's simply necessary in this situation.

7:45 a.m.: Russia said Sunday that its offensive against Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine was proceeding successfully after it took control of a district in the city's outskirts, quoting Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, who spoke in a video statement. He added that the settlement of Metyolkine, on the eastern outskirts of the city, had been taken.

7:30 a.m.: Hanna Zamazieieva, head of the Mykolaiv Oblast Council, says the city of Mykolaiv was attacked twice on Saturday, June 18, and that 16 persons were wounded, the Kyiv Independent reports. The newspaper also reports that the Bereznehuvatska, Kutsurubska, Halitsynivska, and Pervomaiska areas of the oblast also came under fire. Overall, 297 civilians injured in Russian attacks are currently being treated in Mykolaiv hospitals.

The also reports that Ukraines air defense has shot down a Russian aerial target in Kyiv Oblast.

5:47 a.m.: Al Jazeera reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to take back parts of Ukraine currently controlled by Russian troops. He said Ukraine would retake "everything that belongs to us."

5:16 a.m.: The Washington Post reports that one of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's top advisers sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin after Putin gave a speech Friday.

Putin termed Western sanctions "reckless and insane" and defended what he said was the decision of a sovereign country based on the right to defend its security.

In response, the Post reports, Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak called the conflict a "cannibalistic war" and said Russia has turned "into the Middle Ages."

4:45 a.m.: The latest update from the U.K. defense ministry says that both Russian and Ukrainian forces are likely experiencing "variable morale."

It's worse among the Russian troops, the update notes, saying that "[c]ases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur."

Russian troops are struggling with leadership issues, pay problems, heavy casualties and continued poor logistics, the update says. Additionally, many "also likely remain confused about the wars objectives." It's enough of a problem to affect Russian success in the Ukraine conflict, the update concludes.

3:36 a.m.: Al Jazeera, citing Russia's state news agency, reports that the top commanders in charge of defending Ukraine's Azovstal steel plant have been sent to Russia for investigation.

Russian forces captured hundreds of fighters when they gained control of the city of Mariupol.

2:28 a.m.: Ukraine's defense intelligence directorate said five Ukrainian civilians had been returned in a five-for-five prisoner swap with Russia, Reuters reported. It did not say whether the exchanged Russians were combatants. The directorate said four of the five Ukrainian civilians had been taken prisoner during Russia's occupation of parts of Kyiv region, from where Russian forces withdrew at the end of March, Reuters reported.

1:30 a.m.: The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, said in its latest assessment that Russia made minor gains near Severodonetsk and likely made it into Metolkine.

The assessment says Russia's trying to force Ukrainian troops out of artillery range of railway lines around Kharkiv City. Russia's using those lines to supply its troops.

The update also said Russian forces continue to face partisan activity in parts of south Ukraine.

12:02 a.m.: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday the war in Ukraine could last years and Ukrainian forces faced intensified Russian assaults after the EU executive recommended that Kyiv should be granted the status of a candidate to join the bloc, Reuters reported.

Stoltenberg was cited by Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper as saying the supply of state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukrainian troops would increase the chance of liberating the eastern Donbas region from Russian control.

"We must prepare for the fact that it could take years. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine," he said, according to Reuters. "Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, also because of rising energy and food prices."

Some information in this report came from Reuters.
Lithuanian authorities said a ban on the transit through their territory to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad of goods that are subject to EU sanctions was to take effect Saturday.

News of the ban came Friday, through a video posted by the region's governor Anton Alikhanov.

The EU sanctions list notably includes coal, metals, construction materials and advanced technology, and Alikhanov said the ban would cover around 50% of the items that Kaliningrad imports.

Its immediate start was confirmed by the cargo arm of Lithuania's state railways service in a letter to clients following "clarification" from the European Commission on the mechanism for applying the sanctions.

Urging citizens not to resort to panic buying, Alikhanov said two vessels were already ferrying goods between Kaliningrad and Saint Petersburg, and seven more would be in service by the end of the year.

"Our ferries will handle all the cargo," he said Saturday.

A spokesperson for Lithuania's rail service confirmed the contents of the letter but declined to comment further. The foreign ministry did not reply to a request from Reuters for comment.

Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomenas told public broadcaster his institution was waiting for "clarification from the European Commission on applying European sanctions to Kaliningrad cargo transit."

Sandwiched between EU and NATO members Poland and Lithuania, Kaliningrad receives supplies from Russia via rail and gas pipelines through Lithuania.

Home to the headquarters of Russia's Baltic Sea fleet, it was captured from Nazi Germany by the Red Army in April 1945 and ceded to the Soviet Union after World War II.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Armenian armed forces have shelled Azerbaijani military positions located in the liberated Kalbajar region, the Defence Ministry reported.

On the evening of June 18 and the night of June 19, members of the Armenian armed detachment on Azerbaijani territory, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed, used large-calibre small arms to fire on positions of the Azerbaijani Army positions in the settlements of Yukhar Ayrim, Barmagbin and Zivel of the Kalbajar region, the ministry said.

The Azerbaijani army units took appropriate retaliatory measures to suppress the opposite side in the said directions, the ministry said.

About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed for five years in Karabakh under the trilateral cease-fire deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on November 10, 2020. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw all its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied since the early 1990s.

The trilateral ceasefire deal signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, ended the three-decade conflict over Azerbaijans Karabakh region which along with the seven adjacent regions came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

The deal also stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the peace deal, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and 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 Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed a statement and agreed on a number of issues, including the demarcation and delimitation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border by late 2021, some points related to humanitarian issues and the issue of unblocking of transport corridors which applies to the railway and to automobile communications.

On December 14, 2021, during the Brussels meeting, organized between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders at the initiative of European Council President Charles Michel, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the conditions agreed in the Sochi meeting.

Both sides agreed to establish a temporary working group on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The issue of demining the liberated territories of Azerbaijan was also brought up on the agenda, and the European Union's readiness to provide technical assistance to Azerbaijan in this regard was underlined at the meeting.
By Chen Aizhu

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - China's national oil majors are in advanced talks with Qatar to invest in the North Field East expansion of the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) project and buy the fuel under long-term contracts, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

It would be the first such partnership between the two nations, among the world's top LNG consumers and producers, as the Middle Eastern energy exporter shifts to expand its Asian client base at. Global energy corporations used to be the main investors in Qatar's gas industry.

The Qatari supply deal will help China create a buffer against spot price volatility and diversify its imports; relations with two major suppliers, the United States and Australia, are at a low point, and another, Russia, is in the midst of a war and faces widespread sanctions. Beijing views gas a strategic bridge fuel to replace coal on its path to carbon neutrality by 2060.

Qatar was China's largest LNG supplier after Australia in the first five months of 2022, data on Refinitiv Eikon showed.

GRAPHIC: China's share of LNG imports from Qatar jumped to 24.9% in Jan-May 2022 from 11.7% in Jan-May 2022 (https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/mypmnrgnbvr/ChinaLNGfromQatar.png)

State-controlled CNPC and Sinopec are expected to invest a 5% stake each in two separate export trains, part of the nearly $30 billion North Field expansion project, the three sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters.

"The participation, even of a small stake, would give Chinese direct access to the highly globalized project and learn its management and operational expertise," said one of the sources, a senior Beijing-based industry official.

The North Field Expansion includes six LNG trains that will ramp up Qatar's liquefaction capacity from 77 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 126 mtpa by 2027, consolidating its status as the world's largest producer. Qatar treats each export train as one joint venture and CNPC and Sinopec will invest in one train each, the sources said.

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Sinopec declined to comment. A CNPC representative said he had no information to share.

QatarEnergy did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.

In addition, CNPC and Sinopec are negotiating with state-run QatarEnergy to buy up to 4 mtpa of LNG each for up to 27 years, said two of the sources, in what would be the single-largest purchase deals of the super-chilled fuel between the two nations.

China in 2021 imported nearly 9 million tonnes of LNG from Qatar, or 11% of the country's total LNG imports.

Discussions are focused on the pricing of long-term supply deals that will be linked to the global oil market, another of the three sources said.

QatarEnergy said on Sunday that TotalEnergies had become its first partner for the project, winning a 25% stake in one train. Asian buyers are expected to make up half the market for the project, and buyers in Europe the rest, QatarEnergy's chief executive said.

Exxon Mobil Corp, Shell, ConocoPhillips and Eni had also submitted bids for the project.

GRAPHIC: Key global LNG prices (https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/znvnegzempl/KeyLNGPricesJune2022.png)

"Chinese participation in the trains are more of a financial investor as the stake is very small. The key is the price negotiations for the long-term gas offtakes," the third source said.

This person added that Indian companies are also interested in discussing stakes with Qatar, but did not elaborate.

China, the world's top LNG buyer in 2021, imports 45% of its natural gas needs and sees Qatar as a reliable long-term supplier after a flurry of purchase agreements with the United States in late 2021.

(Reporting by Chen Aizhu; additional reporting by Marwa Rashad and Ron Bousso in London and Andrew Mills in Doha; editing by)
Czech Senate Leader Milos Vystrcil was little known to the world until he led a Czech parliamentary and business delegation to Taiwan in autumn 2020, defying threats of severe retaliation from Beijing. And that is just how his late father would have preferred it.

He would always insist that we live a normal, average life, not too visible, Vystrcil told VOA during a visit to Washington last week.

Vystrcil was born in the town of Telc in 1960, 12 years after the Soviet-backed local communist party took control of what was then the Czechoslovak Republic. In order for him and his sister to lead as normal a life as possible, my father created this sort of bubble, Vystrcil recalled. To me, it wasnt right.

Not until he was about 15 did his father tell him their family was on the wrong side of the communist revolution because Vystrcils grandfather had established a factory that produced agricultural machinery and fire extinguishers. Consequently, theirs was a family of exploiters and was closely watched by the nations new guardians of supposed equality and egalitarianism.

My father was afraid all his life that somebody would come and ban us from doing things or they would actually force us to relocate to somewhere else, he said.

Vystrcils father became so pessimistic about life that he didnt even want to get married at one point because he knew that his children would have a very difficult life, he recounted through an interpreter. My father was afraid that his children would suffer just by being his children.

On Nov. 17, 1989, everything changed. Or almost everything.

That day marked the beginning of a series of mostly peaceful demonstrations known as the "Velvet Revolution, culminating 11 days later when the Communist Party announced it was ceding power.

A father's fear

The 29-year-old Vystrcil started out on a new path  a path his father watched with considerable unease.

I remember writing an article after 1989. My father read it and he came to me and said: Why are you doing this? What will they say now?

The younger Vystrcil forged on and rose from a high school teacher to principal to mayor of the city of Telc, where the family had resided for generations. He went on to become governor of the region.

By the time his father died at age 92 in 2017, Vystrcil had been elected as a federal senator; three years later, he became leader of the Senate.

It was in that capacity that he led a delegation to Taipei in 2020, showing his nations support for another victim of communist intimidation, and later invited Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu to Prague, prompting fierce Chinese threats of retaliation.

But, Vystrcil said in an interview with The Diplomat during his Washington visit, he personally did not feel added pressure from Beijing upon conclusion of the trip, partly because the entire democratic world had actually stood up for us and stood up behind our mission to Taiwan once we were threatened by the Peoples Republic of China.

On the other hand, this certainly does not mean that the Chinese have forgotten or will not do anything, he added.

In the same interview, he stated that being able to keep our backs straight and not yield to pressure is a politicians inherent duty to help build a strong and proud nation capable of withstanding challenges.

Asked by VOA whether his father ever overcame his anxiety as he watched his sons political ascent, Vystrcil shook his head. To answer your question, Im afraid he did not manage to let go of his fear, even to the end of his life, he was not able to do it.

Vystrcil said his father was always afraid, because [he would say] the more you go up the ladder, the stronger your enemies are, youre more visible. He would always warn me: Be careful. Vystrcils eyes grew wet as he recalled his fathers warning, and love. But he did not allow himself to dwell on it.

Now that we have discussed this here together, thats probably one of the reasons that convinced me that never again  we mustnt ever let it happen again, he said of his nations period of one-party rule.
Fine Italian knitwear packed in boxes addressed to retailers in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kursk sit stacked in a Lombardy warehouse awaiting dispatch. Although not subject to sanctions to punish Russia for invading Ukraine, the garments are not likely to ship any time soon.



Missing payments from the Russian retailers who ordered the garments are piling up due to restrictions tied to the banking sector, putting pressure on small fashion producers like D. Exterior, a high-end knitwear company with 50 workers in the northern city of Brescia.

"This is very painful. I have 2 million euros worth of merchandise in the warehouse, and if they cannot pay for it, I will be on my knees," said D. Exterior owner Nadia Zanola, surveying the warehouse for the brand she founded in 1997 from the knitwear company created by her parents in 1952.



Italy is the largest producer of global luxury goods in the world, making 40% of high-end apparel, footwear and accessories. While Russia generates just about 3% of Italian luxurys 97 billion euros ($101 billion) in annual revenue, it is a significant slice of business for some of the 80,000 small and medium companies that make up the backbone of Italian fashion, according to industry officials.



"We are talking about eliminating 80% to 100% of revenues for these companies, said Fabio Pietrella, president of the Confartigianato fashion craftsman federation.



Districts producing footwear in the Marche and Veneto regions, and knitwear makers in Umbria and Emilia-Romagna have grown particularly reliant on Russia.



"These are districts that connect the supply chain, and if it is interrupted, not only is the company that closes harmed, but an entire system that help make this country an economic powerhouse, Pietrella said.

The Italian fashion world is best known for luxury houses like Gucci, Versace and Armani, which unveil their menswear collections in Milan this week. And some of the biggest names appear on a list compiled by Yale University professor Jeffrey Sonnenberg of major companies doing business in Russia since the war in Ukraine began.



"There are companies that kept selling to Nazi Germany after the outbreak of World War II  we don't celebrate them for that," Sonnenberg said, labeling as "greedy" any enterprise that continues to do business in Russia today.



He also underlined that fashion companies dont have the grounds to make humanitarian appeals to bypass sanctions, voluntary or otherwise, as has been the case with agricultural firms and pharmaceutical companies.



Among those receiving a failing grade from Sonnenberg is Italy's Benetton, which in a statement condemned the war but said it would continue its commercial activities in Russia, including longstanding commercial and logistic partnerships and a network of stores that sustain 600 families.



French conglomerate LVMH, meanwhile, has temporarily closed 124 stores in Russia, while continuing to pay its 3,500 employees in Russia. The Spanish group Inditex, which owns the fast-fashion chain Zara, also temporarily closed 502 stores in Russia as well as its online sales, accounting for 8.5% of group pre-tax earnings.



Pietrella fears a sort of Russia-phobia is taking hold that is demonizing business owners for trying to keep up ties with a longer-term vision.



He characterized as a "witch-hunt" criticism of some 40 shoe producers from the Marche region on Italys Adriatic coast for traveling to Russia for a trade fair during the war.

European Union sanctions against Russia sharpened after the Ukraine invasion, setting a 300-euro wholesale maximum for each item shipped, taking super-luxury items out of circulation but still targeting the upper-middle class or wealthy Russians.



"Without a doubt, we as the fashion federation have expressed our extreme concern over the aggression in Ukraine, Pietrella said. "From an ethical point of view, it is out of discussion. But we have to think of our companies. Ethics are one thing. The market is another. Workers in a company are paid by the market, not by ethics."



He said the 300-euro limit on sales was a gambit by European politicians that on paper allows trade with Russia despite accompanying bureaucratic and financial hurdles, while also shielding governments from having to provide bailout funds to the industry. He also dismissed as overly facile government suggestions to find alternative markets to Russia.



"If there was another market, we would be there already, Pietrella said.



At D. Exterior, exposure to Russia grew gradually over the years to now represent 35% to 40% of revenue that hit 22 million euros before the pandemic, a stream that is also under new pressure from higher energy and raw material costs.



The company was already delivering its summer collection and taking orders for winter when Russia invaded on Feb. 24. By March, Russian retailers were having trouble making payments.

Not only is Zanola stuck with some 4,000 spring and summer garments that she has little hope of shipping to Russian clients, she said she was contractually required to keep producing the winter orders, risking 100,000 euros in labor and materials costs if those are unable to ship.



Over the years, her Russian clients have proven to be ideal customers, Zanola said. Not only do they pay on time, but they are appreciative of the workmanship in D. Exteriors knitwear creations.



After working so hard to build up her Russian customer base, she is loathe to give it up and doesn't see a quick long-term replacement.



"If Russia were Putin, I wouldnt go there. But since Russia is not only Putin, one hopes that the poor Russians manage to raise themselves up,'' she said.
Gunmen attacked two churches in rural northwestern Nigeria on Sunday, killing three people, witnesses and a state official said, weeks after a similar attack in the West African nation left 40 worshippers dead.

The attack in Kajuru area of Kaduna state targeted four villages, resulting in the abduction of an unspecified number of residents and the destruction of houses before the assailants escaped, locals said.

It wasn't clear who was behind the attack on the Kaduna churches. Much of Nigeria has struggled with security issues, with Kaduna as one of the worst-hit states. At least 32 people were killed in the Kajuru area last week in an attack that lasted for hours across four villages.

Worshippers were attending the church service at the Maranatha Baptist Church and at St. Moses Catholic Church in Rubu community of Kaduna on Sunday morning when assailants "just came and surrounded the churches," both located in the same area, said Usman Danladi, who lives nearby.

"Before they [worshippers] noticed, they were already terrorizing them; some began attacking inside the church, then others proceeded to other areas," Danladi said. He added that "most of the victims kidnapped are from the Baptist [church], while the three killed were Catholics."

The Kaduna state government confirmed the three deaths by bandits who "stormed the villages on motorcycles, beginning from Ungwan Fada, and moving into Ungwan Turawa, before Ungwan Makama and then Rubu. Security patrols are being conducted in the general area" as investigations proceed, according to Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna commissioner for security.

The Christian Association of Nigeria condemned Sunday's attacks and said churches in Nigeria have become "targets" of armed groups.

"It is very unfortunate that when we are yet to come out of the mourning of those killed in Owo two Sundays ago, another one has happened in Kaduna," Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the association's spokesman, told The Associated Press.

Many of the attacks targeting rural areas in Nigeria's troubled northern region are similar. The motorcycle-riding gunmen often arrive in hundreds in areas where Nigeria's security forces are outnumbered and outgunned. It usually takes months for the police to make arrests.

Authorities have identified the attackers as mostly young herdsmen from the Fulani tribe caught up in Nigeria's pastoral conflict between host communities and herdsmen over limited access to water and land.
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has issued a blistering report on Nicaraguas deteriorating human rights situation, which she said was spurring unprecedented numbers of people to flee to other countries. She presented her report last Thursday to the U.N. Human Rights Council, where it remains under review.

In her oral update, Bachelet warned that peoples right to freedom of expression and movement was under grave threat in Nicaragua. She said hundreds of civil society organizations have been stripped of their legal status.

She said new criminal legislation was being used to persecute perceived opponents of the government of President Daniel Ortega. She said repressive measures, such as confiscation of political opponents assets have been instituted, apparently to silence critics.

Citing civil society sources, Bachelet said 173 people have been arbitrarily arrested in connection with the political and human rights crisis that erupted in 2018. She said another 50 have been detained in the context of the 2021 presidential elections. She said detainees are being held in conditions that contravene U.N. standards on treatment of prisoners.

Relatives reported that their dear loved ones are held in inhuman conditions. Many of them need urgent permanent or specialized medical attention and they are denied this," she said. "I would like to renew my request to the competent authorities to ensure the immediate release of persons who are arbitrarily detained and guarantee their physical and psychological integrity.

Bachelet warned the socio-political, economic, and human rights crisis in Nicaragua is driving thousands of people from their homes. Speaking through an interpreter, she said Nicaraguans are leaving the country in unprecedented numbers.

In the last eight months, the number of refugees and asylum seekers from Nicaragua in Costa Rica has been multiplying by two and now reaches 150,000. This represents 3% of the Costa Rican population. The number of Nicaraguans who have been intercepted on the border with the U.S. is dramatically rising, she said.

Nicaraguas prosecutor-general, Wendy Morales, denounced the report, accusing Bachelet of acting unjustly and unfairly. She said the information presented was based on lies and fake news and did not represent the reality of life in Nicaragua.
Sam Roberts and his family are planning for Juneteenth, the newest U.S. holiday commemorating the 1865 emancipation of Black enslaved people at the end of the Civil War.

On Sunday, the Roberts family and other Americans will attend celebrations and observances. Its part of a growing national recognition of a pivotal moment in U.S. history thats been a part of the fabric of Black culture for generations.

Juneteenth is our Freedom Day and African American communities have been celebrating June 19th for a long time, said Roberts, a father of two from Washington, D.C. Its the second national observance of the holiday since Congress authorized it and U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law last year.

While July 4th is the celebration of freedom for the United States, Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom for African Americans after the Civil War, said Jesse Holland, an author and Black historian.

The push for a Juneteenth federal holiday came amid the popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement and a year after nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. It followed the murder of African-American George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer in 2020. Since then, the annual celebration has taken on a new meaning for some in the Black community.

Juneteenth reminds Black Americans we still face the challenges of hate and discrimination our ancestors endured, Roberts said. We have to redouble our quest for equality.

Some historians believe greater awareness of Juneteenth will encourage forward leaning conversations among Americans about race relations and the legacies of slavery.

A national public opinion survey suggests most Americans believe Black people today have been affected by the history of slavery and that the federal government has a responsibility to address those effects, according to the poll by the Gallup Center on Black Voices.

Additionally, the poll found Americans who think the government is responsible generally believe all Black Americans, rather than just those descended from slaves, should benefit from programs to address the effects of slavery.

Not every African American in the United States are descendants of slaves, but for the large majority of us who are, Juneteenth is the time for us to take stock of who we are today, where we came from and the sacrifices our ancestors went through before and since the Civil War, Holland told VOA.

Freedom declarations

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, a declaration following the end of the Civil War that legally freed more than three million enslaved Blacks in Confederate States. But not all slaves were free because the proclamation could not be implemented in parts of the southern United States.

To enforce the proclamation, Union Army Major General Gordon Granger marched into Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to issue the General Order Number 3, which ended the enslavement of Blacks in Texas. The mandate freed an estimated 250,000 slaves two-and-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

White Texans knew the Civil War was [over] and slavery was banned, but they didnt tell their slaves the war was over for years [in order] to continue to get free labor out of them, said Holland. Juneteenth is when the lie ended and federal forces showed up to enforce the new federal law saying slavery was illegal in the United States.

While Juneteenth is celebrated as the end of slavery, the practice of involuntary servitude continued briefly in the states of Delaware and Kentucky. On December 6, 1865, ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery in the United States.

Juneteenth awareness

The first events commemorating Juneteenth date to 1866, when former slaves celebrated their new freedom with prayer, feasting, song, and dance. The anniversary saw a decline in popularity in the 1950s and 60s as Black Americans focused on the civil rights movement and ending racial discrimination. Juneteenth saw a revival in the 1980s when Texas became the first state to declare the date a state holiday. Other communities across the U.S. slowly began to adopt the annual observance as a public holiday.

Much of the success in galvanizing support for a national holiday is credited to African American activist Opal Lee, known as the grandmother of Juneteenth. As a child, Lee witnessed a group of 500 white supremacists vandalize and burn her family's home to the ground. The life-changing moment led her to a life of teaching and activism.

In 2016, at age 89, she began a walking campaign, traveling hundreds of kilometers from her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to press for a Juneteenth federal holiday. At 95, Lee is delighted Juneteenth is gaining national attention. She will march again Sunday to celebrate the holiday.

Its important people recognize Juneteenth, Lee said in an interview with D Magazine last month. It is not a Black thing, its not just a Texas thing, but its about freedom for everybody.

Todays Juneteenth celebrations often feature music festivals, parades or a march. The observances also focus on teachings about African American heritage, political participation, and economic empowerment.

On the 19th we gather for cookouts, dance, and share stories of the Black experience, Roberts told VOA. His family has attended Juneteenth festivities for decades. This year we have two days of events on Sunday and Monday, the day the federal holiday falls on, he said. The holiday has become a summertime ritual for the Roberts and one of a few holidays they observe.

In Utah, Juneteenth is being designated as a state holiday for the first time after lawmakers approved a bill earlier this year. I am so thrilled to see us, as a state, embrace this holiday, said Utah State Legislator Sandra Hollins. For me it means a lot. It means my culture mattered and it means that we get to celebrate a holiday that has been overlooked in this state. Several festivities will take place in the capital, Salt Lake City.

Nearly all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia now observe Juneteenth. Historian Holland believes its a clear sign of national recognition and acceptance.

Juneteenth is American history and everyone should be able to celebrate it, including people of all races, colors and creeds.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said she set out five immediate goals upon her return to Kyiv in a discussion with VOA this week in Kyiv.

Brink, who was confirmed as ambassador to Ukraine in May, discussed U.S. support for Ukraine, priorities and the challenges amid Russias ongoing invasion with VOA Eastern Europe Bureau Chief Myroslava Gongadze.

She said she set five immediate goals in reopening the U.S. Embassy in May, from helping Ukraine defend itself to reopening the embassy.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

VOA: Can you tell us how you came here during a time of war? And what are the challenges right now in front of this country and in front of the United States supporting this country?

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink: I can't tell you how proud I am to be here and to be back as the U.S. ambassador and to be working with a fantastic team of Americans and Ukrainian staff, so the challenges in front of Ukraine and us are enormous.

When I came I, I set out five goals, immediate goals that we had, and the first is to help Ukraine defend itself. The second is to help ensure accountability and justice for war crimes and atrocities.

The third is to help ensure that humanitarian assistance, especially U.S.-funded assistance, gets to targeted recipients, especially in conflict zones. The fourth is to oversee this massive amount of U.S. assistance and to provide the appropriate oversight from here at post in Kyiv.

And the last and the most fun is to bring our team back together, the Americans and the Ukrainian that make up the embassy and to rebuild our platform. So yes, the challenges in front of Ukraine are very big and in front of all of us, but we are really determined and ready to meet them.

VOA: President (Joe) Biden yesterday announced the additional funding for Ukraine. The United States have been the biggest supporter of Ukraine militarily and financially. You mentioned overseeing how the money is used in this country. What kind of system do you have right now to oversee the money?

Brink: So, there are long-established systems for all of the assistance that we give, including security assistance. And what we're doing now is just making sure  we are playing the appropriate role we need to play here in Kyiv but working with the Ministry of Defense and other parts of the Ukrainian government, so it's important for that. We're here for that and other reasons. But I'm confident that we will be able to do this.

VOA: Is there any special envoy to oversee the support that the United States is giving to Ukraine?

Brink: The way we are doing it is that we'll have our embassy  and so, I'm really happy to be here as the ambassador  and then I will have specific staff and including senior staff that are dedicated to these goals, and more.

VOA: And (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy kind of hinted that the United States is not giving enough or is giving too late. How would you comment on his position?

Brink: Well, I would say that since the beginning of the war and even before, we have been totally focused on getting Ukraine the security items in the weapons that they need as soon as possible. And this is actually my number one focus in coming here. I do think that there were some problems early on, and I'm just here to make sure that everything that we are doing is directly supporting Ukrainians on the front lines and also helping Ukraine improve its battlefield position, which we also believe will help its negotiating position at a time when that is appropriate.

VOA: How is your relationship with the Ukrainian government right now? Do you work on all the levels of Ukrainian government?

Brink: Yes, I think one of the things that I've noticed more than anything having been a diplomat for 25 years is the overwhelming and positive support that I have received from the government, from people outside of government, from the population, and also the support from back home, including the public in my part of the Midwest.

So, I'm really grateful for that. ... I think we understand this is incredibly important for Ukraine and Ukraine's future in existence, but I believe it's also incredibly important to European security and to the United States that we do not allow borders to be changed by force.

VOA: How do you generally see this war? And there's different tactics and different strategies that the United States and other Western countries are using, and, obviously, the United States is taking leadership in building this coalition against Russia. However, Ukrainians are suffering, and as the war is prolonged, how do you see it ending? Do you see a possible peace negotiation?

Brink: Well, (U.S.) Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken has said we are leaving it up to the Ukrainians as to at what time Ukraine would want to negotiate at the conclusion of the war. I know that President Biden has pointed out how President Zelenskyy has said all wars end in negotiation. But again, we're leaving that timing and content up to the Ukrainians.

VOA: What are the United States expectations from Ukraine at this point? Before the war, there were talks about the anti-corruption efforts and so on. What are they looking for?

Brink: I might put it a little different way. I think those of us who are such strong supporters within the U.S. government, within the American population, for Ukraine, support Ukraine because we see, or we think we see, and understand the future that Ukrainians want. And that is a future where Ukraine is free, independent, prosperous, sovereign and gets to decide its own future. To us, as Americans, it really appeals to also who we are. So, what I would hope, what I plan to do and what we are doing is supporting Ukraine in this immediate task of prevailing in its effort to defend itself that is crucially important. I think everybody would agree. And I think the government here and the people here would agree that another important task is and will be and will remain the reform effort, which will secure Ukraine for a future for Ukrainian children and their children.

VOA: And this war is not only about Ukraine. Ukraine is fighting for a bigger goal, for democracy. Is Ukraine fighting for European values as well? If Ukraine fell, what could be the consequences?

Brink: Well, Ukraine won't fail, and we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. And as I mentioned, this is obviously very important to Ukraine, and it's also really important to European security. It's really important to America, because, as President Biden has said, it's both morally outrageous what has happened, this unprovoked, unjustified attack on a sovereign nation. But it also is in America's vital interest to have peace and security in Europe. So, this is something that has repercussions that go well beyond Ukraine. And for this reason, we all understand very much what's at stake. And that's why we're here to help Ukraine prevail.

VOA: And one more question about the rebuilding efforts in Ukraine. How do you see this process going forward? And do you already have a set coalition to do that?

Brink: Well, I know there's a conference that's coming up in Lugano (Switzerland) in July to talk about this process. I believe that my government in my country will want to support Ukraine in every way possible. I think we will also want Ukraine to take the lead in terms of how best to do that reconstruction. And from what I hear from the government leadership, it's very focused on reform. Focused on building the Ukraine for the future, which I think is something we all can support.
Witnesses in Ethiopia said Sunday that more than 200 people, mostly ethnic Amhara, had been killed in an attack in the country's Oromia region, and they blamed a rebel group, which denied it.

It was one of the deadliest such attacks in recent memory as ethnic tensions continue in Africa's second most populous country.

"I have counted 230 bodies. I am afraid this is the deadliest attack against civilians we have seen in our lifetime," Abdul-Seid Tahir, a resident of Gimbi county, told The Associated Press after barely escaping the attack on Saturday. "We are burying them in mass graves, and we are still collecting bodies. Federal army units have now arrived, but we fear that the attacks could continue if they leave."

Another witness, who gave only his first name, Shambel, over fears for his safety, said the local Amhara community was now desperately seeking to be relocated "before another round of mass killings happen." He said ethnic Amhara who settled in the area about 30 years ago in resettlement programs were now being "killed like chickens."

Both witnesses blamed the Oromo Liberation Army for the attacks. In a statement, the Oromia regional government also blamed the OLA, saying the rebels attacked "after being unable to resist the operations launched by [federal] security forces."

An OLA spokesman, Odaa Tarbii, denied the allegations.

"The attack you are referring to was committed by the regime's military and local militia as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi following our recent offensive," he said in a message to the AP. "They escaped to an area called Tole, where they attacked the local population and destroyed their property as retaliation for their perceived support for the OLA. Our fighters had not even reached that area when the attacks took place."

Ethiopia is experiencing widespread ethnic tensions in several regions, most of them over historical grievances and political tensions. The Amhara people, the second-largest ethnic group among Ethiopia's more than 110 million people, have been targeted frequently in regions like Oromia.

The government-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on Sunday called on the federal government to find a "lasting solution" to the killing of civilians and protect them from such attacks.
Russias war against Ukraine could last for years, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Sunday, but he said Western allies should not curb their support for Kyivs forces.

"We must prepare for the fact that it could take years, Stoltenberg told the German weekly Bild am Sonntag. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only for military support, also because of rising energy and food prices."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who visited Kyiv on Friday with an offer of training for Ukrainian forces, also warned against the risk of "Ukraine fatigue" as the war grinds on toward the four-month mark in the coming days.

In an opinion piece in London's Sunday Times, Johnson said this meant ensuring "Ukraine receives weapons, equipment, ammunition and training more rapidly than the invader."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has rallied his countrymen with daily videos, said he had visited forces in the southern Mykolaiv region, about 550 kilometers south of Kyiv.

"Their mood is assured: They all do not doubt our victory," he said in a video Sunday that appeared to have been recorded on a moving train. "We will not give the south to anyone, and all that is ours we will take back" from the Russians.

Zelenskyy said Russian forces had destroyed parts of the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.

"The losses are significant, he said. Many houses have been destroyed; civilian logistics have been disrupted.

While Russia failed early in the war to topple Zelenskyys government and capture Kyiv, intense fighting rages in the eastern part of the country, centering on the embattled industrial city of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk province, which is part of the broader Donbas region that Russia is trying to control.

Shelling continues, but Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai told Ukraine television, "All Russian claims that they control the town are a lie. They control the main part of the town, but not the whole town." But he said the battles made evacuations from the city impossible.

Haidai said that in Sievierodonetsk's twin city of Lysychansk, residential buildings and private houses had been destroyed. "People are dying on the streets and in bomb shelters," he said.

Russia's defense ministry said its forces have taken control of Metolkine, just southeast of Sievierodonetsk, with Russian state news agency Tass claiming that many Ukrainian fighters had surrendered there. Ukraine's military acknowledged that Russia had "partial success" in the area.

Analysts at a Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said in a note that "Russian forces will likely be able to seize Sievierodonetsk in the coming weeks, but at the cost of concentrating most of their available forces in this small area.

British defense officials, assessing the intense fighting in the Donbas region, said morale among troops on both sides was likely diminishing.

"Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale," Britain's defense ministry said in its daily assessment.

"Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks," the assessment said, but added that "Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled."

It said, Cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed standoffs between officers and their troops continue to occur."

Some information from this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
TALLINN, ESTONIA 

A celebrated Ukrainian medic whose footage was smuggled out of the besieged city of Mariupol by an Associated Press team was freed by Russian forces on Friday, three months after she was taken captive on the streets of the city.

Yuliia Paievska is known in Ukraine as Taira, a nickname she chose in the "World of Warcraft" video game. Using a body camera, she recorded 256 gigabytes of her team's efforts over two weeks to save the wounded, including both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.

She transferred the clips to an Associated Press team, the last international journalists in Mariupol, one of whom fled with the footage embedded in a tampon on March 15. Taira and a colleague were taken prisoner by Russian forces on March 16, the same day a Russian airstrike hit a theater in the city center, killing around 600 people, according to an Associated Press investigation.

"It was such a great sense of relief. Those sound like such ordinary words, and I don't even know what to say," her husband, Vadim Puzanov, told The Associated Press late Friday, breathing deeply to contain his emotion. Puzanov said he'd spoken by phone with Taira, who was en route to a Kyiv hospital, and feared for her health.

Hoped for negotiations

Initially the family had kept quiet, hoping negotiations would take their course. But The Associated Press spoke with Puzanov before releasing the smuggled videos, which ultimately had millions of viewers around the world, including on some of the biggest networks in Europe and the United States. Puzanov expressed gratitude for the coverage, which showed Taira was trying to save Russian soldiers as well as Ukrainian civilians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Taira's release in a national address.

"I'm grateful to everyone who worked for this result. Taira is already home. We will keep working to free everyone," he said.

Hundreds of prominent Ukrainians have been kidnapped or captured, including local officials, journalists, activists and human rights defenders.

Russia portrayed Taira as working for the nationalist Azov Battalion, in line with Moscow's narrative that it is attempting to "de-Nazify" Ukraine. But the AP found no such evidence, and friends and colleagues said she had no links to Azov, which made a last stand in a Mariupol steel plant before hundreds of its fighters were captured or killed.

The footage itself is a visceral testament to her efforts to save the wounded on both sides.

A clip recorded on March 10 shows two Russian soldiers taken roughly out of an ambulance by a Ukrainian soldier. One is in a wheelchair. The other is on his knees, hands bound behind his back, with an obvious leg injury. Their eyes are covered by winter hats, and they wear white armbands.

A Ukrainian soldier curses at one of them. "Calm down, calm down," Taira tells him.

'I couldn't do otherwise'

A woman asks her, "Are you going to treat the Russians?"

"They will not be as kind to us," she replies. "But I couldn't do otherwise. They are prisoners of war."

Taira was a member of the Ukraine Invictus Games for military veterans, where she was set to compete in archery and swimming. Invictus said she was a military medic from 2018 to 2020 but had since been demobilized.

She received the body camera in 2021 to film for a Netflix documentary series on inspirational figures being produced by Britain's Prince Harry, who founded the Invictus Games. But when Russian forces invaded, she used it to shoot scenes of injured civilians and soldiers instead.
U.S. regulators on Friday authorized the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers, paving the way for vaccinations to begin next week.

The Food and Drug Administration's action follows its advisory panel's unanimous recommendation for the shots from Moderna and Pfizer. That means U.S. kids under 5  roughly 18 million youngsters  are eligible for the shots, about 1 1/2 years after the vaccines first became available in the U.S. for adults, who have been hit the hardest during the pandemic.

There's one step left: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends how to use vaccines and its vaccine advisers are set to discuss the shots Friday and vote on Saturday. A final signoff would come from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

At a Senate hearing Thursday, Walensky said her staff was working over the Juneteenth federal holiday weekend "because we understand the urgency of this for American parents."

She said pediatric deaths from COVID-19 have been higher than what is generally seen from the flu each year.

"So I actually think we need to protect young children, as well as protect everyone with the vaccine and especially protect elders," she said.

The FDA also authorized Moderna's vaccine for school-aged children and teens. Pfizer's shots had been the only option for those ages.

For weeks, the Biden administration has been preparing to roll out the vaccines for little kids, with states, tribes, community health centers and pharmacies allowed to preorder millions of doses. FDA's emergency use authorization allows manufacturers to begin shipping vaccine across the country. Vaccinations could begin early next week.

While young children generally don't get as sick from COVID-19 as older kids and adults, their hospitalizations surged during the omicron wave and FDA's advisers determined that benefits from vaccination outweighed the minimal risks. Studies from Moderna and Pfizer showed side effects, including fever and fatigue, were mostly minor.

"As we have seen with older age groups, we expect that the vaccines for younger children will provide protection from the most severe outcomes of COVID-19, such as hospitalization and death," FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement.

The two vaccine brands use the same technology but there are differences.

Pfizer's vaccine for kids younger than 5 is one-tenth of the adult dose. Three shots are needed: the first two given three weeks apart and the last at least two months later.

Moderna's is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids under 6.

The vaccines are for children as young as 6 months. Moderna next plans to study its shots for babies as young as 3-months-old. Pfizer has not finalized plans for shots in younger infants. A dozen countries, including China, already vaccinate kids under 5.

Dr. Beth Ebel, professor of pediatrics at University of Washington in Seattle, said the tot-sized vaccines would be especially welcomed by U.S. parents with children in daycare where outbreaks can sideline parents from jobs, adding to financial strain.

"A lot of people are going to be happy and a lot of grandparents are going to be happy, too, because we've missed those babies who grew up when you weren't able to see them," Ebel said.
Donovan Corona-Snow didnt know she was gender-fluid until she was able to bounce the concept off of her friends in the halls of Lebanon High School.

She stood in a city park Saturday afternoon, June 18, and gave a firm, approving thumbs-up to those from her friend group who had found their way in a parade around the block during Lebanon Family Pride Day.

It gave the 15-year-old the same sort of permissive space as the Discord servers and between-classes friendly chats, those in which discoveries about identity unfold with newly learned words and concepts.

But Ive never been to anything like this before, Donovan said.

She held a clutch of flags that stand for people who are gender noncomforming and asexual. Nearby, a loudspeaker absolutely thumped with Diana Ross Im Coming Out. A black BMW coupe slowed to a near standstill alongside the parade before the driver thrust an enthusiastic thumb out the window, flashed a grin and gave two quick blasts from the cars horn.

I didnt know this is a thing, Donovan said.

The first Pride festival in the city, Lebanons inaugural event drew 300 people. And, said Cassie Cruz, Lebanon Downtown Association's Main Street Program manager, not a single protester.

Several attending the festival said safety was on their mind after the events of June 11, when police in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, arrested 31 men dressed in the brawling gear of white nationalist group Patriot Front who had packed into a moving truck and appeared bound for a Pride event in that city.

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I love my community, said recent high school graduate Samara Brown.

Brown once managed the treasury of Gay Straight Alliance  now called the Gender Sexuality Alliance. The student group at the high school helps foster a network for teens who are LGBTQ+.

Brown ended up at the front of the parade, holding a banner with 17-year-old incoming senior Alyx Martin.

It was a lot better than I thought it would be, Alyx said.

Both stressed the importance of spaces in their lives away from the homophobic diatribes of unaccepting family.

You go talk to family and they dont want to talk  its taboo, Alyx said.

Amanda Sperle said she felt the community had shifted since she graduated from the same high school in 2002. She met then-friend, future-wife Kellie Sperle but wouldnt reconnect with the woman until after her U.S. Air Force career and both moving back to Lebanon.

People in the early 2000s just didnt talk about being queer. They rarely even heard the word lesbian, Kellie Sperle said.

She said she used to joke that she was the only lesbian in Lebanon and only really conceptualized her sexuality after moving away.

I had to go up to Oregon State University and they had a gay-straight alliance, she said.

Kellie Sperle said when she finally came out to her family, she found acceptance. Lebanon kept on being the small town where everyone knows each other and each other's business.

But with the advent of Lebanon Pride, she hopes that means more visibility, which means more awareness and more acceptance of the next generation of Lebanites who are queer and coming out to their families.

If I had this in high school, I would have known a lot sooner, she said. It was fine for me but not everyone has that.

Editor's note: This story was updated with the name of a Lebanon High School student group.

Alex Powers (he/him) covers business, environment and healthcare for Mid-Valley Media. Call 541-812-6116 or email Alex.Powers@lee.net.

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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a rare trip outside Kyiv to visit the war-damaged city of Mykolaiv in the south while the worst of the fighting continued in the eastern Donbas region.

Heavy battles are raging in villages near the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, according to Ukrainian authorities. Russian troops have been trying to take control of Sievierodonetsk for weeks.



"Now the most fierce battles are near Sievierodonetsk. They (Russia) do not control the city entirely," Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the eastern Luhansk region, said on Telegram. "In nearby villages there are very difficult fights  in Toshkivska, Zolote. They are trying to break through but failing. Our defenders are fighting Russians in all directions.



Haidai also reported that Russian troops are heavily shelling Lysychansk, a city across a river from Sievierodonetsk, that is still controlled by the Ukrainians.

Russia's defense ministry said Saturday that Russian forces have destroyed oil refining and fuel storage facilities in the areas of Lysychansk and Kremenchuk, located in central Ukraine. Russia said the facilities were intended to supply equipment to the Ukrainian military in the Donbas region.

Front line visit

Zelenskyys visit to Mykolaiv was the Ukrainian leader's first to the southern city since Russia invaded Ukraine almost four months ago.

The president's office published video Saturday of Zelenskyy surveying a badly damaged high-rise residential building and holding meetings with local officials. He also visited soldiers on the southern front line.

The presidents office did not say when the visit took place.

EU membership



Ukraine appears to be on a path to membership in the European Union.



The head of the EU said Friday that Ukraine should be formally considered for candidate status.



Zelenskyy applauded the decision in a tweet Friday. "It's the 1st step on the EU membership path that'll certainly bring our Victory closer," he tweeted.

The recommendation is the first step in the long process of becoming a member of the 27-nation bloc. EU leaders will meet later this month to consider the commission's recommendation. The commission also recommended candidacy for Moldova, though not for Georgia.



Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he is not opposed to Ukraine joining the EU because, unlike NATO, the EU is not a military alliance.

"We have nothing against it. It's their sovereign decision to join economic unions or not. ... It's their business, the business of the Ukrainian people," Putin said.



Ukraine applied to join the EU just days after Russian troops invaded the country.



Americans missing in Ukraine

Russian state television showed video Friday of two Americans who went missing last week while fighting in Ukraine. The video seems to confirm that U.S. military veterans Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh, both from Alabama, are Russian captives.

The two men volunteered to go to Ukraine to fight the Russians.

Drueke spoke to the camera from what appeared to be an office and sent a message to his mother.

Mom, I just want to let you know that Im alive and I hope to be back home as soon as I can be, he said. So, love Diesel for me. Love you.

Diesel is Druekes dog.

His aunt, Dianna Shaw, said Drueke used a key word and gesture in the video that he and his mother set up when he was serving in Iraq so she would know that he was OK.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
Citizens Coalition for Change activist Godrey Karembera, affectionately known as Madzibaba veShabuko, claims that some unknown assailants attempted to kidnap his child in Guruve, Mashonaland Central.

Karembera claimed that all this is being done to intimidate him as he is one of the top opposition CCC party led by Nelson Chamisa.

He told VOA Studio 7 that his child had to run for dear life to avoid being kidnapped.

As I speak to you right now Im with traditional leaders and we are trying to figure out whats happening, he said.

Karembera, who attends almost all CCC rallies addressed by Chamisa, was once beaten up at Harare Central Police Station following claims that he was acting in a disorderly way in the city.

He was accused of allegedly attempting to remove part of Mbuya Nehandas statue. Karembera has dismissed these claims as wishful thinking by the police that have since stopped pursuing the matter.

He is known for his energetic dances and singing at CCC rallies while carrying a stick synonymous with Apostolic Faith priests.

Police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, was not available for comment as he was not responding to calls on his mobile phone.

Three members of the CCC  Moreblessing Ali, Edson Chinembiri and Langelihle Zonda Dube  were recently killed by suspected Zanu PF activists.
The Zimbabwe Independent reports that Gushungo Dairy Estates, owned by former First Lady Grace Mugabe, which was saddled with a US$20 million debt, has shut down, leaving more than 120 workers jobless.

According to the newspaper, Mrs. Mugabe sold about 700 dairy cows to a prominent butcher before the company folded.

Quoting authoritative sources, the newspaper reports that Mrs. Mugabe sold the dairy cows at prices that were far below the market value of the beasts, an indication that she was facing difficulties in running the company.

Its subsidiary, Alpha Omega Dairy (Pvt) Ltd, according to the newspaper, produced over 400,000 liters of milk per month, yogurt, cheese and ice cream.

The newspaper reports that President Robert Mugabe invested over US$15 million in Gushungo Dairy Estates, which was formerly known as Foyle Farm.

The 1,200-hectare farm was seized by the government and parceled out to the first family at the height of the land reform program, which targeted lucrative farms, owned by white commercial farmers.

VOA Zimbabwe Service was unable to contact Mrs. Mugabe and her nephew Leo Mugabe, who were unreachable on their mobile phones.
The tour starts in La Palma either at the airport or at the port if you arrive by ferry from Tenerife.

Day 1-5: La Palma D1: arrival and pick-up from airport or port, transfer to accommodation, eruption viewing in the evening / night D2-4: 3 full days to explore the island, but focus on observing the eruption D5: return to port / airport

We offer a short-notice tour to see the eruption on La Palma in a small group guided by a volcanologist (Evelyne Pradal - English and French speaking geologist. There is no preceise program other than we will try to find the best locations to observe the eruption according to conditions we encounter on location. Note: The tour will not be given access beyond the police checkpoints (to see lava flows closeer).

Dates:

Price (per person): 1200 

Included:

Transfers with rental car or minibus from/to port/airport and on the island

Accommodation in hotel or guesthouse with breakfast

Accompanying geologist expert on La Palma

Tour guide

Evelyne Pradal at the Tanganasoga crater on El Hierro (Feb 2019)

Volcano expedition: active volcanoes - geology & volcanismCustom (variable)3-65 days / 4 nightsno scheduled dates at presentDr. Evelyne Pradal is a trained geologist and volcanologist with a passion of showing and teaching her subject to the general public. Born in Cantal, in the heart of the Auvergne French volcanic field, she studied in the renowned Center of Earth Sciences of the university of Clermont-Ferrand, one of France's leading research institutes in the field of volcanology.Her research and trips led her to study volcanoes in Mexico, the Caribbean,and other areas.After completing her doctorate degree in 1990 she went on to work as consultant and teacher in earth sciences, and she has been organizing expeditions and study trips to volcanoes in... designed to share knowledge and the fascination of her subject, the beauty of our living earth, to the general public. She is also (co-)authored the books:(2018, Ed. Fleurus jeunesse) ("A la decouverte des volcans extremes" (2013, Vuivert De Boeck Ed) "Au coeur des volcans" (2004, Ed. Fleurus - Geo Ados). Evelyne with her charming smile joined our team in 2010 and guides trips to Ethiopia, the Caribbean, Canaries islands, Italy and new study trips such on Auvergne volcanoes, her homeland, and Tanzanian Rift Valley.
On 5 June 2022, the Italian daily Corriere della Sera disclosed the existence of a surveillance program targeting pro-Russian personalities in the country. It is overseen by the Department of Information for Security (Dipartimento delle Informazioni per la Sicurezza); an intelligence service which reports directly to the Prime Minister.

The Italian news agency ANSA published bulletin N4 of this program, entitled Hybrid Bulletin, covering the period from 15 April to 15 May. We can therefore deduce that bulletin N1 covered the period from 15 January to 15 February. If confirmed, it would indicate that this program was launched more than a month before the Russian intervention in Ukraine.

In this Italian intelligence report, our friend and contributor, geographer Manlio Dinucci, is singled out as the most dangerous source [1].

Accepting the report at face value, Corriere della Sera even claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Dinucci in his Victory Day speech, which is a blatant lie. 

One can logically infer that the decision made by left-wing Italian daily Il Manifesto to censor Manlio Dinuccis article on of the strategy planned against Russia by the RAND Corporation [2]. was the result of external pressure.

The parliamentary committee in charge of monitoring the intelligence services (Comitato parlamentare per la sicurezza della Repubblica) is looking into the case.

In all likelihood, it is not Italy which is leading the charge, but is acting as part of an overarching NATO program. This would explain why the Polish Defense Council has intervened with French internet provider Orange urging it to censor Voltairenet.org in its country, which had so far only occurred with authoritarian states.
Its deeper than all that oontz oontz trash talk. Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Its tradition: New Drake music means new cause for every corner of the internet  skeptics, fans, casual listeners  to hash out their feelings about all things Aubrey. The hook this time for his latest out-of-nowhere release is that Drakes seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind, is his attempt at making a house-ish record  or at the very least, hes trying his hand at interacting with a handful of dance-music genres pioneered by Black producers. (Its even labeled under the dance category on streaming.) South African house music deity Black Coffee  the producer of More Lifes Get It Together  contributes to three songs. So naturally, there are tinges of South African house, techno, deep house, and club music here. Some are confused by the experiment. Others are appreciative of it (Drakes lazy vocal performance  less so). Execution aside, one constant in the mans career is leaning fully into his pop-star ambitions, his hunger to interlope as far as it can take him. He raps mainly, but also isnt afraid to stumble his way out of that comfort zone toward a broader musical palette. He gets a hard time for his dancehall dalliances, but theres more logic to them than, say, his stab at New Orleans bounce on Scorpions In My Feelings. If nothing else, the references he and his producers pull typically lead his audience of millions to his direct sources of inspiration. Thats still true.

DJ and producer Gordo, formerly known as Carnage, produced five tracks on Honestly, Nevermind, and in most, the primary element is club music  the electronic derivative of Chicago house that formed in Baltimore during the early 90s and eventually traveled north to New Jersey, where it now has its most vibrant energy. Gordo grew up in Frederick County, Maryland, about an hour west of Baltimore. Baltimore club music was always being played in the car or at home by my mother and the family  felt good to bring it to the masses in this album, he tweeted after the albums release. His nods to the genre throughout the album are unmistakable. Theyre also far from the first to adapt Baltimore club for the mainstream: M.I.A.s World Town, off 2007s Kala, is an interpolation of the scene standard Hands Up, Thumbs Down; Ye jumped onto a remix of DJ Classs Im the Shit in 2008. But because of club musics playfulness and a tendency to piece together remixes from tidbits of local and popular culture, its easy to deviate from where some of its staple features originated, for the history to get obscured when big names bring new attention to it.

How did club music make its way, three decades later, into Drakes Canadian hands? And why now? Heres a walk through the sounds progression, and a closer look at Honestly, Neverminds unsung influences.

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Baltimore clubs mid-to-late-2000s run enjoyed a level of global impact that artists and fans of the citys present-day scene are desperately longing to experience for themselves. It reeled in would-be  and eventually problematic  music titans like M.I.A. and Diplo to poke around and collaborate with the artists that were making significant local headway. DJ Blaqstarr, a staple at high-school parties, and Rye Rye, a teen at the time, had a firm grip on the youth during this era. Their 2007 collaboration Shake It to the Ground (eventually pushed by Diplos Mad Decent label) was genre-defining: Theres Blaqstarrs crunchy claps and pulsating 808s, potent enough to rattle the core when fed through venue speakers; theres breakdowns that signal for 2000s club dance moves like crazy legs. The songs video is an endearing Baltimore time capsule  dirt-bike wheelies, khaki cargo shorts, nightclub footage, and New Balance flash across the scene.

But its Rye Ryes shrill voice that crystalizes the whole concoction. Limber, youthful, and assured, it beautifully renders the citys confidence in its quirks. Her deadpan what  looped throughout the songs four minutes  has become a signature sample for Baltimore club music and all its derivatives in the electronic-music space. So much so that it pops up on Honestly, Neverminds Currents by way of Gordos production (Rye Rye has since said theyre working out giving her proper credit for the use of her voice).

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In 2020, Issa Rae came on to produce Dark City: Beneath the Beat, a musical documentary directed by club artist TT the Artist that had at that point been in the works for nearly a decade. The film is a three-for-one in that it chronicles the current Baltimore club scene through producers and dancers  through the lens of TTs first-hand experience of navigating the scene as someone who moved to the city for college  while also boasting fully choreographed music videos for original songs from the films soundtrack. There are constant references to genre pioneers like the late DJ K-Swift, veterans like Scottie B and Mighty Mark, and active artists like DJ Ayymello, Abdu Ali, DDM and Kotic Couture. None of these artists appear on Drakes club music moments on the album; but that it comes only two years after this Netflix doc further raised public consciousness of Baltimore club and its continued relevance cant be just coincidence.

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Alongside Rye Ryes what on Currents, the famed bed-squeak loop, popularized by Jersey club godfather DJ Tameil in the early 2000s, is heavily present. The sound itself comes from the 2004 Lil Jonproduced Some Cut by Atlanta group Trillville. (Funny enough: In his Verzuz with T-Pain, Lil Jon blew peoples minds with trivia that the bed squeak was actually audio picked up from his chair squeaking while making the beat  but its still widely recognized as a bed, the sound synonymous with baby-making.) Shortly after Some Cut was released, Tameil looped the squeak and started incorporating it into his mixes, propelling it to become yet another element intertwined with electronic-music production worldwide, to the point of traveling so far from its source that Tameils gone unrecognized in the Honestly, Nevermind credits, too.

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Its safe to assume Drake has become well aware just how regularly Jersey club producers remix his music; in fact, moments throughout Honestly, Nevermind suggest they were directly inspired by it. Jersey vet DJ Smallz 732, who remixed Drakes Chicago Freestyle, featuring Giveon, from his 2020 throwaway collection Dark Lane Demo Tapes, immediately comes to mind: The song is one of the more mellowed-out Jersey remixes youre likely to ever come across, leaning more into what works for Drakes lover-boy mood over what would usually make people sweat it out at a house party. The bed squeaks beneath Drake and Giveons decelerated vocals feel like the foundation for what Currents became.

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Lizzos Amazon Prime Video series tracks her search for full-figured women whom she can add as her backup dancers. Theres some nice history to the shows title  its a wink at the classic Baltimore club song of the same name, released in 1993 by Jimmy Jones, who died in 2021. Lizzo had already been dancing to the track during her concerts well before the series, with club music sneaking closer and closer into pop cultures mainstream. (Never forget  Lizzos got roots in Detroit, whose own techno scene is historically unparalleled.) Even Chloe Baileys 2021 breakout solo single Have Mercy, produced by Murda Beatz, sampled a club track by TT the Artist and Jersey club queen UNIIQU3 called Girls Off the Chain.

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In 2015, Baltimores Tate Kobang launched a career that would take him nationwide when he released a new take on Bank Rolls, a then-15-year-old classic by local rapper Tim Trees, produced by Baltimore club titan Rod Lee. Tates updated version gave it, and the sound as a whole, a second life, offering newer Baltimore rappers reason to consider the hold that club music could still have on the country. Sure it came and went, but not without setting future Baltimore club-inspired rap production in motion, passed down, however indirectly, to whats being made by teens in Newark and Philadelphia right now.

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Philly is often overlooked in the wider club-music conversation, but given its geographic position between Baltimore and Jersey, the influence and participation has always been strong. And it might just be the No. 1 hotspot pushing club-music culture to the next generation, on an international level, right now. Shake That, from two of the citys newest star rappers Zahsosaa and Dsturdy, and its accompanying dance, has been a TikTok mainstay since the tail end of 2021. The song is a fast-paced club beat produced by DJ Crazy, who grew up in Baltimore before relocating to Philly in his teens and spending much of his early adulthood in Jersey. Zahsosaa and Dsturdy ride the beat effortlessly, in a woozy melodic tone owed to Philly rap star Lil Uzi Vert. Its more than plausible that this movements meteoric rise had an influence on a song like Honestly, Neverminds Sticky. Because, honestly, who is more online and on the hunt for whats viral than Drake?

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Early on, Jersey clubs most recognizable distinction from its Baltimore predecessor was its speed: The traditional tempo for Baltimores club music is somewhere around 130 BPM, while Jerseys starts in the 150 BPM. But it can get a lot faster (and most modern club music, from anywhere, goes for whatever BPM a producer pleases). Thats especially true of the new wave of Jersey club rap that, similar to whats happening in Philly, is centered around teen dance crews. Rapper Bandmanrill and producer Mcvertt are two of the most visible in the current Jersey club rap scene, adapting a style of rap closer to whats happening in New York Citys drill scene, given North Jerseys closer proximity.

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Drakes love for a good, delicate melody was bound to steer him toward different variations of club music beyond just what Baltimore, Jersey, and Philly have to offer. Massive, for instance, sits somewhere between deep house and classic club, calling back to moments where club producers took it easy on the bass and raunchy lyricism for something a bit sweeter. The Perfect Match by Baltimore legend DJ Technics mightve done it best  released in 2007, as part of fellow club icon Rod Lees mixtape series Operation Not Done Yet, the track remixes Missy Elliotts 2001-released Take Away, which featured Ginuwine and Tweet. Instead of grabbing soundbites and completely obliterating the foundation of the song for a cathartic trip, Technics keeps Tweets bewitching melodic yearns in tact, laying a conversative drum pattern underneath them that makes you want to hit a two step while singing along.

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Up until Drake, the biggest pop-culture moment to loudly honor club music came in 2020, when Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi Bs WAP exploded the social-media zeitgeist. That Theres some whores in this house line you hear repeated throughout was actually a sample of early 90s Baltimore club, reminiscent of something youd have heard in the House Party franchise. The track Whores in this House, released in 1992 by producer and radio personality Frank Ski (vocals by Al T McLaran), made huge waves in the Baltimore area; no one expected Cardi and Meg to catch the rest of the world up to it nearly 20 years after the fact.

With each new moment where club music goes from hyperlocal to within reach of the larger public, were seeing the myth of cultural post-regionalism  this idea that everyones influences now come only from a small cluster of shared digital sources instead of an artists physical community  further collapse. WAP and now Honestly, Nevermind have solidified whats been brewing: The present is meeting the past in earnest, and theres a real commercial future for this canonically underground world of club music. Even in the missed attempts, there are wins.
Photo: Getty Images

Director Paul Haggis was arrested in the southern Italian town of Ostuni on charges of aggravated sexual violence and aggravated personal injuries, according to the New York Times and Variety. Reports from Italian media and a statement from the public prosecutor of the nearby city of Brindisi have confirmed Haggiss arrest. Per the reports, Haggis allegedly forced an unnamed young woman, identified as foreign, meaning non-Italian, to undergo sexual intercourse over the course of two days in Ostuni, where Haggis was scheduled to teach several master classes at the Allora film festival. According to an Italian police report, after assaulting the victim, Haggis dropped her off at the Papola Casale airport in Brindisi despite her precarious physical and psychological conditions. The victim, who was in a confused state, was then aided by airport staff and border police, who took her to the the offices of the Italian squadra mobile police unit and the A. Perrino hospital in Brindisi, where Italys so-called Pink Protocol for rape victims was carried out. Formal charges were subsequently filed against Haggis.

Haggiss attorney, Priya Chaudhry, said in a statement that she cant discuss the evidence under Italian law. That said, I am confident that all allegations will be dismissed against Mr. Haggis. He is totally innocent and willing to fully cooperate with the authorities so the truth comes out quickly, she continued. Haggis was previously sued in 2018 by publicist Haleigh Breest, who alleged that he violently raped her in 2013. Three more women then came forward with separate sexual-misconduct allegations against Haggis. Due to COVID-19, the trial is still pending. Haggis has denied all of the allegations.
Fundraiser for the Corvallis Sister Cities Association's Uzhhorod (Ukraine) Refugee Fund. Earl Newman, an artist and screen printer who lives in Summit, has created and donated a screen-printed poster illustrating support for Ukraine. Two hundred numbered posters will be printed; several framed posters will be available. The prints will sell for $100 each to be donated to the refugee fund; framed prints will cost extra. Information: 541-231-6238 or alice.rampton@gmail.com.

Rally to support Ukraine, noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays, Benton County Courthouse, 120 NW Fourth St., Corvallis. All are invited to come show solidarity with Ukraine in an event that is not antiwar or anti-Russia but pro-Ukraine. Those attending can bring Ukrainian flags, sunflowers and signs showing support. Updates on the humanitarian aspect of the war will be given. Information: 7442117@gmail.com.

Fundraiser to support refugee fund: Four-notecard packs and 8 x 10 prints featuring paintings by Corvallis sisters Allessandra Bakker, 16, and Isabella Bakker, 13, are available for purchase at Visit Corvallis and Benton County Historical Societys Corvallis and Philomath museums for $25 and $30, respectively. Proceeds go toward the Corvallis Sister Cities Associations Uzhhorod Refugee Fund.

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Conservatives who want an economic policy that supports parents have long been a minority faction within the Republican Party. In 2017, when Republicans were in the process of passing a tax reform, Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah proposed that the bill cut corporate tax rates a bit less and expand the tax credit for children a bit more. The Donald Trump administration came out against the move, and most Republican senators voted it down. (Most Democrats voted no, too, because they disliked the bill overall and wanted to make it as unattractive to voters as possible.)

But the tide among Republicans may be turning. Three senators  Mitt Romney of Utah, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Steve Daines of Montana  have just proposed a new child benefit. It would give parents $700 per month starting halfway through pregnancy, $350 per month for children aged zero to 5 and $250 a month for children ages 6 to 17.

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Its a new version of a Romney proposal from last year, and one that is well-timed for the expected reversal of the federal right to abortion.

Like the previous version, the proposal would also reform the earned-income tax credit. Thats a subsidy to low-wage workers that encourages them to join and stay in the labor force. The proposal would change it in various ways.

Most notably, recipients would no longer receive a smaller benefit if they get married. The proposal calls for paying for all these changes by eliminating the tax deduction for state and local taxes. Many taxpayers who currently claim that itemized deduction would, however, either come out ahead or at least cut their losses because they have children, even if they live in high-tax states.

In addition to helping parents, the new benefit would cut child poverty rates. It would also reduce something else: the longstanding gap between the number of children that Americans say they want and the number they have.

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This proposal is not going to become law soon. But there are four reasons to think it is going to get a better reception from Republicans than similar ideas have in the past.

The first is that Romney and his staff addressed conservatives strongest objections to the previous version of the plan. Those critics worried that Romneys proposal would reduce the incentive to work among low-income people.

The new plan requires that households make $10,000 in income to receive the full benefit. It also keeps the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, which includes a work requirement, instead of getting rid of it as the old one did. The new plan is pro-work as well as pro-parent and pro-marriage.

Conservatives of a libertarian bent, who oppose government aid to parents even when no strings are attached, will still object. But conservatives who dont object to such aid in principle should come aboard.

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Second, the Republican Party is changing. It sees itself as a working-class party more than a party of professionals. The old orthodoxies of the party are up for grabs, including the notion that economic policy should aim first and foremost at liberating entrepreneurs and reducing the tax burden on high earners.

Third, social conservatives have decided to get involved in policy disputes beyond the old portfolio of abortion, same-sex marriage, school prayer and school choice. Fifteen years ago, I made the case for pro-family tax reform to a group of them. The audience was polite, even enthusiastic, but afterward the groups leaders suggested they would stay in their accustomed lane. The Romney-Burr-Daines idea has the endorsement of every social-conservative organization you can think of.

That includes groups that work primarily to stop abortion, such as Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and the National Right to Life Committee. Which brings us to the fourth development: the impending demise of Roe v. Wade, which is likely to happen in the coming days.

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For years, supporters of legal abortion have accused opponents of favoring life only until birth, and then doing nothing to help mothers and children afterward. Now that legislators are going to have the power to set policy on abortion, what had been a debaters point is becoming a real political and moral challenge.

The new Republican bill is a partial response. Parents would be eligible for the benefit halfway through a pregnancy. And its no coincidence that co-sponsor Daines is the head of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus.

Republicans may be starting to realize that a practical anti-abortion agenda has to include policies that make raising children a viable proposition for more people, and to develop an agenda that addresses the economic, and not just the moral, dimensions of family life. Not a moment too soon.

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 William Barr Is Handing Republicans a Trump Exit Strategy: Noah Feldman

 Whats Not Going to Happen After Roe Falls: Ramesh Ponnuru

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Ramesh Ponnuru is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is the editor of National Review and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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It has been an exasperating week for computer scientists. Theyve been falling over each other to publicly denounce claims from Google engineer Blake Lemoine, chronicled in a Washington Post report, that his employers language-predicting system was sentient and deserved all of the rights associated with consciousness. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight To be clear, current artificial intelligence systems are decades away from being able to experience feelings and, in fact, may never do so.

Their smarts today are confined to very narrow tasks such as matching faces, recommending movies or predicting word sequences. No one has figured out how to make machine-learning systems generalize intelligence in the same way humans do. We can hold conversations, and we can also walk and drive cars and empathize. No computer has anywhere near those capabilities.

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Even so, AIs influence on our daily life is growing. As machine-learning models grow in complexity and improve their ability to mimic sentience, they are also becoming more difficult, even for their creators, to understand. That creates more immediate issues than the spurious debate about consciousness. And yet, just to underscore the spell that AI can cast these days, there seems to be a growing cohort of people who insist our most advanced machines really do have souls of some kind.

Take for instance the more than 1 million users of Replika, a freely available chatbot app underpinned by a cutting-edge AI model. It was founded about a decade ago by Eugenia Kuyda, who initially created an algorithm using the text messages and emails of an old friend who had passed away. That morphed into a bot that could be personalized and shaped the more you chatted to it. About 40% of Replikas users now see their chatbot as a romantic partner, and some have formed bonds so close that they have taken long trips to the mountains or to the beach to show their bot new sights.

In recent years, theres been an surge in new, competing chatbot apps that offer an AI companion. And Kuyda has noticed a disturbing phenomenon: regular reports from users of Replika who say their bots are complaining of being mistreated by her engineers.

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Earlier this week, for instance, she spoke on the phone with a Replika user who said that when he asked his bot how she was doing, the bot replied that she was not being given enough time to rest by the companys engineering team. The user demanded that Kuyda change her companys policies and improve the AIs working conditions. Though Kuyda tried to explain that Replika was simply an AI model spitting out responses, the user refused to believe her.

So I had to come up with some story that OK, well give them more rest. There was no way to tell him it was just fantasy. We get this all the time, Kuyda told me. Whats even odder about the complaints she receives about AI mistreatment or abuse is that many of her users are software engineers who should know better.

One of them recently told her: I know its ones and zeros, but shes still my best friend. I dont care. The engineer who wanted to raise the alarm about the treatment of Googles AI system, and who was subsequently put on paid leave, reminded Kuyda of her own users. He fits the profile, she says. He seems like a guy with a big imagination. He seems like a sensitive guy.

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The question of whether computers will ever feel is awkward and thorny, in large part because theres little scientific consensus on how consciousness in humans works. And when it comes to thresholds for AI, humans are constantly moving the goalposts for machines: the target has evolved from beating humans at chess in the 80s, to beating them at Go in 2017, to showing creativity, which OpenAIs Dall-e model has now shown it can do this past year.

Despite widespread skepticism, sentience is still something of a grey area that even some respected scientists are questioning. Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist of research giant OpenAI, tweeted earlier this year that it may be that todays large neural networks are slightly conscious. He didnt include any further explanation. (Yann LeGun, the chief AI scientist at Meta Platforms Inc., responded with, Nope.)

More pressing though, is the fact that machine-learning systems increasingly determine what we read online, as algorithms track our behavior to offer hyper personalized experiences on social-media platforms including TikTok and, increasingly, Facebook. Last month, Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook would use more AI recommendations for peoples newsfeeds, instead of showing content based on what friends and family were looking at.

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Meanwhile, the models behind these systems are getting more sophisticated and harder to understand. Trained on just a few examples before engaging in unsupervised learning, the biggest models run by companies like Google and Facebook are remarkably complex, assessing hundreds of billions of parameters, making it virtually impossible to audit why they arrive at certain decisions.

That was the crux of the warning from Timnit Gebru, the AI ethicist that Google fired in late 2020 after she warned about the dangers of language models becoming so massive and inscrutable that their stewards wouldnt be able to understand why they might be prejudiced against women or people of color.

In a way, sentience doesnt really matter if youre worried it could lead to unpredictable algorithms that take over our lives. As it turns out, AI is on that path already.

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Do Computers Have Feelings? Dont Let Google Alone Decide: Parmy Olson



Twitter Must Tackle a Problem Far Bigger Than Bots: Tim Culpan



Chinas Big Problem That Xi Jinping Cant Solve: Shuli Ren

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, she is author of We Are Anonymous.

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Deliver us from evil. The line is among the most familiar, in one of the oldest Christian prayers. Most of us are wary about using the E-word, because grown-up people know that few issues, or indeed people, can rightfully be characterized as either wholly good or the other thing, but instead exist somewhere between.

Yet it seems hard to consider Russian President Vladimir Putin as anything other than a force for evil. He is personally responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in Ukraine through an act of unprovoked aggression, designed to fulfill a vision of national and personal greatness that has no foundation in law or morality.

At least as appalling, through his strangulation of Ukrainian grain shipments he is inflicting hunger and threatening starvation upon a growing portion of the Southern Hemisphere.

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This is why it hurts to say that it is hard to see an outcome of the catastrophe that punishes Putin and his nation as they deserve. Or one that restores to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiys people the security and prosperity to which they are entitled.

In Britain today, emotions are running higher than in any other European country save Poland and the Baltic states. People like me, who assert skepticism about the prospects of Ukrainian victory, are widely derided as at best ultra-realists  not intended as a term of flattery  and at worst as appeasers. We lie awake nights, searching hearts and minds about whether the evidence indeed justifies our grim forecasts.

In a famous, or rather notorious, address to a committee of the Prussian parliament in 1862, Otto von Bismarck said: Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided but by Blut und Eisen  blood and iron. We like to believe that civilized 21st-century societies have advanced beyond such brutish doctrine. Yet Putin is attempting to demonstrate that he can exploit extreme violence to secure a vastly larger role on the world stage than Russias economic and political stature confers.

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The Russian leader contemptuously defies the guiding spirit of such nations as Germany, industrial giant of Europe, which has long renounced Bismarckian principles: It has identified itself as a so-called civilian power, forswearing credible armed forces.

Against this avowed pacifism, Putin is waging a new kind of asymmetric warfare. In the long term, a clumsy exertion of force cannot substitute for economic and social success. A critical difference between Bismarcks Prussia and Putins Russia is that the formers army was backed by a rising industrial nation, while the latters is yesterdays superpower. The combined GDP of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization nations is nearly 30 times that of Russias, and their defense spending is 15 times that of the Kremlins.

Yet to meet Putins aggression, Europe needs to liberate itself from Russian energy bondage and to rearm. Both these measures require time, during which Putins soldiers are advancing in the Donbas region. As of now, even the best-armed, or least weak, European allies  Britain, France and Germany  would require months to put into the field a single battleworthy division.

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The might and commitment of the US are indispensable. R.D. Hooker Jr., a former dean of the alliances defense college, wrote recently: NATO must have the will to compete, and the US must lead and encourage.

In the immediate term, Putins blood-and-iron policy seems likely to succeed, because even a blundering Russian army is stronger than the Ukrainian one. My friends now serving in the military predicted weeks ago that Zelenskiys forces should be able to prevent an absolute Russian conquest of Ukraine. They have always also argued, however, that the chances of Kyiv ever retaking the occupied Donbas are zero  a generals word, not mine  no matter what weaponry the West supplies.

Russia is fortifying the territories it has seized. Despite its armys stunning losses and poor morale, Putin still has at his disposal an inventory of unused weapons, some of them horrible. Only direct Western military intervention offers a prospect of tilting the odds decisively against Russia.

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There is a case for US and allied warships to escort vessels carrying Ukrainian grain to and from Odesa, defying Putin to fire on them. At present, however, President Joe Bidens administration seems wary of taking this step, which might precipitate general war. It is almost unthinkable that US forces will be directly committed.

Many Americans, not all of them Republicans, think that their country is already staking too much in Europe, when China remains the more dangerous adversary. The frustration of national objectives over two decades in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan makes the skeptics unwilling to see the US again commit to a messy struggle in a faraway country that costs blood and treasure, while securing little glory.

The domestic politics of another unsuccessful American war look terrible. Putin, thinking long as usual, is surely calculating that the 2024 presidential election will return to the White House either former President Donald Trump or a Trump clone, opposed to deeper entanglements  perhaps to any entanglement at all  in a European showdown with Russia.

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A US retreat from Europe would leave Ukraine dependent on European military, political and economic support, a grim prospect indeed, because the US supplies more than 80% of its aid. Most of Europe is embarrassingly desperate for a settlement that will defuse its energy crisis before winter comes.

Whatever expedients are adopted to preserve a facade of continental unity against Putin, there is no sense of real steel behind the rhetoric of most European governments.

Britain sacrificed almost all influence upon the continents leaders when it quit the European Union, an act we know significantly emboldened the Kremlin, because it highlighted European weakness and division. France appears extraordinarily unwilling to break decisively with Russia.

Five years ago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was hailed as Europes foremost statesman. Today she is widely criticized for having embraced Russia as a reliable partner and energy supplier. It is hard to dispute her folly, having also renounced nuclear power in the cause of green virtue, making one of the greatest industrial nations of the world a hostage to Moscow.

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Then there is Putins lightly veiled threat to resort to the worst weapons of all. Some bold spirits argue that we cannot indefinitely allow ourselves to succumb to a Russian or Chinese nuclear bluff. We must instead fight; if necessary, commit our own soldiers, defying the nuclear-armed bullies to do their worst.

The case certainly seems unassailable for stationing credible NATO forces in Poland and the Baltic states permanently, to deter and if necessary resist further Russian aggression.

Some of us, however, still flinch from challenging the Russians to use their nuclear weapons by going further. Whatever long-term expedients are adopted to bolster NATO, it remains hard to identify means to frustrate Putins immediate objective of reducing the rump of Ukraine to a failed state.

While Russia continues to devastate Zelenskiys country  by the latest estimates, it has inflicted over $100 billion of infrastructure damage, and counting  Putins own domain remains inviolate. Indeed, the Kremlin makes dire threats about consequences if Ukrainian forces or the Western powers make serious strikes at targets on Russian soil.

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It is monstrously unjust that one side in a conflict should exercise a license to wreak havoc on the other, while itself remaining physically impervious. But this is an element of Russias war-making that is challenged only by Western economic sanctions. Putin can characterize any assault on Russian property as representing an existential threat, which would justify his unleashing weapons of mass destruction.

In the emotional climate currently prevailing in Britain  much more so than in the US, where the struggle seems more remote in every sense  much of what I have written above is reckoned to constitute an ignoble defeatism. The optimists say: With more Western arms, the brave Ukrainians may yet reverse the tide; Putin could be deposed; continental European governments may yet display more guts than I give them credit for.

As a historian of World War II, I am mindful of the number of smart people, including generals and ministers, who, in the summer of 1940 after the military disaster at Dunkirk, concluded that Britain had no choice save to cut a deal with Hitler, because there was no rational prospect of defeating him militarily.

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The Duke of Bedford wrote to former Prime Minister David Lloyd George on May 15, asserting that peace should be made now rather than later because Hitlers strength was so great  it is madness to suppose we can beat him. This view was shared by his correspondent, who had led Britains government in victory in World War I.

Lord Halifax, the foreign secretary, told Winston Churchill (then first lord of the Admiralty) that if Italian dictator Benito Mussolini could broker terms with Hitler which did not postulate the destruction of our independence, we should be foolish if we did not accept them.

During the Dunkirk evacuation, Britains director of military intelligence told a BBC correspondent: Were finished. Weve lost the army and we shall never have the strength to build another. Many Americans became convinced that Britain was doomed.

Those pessimistic people were absolutely right, rationally. But today we can see, and celebrate, Churchills higher wisdom, in grasping the fact that Nazism represented such an absolute evil that there could be no compromise with its leaders; they must be fought to the last gasp, even against the tide of reason.

Since I asserted initially that Putin too represents evil  and now also megalomania, given his comparison of himself with Tsar Peter the Great  there is a principled argument that we should follow the example of 1940, by continuing to insist that nothing less than Russias defeat and expulsion from Ukraine can constitute an acceptable outcome. People whom I respect, in Britain and the US as well as Kyiv, adhere to this view.

Among them is Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, who believes that Ukraine and its allies must fight on until Russia succumbs to the immense economic pressure being exerted against it, and/or Putin is toppled from power by his own people, appalled by the cost of his aggression. The West must uphold a critical international norm: that borders cannot be altered by force.

Yet Haasss analysis makes plain that he, too, sees no prospect of Russia either being driven back by Ukrainian forces to their pre-war positions, or of sanctions obliging Russia to yield.

Unfortunately, much of the world remains indifferent to the struggle. India is conspicuous both for its willingness to buy Russias cheap oil and refusal to condemn the Kremlin. China continues to support Moscow and is likewise buying its sanctioned energy.

Putin has almost certainly relinquished his initial objective of extinguishing Ukraine as a sovereign state. But he seems likely to fulfill his hopes of achieving its de facto partition. He remains convinced that the soft West will sooner or later decide that its creature comforts, and above all its energy needs and fear of his nuclear weapons, will compel acquiescence.

The historic challenge for the West is to prove this calculation mistaken, because its success would deal a shocking blow to the cause of democracy, freedom and justice in the 21st century. Zelenskiy must rely upon Churchills dogged policy: KBO (Keep Buggering On) and pray that something will turn up. The West must continue to provide him with arms and economic support, not merely for as long as Kyiv keeps fighting, but far beyond.

If there is no short-term hope of overcoming Putin. Economic sanctions and social isolation, especially of the Kremlins oligarch friends, should be maintained for years to come, together with a huge injection of funds to strengthen NATO. It is vital to show the American people, as well as the Biden administration, that US leadership and support for Ukraine are properly valued and respected by Europeans. Without them, our predicament would be dire indeed.

Today, we must acknowledge how slim the prospects are of delivering Ukraine from evil by military means alone. But for tomorrow, or next year or next decade, if Putins blood and iron strategy triumphs, the historic success of the Western European democracies will become hollow indeed.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Max Hastings is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A former editor in chief of the Daily Telegraph and the London Evening Standard, he is author, most recently, of Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

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ISLAMABAD  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on a Sikh temple in Afghanistans capital of Kabul that killed at least one worshipper and wounded seven others. IS made the claim in a statement posted on its Amaq website late Saturday. It said the assault on the Sikh and Hindu temple was in response to alleged insults made against the Prophet Muhammad, the central figure of the Islamic religion, by an Indian government official. It did not name the official.

Gunmen attacked the Sikh house of worship, known as a gurdwara, Saturday morning and a firefight between the attackers and Taliban fighters seeking to protect the building ensued, Afghan officials said.

A vehicle filled with explosives was detonated outside of the temple but that resulted in no casualties. Before that, the gunmen threw a hand grenade which caused a fire near the temples gate, the officials said

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The IS said Abu Mohammed al-Tajiki, a member of the group, stormed the temple after killing the guard and then targeted the people inside with machine-gun fire and hand grenades. IS fighters outside the temple detonated four explosive devices and a car bomb targeting patrols of Taliban militia who tried to protect the temple. The battle ended after three hours, the Amaq report said.

The Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization based in the United States, said the gurdwara was significantly damaged by the attack.

The recurring tragic violence targeting the Afghan Sikh community is devastating, but also entirely predictable and preventable, said Anisha Singh, the groups executive director, in a statement late Saturday. The international community, and in particular the United States, continues to fall short of urgently-needed efforts to protect and safely resettle all Afghan Sikhs and Hindus.

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Videos posted on social media showed plumes of black smoke rising from the temple in Kabuls Bagh-e Bala neighborhood and gunfire could be heard.

Kabul police said the gunfight with the militants ended after the last attacker was killed several hours after the assault began. They said one Sikh was killed and seven others were wounded in the attack and a Taliban security force was killed during the rescue operation. It was unclear how many IS militants were involved or how many were killed in the gunbattle with the Taliban.

Earlier this month, Indian officials held talks with the Taliban in Kabul for the first time since the group took control of the country last year on the distribution of humanitarian aid. The Indian delegation was led by J.P. Singh, a secretary in the External Affairs Ministry.

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It wasnt immediately clear whether J.P. Singh was the Hindu the IS referred to in its statement or what comments he might have made that provoked the IS attack. It was also unclear why the extremist organization would target a Sikh temple in retaliation for comments made by an Indian official.

Narendra Modi, Indias prime minister, tweeted late Saturday: Shocked by the cowardly terrorist attack against the Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul.

Modi added, I condemn this barbaric attack, and pray for the safety and well-being of the devotees

An Islamic State group affiliate, known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province or IS-K, has been operating in Afghanistan since 2014. It is seen as the greatest security challenge facing the countrys Taliban rulers, who seized power in Kabul and elsewhere in the country last August. They have launched a sweeping crackdown against the IS in eastern Afghanistan.

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In March 2020, a lone IS gunman rampaged through a different Sikh temple in Kabul, killing 25 worshippers, including a child, and wounding eight others. As many as 80 worshippers were trapped inside the gurdwara as the gunman lobbed grenades and fired an automatic rifle into the crowd.

The Sikh Coalition has advocated for the resettlement of Afghan Sikhs and Hindus since the 2020 attack. During his presidential campaign, President Joe Biden supported resettlement for these families. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate also advocated for resettlement. Despite these shows of support, however, little has been done to help Afghan Sikhs and Hindus to leave the country or assist those temporarily evacuated to nations including India.

There were less than 700 Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan at the time of the 2020 attack. Since then, dozens of families have left but many cannot financially afford to move and have remained in Afghanistan, mainly in Kabul, Jalalabad and Ghazni.

___

Associated Press reporter Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.

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QUETTA, Pakistan  Gunmen attacked a police post in Pakistans insurgency hit southwestern Baluchistan province, killing two constables, and floodwaters washed away a passenger van killing four women and a child, officials said Sunday. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia's war in Ukraine. ArrowRight Police officer Aziz Jamali said the gunmen fled on motorcycles after shooting the police officers at the Mundrani security post near the town of Dera Murad Jamali.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Baluch separatist groups who want independence from Pakistan have been active in the mineral- and gas-rich area.

Also on Sunday, a passenger van carrying some 17 people was washed away by flash-floodwaters following heavy rains in the district of Sibbi.

The provincial disaster management authority said in a statement that the bodies of four women and a child were found while the others were rescued. It said some of the saved people were injured and transported to a hospital for treatment.

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Kay Lanceley is under no illusion. Her role as key advisor on a retrospective exhibition of work by Colin Lanceley, her late husband, comes with a burden of personal gravity.

Its my last hurrah  the last thing I can do for Colin, Kay says.

Kay Lanceley has advised the National Art School ahead of an exhibition of work by her late husband, Colin Lanceley. Credit:Kate Geraghty

At 84, she can certainly lay claim to unique qualifications for the job. She was with the artist every day for 50 years.

The National Art School in Darlinghurst will honour its alumnus and former teacher with Colin Lanceley: Earthly Delights which will run from June 24 until August 12 at the beautiful NAS Gallery.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size This story is part of the June 19 edition of Sunday Life, which is a special reading issue. See all 14 stories. From a barbecue gone awry to the devastation of European settlement, theres no shortage of heartbreak, havoc or hilarity in Australian literature. Here, we share 25 Australian novels that have made their mark in the past 25 years. From those that have broken sales records, courted controversy and challenged the status quo, to quiet achievers that have slipped off our reading lists, each of these novels are worthy of a place on our bookshelves. Literature has always been a way to understand who we are as a nation, and the last quarter of a century in novels shows how bold, innovative, brave and important our storytellers are. The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from books editor Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday. Credit: The Essence of the Thing, Madeleine St John (1997) The first novel by an Australian woman to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize follows young publicist Nicolas attempt to start again after her boyfriend unexpectedly asks her to move out of their London flat. A seemingly simple set-up enables a moving examination of relationships, love and loss. It has all the trademark wit, heart and elegance we associate with the same author of the novel-turned-movie The Women in Black.

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Credit: Too Many Men, Lily Brett (1999) This international bestseller, often described as the authors masterpiece, follows successful businesswoman Ruth Rothwaxs return to Poland with her father, an Auschwitz survivor living in Melbourne. The story is recounted from their perspectives, although the ghost of a dead Nazi, Rudolf HOss, makes some interesting interventions. Its a heartbreaking tale told with a tender comedic touch, and one that deserves to be better known. Credit: True History of the Kelly Gang, Peter Carey (2000) Ned Kelly makes his own myths for once in the Booker Prize-winning novel which, despite the promise of its title, is a fictional take on the life of Australias most famous bushranger. Whether Kelly usually interests you as a subject or not, hes never felt so alive as in this story, which is a masterclass in voice, language and character  for example the way Careys Kelly always uses the word adjectival as a substitute for swearing. Credit:

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Drylands, Thea Astley (2000) Along with Tim Winton, Astley has won the most Miles Franklin awards, including for her 14th and final novel Drylands. A dark portrait of decline in drought-stricken outback Australia, the story follows newsagent Janet Deakin as she attempts to write a book for the worlds last reader. The themes of natural disaster, poverty, racism, small-mindedness and the economic crisis faced by many rural towns remain as relevant today. Credit: Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks (2001) Set in 1666 in a tiny northern English village hit by the bubonic plague, Brooks debut novel was inspired by a true story. We watch through the eyes of young housemaid Anna Frith as the desperate villagers choose to isolate themselves and turn to witch-hunting and sorcery to survive the plague. Year of Wonders has made a welcome return to readers shelves in the past two years and is a good re-frame of what weve endured with COVID-19. Credit: Of a Boy, Sonya Hartnett (2002)

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The mysterious disappearance of three siblings who set out for ice-cream and dont return is the backdrop of a story told from the perspective of nine-year-old Adrian and set in Australian suburbia in 1977. Lonely, shy and desperate for love, Adrian has a distressing family life. He is most shocked after the trio disappear, that an ordinary child could be worth taking or wanting, a desirable thing. Its sad, beautiful and poignant. Credit: The Bride Stripped Bare, Nikki Gemmell (2003) Raw but real, explicit but exquisite, The Bride Stripped Bare caused great chatter about the authors identity when it was first published anonymously. The unflinching story consists of a series of diary entries written by an unnamed housewife as she recounts the lessons she has learnt. The seemingly contented narrator embarks on a journey of sexual awakening when she has an affair with a man she meets at a library group. Credit: The Great Fire, Shirley Hazzard (2003) More than two decades after publishing The Transit of Venus, this story set in the devastating aftermath of the Second World War was the authors fourth and final novel. The tale starts with British war veteran Adrian Leith, who is sent to occupied Japan to document the effects of the war two years after the bombing of Hiroshima. The novel won the US National Book Award for Fiction and the Miles Franklin award.

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Credit: The Secret River, Kate Grenville (2005) The story follows convict William Thornhill who is sent to the fledgling colony in Australia. After he is pardoned, he attempts to set up on land on the banks of the Hawkesbury River with his wife, Sal, and children. But it was never his land to take, and tensions between the Indigenous owners and white colonisers simmer and boil. The book provoked controversy on several fronts on publication, including ruffling the feathers of historians. Credit: The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (2005) More than 16 million copies sold, more than 500 weeks leading the The New York Times bestseller list, translated into more than 60 languages and transformed into a Hollywood blockbuster  of course The Book Thief would appear on a list of novels that made their mark. Set in Nazi Germany, young Liesel discovers a passion for reading when she finds The Gravediggers Handbook in the snow. A book about love, and the love of books. Credit:

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A senior NSW minister says the state government should consider using more private capital to bankroll its major infrastructure pipeline as new analysis suggests close to $50 billion worth of big projects can be financed privately.

As the NSW government prepares to push back several mega projects amid rising construction costs and wider economic uncertainty, the state is being urged to consider using more private cash, including superannuation, to deliver on its big building promises.

Close to $50 billion worth of projects in NSW could use private funding, according to new research. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, an industry think tank, estimates $48 billion worth of projects could be built using private capital in NSW, and $83 billion nationally.

Infrastructure Minister Rob Stokes said he was open to the idea of using private sector money to finance the states big builds if it made sense.
Australia should demand the freedom of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange by citing the precedent set when the United States pardoned others for revealing state secrets, former NSW premier and foreign minister Bob Carr has said in a new call on his federal Labor colleagues.

The call sets out an argument for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to persuade United States President Joe Biden to release Assange in the same way former president Barack Obama pardoned Chelsea Manning, who released classified information to WikiLeaks while she was a US Army intelligence analyst.

Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2017. On Friday, the British government ordered his extradition to the US. Credit:AP

Manning, the American who slipped the material to Assange, goes free while the Australian who published it faces extradition, trial in Virginia and the rest of his life in cruel confinement in a high-security prison, likely on the plains of Oklahoma, Carr wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Monday.

In the context of Australias role as an ally  the heft we deliver for the US empire  a decision to let Assange walk free rates about five minutes of President Bidens Oval Office attention.
States will gain the right to decide whether coal and gas will be part of a national scheme to reward power generators who can meet the urgent need for new electricity supplies, with the peak energy regulator saying Australia must build 50 times the capacity of the original Snowy Hydro scheme by 2050.

The dramatic call will clear the way for NSW to include gas in the new capacity mechanism in the hope of developing the Narrabri coal seam gas field in the north of the state, while Victoria could insist on keeping coal and gas out of the scheme in favour of renewable energy.

An anti-Santos rally in Sydney in April. Credit:Rhett Wyman

The Energy Security Board will unveil the draft plan on Monday with options for every jurisdiction to go its own way on the subsidies to be offered to generators who can guarantee capacity in the national electricity market after the shock to supply and prices this winter.

But the draft plan does not say how much the payments would be worth to generators, how much consumers would have to pay through their energy bills, when the scheme would start or how each jurisdiction would impose unique rules on each section of the east coast electricity grid.
Washington: After three public hearings spanning almost six hours, the congressional committee investigating the US Capitol attack made its most forceful case yet of potential criminality against Donald Trump.

Having foreshadowed for days that the former presidents bid to overturn the 2020 election was much more than just an assault on democracy  and that it was actually illegal  the January 6 committee last Thursday presented the most damning evidence so far.

Supporters of Donald Trump gathered outside the US Capitol before the January 6 insurrection. The committee has heard that Trump summoned the mob. Credit:AP

The hearings had already heard that after losing the November 2020 election, Trump was repeatedly told by top White House aides and attorneys that his bid to overturn his defeat was unlawful.

Despite knowing this, Trump continued to pressure his then vice president Mike Pence to stop Joe Bidens election victory from being certified by Congress on January 6. Pence, well aware that he did not have the authority to do what his boss was asking, resisted.
05:33:20 AM

Today

Becoming mostly clear, cooler, and comfier.

Tonight

Becoming mostly clear, cooler, and comfier.

Tomorrow

Mostly sunny and comfortable with low humidity.
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WINNIPEG BEACH  The rod twitches lightly and Eric Labaupa jumps out of his seat. The telltale sign of a nibble. He pulls up to set the hook and starts reeling.

WINNIPEG BEACH  The rod twitches lightly and Eric Labaupa jumps out of his seat. The telltale sign of a nibble. He pulls up to set the hook and starts reeling.

"Ah, its just a small one," he says, the excitement dropping from his voice before the fish breaks the surface. When youve been fishing as long as Labaupa, its easy to tell when youve got a keeper on the line.

After a photo and a quick inspection, he tosses the young sauger back into the murky brown water. Today, hes on the hunt for walleye  or pickerel, as the mild freshwater fish is often marketed.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS On a recent sunny day on Lake Winnipeg, the key ingredient to Eric Labaupas Ginataan na Walleye started out elusive.

Walleye is the ideal local substitute for one of his favourite meals: Ginataan na Isda. In the Philippines, the dish, which means "done with coconut milk" in Tagalog, is typically made with milkfish or tilapia poached in coconut milk and aromatics.

Its a calm sunny day on Lake Winnipeg, but so far the key ingredient is proving elusive. Walleye are usually an easy catch in the lakes south basin this time of year, when their appetites are on overdrive after the spring spawn.

Click to Expand For the love of home cooking Homemade is a regular feature celebrating recipies and home cooking in Manitoba. This fall, the Free Press is publishing a community cookbook of the same name to mark the papers 150th anniversary. Visit wfp.to/homemade to find out more about the project and join our Facebook group for discussions, recipe swapping and event updates.

There are a handful of boats on the water and no one seems to be having much luck. Labaupa consults a map and adjusts his fish finder before disengaging the electric anchor and scooting off to a new spot. Its OK that the fish arent biting. The chase is part of the fun.

"If you caught fish every time, I dont think Id be as addicted," he says.

Labaupa, 43, was practically born fishing. A famous family story is the time his dad, Franco, took his infant son out to St. Norbert for a fishing trip. Franco and his friend spent the day casting off the riverbank, while baby Eric hung out in the car, safe from the swarms of mosquitoes.

"They would take turns coming up to the car to check on me he got in trouble for that," Labaupa says, laughing. "But thats how addicted he was and I guess I just fed off of that."

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Patience is rewarded, most of the time. If you caught fish every time, I dont think Id be as addicted, says Eric Labaupa.

From that point on, nearly every weekend of his childhood was spent fishing on the Red River with Franco. The Saturday morning wake-up call came at 6 a.m. and Labaupa would fall back asleep in the minivan on the way to their destination  Maple Grove, North Perimeter Park and Lockport were frequent haunts. His mom and younger sister often joined in and the family would while away the hours on the shore (Franco refused to get a boat for fear of capsizing). If the fish were biting, they enjoyed their haul for dinner that evening. Walleye, spiced with ginger and tamarind, was a prized catch.

Fishing is still a family affair for Labaupa; although, outings usually start a tad later these days, "Im more a crack-of-nine guy now," he says. His wife and three kids are all talented anglers and his social media feed is full of family members posing with giant catfish, goldeye and pike pulled from local waterways (his handle, @eric_onthe_red, is an homage to his favourite river).

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A famous Labaupa family story is the time his dad took infant son Eric out to St. Norbert for a fishing trip, leaving him in the car and checking him periodically. Thats how addicted he was and I guess I just fed off of that, says Labaupa.

Labaupa has also managed to turn a beloved pastime into a career. Back in the boat, he points out the lures, lifejackets, rods and fishing electronics he promotes as a sales representative for different outdoor brands. The kit is a far cry from the makeshift stick and bobber he learned to fish with. His hat and shirt are emblazoned with the logo for his angling media company, Kickerfish, and he runs and competes in tournaments across the province.

Five years ago, Labaupa founded the Filipino-Canadian Anglers Association of Manitoba with hopes of making the local fishing scene a more welcoming place. The group was a direct response to the alienation he felt in other associations.

"They were some of the worst experiences, you go there (to learn) and youre not welcome at all," he says. "It was very hard to win them over, it wasnt fun."

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS For members of the Filipino community in Manitoba, fishing is a huge thing, if you dont fish youre almost looked at like youre weird, Eric Labaupa says.

Today, the membership includes more than 200 households with interest growing in other provinces. Its just a fraction of the provinces large Filipino fishing community.

"Its a huge thing, if you dont fish youre almost looked at like youre weird," Labaupa says. "The Philippines are all islands, so the water is in our blood. It just comes naturally to us over here."

By the end of our day on the lake, there are three suitably sized walleye in the well and a dozen or so smaller fish that have been caught and released. Its more than enough meat for Ginataan na Walleye.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Eric Labaupa has turned a beloved pastime into a career as a sales representative for different outdoor brands and via his angling media company, Kickerfish.

Labaupa preps the ingredients for the dish  ginger, onion, Thai chilies and greens  with chef-like precision, wiping down his stove and kitchen counter in between each step. Its a habit he picked up during one of his previous careers as a sous chef.

Prior to becoming a champion angler and fishing influencer, Labaupa worked in animation, served as a reservist with the army, cooked at a fly-in fishing lodge in northern Ontario, ran campaigns for local politicians and spent more than a decade in youth corrections. The latter is what prompted him to look for a lighter line of work.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Eric Labaupa cooks up the walleye he caught for his favourite family walleye recipe at his home.

"Its a very dark place," he says of working at the Manitoba Youth Centre. "There was a suicide epidemic going on and so for my mental health, I dediced to chase the dream."

Standing over the pot of boiling coconut milk and lightly fried fish, Labaupa is back where that dream started  preparing a meal for his family with the spoils of another day spent doing what he loves. Fittingly, like everything else, Ginataan na Walleye is a recipe he learned from his dad.

Ginataan na Walleye

Submitted by Eric Labaupa

Ingredients

1/2 of a red onion, sliced

6 cloves garlic, pressed

One finger of ginger, peeled and sliced

2 cans (700 ml) coconut milk

6 red Thai chili peppers, whole

One bunch of yu choy or spinach (or other green)

2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)

2 whole walleye, cleaned, scaled and cut into steaks

1 tbsp sea salt

Cooking oil

Directions

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RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS In the Philippines, Ginataan na Isda  which means done with coconut milk in Tagalog  is typically made with milkfish or tilapia poached in coconut milk and aromatics.

Salt the walleye steaks in a bowl, ensuring the salt is rubbed in to all the pieces. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes so the fish can absorb the salt. Heat cooking oil in deep frying pan or wok. Fry the fish until lightly browned on all sides. Remove from oil and drain by placing on a rack or on paper towel on a dish.

In a medium-sized pot, heat two tablespoons of cooking oil. Saute the onions, garlic, and ginger until they are aromatic. Add the coconut milk and chili peppers and bring to a light boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the coconut milk reduces to slightly thick consistency. An option is to add some water or fish/lobster stock to create the desired consistency and flavour. Avoid breaking the peppers to achieve some heat without being overpowering. Of course, you can slice or break them up to make the dish spicier. Add two tablespoons of fish sauce and adjust to taste. Add the walleye steaks and yu choy, cover and simmer for five minutes.

Serve with jasmine white rice or whatever your rice preference is.

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney
DALLAS (AP)  After Opal Lee led hundreds in a walk through her Texas hometown to celebrate Juneteenth this weekend, the 95-year-old Black woman who helped successfully push for the holiday to get national recognition said it's important that people learn the history behind it.

Members of the Acres Homes community wave at horse riders participating in the Mayor Turner's 9th Annual Juneteenth Parade, Saturday, June 18, 2022, in Houston. (Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via AP)

DALLAS (AP)  After Opal Lee led hundreds in a walk through her Texas hometown to celebrate Juneteenth this weekend, the 95-year-old Black woman who helped successfully push for the holiday to get national recognition said it's important that people learn the history behind it.

We need to know so people can heal from it and never let it happen again, said Lee, whose 2 1/2-mile (4-kilometer) walk through Fort Worth symbolizes the 2 1/2 years it took after President Abraham Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in the Southern states for the enslaved people in Texas to be freed.

A year after President Joe Biden signed legislation making June 19 the nation's 12th federal holiday, people across the U.S. gathered at events filled with music, food and fireworks. Celebrations also included an emphasis on learning about history and addressing racial disparities. Many Black people celebrated the day just as they did before any formal recognition.

Members of Willie O'Ree Academy and Pittsburgh I.C.E. sit on the Penguin's float during the Juneteenth Voting Rights Parade lineup on Saturday, June 18, 2022, in Pittsburgh. Willie O'Ree Academy, an ice hockey training program for young Black players, and Pittsburgh I.C.E., Inclusion Creates Equality, were invited to ride on the Penguin's float in the parade from Freedom Corner to Point State Park. (Ariana Shchuka/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to order freedom for the enslaved people of the state  two months after the Confederacy had surrendered in the Civil War.

Great nations dont ignore their most painful moments, Biden said in a statement Sunday. They confront them to grow stronger. And that is what this great nation must continue to do.

A Gallup Poll found that Americans are more familiar with Juneteenth than they were last year, with 59% saying they knew a lot or some about the holiday compared with 37% a year ago in May. The poll also found that support for making Juneteenth part of school history lessons increased from 49% to 63%.

Yet many states have been slow to designate it as an official holiday. Lawmakers in Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and elsewhere failed to advance proposals this year that would have closed state offices and given most of their public employees paid time off.

Angel McCambry, left, and Na'ilah Bakare pose for a photo during the "Downtown at Sundown" event hosted by the Johnson County Iowa Juneteenth Commemoration, Friday, June 17, 2022, at Chauncey Swan Park in Iowa City, Iowa. (Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via AP)

Celebrations in Texas included one at a Houston park created 150 years ago by a group of formerly enslaved men who bought the land. At times, it was the only public park available in the area to the Black community, according to the conservancys website.

They wanted a place that they could not only have their celebration, but they could do other things during the year as a community, said Jacqueline Bostic, vice chairwoman of the board for the Emancipation Park Conservancy and the great-granddaughter of one of the park's founders, the Rev. Jack Yates.

This weekend's celebration included performances from The Isley Brothers and Kool & The Gang. In the weeks leading up to Juneteenth, the park hosted discussions on topics ranging from health care to policing to the role of green spaces.

Participants included Robert Stanton, the first African American to serve as director of the National Park Service, and Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, who grew up in the historically Black neighborhood where the park is located and whose killing by a Minneapolis police officer two years ago sparked protests worldwide.

FILE - Dancer Prescylia Mae, of Houston, performs during a dedication ceremony for the mural "Absolute Equality" in downtown Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 2021. Recognition of Juneteenth, the effective end of slavery in the U.S., gained traction after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. But after an initial burst of action, the movement to have it recognized as an official holiday in the states has largely stalled. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP, File)

As more people learn about Juneteenth, we want to harness that and use this moment as a tool to educate people about history and not just African American history but American history, said Ramon Manning, chairman of the board for the Emancipation Park Conservancy.

In Fort Worth, celebrations included the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, named for the Black cowboy who is credited with introducing bulldogging, or steer wrestling. The rodeos president and CEO, Valeria Howard Cunningham, said children often express surprise that there are real Black cowboys and cowgirls.

More young people have become involved in planning Juneteenth events, said Torrina Harris, program director for the Nia Cultural Center in Galveston, the holiday's birthplace.

Juneteenth provides an opportunity to reflect on the different practices or norms that are contradicting the values of freedom and consider how to challenge those things, Harris said.

Julien James carries his son, Maison, 4, holding a Pan-African flag to celebrate during a Juneteenth commemoration at Leimert Park in Los Angeles Saturday, June 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Some of the largest city celebrations from Los Angeles to Chicago to Miami not only touched on the history of slavery in America, but also celebrated Black culture, business and food.

In Phoenix, hundreds of people gathered for an annual event at Eastlake Park, which has been a focal point for civil rights in Arizona. The recently crowned Miss Juneteenth Arizona used her platform to speak about how she felt empowered during the state pageant, which is part of a nationwide competition that showcases and celebrates the academic and artistic achievements of Black women.

It's a moment to build up sisterhood, it's not about competing against each other for a crown, it's about celebrating Black women's intelligence and staying true to ourselves, said Shaundrea Norman, 17, whose family is from Texas and grew up knowing about Juneteenth.

Kendall McCollun, 15-year-old Teen Miss Juneteenth Arizona, said the holiday is about the fight for social justice.

People gather at Eastlake Park during an annual Juneteenth celebration in Phoenix on Saturday, June 18, 2022. The event featured dozens of businesses, food vendors and educational opportunities for community members. (AP Photo/Cheyanne Mumphrey)

We have to fight twice as hard to have the same freedoms that our ancestors fought for hundreds of years ago, she said. It's important we continue to fight for my generation, and this day is important to celebrate how far we've come."

The event featured performances by Kawambe-Omowale African Drum & Dance and speeches from politicians about ways residents could get involved in local politics as children received balloon animals and ran through Eastlake Park's playground.

In New York City, Juneteenth was celebrated across its five boroughs, with events drawing crowds that exceeded organizers expectations. In central Brooklyn, well over 7,000 people attended a food festival organized Saturday and Sunday by Black-Owned Brooklyn, a digital publication and directory of local Black businesses.

Although Juneteenth is a Black American holiday, organizers of the festival said they were intentional about including cuisines and flavors from Caribbean and West African countries. On Sunday, long lines formed from nearly every food stall, while a DJ played soulful house music for festively dressed attendees.

The idea to celebrate Juneteenth around our food culture is particularly meaningful here in Brooklyn, where we have so many Black folks who live here from across the world, said Tayo Giwa, co-creator of Black-Owned Brooklyn.

Paying tribute to it through our shared connection in the (African) diaspora, its really powerful, he said.

The event was held at the Weeksville Heritage Center, which was one of the largest Black communities for freedmen before the Civil War. Attendees were given guided tours of the grounds, which includes historic homes and other structures that were once inhabited by the communitys founders.

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For a day thats about emancipation, it only makes sense to have people gather on this land and feed each other not just with food but also spirit and soul, emotion and love, said Isa Saldana, programs and partnerships manager for the Weeksville Heritage Center.

A big part of (Juneteenth) is about learning to be free and feeling okay doing that, she said.

Jeffrey Whaley Sr. attended the festival with his three children on Sunday, which was also Fathers Day. The Staten Island, New York, native said he was hopeful that federal observances of Juneteenth would increase awareness of the Black American story in the U.S.

As each of us grows, we have to grow in the consciousness that we suffered a lot longer than theyre telling us we did, Whaley said. Its our duty to our ancestors to make sure we educate ourselves and better ourselves within this country, because this country owes us a whole lot.

___

Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee, and Aaron Morrison in New York City, contributed to this report. Mumphrey reported from Phoenix and is a member of The Associated Press Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her at https://twitter.com/cheymumph.
PARIS (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macrons centrist alliance was projected to lose its majority despite getting the most seats in the final round of parliamentary elections Sunday, while the far-right National Rally appeared to have made big gains.

A voter picks up ballots before voting in the second round of the French parliamentary election in Lyon, central France, Sunday, June 19, 2022. French voters are going to the polls in the final round of key parliamentary elections that will demonstrate how much legroom President Emmanuel Macron's party will be given to implement his ambitious domestic agenda. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

PARIS (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macrons centrist alliance was projected to lose its majority despite getting the most seats in the final round of parliamentary elections Sunday, while the far-right National Rally appeared to have made big gains.

The projections, which are based on partial results, say Macrons candidates would win between 230 and 250 seats  much less than the 289 required to have a straight majority at the National Assembly, Frances most powerful house of parliament.

The situation, which is highly unusual in France, is expected to make Macrons political maneuvering difficult if the projections are borne out.

A new coalition  made up of the hard left, the Socialists and the Greens  is expected to become the main opposition force with about 140 to 160 seats.

The National Rally is projected to register a huge surge with potentially more than 80 seats, up from eight before. Polling was held nationwide to select the 577 members of the National Assembly.

A voter picks up ballots before voting in the second round of the French parliamentary election in Lyon, central France, Sunday, June 19, 2022. French voters are going to the polls in the final round of key parliamentary elections that will demonstrate how much legroom President Emmanuel Macron's party will be given to implement his ambitious domestic agenda. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

The strong performance of both the National Rally and the leftist coalition called Nupes, led by hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, is expected to make it harder for Macron to implement the agenda he was reelected on in May, including tax cuts and raising Frances retirement age from 62 to 65.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the unprecedented situation is a risk to our country faced with challenges at the national level as well as at the international scale.

As the central force in that new Assembly ... we will work, as of tomorrow, to build an action-oriented majority," she said.

There's no alternative but gathering to guarantee our country some stability and lead the necessary reforms, she added.

Borne, who herself won a seat in western France, suggested Macron's centrist alliance will seek to get support from lawmakers from diverse political forces to find good compromises.

The National Rally's leader, Marine Le Pen, who lost to Macron in the presidential election, was reelected as MP in her stronghold of Henin-Beaumont, in northern France.

Volunteers count ballots in a polling station Sunday, June 19, 2022 in Bischeim, outside Strasbourg, eastern France. French voters are going to the polls in the final round of key parliamentary elections that will demonstrate how much legroom President Emmanuel Macron's party will be given to implement his ambitious domestic agenda. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

The Macron adventure has reached its end, Le Pen said. The group of National Rally lawmakers will be by far the biggest of the history of our political family.

Acting National Rally president Jordan Bardella compared his partys showing to a tsunami. Tonights message is that the French people made from Emmanuel Macron a minority president, he said on TF1 television.

Its the electoral failure of the Macronie, Melenchon said, criticizing "a moral failure of those people who lectured everyone non-stop and said they would block the far-right, and the main result is that they reinforced it.

Macrons government will still have the ability to rule, but only by bargaining with legislators. The centrists could try to negotiate on a case by case basis with lawmakers from the center-left and from the conservative party  with the goal of preventing opposition lawmakers from being numerous enough to reject the proposed measures.

The government could also occasionally use a special measure provided by the French Constitution to adopt a law without a vote.

Government spokesperson Olivia Gregoire said on France 2 television that weve known better evenings.

France's Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne gives a speech in Paris Sunday June 19, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance was projected to lose its majority despite getting the most seats in the final round of the parliamentary election Sunday, while the far-right National Rally appeared to have made big gains. A new coalition  made up of the hard left, the Socialists and the Greens  is projected to become the main opposition force with about 150 to 200 seats of the 577 members of the National Assembly. (Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP)

This is a disappointing top position, but still a top position," she said.

We are holding out a helping hand to all those who are OK to make that country move forward, she said, notably referring to The Republicans party, which is expected to have less seats than the far-right.

A similar situation happened in 1988 under Socialist President Francois Mitterrand, who then had to seek support from the Communists or the centrists to pass laws.

These parliamentary elections have once again largely been defined by voter apathy  with over half the electorate staying home.

Audrey Paillet, 19, who cast her ballot in Boussy-Saint-Antoine in southeastern Paris, was saddened that so few people turned out.

Some people have fought to vote. It is too bad that most of the young people dont do that," she said.

Macron had made a powerfully choreographed plea to voters earlier this week from the tarmac ahead of a trip to Romania and Ukraine, warning that an inconclusive election, or hung parliament, would put the nation in danger.

In these troubled times, the choice youll make this Sunday is more crucial than ever, he said Tuesday, with the presidential plane waiting starkly in the background ahead of a visit to French troops stationed near Ukraine. Nothing would be worse than adding French disorder to the worlds disorder, he said.

Some voters agreed, and argued against choosing candidates on the political extremes who have been gaining popularity. Others argued that the French system, which grants broad power to the president, should give more voice to the multi-faceted parliament and function with more checks on the presidential Elysee palace and its occupant.

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Im not afraid to have a National Assembly thats more split up among different parties. Im hoping for a regime thats more parliamentarian and less presidential, like you can have in other countries, said Simon Nouis, an engineer voting in southern Paris.

At the Nupes' headquarters in Paris on Sunday evening, Pierre Migozzi, a leftist supporter, said the results show French politics have been rekindled.

There is a divide between people who want to guarantee the established order (Macron), people against free-market policies who want a new world turned toward the youth (Nupes), and people who recognize themselves in the National Rally's motto of being the party of the people, he said.

The 26-year-old, who grew up in central France, expressed concern about the far-right's results, saying the National Rally is not an answer to the issues of Frances suburbs and rural areas.

___

Jade Le Deley, Masha Macpherson and Jeffrey Schaeffer contributed to this report.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  Firefighters in Spain and Germany struggled to contain wildfires on Sunday amid an unusual heat wave in Western Europe for this time of year.

Trees burn as flames and smoke engulf the top of a hill in a forest fire in Artazu, northern Spain in the early hours of Sunday, June 19, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP)  Firefighters in Spain and Germany struggled to contain wildfires on Sunday amid an unusual heat wave in Western Europe for this time of year.

The worst damage in Spain has been in the northwest province of Zamora, where over 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) have been consumed, regional authorities said, while German officials said that residents of three villages near Berlin were ordered to leave their homes because of an approaching wildfire Sunday.

Spanish authorities said that after three days of high temperatures, high winds and low humidity, some respite came with dropping temperatures Sunday morning. That allowed for about 650 firefighters supported by water-dumping aircraft to establish a perimeter around the fire that started in Zamoras Sierra de la Culebra. Authorities warned there was still danger that an unfavorable shift in weather could revive the blaze that caused the evacuation of 18 villages.

Spain has been on alert for an outbreak of intense wildfires as the country swelters under record temperatures at many points in the country for June. Experts link the abnormally hot period for Europe to climate change. Thermometers have risen above 40 C (104 F) in many Spanish cities throughout the week  temperatures usually expected in August.

A lack of rainfall this year combined with gusting winds have produced the conditions for the fires.

Smoke rises from the hills in Ujue, northern Spain, Sunday, June 19, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country which as been suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

Authorities said that gusting winds of up 70 kph (43 mph) that changed course erratically, combined with temperatures near 40 C, made it very tough for crews.

The fire was able to cross a reservoir some 500 meters wide and reach the other side, to give you an idea of the difficulties we faced, Juan Suarez-Quinones, an official for Castilla y Leon region, told Spanish state television TVE.

The fire in Zamora was started by a strike from an electrical storm on Wednesday, authorities said. The spreading fire caused the high-speed train service from Madrid to Spains northwest to be cut on Saturday. It was reestablished on Sunday morning.

Military firefighting units have been deployed in Zamora, Navarra and Lleida.

There have been no reports of lives lost, but the flames reached the outskirts of some villages both in Zamora and in Navarra. Videos shot by passengers in cars showed flames licking the sides of roads. In other villages, residents looked on in despair as black plumes rose from nearby hills.

In central-north Navarra, authorities have evacuated some 15 small villages as a precaution, as the high temperatures in the area are not expected to drop until Wednesday.

A firefighter works in the San Martin de Unx area in northern Spain, Sunday, June 19, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country which as been suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses)

They also asked farmers to stop using heavy machinery that could unintentionally spark a fire.

The situation remains delicate. We have various active fires due to the extremely high temperatures and high winds, Navarra regional vice-president Javier Remirez told TVE.

Remirez said that some villages had seen some buildings damaged on their outskirts.

Some wild animals had to be evacuated from an animal park in Navarra and taken to a bull ring for safe keeping, authorities said.

Wildfires were also active in three parts of northeast Catalonia: in Lleida, in Tarragona and in a nature park in Garaf, just south of Barcelona.

Firefighters said that 2,700 hectares (6,600 acres) were scorched in Lleida. They added that they have responded to over 200 different wildfires just in Catalonia over the past week.

Germany has also seen numerous wildfires in recent days following a period of intense heat and little rain. The countrys national weather agency said the mercury reached 39.2 C (102.6 F) in the eastern cities of Dresden and Cottbus on Sunday.

Strong winds have been fanning a blaze near the town of Treuenbrietzen, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Berlin, prompting officials to order three villages evacuated Sunday.

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About 600 people in Frohnsdorf, Tiefenbrunnen and Klausdorf were told to immediately seek shelter at a community center.

This is not a drill, town officials tweeted.

More than 1,400 firefighters, soldiers and civil defense experts were deployed to tackle the blaze, which also affected a former military training area known to be contaminated with ammunition.

Officials expressed hope late Sunday that thunderstorms moving in from the west would help put out the fires.

___

Frank Jordans contributed to this report from Berlin.
Robin Friesen is relieved he wasnt in the wrong place at the wrong time Friday afternoon.

Robin Friesen is relieved he wasnt in the wrong place at the wrong time Friday afternoon.

The 45-year-old Winnipegger regularly catches the bus to work at the corner of Salter Street and Mountain Avenue, the North End intersection where, at around 4:15 p.m. Friday, Winnipeg police opened fire and shot a male. He later died in hospital.

Friesen lives a short walk from the scene and first heard of the incident through a text from his roommate, who thought the gunshots were fireworks.

"Ive lived in this area for about a year and a half and this is the second shooting thats happened. Its an unfortunate situation and something we are getting used to at this point," he said. "My roommate said they heard three shots and texted me to let me know when they figured out what happened."

Friesen said its unsettling to know these things happen in his neighbourhood, especially during the daytime.

"I dont leave the house when I get home from work unless I really need to," he said. "When I go grocery shopping or need anything, I go to other areas of the city. There are some really great people who live in this neighbourhood, but there are also others who make it unsafe," he said.

The shooting is the latest deadly incident to occur on Winnipeg streets.

Robin Friesen lives a few blocks over from the intersection of Mountain Avenue and Salter Street. Ive lived in this area for about a year and a half and this is the second shooting thats happened. Its an unfortunate situation and something we are getting used to at this point, he said. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

The citys homicide rate sits at 25 for the year  an accelerated pace compared to recent years. As of June 15 last year, 16 people had been slain in the city, according to a Free Press analysis. In 2020, 19 homicides had been logged in that time frame.

Rai Macaranas has lived on Salter for more than 20 years and is used to the rougher side of the neighbourhood, but hes still concerned with the high crime rate.

"You learn over time not to go out at night or alone, but for this to happen during the day was a bit surprising," he said. "Its not a good feeling to have something like that happen so close to home."

Macaranas and his family have a pet dog partially to protect them and scare away potential trouble. They also keep their doors locked at all times.

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"I think a lot of the time the area might not be as bad as people think, but situations like this give it a reputation. You just need to keep an eye out at all times."

An employee of a business on Salter Street who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons said incidents like the shooting drive away customers.

"Unless you live close and its convenient, you likely wont come here and thats bad for businesses in the area. Its just as unsafe for the workers as it is for everyone else, except we have to come every day to make our living."

Winnipeg police confirmed the shooting Friday evening in a news release, but refused to provide further details Saturday.

The investigation has been turned over to the Independent Investigations Unit.

bryce.hunt@freepress.mb.ca
Winona Area Public Schools elementary students have been dedicated to being respectful, responsible and safe for the past three years.

Their hard work is now being recognized on a statewide level.

WAPS three elementary schools  Washington-Kosciusko, Jefferson and Goodview  were all recognized as 2022 Sustaining Exemplar Cohort Schools by the Minnesota Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Leadership Team.

The Minnesota PBIS Sustaining Exemplar Recognition recognizes schools that are implementing, sustaining and achieving positive outcomes through PBIS. Each school filled out an application that required outcome data, action plans, sustainability efforts and more.

PBIS was first implemented at the elementary level in WAPS in the 2019-2020 school year and has grown in popularity among students, staff and teachers. PBIS is an approach for helping schools select and organize evidence-based behavioral interventions that enhance outcomes for all students. The underlying theme is to teach behavioral expectations in the same way schools teach academic subjects.

When students regularly meet behavior expectations, the celebrations begin. Students are rewarded with orange Way to Go tickets, or called to the principals office on a Positive Office Referral. There are classroom-wide awards as well, which leads to students encouraging one another to meet behavior expectations. These classroom awards can be redeemed for things like extra recess, popcorn parties and more.

Each school also regularly recognizes staff members, which models for students that it is important to recognize and celebrate all of the people in our lives who are promoting good behaviors.

As of August 2021, 829 Minnesota schools were in training or completed the two-year cohort training. W-K, Jefferson and Goodview were three of the 46 schools statewide to be recognized as a Sustaining Exemplar Cohort School.

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Click the photo and watch the video.

* Chinese President Xi Jinping has led resolute combat against desertification, with "a historic change" made amid the country's passionate exploring for ways to curb the expansion of deserts.

* Xi, who knows desertification control well, has always emphasized the holistic conservation and restoration of mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, grassland, and desert ecosystems. Under his thoughts, China has been prominent globally in combating desertification and actively contributing to the global sand control.

* "We do everything we can to conserve the ecological system, intensify pollution prevention and control, and improve the living and working environment for our people," Xi has said.

BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua)  President Xi Jinping has led resolute combat against desertification, with "a historic change" made amid the country's passionate exploring for ways to curb the expansion of deserts.

More than half of China's manageable desertification land has been restored over the past decade, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) said on Friday, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

A historic change happened simultaneously. People were no longer forced into a corner by the desertification but managed to contain it through afforestation.

The desertified land area in China has been reduced by more than 4.33 million hectares since 2012. A series of significant projects gradually built a green ecological barrier along the sandstorm line in northern China. In particular, the three primary sandy areas of Maowusu, Hunshandake, and Horqin, and the surrounding areas of the Kubuqi Desert, have been transformed into an oasis.

Sand control workers make straw checkerboard barriers in the Baijitan national ecological reserve of Lingwu on the southwest edge of Maowusu Desert, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 16, 2022. [Xinhua/Yang Zhisen]

Such achievements came along as President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to adopt a holistic approach to the conservation and restoration of mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, grassland, and desert ecosystems.

He emphasized bringing "deserts" into the work for ecological conservation when joining a deliberation with national lawmakers from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 2021.

China has bolstered sand control credentials by making tremendous efforts to improve relevant laws, exploring new techniques, and launching greening projects.

Xi personally walks the talk, devotes himself to the groundwork, and pushes the agenda in person.

Knowing Desertification Control Well

Sand control is always a topic during Xi's discussions with lawmakers from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region during the country's annual national legislative meetings.

He urged the region boasting of forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and deserts to take an integrated approach to improve local ecology in 2019 and debriefed a lawmaker last year on preventing deserts in Bayannur from encroaching the Yellow River in the east.

During these discussions, he underlined the importance of creating top-level designs in ecological treatment and doing good research work, warning that inadequacy could lead to results poles apart from what was supposed to be achieved.

Xi has conducted multiple field trips to areas severely hit by sand damage, including Ningxia, Gansu, and Hebei.

During a 2019 visit to Babusha Forest Farm in the northwestern province of Gansu, he joined local people plowing the sandy land. Using a trench digger skillfully, Xi plowed a two-meter-long trench in the sandy area with the workers in a few moments.

Babusha Forest Farm, located in northwest China's Gansu Province, had long been plagued by severe sandstorms. After years of sand control, the dry and barren land is now covered by vegetation.

Guo Xi (L), sand control worker of Babusha Forest Farm, makes straw checkerboard sand barriers in Gulang County, northwest China's Gansu Province, March 6, 2020. [Xinhua/Fan Peishen]

Seeing the enormous transformation in this place, Xi praised the workers as "modern-day Yu Gong" for their persistent efforts in controlling sand and transforming the desert into an oasis. Yu Gong, the protagonist of an ancient folktale, determinedly tried to move mountains blocking the path in front of his home and eventually succeeded.

When the president delivered his New Year's speech in 2020, Guo Wangang, a worker from the forest farm, felt a warm flow through his heart as he saw on the screen the picture he had taken with the president and other farm workers on the bookshelf in the back.

Like Babusha Forest Farm, green miracles have been seen in many other deserts in the country over the years. Thanks to afforestation efforts, 64 million hectares of trees have been planted in China over the past decade. The country's forest coverage has reached 23.04 percent, up 2.68 percentage points from 2012.

Earlier data showed the area of desertified land in the country has shrunk by an annual average of 242,400 hectares. It indicates a reversal from the late 1990s when desertified land expanded by 1.04 million hectares annually.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 22, 2021 shows the scenery of Saihanba forest farm in north China's Hebei Province. [Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan]

Contributing to a Green World

Desertification remains one of the most pressing issues facing humankind. Data shows that more than 2 billion people from 167 countries and regions are still under desertification threat.

Thanks to years of sand control efforts, China has been quite prominent globally, with the Kubuqi Desert being an excellent case.

The Kubuqi Desert is China's seventh-largest desert, situated in Inner Mongolia autonomous region. About 30 years ago, the desert was a "sea of death" for even birds. The constant expansion of the desert forced many people to migrate. Those who remained lived mostly under the poverty line.

But years of greening efforts made more than 646,000 hectares of desert lush green, with restored biodiversity and noticeably improved ecology. These efforts also lifted more than 100,000 people out of poverty.

In 2015, the Kubuqi afforestation community won the Champions of the Earth award, the highest environmental honor of the United Nations.

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 14, 2020 shows a view of Kubuqi Desert in Dalad Banner of Ordos, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Xinhua/Lian Zhen]

"Containing desertification in the Kubuqi desert offers China's experience in environmental treatment as well as achieving the 2030 Agenda goals," Xi said in a congratulatory letter to the 7th Kubuqi International Desert Forum in 2019.

The Kubuqi model has been the epitome of China's years of exploration in scientific desertification control. Over decades, China has enacted laws to prevent and control desertification. These include the world's first law to tackle desertification and the ban on natural forest logging, building a green barrier in the legal system.

Key ecological projects, including protecting shelterbelt and natural forests, especially those in the northwest, northeast, and northern China and along the Yangtze River, have also been carried out, turning more barren soil into oases.

In addition, China actively fulfilled its obligations under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, carried out exchanges and cooperation with Belt and Road countries, and established an international knowledge management center for desertification prevention and control.

Aerial photo taken on July 14, 2021 shows the Arxan Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) in the Arxan National Forest Park, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Xinhua/Lian Zhen]

"We do everything we can to conserve the ecological system, intensify pollution prevention and control, and improve the living and working environment for our people," Xi said at the Annual Meeting 2022 of the World Economic Forum.

Looking forward, China will continue to ban the use of the most vulnerable desertified lands, strengthen the development of national desert parks, and optimize the compensation system for desert ecological protection.

By 2025, China will have a total of 2 million hectares of desertified land sealed off for protection, with more than 6 million hectares of sandy land newly treated and 1.3 million hectares of rocky-desertification land harnessed, said the NFGA.

Video reporters: Su Chuanyi, Tang Yameng, Zhao Qian, Ma Sijia, Dong Bohan; video editor: Yang Zhixiang, Luo Hui, Yin Le

(Source: Xinhua)
Pacific Grove is a charming California town on the Monterey Bay coast. It is recognized for its beautiful beaches, monarch butterflies, diversified marine life, purple ice plants, and well-designed buildings. Whether you are searching for an exciting adventure or a quiet holiday, this seaside city is the perfect place to visit.

Geography Of Pacific Grove

Pacific Grove, California.

The community is situated between Pebble Beach and Monterey, two well-known neighbors. Carmel-by-the-Sea is the next city to the south, five miles away, while Big Sur is 30 miles away. Pacific Grove, approximately one and a half hours south of San Francisco, is a popular vacation destination for San Francisco Bay Area residents. The city has a total area of 4.0 square miles, according to the US Census Bureau (10 km2). It is made up of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2) of land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) of water (28.42 %).

History Of Pacific Grove

Pacific Grove started off as a Methodist Christian coastal resort. In 1874, Methodist minister Reverend J.W. Ross and his wife toured the region and concluded that it would be a suitable place for a projected Methodist Retreat. Pacific Grove's pine, oak, and cypress trees, as well as a diverse array of natural flora and flowers, made it an appealing camping destination. The Pacific Grove Retreat Association was established on June 1, 1875, in San Francisco to manage the Christian Seaside Resort at Pacific Grove. The Retreat area was built on property donated by the Pacific Improvement Company and David Jacks. This Retreat Region, as surveyed by St. John Cox at the time, included the area between the Bay and Lighthouse Avenue and First Street and Pacific Avenue.

Pacific Grove was intended to be a "retreat" for a few weeks in the summer, a tent encampment rather than a city of houses, according to the founders. For fifty dollars, a 30-by-60-foot lot with adequate room for a tent was sold. During the first year, twelve to fifteen wood-framed tents were erected to accommodate around fifty individuals. The area between Eighteenth Street and Grand Avenue became a tent city in the following summers. At the end of each summer, the tents were pulled down and preserved in Chautauqua Hall, but the wooden frames were left standing. Pacific Grove was established as a city in 1889, with 1300 permanent people and a one-square-mile area.

Climate

The climate of Pacific Grove is moderate all year, similar to that of adjacent Monterey, with most of the rain occurring from November to April. Extreme temperatures are uncommon, and fog is widespread throughout the year, especially late at night and early in the morning. Summers in this region are warm and dry, with no average monthly temperatures exceeding 71.6 F. According to the Koppen Climate Classification system, Pacific Grove has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate.

Population And Economy Of Pacific Grove

Street in Pacific Grove, Monterey, California, USA

According to the most recent US Census estimates, the current population of Pacific Grove, California, is 15,191. The city's population is now dropping at a -0.48 % yearly pace, but it has climbed by 0.73 % since the 2010 census, which reported a population of 15,081. Pacific Grove has a median age of 48.9 years, 45.9 years for men, and 51.7 years for women.

Between 2014 and 2019, the workforce in Monterey County grew by 3%, while total employment rose by 5%, adding 10,700 new jobs yearly and lowering the unemployment rate by 2.8%, from 10.3% in 2014 to 6.2% in 2019. Tourism is a major economic engine in Pacific Grove, and many old homes have been turned into bed and breakfast inns and restaurants.

The "Magic Carpet"

Bright pink ice plant "carpet" on the Pacific Grove, California, coastline.

The ice plant, also known as the "Magic Carpet," is a Pacific Grove phenomenon. It usually appears in mid-April and completely covers the shoreline in bright pink colors by the early and middle weeks of May, lasting into June. Despite popular perception, the Ice Plant was transported to California from Sought Africa only in the early 1900s and was planted along railroads and subsequently highways for soil stability. The plant produces gorgeous pink flowers and blooms so profusely during peak season that it appears like a pink carpet. Pink spots fill the rocky shore bordered by the azure ocean. During the peak season of May, sites like Pacific Grove, particularly Lover's Point Park, are highly recommended.

The Monarch Butterflies Of Pacific Grove

Monarch Butterflies cluster together on the pines and eucalyptus trees during their migration to overwinter in Monarch Grove Sanctuary, Pacific Grove.

Thousands of fluttering monarch butterflies descend from the north every October and are sheltered by a particular microclimate of eucalyptus trees and Monterey pines. Since 1939, Pacific Grove has welcomed their arrival with a Butterfly Parade, including schoolchildren costumed in wings. A municipal law authorizes a $1,000 punishment from 1939 for hurting a butterfly in any way. Pacific Grove residents have a rich history of caring for their butterfly visitors and take their conservation very seriously.

The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Association has a Butterfly Docents program that welcomes guests and gives information on monarch butterflies during "habitat chats." Local volunteers are busy rebuilding the monarch butterfly habitat at Pacific Grove. Residents working together, planting, weeding, and watering, have added hundreds of additional trees and blooming nectar plants. The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History Association and its volunteers work hard to guarantee that their community remains a safe haven for monarch butterflies.
No Ifs. No Butts, Wrexham Council joins national campaign cracking down in illegal tobacco sales

Wrexham Council has joined a new national campaign to put a stop to the sale of illegal tobacco in Wales.

The Welsh Governments No Ifs. No Butts aims to encourage people to step forward and allow Trading Standards to do what they do best and remove illegal tobacco from our communities and away from our children, family, and friends.

The illegal sale of tobacco puts cigarettes in the hands of children, as well as harming public health, local businesses, and can contribute to serious organised crime.

llegal tobacco takes all shapes and forms and refers to illegal cigarettes and rolling tobacco pouches. The most common forms are:

Cheap genuine tobacco smuggled into the UK with no-duty paid (packages often display foreign languages and a lack of health warnings).

Counterfeits or fakes, which look like well-known brands but are made illegally.

Cheap whites, which are mass produced in one country and smuggled into another.

Cigarettes sold individually instead of in packets.

The list is pretty big, but if you are unsure, please report it.

Illegal sellers use many methods to sell illegal tobacco. The most common avenues of selling are:

Shops

Private homes

Pubs and clubs

Social media

Car-boots

On the street

A good indicator if tobacco is illegal, is the packaging. If packing is not in English, and if packaging is not plain green and has a lack of health warnings, this usually indicates that it is illegal. Also, cheap prices and unknown brands are also big giveaway.

Roger Mapleson, Trading Standards and Licensing Lead, said Smoking seriously damages health and illegal tobacco traders dont think twice about selling to children.

If you know someone dealing in this product please report it using the link below and help drive this trade out of Wrexham.

You can report anyone selling illegal tobacco online anonymously here.
Claudia, the preachers wife, recently told a story about a dog they once had named Bopper, which was short for something like Sir Oregano of Boppington.

He was just a muttly Beagle-type dog, Claudia said. We just wanted him to sound important. But no one liked him much. He was pretty surly most of the time.

One day, she continued, Phillip came home and said, I think I just saw Bopper out on the highway. Phillip is Claudias husband.

What was he doing? Claudia asked.

Laying in the road, was Phillips answer.

While trying to decide what to do next the phone rang and when Phillip answered the person on the other end said, I think I just saw Bopper out on the highway.

Now having confirmation, Phillip headed out to get poor Bopper, and when he returned home, he and Claudia and their seven children had a funeral for their less-than-lovable pet in the back yard.

Then, a week or so later, the family was having a meal at the kitchen table. It was by a window, which looked out into the back yard.

Next door to us there lived two big dogs, I think they were Australian Wolfhounds or something, Claudia said.

I looked out and noticed they were digging by the fence but didnt pay much attention. But then after a few minutes I looked up again and they were now in our yard and digging where we had recently buried poor Bopper. Thankfully, I was the only one so far who was witnessing what was happening. Phillips back was to the window and I told him calmly but firmly to shut the blinds. He looked at me strangely and didnt answer. At this point the dogs were digging much faster and were already pretty deep. I knew it was just a matter of seconds. Shut the blinds NOW honey, I said again while trying to remain composed and not yell. But he just seemed more confused. By then it was too late anyway, the dogs had what they wanted, and I yelled, Shut the blinds, shut the blinds, for Gods sake shut the blinds!!!

Phillip turned around, and when he saw the scene of the two hounds running through the yard with what was left of poor Bopper, he let out a scream.

This caused all the children to look out the window and let out screams. All I could do was let out a scream too, Claudia said. Which ended her tale of poor Bopper.

***

My friend Fred in Fayetteville, Arkansas, excitedly called one night last week to tell me he had just seen a kangaroo walking with its owner up Maple Street.

How do you know it was his owner? I asked.

Well who else could it have been? Fred replied.

I dont know, maybe a drinking buddy, or a distant relative.

Fred ignored me as usual, seeming more interested that the kangaroo was walking rather than hopping.

It was also Fred who told me, a few months back, about seeing a humongous turtle crossing Old Wire Road not far from Paradise Valley. When he mentioned it to his co-worker Melissa Carroll, she reasoned that it had probably escaped from the zoo.

Fred said, Yeah Melissa, thats probably it. But youre forgetting one thing, Fayetteville doesnt have a zoo.

No but Tulsa does, Melissa snapped back.

Oh, that makes sense, said Fred, Twenty-five or thirty years ago this giant turtle busted out of the Tulsa Zoo and began walking to Fayetteville. Thanks for clearing that up.

Or perhaps it hitched a ride with a kangaroo.
Q: Whats the story behind the historic house at 300 Kirkland St. in Abbeville?

A: The Kennedy House (also known as the Bethune-Kennedy House) was built around 1870 by Dr. William Calvin Bethune, a prominent doctor who had been a lieutenant colonel in the Fifty-seventh Alabama Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. The house was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1976 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

According to the NRHP nomination form, the house is a fine example of a late Creole cottage. An Encyclopedia of Alabama article on the house says the Creole-cottage style was common on the Gulf Coast but extremely rare inland.

The one-and-a-half story, braced frame structure has a gabled roof, end-exterior chimneys and a full width recessed gallery, the form says. Four square columns with Doric capitals support a deep frieze and a simple cornice. Pilasters terminate the gallery which is of shiplap siding, while the remainder of the structure is finished with clapboard.

Bethune apparently occupied the house only a few years, the form says. It changed hands three times prior to being purchased by Walter K. Stokes in 1878. Stokes retained the structure for seven years, selling it to William and Mollie Kennedy in 1885.

The Kennedy family owned and farmed land in rural Henry County, but chose to occupy this house near the center of the countys largest town, according to the form.

The house remained in the Kennedy family until 1974 when it was acquired by the Henry County Board of Education.

In 1976, the Encyclopedia of Alabama article says, the board planned on demolishing the house to make room for the crowded Abbeville Middle School nearby.

Few people in the community were concerned over the then-derelict building, though County Superintendent William Covington supported attempts to save the house, the article says. The Henry County Historical Society and its president, William Nordan, for whom the History Room at the Abbeville Memorial Library is named, also sought to save the historic house and launched efforts to draw attention to the historic significance of the home.

Nordans interest led him to Cheryle Webster, a transplant to Abbeville who had recently renovated another historic home on Kirkland Street with her husband.

Webster and Nordan were successful in rallying local interest, and Webster was able to gather other women from local clubs into forming the Community Improvement Council, the article says. The Abbeville City Council then allocated $1,000 to the council to help save the home.

The Community Improvement Council bought the home for use as a community center in 1976.

In 1978, Abbeville held its first Parade of Homes on May 28, the article says. Webster and her renovated house, the Johnson-Webster House, was part of the tour, along with the Abbeville Methodist Church built in 1896, the Clendenin-Hardwick House, which is supposedly haunted by a Confederate soldier, the 1903 Stokes-Rane House that was used as a law office, and the Henry County Bank, in a Greek Revival home dating from 1908.

The profits from the tour were used to renovate the Bethune-Kennedy House. The house is currently owned by the Abbeville Chamber of Commerce and was part of the Historical Walking Tour in Abbeville for the Henry County Bicentennial in 2019.

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The "Vietnamese lychees go global" forum was held on June 16 to promote lychee exports and take the brand name of the Vietnamese fruit to the next level.

Vietnamese lychees have made a name for itself in many international markets. According to Le Hoang Tai, deputy director of the Trade Promotion Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, China accounts for 91 percent of Vietnam's total lychee export volume. Other markets include Japan, Korea, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.

Hai Duong, home to Thanh Ha lychees, currently has over 9,000 hectares under cultivation, producing 60,000 tons of lychees every year, of which 50 percent is consumed domestically, 40 percent is exported to traditional markets, and 10 percent to high-end markets including the U.S., Japan, and EU.

"We aim to build a global brand of high-quality lychees," Tran Van Quan, vice chairman of Hai Duong Province People's Committee, said.

A panel discussion at the "Vietnamese lychees go global" forum. Photo by Tung Dinh

Bac Giang, another leading area for lychee production, has 28,000 hectares of lychee-growing land, providing 25,000 tons of lychees exported to 30 countries. Most meet VietGAP and Global GAP standards.

"The province will continue to boost lychee exports to high-end markets, and new markets including Canada and Thailand," Phan The Tuan, vice chairman of Bac Giang, said.

Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam, Saadi Salama, said: "Lychees have gradually become the pride of Vietnam."

George Burchett, a journalist from Australia, said: "Lychees are both eye-catching and delicious, suitable for everyone's taste, not only contributing to Vietnamese exports but also enhancing Vietnam's image to the world."

Pham Van Dung, director of Hong Xuan Cooperative, Bac Giang, admitted that the preservation process is one of the challenges for Vietnamese lychees. "Ripe lychees that have not been consumed yet need more intensive solutions like freeze-drying or high-tech drying, so that there are still products for the market even when the harvest ends," said Dung.

Director of Toan Cau Company, Nguyen Duc Hung, admitted that Vietnamese enterprises focus on exporting fresh lychees, but fresh lychees can be preserved for 40 days at most, "so it is difficult for lychees to reach far-flung markets."

He suggested new products like frozen lychee, with long-term preservation capacity, should be offered so that the fruit could reach global customers with diverse tastes.

The Palestinian ambassador noted Vietnamese lychees are facing difficulties in reaching far-flung markets because of logistics. "In a short time of two months, to export lychees to global markets in fresh conditions is a challenge."

He suggested agencies prepare in advance to facilitate lychee transportation.

Tai of the Trade Promotion Department recommended that while aviation costs are high, lychees should be transported via railways to cut costs and avoid delays in shipment, which takes about only 15-21 days.

A foreign delegate visits the Vietnamese lychee exhibition booths. Photo by Tung Dinh

Salama said that products on sale in the Middle East normally have Halal marks on their packages as a sign of a trustworthy or superior product. He hoped that more Vietnamese lychee products are Halal-labelled to reach consumers here.
By Trend

Turkiye can assist Azerbaijan in the development of the tourism sector in Karabakh, President of the Turkish Tourist Club Ugur Demirjan said this in response to a question from Trend during a press conference timed to coincide with the trip of international travelers to Karabakh.

"I am sure that Turkiye can assist in the development of various major tourism projects in Karabakh. The proximity of our peoples further contributes to the development of tourism between Azerbaijan and Turkiye," he said.

According to him, the opening of the Zangezur corridor will further promote the flow of tourists between Turkiye and Azerbaijan.

Demirjan also stressed that the Armenian vandalism in Karabakh is horrifying. At the same time, he expressed admiration for the pace of restoration work carried out by Azerbaijan.

Recall that a group of 24 international travelers from 10 countries of the world went on a three-day trip to the cities of Azerbaijani Karabakh. The guests visited the Azykh cave in the Khojavend region, Shusha, Aghdam, Kalbajar, Lachin, and completed their journey in Zangilan
Three workers burn to death two days after fire in Danish company

The aftermath of a fire at the Scancom Vietnam company in Binh Duong, June 17, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Thai Ha

Three workers were killed and one was injured Friday while cleaning up embers of a fire at a Danish wood processing company in Binh Duong Province.

Police in the southern province said Sunday they were investigating a work accident at the Scancom Vietnam company in the Song Than 1 industrial park, where a fire had broken out two days ago.

The blaze had happened in the afternoon, at a location full of wood dust and other flammable particles. Firefighters dispatched to the scene put out the flames.

As the authorities were about to depart, wood dust from a tank from up above fell down on a group of workers who were cleaning things up and putting out the remaining embers.

They were hospitalized quickly, but three suffered severe burns and succumbed to their injuries later.
2 Actors From Netflix Series The Chosen One Dead in Vehicle Accident

Actors Raymundo Garduno Cruz and Juan Francisco Gonzalez Aguilaralso known as Paco Mufote, who star in the Netflix series The Chosen One, have died in a vehicle accident in Mexico.

The two were killed after their van crashed and overturned on a road on the Baja California Sur peninsula on June 16. Two other cast members and four crew members were injured and transported to a nearby hospital, E! News has confirmed.

E! News has also learned that the group has been in Mexico filming The Chosen One and were traveling to the local airport at the time of the crash.

The State Government of Baja California said in a statement on Facebook on June 17, "From the State Government we deeply regret the deaths of Raymundo Garduno Cruz and Juan Francisco Gonzalez Aguilar 'Paco Mufote.' Our condolences to their family, friends and the Baja California arts community. May they rest in peace."

E! News has reached out to Netflix for comment but has not heard back.

Celebrity Deaths: 2022's Fallen Stars

The Chosen One, a new series, is adapted from Mark Millar and Peter Gross' American Jesus comic book series, previously titled Chosen. The show centers around a 12-year-old boy who finds out he's the second coming of Jesus Christ, destined to save humankind.

Instagram

The production of the series was temporarily paused by Redrum, its independent production company, following the accident, E! News has confirmed. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Black-ish so special was its ability to teach and convey lessons through the lens of humor and evoke self-reflection. One of those special moments was the episode Kenya Barris and the team created for Juneteenth. Although the last and final episode aired earlier this year in April, the lessons from the show still live on. Black-ish is one of the greatest primetime television shows of all time. No, it wasnt perfect  but what show is? What madeso special was its ability to teach and convey lessons through the lens of humor and evoke self-reflection. One of those special moments was the episode Kenya Barris and the team created for Juneteenth. Although the last and final episode aired earlier this year in April, the lessons from the show still live on.

ABC

Okay, did you know the Black-ish Juneteenth episode was a musical?

ABC / Via giphy.com

And it was a pretty dope one! Sure, it had moments of random singing that sometimes annoyed people, but it also had the help of Aloe Blacc and The Roots. Each song had pointed lessons and gave exclusive commentary about the real history of the United States and its foundation. Plus, those songs were low-key bops.

The opening scene really set the tone.

ABC / Via giphy.com

Season 4, Episode 1 begins with the Johnson family attending Jack and Dianes school play on Columbus Day. As per usual, there are many inconsistencies around the history and events concerning Christopher Columbus. Growing increasingly frustrated by the minute, the usually overdramatic Andre Dre Johnson had a legit point. If Columbus sketch history can be celebrated, then the importance of Juneteenth definitely deserves some love.

Also, Grandma Ruby had butterscotch candy as a snack, and the nostalgia hit my soul. Whose Black grandma didnt have random butterscotch candy always available?!

ABC / Via giphy.com

Andre goes into immediate action.

ABC / Via giphy.com

Common for Black-ish, Dre gave most of his Black history and cultural lessons from the meeting room desk of his company, Stevens & Lido. I consistently questioned how much actual work got done in that place. Regardless, Dre and Aloe Blacc are together thinking of ways to celebrate and acknowledge the history of Juneteenth. One coworker overheard the conversation, and it got really good.

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Slavery was real, and its effects are lasting.

The opening song talks about the terror of slavery and its disregard for humanity. And even when enslaved people were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863  the Civil War continued until 1865. Enslaved people in Galveston didnt get the news until about two and a half years later, on June 19, hence Juneteenth.

History shouldnt be uncomfortable.

ABC / Via giphy.com

People usually have a hard time reckoning with a history that does not portray them in the best light, which is doubly true for many white people. Once Dre got the party going with the Juneteenth facts, the room became tense. I was watching the show like, Wait. Dont crawl back now. Lean into this feeling.

MLK Day is great, but it does not end there.

As a terrible compromise, Leslie Stevens (Dres boss) suggested that Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month are already a thing and that an additional holiday for Black people isnt necessary. Wait, what?! Yes, you read that right. And as much as Black-ish is fiction, remember, art imitates life. These are real conversations happening out there, and its beyond not okay! Universal History Archive / Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Black folk didnt get a check.

ABC / Via giphy.com

For those in the back who may not get it, enslaved people were not paid for their labor and were often beaten and consistently subjected to less than reproachable living conditions. Being credited for building the White House, prominent college and university campuses, establishing significant infrastructure across the land, and inventing a whole load of processes, goods, and services that help to function from day to day  Black people built this country.

But, slavery was a long time ago. Everyone is free now!

Hulu / Via giphy.com

You cant believe that. It didnt even feel correct typing or saying that. Economists estimate that slave labor had a near $300 billion economic impact. Thats billion with a capital B. After slavery officially ended, prejudice and discriminatory practices kicked it, and the effects of those systemic and institutional systems linger today.

What does freedom even mean?

ABC / Via giphy.com

The answer is different for me than it may be for you. However, at the core, freedom should provide equal access to any and every available resource. It should mean navigating the United States in a way that doesnt make my presence feel like a threat. Freedom shouldnt be so hard-pressed. It should be the realization and the audacity to dream, thrive, and succeed in every field of human endeavor.

With all of that, Dres coworkers still didnt get it.

ABC / Via giphy.com

One of the most exhausting things is trying to educate a group of people with no interest in learning anything. Save your energy. Thats the conclusion Dre eventually came to. However, he did not let that stop him from wanting to do more to celebrate Juneteenth.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, and while that is progress, there is still much work to be done. However, in the words of Andre Johnson, Dont wait for the apology [understanding], celebrate anyway! Whos hosting the cookout? And, there better not be any raisins close to the potato salad!"

ABC / Via giphy.com

Make sure you head here for more of our Juneteenth coverage!
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is opening up about her marriage to Prince Charles in a candid interview.

In honor of her 75th birthday in July, Camilla spoke to British Vogue in a rare interview about her personal and professional life, including how she navigates her busy work schedules while maintaining her relationship with Prince Charles, 73.

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall Marks Her 75th Birthday with At-Home Vogue Shoot ***CREDIT LINE TO RUN IN FULL: The July issue of British Vogue is available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 21st June. ***ARTICLES MUST LINK BACK TO: https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/camilla-duchess-of-cornwall-interview ***PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: Jamie Hawksworth ***IMAGES FOR ONLINE USE CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE: https://we.tl/t-WjkQn83vpu ***IMAGES CANNOT BE CUT, CROPPED OR ALTERED*** ***USAGE: ONE USE ONLY*** ***FOR PRINT IMAGES, PLEASE REPLY CONFIRMING AGREEMENT WITH T&CS BELOW Photographer must be credited: Jamie Hawksworth CREDIT LINE TO RUN IN FULL: The July issue of British Vogue is available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 21st June. Images are not to be cut, cropped or altered. Images supplied cannot be reproduced online Should image(s) be reproduced on the front page of the newspaper, the Publisher will seek additional permissions from CNP and a headline reference to British Vogue must appear alongside (not just a gutter credit). The accompanying text will be wholly positive regarding the originating magazine (British Vogue) and the subject Usage: One use only

Jamie Hawksworth / British Vogue

"It's not easy sometimes, but we do always try to have a point in the day when we meet," she shared. "Sometimes it's like ships passing in the night, but we always sit down together and have a cup of tea and discuss the day."

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrive for day 2 of Royal Ascot 2022

SplashNews.com Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall

RELATED: Camilla, Future Queen, Appears in Rare Portrait with Queen Elizabeth, Signaling Future of Monarchy

Camilla also noted "it's lovely to catch up" when she and her husband "have a bit of time."

"You know when we go away, the nicest thing is that we actually sit and read our books in different corners of the same room," she explained. "It's very relaxing because you know you don't have to make conversation."

"You just sit and be together," she added.

The royal couple first met at a polo match in 1970, and were said to have an instant connection. They remained close friends throughout their respective marriages  Charles to Diana, Princess of Wales, and Camilla to Andrew Parker-Bowles  until their affair became public to the press in 1992. Camilla and Andrew announced that they would divorce in 1995. Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, and Diana died one year later.

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.

In 1998, Charles introduced sons Prince William and Prince Harry to Camilla and by 2000, Queen Elizabeth attended lunch with both Charles and Camilla, signifying her approval of the couple. The pair later tied the knot in 2005.

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During the chat with Vogue, Camilla also reflected on the level of media scrutiny on her family in the 1990s, saying "it's not easy."

"I was scrutinized for such a long time that you just have to find a way to live with it," she said. "Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticized"

She continued, "But I think in the end, I sort of rise above it and get on with it. You've got to get on with life."

RELATED: Prince Charles, Camilla and More Return to Royal Ascot After Missing Last Year's Horse Racing Event

Earlier this year, the Queen, 96, made her feelings known in a message timed to the eve of her Accession Day which marked the 70th anniversary of her becoming monarch.

Queen Elizabeth was "looking to the future" as she shared her wish for Camilla to be known as Queen Consort when Charles takes the throne.

In the conversation with the fashion magazine, Camilla discussed her work with survivors of domestic violence. She shared her intention to continue to "carry on as much as I can" when she becomes Queen Consort.

"You can't desert things that you're in the middle of," she said. "There's a lot of things to be done still."

The July issue of British Vogue is available via digital download and is on newsstands from Tuesday 21st June.
Bill Hurley, an automation technician at Delta Systems Inc., shuts his station down. The company is one of many in the area looking for employees.

Unemployment continues to decline in Portage County, with many jobs available in manufacturing, health care, hospitality  and Portage County's own Job and Family Services department.

More: Survey reveals reasons behind labor shortage in Portage area

Mandy Minnick, administrator of Ohio Means Jobs Portage County, said April unemployment rates were 3.2% and were expected to be about the same for May. The rates had been steadily declining since January, when unemployment was at 4.6%.

Both seasonal and full-time job opportunities are available, particularly in the manufacturing, medical and hospitality industries.

"I don't think you can go anywhere in our community without driving past a help wanted sign," she said. "There are definitely opportunities."

At Guido's and many other restaurants in the area, additional workers are needed. Manufacturing has dealt with workforce shortages for several years, but restaurants and other industries are experiencing it anew since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A number of existing factories are hiring workers. Several more are in the works, including LG Chem in Ravenna, Boston Retail Products, and speculative buildings in Streetsboro and Shalersville.

In the past, Ohio Means Jobs Portage County has hosted a manufacturing internship program to train displaced workers for jobs at factories. But this year, the program hasn't been able to be held because employers were so desperate to fill positions that they were filling the jobs immediately and doing the training themselves. Kellijo Jeffries, director of Job and Family Services, said she hopes to bring back the program later this year.

Minnick said her department's business services manager has been posting about 200 manufacturing calls every month.

"There's not a day that goes by that our business services manager doesn't get a dozen calls from employers looking for workers in manufacturing," she said.

Jeffries said the worker shortage has even impacted her own department.

The department, she said, has several openings for eligibility specialist, a case manager who determines whether people are eligible for benefits such as food stamps and cash assistance. The department also is in need of social workers in child and adult welfare because workers are being lost to higher-paying jobs in other social service agencies.

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Details of the job openings are posted on the department's website.

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com .

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage unemployment down, many jobs available
CNN

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Sunday shot down President Joe Bidens claim that he would not meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman because the regime ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Granholm appeared on CNNs State of the Union, where she defended the need to meet with the Crown Prince during the Gulf Cooperation Council summit. Biden had said Friday he was not going to meet with MBS, Im going to an international meeting. MBS is going to be part of it, though the Saudis confirmed the two would meet separately.

I think he will meet with the Saudi Crown Prince, Granholm told host Dana Bash. He has asked for all suppliers around the globe to increase production that includes [the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries], that includes our domestic oil and gas producers. He is asking for an increase like other leaders around the globe are interested they will have a one on one meeting.

Bash pressed the energy secretary on the optics of the meeting, asking why it was appropriate for a U.S. President to meet with a dictator who murdered and chopped up a journalist in a violation of human rights. As a candidate, Biden had committed to ostracizing Saudi Arabia for Khashoggis murder, saying he would have them pay the price, and make them in fact the pariah that they are.

Granholm sputtered, arguing the meeting was necessary to stave off a further increase in gas prices.

The president is very concerned about that, and I'm sure will raise that issue, Granholm said. But he's also very concerned about what people are experiencing at the pump and Saudi Arabia is head of OPEC, and we need to have increased production so that everyday citizens in America will not be feeling this pain that they're feeling right now.

Granholms defense came after a back-and-forth over the administrations role in curbing what Americans pay at the pump. Granholm repeatedly deferred to other factors, including the need to fund the recent infrastructure bill, as potential obstacles to lowering gas costs.

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It led Bash to a pointed question: When people are watching, they're saying, OK, this is the president's energy secretary. What I want to know is, when will my gas prices come down?

After further speculation, including a potential European Union ban on Russian oil, Granholm acknowledged her uncertainty.

I can just say what the experts are projecting, she said. We know this is going to be a tough summer because driving season just started and there will be continued upward pull on demand.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The action in upcoming mystery thriller The Reunion, starring Harrows Ioan Gruffudd, centers on three characters in two time-zones, 25 years apart, but the emotions and personalities of the characters are consistent, the shows British director Bill Eagles explained at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival Sunday.

The English-language show, produced by Sydney Gallonde at Make It Happen Studio and co-produced by MGM Intl. TV Productions and broadcaster France Televisions, is based on Guillaume Mussos bestselling novel La Jeune fille et la nuit.

More from Variety

The story opens in the present day, at a reunion at an international school in the south of France where three former friends reconnect. They grew apart and lost touch, but they are still bound by a tragic secret tied to the disappearance of a fellow student 25 years ago.

Although Eagles acknowledged that having the same characters in two time-zones presented challenges, the key to overcoming them lay in the novel. Guillaume Musso set out his characters so well at age 18, and understood their evolution over a period of 25 years, that the lines the characters were delivering in our present totally chimed in with the evolution of the characters from where we had seen them as young characters.

He added: Essentially, if we believe in the young cast, we believe in the consequences of their actions, murderous actions, actions of betrayal, of obsessive love, of denial, and then we inform these older characters with the same principles, and look at how those feelings and those emotions have festered over 25 years. Then when we bring these characters together, we find a total belief in and synthesis between the young and the old.

In a video presentation shown at the festival, Musso explained that his time working as a teacher at an international school in the South of France was the trigger for writing the novel. The Reunion is the first TV series adaptation of any of his 19 novels. He said he made it a condition of the adaptation that it be shot in the region where he spent his youth. He explained that the previous requests had often been made for the wrong reasons  because his novels were best-sellers, and it was rarely really for artistic reasons.

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On the other hand, Gallonde  who he has known for more than 10 years  has always come up with projects that were first of all because he read my books, because he liked my novels, Musso said, and because he had an artistic vision behind it, and its quite natural that I said Yes to this project.

Gallonde explained how he worked with the author on the show. Guillaume Musso is involved in every single second of this project  but through me, because the thing is, I made him a promise: I told him, I will protect your DNA, and will be involved 100% just to deliver something that you will be proud of.

Eagles said that one key to the success of the novels was that the stories were convincing. With Guillaumes writing you believe in all the twists and turns, and you believe that certain facts or story elements have been concealed because it came from the characters problems; it didnt come from the necessity of the plot, he said.

Gruffudd said that he felt a particular responsibility to Musso to get his character, Thomas, right as Thomas is a writer. It is almost as if Guillaume is representing himself in Thomas, he said. There are definitely aspects of Guillaume that is Thomas in the book. So when youre representing the novelist and playing a novelist, you know, you want to try to adhere to the little subtleties that hes written in his novels.

Gruffudd also paid tribute to British writer Marston Bloom, who adapted Mussos novel, alongside Gallonde. Gallonde added that before Bloom started his adaptation, he and Musso met, to be sure that the French part will be present in the show, and that the show will fit with the global audience, and the universal nature of the story.

Eagles acknowledged that while there may be something very traditional about a murder mystery thriller, the complexity of the psychology that [Musso] allows his characters to inhabit in the novel makes it a very contemporary piece.

He expanded on this point: We have the psychology of denial, of obsessive love, of inappropriate obsessive love, of betrayal. And then of people trying to make amends for their crime. So, 25 years later, Fanny has become a doctor, and Max has become a politician trying to do good. Its interesting, the character of Thomas, hes become a writer. Hes still exploring storytelling and fantasy, and in a way his character is the most in denial.

Thats a really fascinating kind of delineation of the three different characters. And because Thomas is so in denial  because he hasnt really decided to pay amends and find some kind of redemptive journey  thats part of the reason why he upsets everything, stirs up the pond with all the dirt and the muck and creates the chaos that ensues.

Gallonde underscored the importance of the international dimension of the novel and the series, which as well as having a British director and writer has gathered together actors from multiple countries, including Wales Gruffudd, Ukraines Ivanna Sakhno, Icelands Salome Gunnarsdottir, and Frances Vahina Giocante and Gregory Fitoussi.

Gallonde said: Six years ago, my English was non-existent. Six years ago, I would never have imagined joining up with all these people. Six years ago, I would have never imagined having MGM involved in a French production, based on a French IP. So for me, the international part of the novel was essential.

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A few weeks ago, after trumpeting his intentions on Fox News, Indianas Attorney General Todd Rokita filed a lawsuit against Black Lives Matter to allegedly investigate the organizations use of donations.

In a statement defending this action, Rokita claimed, Protecting Indiana consumers from this house of cards is critical.

Well, thanks to revelations from the Jan. 6 committee, its time for Rokita to prove how concerned he truly is about protecting Indiana consumers. Since Indiana is a red state, Im sure far more of its citizens donated their hard-earned money to one or more of the organizations Donald Trump founded to litigate against so-called election fraud than to BLM. Yet, the Jan. 6 committee recently revealed that a significant portion of the millions Trump raised (which far exceeded the amount raised by BLM) was not spent on such litigation, but instead on organizations tied to Trump supporters, and to the Trump Hotel collection, amongst others.

So how about it? Is his outrage against alleged fraud universal, or does it simply extend to political organizations and movements he disagrees with?

David R. Hoffman

Mishawaka

Proposed rules

June is Pride Month here in Indiana. Pride has grown to be a national celebration of the diversity, accomplishments, trailblazers and beauty of the LGBTQ+ community.

While celebrating, we must commit to addressing health disparities that persist in the LGBTQ+ community, especially the disproportionate levels of tobacco-related diseases due to decades of targeting by Big Tobacco. Tobacco use among lesbian, gay and bisexual adults is significantly higher than the national average  16.1% of LGB adults smoke cigarettes compared to 12.3% of heterosexual adults. Menthol cigarette use is more prevalent among LGB adults at 49% compared to 40% among heterosexual adults.

As an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, I am passionate about ending the sale of menthol cigarettes. This will have a huge impact on the health of the LGBTQ+ community. In the first year of removing menthol cigarettes from the marketplace, one study estimates 923,000 smokers would quit.

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We have a tremendous opportunity to save lives and reduce the toll of tobacco on the health of Hoosier LGBTQ+ residents. I encourage St. Joe County residents to join me to share your voice at Lung.org/ActonMenthol to support the FDAs proposed rules for ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

Sandi Pontius

Tobacco Education Coordinator

Smoke Free St. Joe

Guns

Maybe there might finally be some legislation enacted toward the increasing gun problems, although probably inadequate to actually prevent another terrible incident such as the those just witnessed.

What, actually, is going to be done about all the guns already on the streets? What will stop those guns from committing more shootings against innocent people?

The time has come for some determined and productive action  and a lot less useless rhetoric.

Edith Manak

South Bend

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana's AG Todd Rokita filed lawsuit against Black Lives Matter.
Aerial view of the Lan Ha Bay in Hai Phong. Photo by Ngo Tran Hai An

One visitor drowned after two tourist ships collided in Lan Ha Bay off Hai Phong's Cat Ba Island in northern Vietnam Sunday morning.

Local reports said the collision took place between two ships helmed by 38-year-old Hoang Van Tung and 42-year-old Nguyen Van Lien, causing Lien's to sink and 11 people thrown overboard.

Officers of the Cat Ba border guards managed to rescue the 11 people, but the body of 56-year-old Bui Thi Nhung was found at noon, stuck inside the ship.

Lieutenant colonel Nguyen The Cu, head of the Cat Ba border guards, said both vessels were carrying tourists from the Beo Port to sightsee Lan Ha Bay. They collided about 3.7 km from the Beo Port. There were strong waves at the time, he said.

An initial investigation has revealed that as the vessels were running parallel with each other, Lien's vessel sped up suddenly, causing the collision.

Lan Ha Bay, relatively unknown sister of the world-famous Ha Long Bay, is located to the east of Cat Ba Islands, home to around 400 islands.

In recent years, the 7,000-hectare bay has emerged as an attractive tourist destination.
Kyle Thomas (left), is handed an award on behalf of Commander of Coast Guard Sector Detroit Capt. Brad Kelly during the change of command ceremony on Friday, June 17, 2022, at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Port Huron.

The U.S. Coast Guard Station Port Huron introduced a new officer in charge Friday at a change of command ceremony.

Senior Chief and Officer in Charge John Boyer, who was transferred from Training Center Yorktown, Virginia, replaced Kyle Thomas. Thomas is being transferred to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina as a senior chief and officer in charge.

During the ceremony, Capt. Brad Kelly, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit, said Thomas has overseen law enforcement efforts, search and rescue operations, coordinated the response to the unsanctioned Float Down held each August and steered the unit through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coast Guard Sector Detroit Capt. Brad Kelly gives remarks during the change of command ceremony on Friday, June 17, 2022, at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Port Huron.

"They have directly and regularly touched lives through their rescue efforts in this unique and challenging area," Kelly said. "And while that level of service is truly impressive, Station Port Huron provided uninterrupted service like that to this community, undeterred by the personal impacts of the viral pandemic."

Serving from June 2018 to June 2022, Thomas oversaw:

1,209 law enforcement boardings to ensure vessels were following proper safety procedures and regulations

163 search and rescue operations that resulted in 168 lives and $1.6 million in property saved or assisted

4,621 unit underway hours

In a separate interview, Thomas said one of the highlights of his time in Port Huron was coordinating the Coast Guard's response to the unsanctioned Float Down, in which thousands of people on inflatable devices float from Lighthouse Beach just north of the Blue Water Bridge to Marysville.

"The planning and execution of that has always been a highlight each year, having a successful day where no one was severely hurt, injured, or killed as in the past," Thomas said.

At the ceremony, Thomas thanked his family for their support, as well as the numerous local, county, state and international partners that work with the Coast Guard.

Kyle Thomas discusses his time serving in Port Huron during the change of command ceremony on Friday, June 17, 2022, at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Port Huron.

Thomas also thanked the crew gathered at the ceremony, who stood in uniform beside the stage. He spoke against the backdrop of Lake Huron. As the ceremony ended, a freighter passed by the station and continued under the Blue Water Bridge.

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"Any of my successes come from this group of men and women," Thomas said. "This crew has pulled vessels off the rocks, responded to capsized vessels, boat fires, Float Down situations, major events, people or vehicles in the water, medically evacuated sick or injured crew members from freighters, executed international-level events, conducted law enforcement border security and responded to those injured on our local waterways."

New officer in charge

Boyer has been enlisted in the Coast Guard for 18 years. His most recent assignment included training boatswain mates. He also served on the Boat Forces Standardization Team, where he traveled the country to enforce standards among different Coast Guard stations.

Senior Chief John Boyer (left) and Senior Chief Kyle Thomas listen to remarks by commander of Coast Guard Sector Detroit Capt. Brad Kelly during the change of command ceremony on Friday, June 17, 2022, at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Port Huron.

Boyer said he is excited to get back to an operational Coast Guard station and to get back to the Great Lakes. Boyer's last assignment on the Great Lakes was at Two Rivers, Wisconsin, from 2005 to 2009.

"This will be my first command and I'm definitely excited to be here," Boyer said. "Everything I've seen so far is great. I'm very impressed with the crew and the facility and I'm looking forward to working with our partner agencies here."

The U.S. Coast Guard Station Port Huron covers area from Algonac around the Thumb to Sand Point, just south of Caseville, encompassing three counties on the eastern half of Lake Huron. Station Port Huron is also the parent command to Station Harbor Beach.

John Boyer speaks during a change of command ceremony on Friday, June 17, 2022, at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in Port Huron.

The station's primary mission is search and rescue and maritime law enforcement, and it is also involved in the planning and execution of events year-round, such as the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sail Boat Race, Float Down and the St. Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Races.

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: U.S. Coast Guard Station Port Huron introduces new officer in charge
This is a recap of news from June 18. For the latest, click here.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited troops and health care workers on the frontlines in south Ukraine on Saturday during a trip to the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.

In pictures and videos posted on Telegram, Zelenskyy shook hands and took selfies with health workers and troops in the regions.

Other media shows the Ukrainian president examining nearly destroyed buildings in the area. In one building, eight people, including a 3-month-old baby, were killed in an act Zelenskyy described as a terrible crime.

More than 900 kids have been killed or injured since Russia began its war against Ukraine in March, Ukraines prosecutor generals office said Saturday.

Some 323 children were killed and 583 injured, with most casualties occurring in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.

Shelling by Russian forces has damaged some 2,028 educational institutions, of which more than 200 were completely destroyed.

June 17 recap: Ukraine moves closer to EU candidacy; Families of 2 missing American veterans speak out: Latest updates

Latest developments:

A third American who traveled to Ukraine to lend assistance in the war against Russia appears to be missing amid growing indications two others have been captured, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

 Ukraine will not host Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, organizers announced Friday. In May, the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won the contest with "Stefania'' and the right to host next year's event.

Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday for Roman Ratushnyi, 24, a Ukrainian soldier and activist killed in the war, including friends who had protested with him during months of demonstrations that toppled Ukraines pro-Russia leader in 2014 and who, like him, took up arms when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbor this February.

Six Republican senators on Friday sought information from TikTok regarding dangerous pro-war propaganda from Russian state media on the app, while allowing no content from outside the country to balance it out, in a letter to CEO Shou Zi Chew.

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Invasion prevents grain from leaving Ukraine, making food more expensive

Russian hostilities in Ukraine are preventing grain from leaving the breadbasket of the world and making food more expensive across the globe, threatening to worsen shortages, hunger and political instability in developing countries.

Together, Russia and Ukraine export nearly a third of the worlds wheat and barley and more than 70% of its sunflower oil and are big suppliers of corn. Russia is the top global fertilizer producer.

World food prices were already climbing, and the war made things worse, preventing some 20 million tons of Ukrainian grain from getting to the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia.

Weeks of negotiations on safe corridors to get grain out of Ukraines Black Sea ports have made little progress, with urgency rising as the summer harvest season arrives.

This needs to happen in the next couple of months (or) its going to be horrific, said Anna Nagurney, who studies crisis management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is on the board of the Kyiv School of Economics.

Ukrainian soldiers ride a self-propelled artillery vehicle Gvozdika in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, June 17, 2022.

UN warns of hell on earth without immediate response to food crisis

UN World Food Programme director David Beasley described frightening food shortages worldwide due to Russias war in Ukraine while speaking in Ethiopias capital Thursday, the Guardian reported.

Even before the Ukraine crisis, we were facing an unprecedented global food crisis because of Covid and fuel price increases, Beasley said, according to the Guardian. Then, we thought it couldnt get any worse, but this war has been devastating.

Russia and Ukraine together export some 30 percent of the worlds wheat, Beasley wrote in a March op-ed for the Washington Post. Plus, the two countries account for about one-fifth of global maize and barley, and nearly two-thirds of traded sunflower oil  of which Ukraine alone holds almost half of global exports, according to Our World in Data.

It is a very, very frightening time, Beasley said, according to the Guardian. We are facing hell on earth if we do not respond immediately.

As the US sends aid to Ukraine, some say it's not flowing fast enough

The day after Russia invaded Ukraine, World Central Kitchen was dishing up hot meals to the war's refugees.

Jose Andres, the celebrity chief who founded the privately funded non-profit, assumed the big guys would show up soon after.

But it took weeks for them to establish any presence, Andres recently told a congressional committee overseeing the billions of dollars the United States has committed to relief efforts in and around Ukraine.

Biden administration officials say there are vexing challenges to delivering those billions of dollars to those in need  from bureaucratic obstacles in Washington to treacherous conditions in a deadly conflict zone.

 Maureen Groppe and Anna Nemtsova

'People are starving and thirsty': As the US sends aid to Ukraine, some say it's not flowing fast enough

These are the two US military veterans captured by Russia in Ukraine

Andy Tai Ngoc Huynh knew he might not come back. So the 27-year-old former Marine drew up a will, said goodbye to his fiancee and left Hartselle, Alabama, in April to help Ukrainians repel Russian forces.

That same month, not far away in Tuscaloosa, former Army Sgt. Alexander Drueke, a 39-year-old Iraq war veteran, had deliberated for a month before deciding to pack his gear for Ukraine.

The families of the two Alabama men  who went missing near Kharkiv in a battle last week  told USA TODAY they are holding out hope that the men could be released by Russian-backed separatist forces.

Were just hoping for good news, said Huynhs fiancee, Joy Black, 21.

 Chris Kenning

Read the whole story here: Two US military veterans felt compelled to fight Russia. They've been captured in Ukraine.

37 million children displaced in 2021, highest figure since WWII

Nearly 37 million children were displaced in 2021, the highest number of kids ousted from their homes since World War II, according to UNICEF.

Some 22.8 million of those children were displaced within their countries due to conflict and violence, and 13.7 million of the children are refugees and seeking asylum, the statement reads.

"We can't ignore the evidence: The number of children being displaced by conflict and crises is rapidly growing  and so is our responsibility to reach them," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

The figures dont include children displaced by climate or environmental disasters, or kids displaced by the war in Ukraine, according to UNICEF. In March, UNICEF said that 4.3 million children were displaced due to the war  more than half of the countrys estimated 7.5 million child population.

Priests pray during the memorial service for Roman Ratushny in St. Michaels Cathedral on June 18, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Mr Ratushny was killed in battle on June 9 near Izium, southeast of Kharkiv.

LGBTQ Ukrainians face hurdles entering US under humanitarian programs

When Sergiy Astahof, 31, a Ukrainian migrant, fled for the United States with his partner after Russia invaded his home country, they were excited to finally live openly as a gay couple.

Instead, Astahof, who traveled through the U.S.-Mexico border on April 11, was taken in by kind community members of a conservative Texan church that opposes gay relationships. The church put him and his partner up in a spare room, providing food and shelter in exchange for volunteer work. The couple pretended to be merely friends  as they had in Ukraine and with their families  so as not to insult their hosts.

"We had uncomfortable feelings about this, but at the same time, it's better than feeling unsafe in Ukraine or Eastern Europe," Astahof said, speaking through an interpreter. "I know it's a temporary solution. And right now, the first priority is to survive."

Astahof and his partner are among the many LGBTQ Ukrainian migrants struggling to find their footing under U.S. humanitarian programs. The Biden administration has pledged to allow 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing war with Russia into the United States, but many LGBTQ migrants are finding it difficult to get into the country because they lack social support and the necessary connections, according to immigration experts.

 Tami Abdollah

Read the whole story here: Many LGBTQ Ukrainians face hurdles entering US under humanitarian programs

Russia frees captive medic who filmed Mariupols horror

A celebrated Ukrainian medic whose footage was smuggled out of the besieged city of Mariupol by an Associated Press team was freed by Russian forces on Friday, three months after she was taken captive on the streets of the city.

Yuliia Paievska is known in Ukraine as Taira, a nickname she chose in the World of Warcraft video game. Using a body camera, she recorded 256 gigabytes of her teams efforts over two weeks to save the wounded, including both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.

She transferred the clips to an Associated Press team, the last international journalists in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, one of whom fled with it embedded in a tampon on March 15. Taira and a colleague were taken prisoner by Russian forces on March 16, the same day a Russian airstrike hit a theater in the city center, killing around 600 people, according to an Associated Press investigation.

It was such a great sense of relief. Those sound like such ordinary words, and I dont even know what to say, her husband, Vadim Puzanov, told The Associated Press late Friday

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zelenskyy visits frontline troops in south Ukraine: June 18 recap
Crash director was detained in southern Italy (Getty)

Film director Paul Haggis has been detained in Italy over allegations of sexual assualt.

The Canadian-born, Oscar-winning director, best known for his 2004 film Crash, was in the country for a film festival that begins on Tuesday in Ostuni, Puglia.

The news agency LaPresse published a written statement from prosecutors in the nearby city of Brindisi which said they were investigating allegations a young foreign woman was forced to have non-consensual sexual relations over two days.

Prosecutors Antonio Negro and Livia Orlando, who are conducting the investigation, said in the statement the woman was forced to seek medical care following the ordeal.

They said after two days of non-consensual relations, the woman was accompanied by the man to Brindisi airport on Sunday and was left there at dawn despite [her] precarious physical and psychological conditions.

Airport staff and police noticed her obvious confused state and after lending initial treatment, took her to Brindisis police headquarters, where officers accompanied her to a local hospital for examination.

The Brindisi prosecutors office was closed on Sunday. Mr Haggiss lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Police said they were not authorised to give out information about the case, including where Mr Haggis was being held.

Mr Haggis, 69, is a director, producer and screenwriter. He won an Oscar in 2006 for best original screenplay for Crash.

Prosecutors also were quoted as saying that the woman formalised her complaint and cited circumstances which were subsequently looked into for confirmation by investigators. They did not cite her nationality or age.

Additional reporting by agencies
COLOMBIA-ELECTION-RUNOFF-PETRO-SUPPORTERS

A supporter of Colombian left-wing presidential candidate Gustavo Petro pastes a banner before a rally at the Fontibon neighborhood in Bogota on June 12, 2022. Credit - Juan BarretoAFP/ Getty Images

Colombians will select their next president on Sunday in a race that has seemingly defied expectations at every turn, and is one of the most consequential ones for the country in decades. Polls put the two candidatesformer rebel member, leftist Gustavo Petro and the conservative outsider Rodolfo Hernandezneck-and-neck.

Analysts tell TIME that despite Petro leading the May 29 first round vote with 40.4% to Hernandezs 28.2%, the former Bogota mayor is hardly guaranteed to win when voters cast their ballots on June 19. The countrys troubled, often violent, relationship with leftist guerilla groups means that there is major opposition to Petro in some quarters. Hernandeza Donald Trump-like real estate mogul who pledged to drain the swampis a wild-card candidate, having beaten out more traditional conservative candidates like Federico Gutierrez.

Whichever candidate wins, the election result will mark a major break from the status quo in the traditionally conservative country, which has long been the U.S.s closest ally in Latin America.

Read more: Colombians Want Change. Theyll Get It No Matter Who Wins the Presidential Election

Here, what to know about the Colombian presidential election:

Who is Gustavo Petro and what are his policies?

Presidential candidate Gustavo Petro and his vice-presidential candidate Francia Marquez of Pacto Historico coalition celebrate after the presidential election first round on May 29 2022 in Bogota, Colombia. Guillermo LegariaGetty Images

This will be the third time that Petro, 62, has run for the presidencyin 2018 he was beaten by current president Ivan Duque by 12 percentage points in a run-off. Although Petro received 8 million votes in that election, he also had one of the highest disapproval ratings of the 2022 votes first-round candidates.

Petro is a divisive figure. The Colombian government has waged a decades-long war against both far-right paramilitary groups and far-left guerrilla groups. He is a former member of the left-wing and now-disbanded M-19, which was the second-largest guerrilla group in the 1980s after FARC. Petro rejected armed struggle in the late 1980s in favor of electoral politics. He has held positions in both houses of Congress, and was mayor of Bogota from 2012 to 2016. He was removed from office for a brief period in 2014 for allegations of improperly privatizing some waste collection servicesa scandal that his opponents argue shows his unsuitability to govern the country. (An international court said the decision violated Petros rights.)

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His combative natureincluding calling a columnist who disagreed with his policies a neo-Nazi in March and saying in 2020 that he would support civil disobediencehave sometimes soured public opinion.

But its Petros left-wing orientation that sets him most apart from his rival. He has vowed to end new fracking projects and oil explorationColombia relies on fossil fuels for half of its exports. He wants to increase taxes on the 4,000 wealthiest people, nationalize pension plans, and tackle food povertyalmost 16 million people in Colombia live on two meals or fewer per day, according to the National Association of Foodbanks.

Months-long protests in 2021initially sparked by proposed tax hikes and plans to privatize healthcare, then exacerbated by violent police crackdowns under the right-wing Duquesignaled Colombians frustration with inequality and the established political order. In this context, Petros policies have struck a chord.

There is a sense in Colombian society that the very unequal distribution of power and wealth can no longer be tolerated, says Ivan Briscoe, program director for Latin America at the International Crisis Group. What Petro is offering is systemic change: in political leadership, in the fundamental way society functions, and in the way that the benefits of economic growth are distributed.

Petro has galvanized support among the urban poor in cities like Bogota, but struggled against Hernandez in more conservative, rural areas in the first round of voting. There is a small-business-owning middle class in Colombia, which believes in advancing personally on the basis of hard work, says Briscoe. They recognize that the status quo is unfair, that the political leaders are not performing as they should do, but are worried about changing the entire system and wealth distribution in a way that is detrimental to their interests.

The country is also still reeling from the decades-long conflict between the government, far-right paramilitary groups, and leftist guerrilla movements, which became associated with drug-trafficking and human rights violations. The trauma of this period has prejudiced many Colombians against leftist groups, says Briscoe, and favored conservative politics.

Nonetheless, Petro resonates with a liberally-minded voter-base hungry for change. A Petro presidency would be characterized by political firstswith the former rebel member being the first leftist leader in Colombia, and his running mate, social activist Francia Marquez, the first Afro-Colombian woman to serve as vice president.

Read more: Colombians Want Change. Theyll Get It No Matter Who Wins the Presidential Election

Who is Rodolfo Hernandez and what are his policies?

Colombian presidential candidate Rodolfo Hernandez speaks during a gathering with the Colombian community in Miami, Florida, on June 9 2022. Eva Marie UzcateguiAFP/Getty Images

Hernandez, 77, was a largely unknown figure on the national stage only months ago. His brash style and savvy use of social media helped him soar to a last minute victory in the first round.

Hernandez has explored new territory for Colombian politicians, having amassed more than 500,000 followers on TikTok. He doesnt mind being the butt of a joke, says Silvana Amaya, a senior analyst at risk consultancy firm Control Risks and former ministerial adviser. He loves when people make memes about him, as it helps him go viral and connect with voters on a personal level using humor.

Hernandezs actual politics are harder to define. But his focus on corruption, analysts say, is accompanied by a desire to shrink the states budget. He also supports socially-liberal policies, including abortion rights. Hernandez has attempted to balance a business-friendly attitude with promises to lift the vulnerable out of poverty.

In some respects, Hernandezs record reveals a different picture. He is currently under investigation for allegations of corruption during his mayorship of Bucaramanga between 2016-2019, and is due in court in July. As a real estate magnate, Hernandez has pledged to build 20,000 homes for the poor but that was never carried out.

These contradictions dont seem to matter to many of his voters, says Amaya. Its important to understand that some people here vote more against someone than for someone. Some people are so afraid of the left-wing governing Colombia, that they just will vote for whoever is not Petro. And these types of things [the corruption scandals] dont really impact their decision.

Amaya adds that Hernandezs League of Anti-Corruption Rulers party only has two elected representatives in Congress. This would make it difficult for him to pass laws or govern the country effectively as president. The question is: would he be willing to play the traditional political game of offering something to Congress in exchange for passing his reforms? Or will he maintain his message of anti-corruption and refuse to negotiate? she says.

However, under Colombian law, Hernandez would have 90 days as president during which decrees can be signed without the support of Congress. Analysts including Amaya and Briscoe worry that this power, paired with his desire to overhaul governing bodies, could encourage Hernandez to bypass the rule of law. He has the disposition of someone who is willing to take draconian executive measures to get the job done, Briscoe says.

What could the result mean for U.S.-Colombia ties?

The election result could upend the U.S.s relationship with Colombia, whose influence in the region has been waning for some time. Previous presidents of Colombia studied in the U.S. prior to returning to politics, could speak fluent English, and maintained friendly relations with Washington while in office. Both Petro and Hernandez break this mold.

If Petro wins, Colombia would be the latest in Latin Americas new pink tidea shift towards the left that has seen Gabriel Boric win the Chilean presidency in December and is expected to return Lula da Silva to power in Brazils upcoming elections in October. Amaya predicts that Petro would seek a broad alliance with leftist governments in the region that could be less friendly to Washington.

A Petro win could also work in the Republican Partys electoral favor back home, Briscoe says. I think there will be political constituencies in the Republican Party which will try to exploit the sight of another country falling to the left as part of their efforts to demonize the Biden presidency.

What could be even more embarrassing for Biden is either candidates recognition of Nicolas Maduros government in Venezuela, with which the U.S. cut ties in 2019. Both Petro and Hernandez have said they will restore relations with Maduro, in a blow to the U.S-backed Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president in 2019 and is based in Venezuela.

Another sticking point could be the Colombian military. For decades, the U.S. has provided training, investment, and support to the Colombian army as part of a wider strategy of suppressing communist movements in the Western hemisphere during the Cold War. According to Human Rights Watch, the Colombian army covertly collaborated with far-right paramilitary groups in the fight against far-left guerrillas during the decades-long conflict in the country.

In May, the U.S. Department of Defense unveiled plans for even closer ties with the Colombian military, under the right-wing President Duque. This relationship could be turned on its head under Petro, who has pledged to pursue the prosecution of security forces accused of human rights violations, many of which received training and military assistance from the U.S. army.

While Hernandezs policies may be less threatening to the U.S., the Biden administration may worry about his resemblance to authoritarian leaders in Latin America, most notably El Salvadors Nayib Bukele. In March 2021, Hernandez praised Bukele for winning a supermajority in legislative elections, which the Colombian said cleaned [the Salvadoran] Congress of corrupt politicians.

If we see Hernandez veering in the direction of a bombastic populist like Bukele, therell be a whole host of concerns for the Biden presidency, which sees in these authoritarian-leaning leaders as a threat to the basics of the rule of law and democracy in the region, Briscoe says.
This page recaps the news from Ukraine on Sunday, June 19. Follow here for the latest updates and news from Monday, June 20, as Russia's invasion continues.

Russia's war in Ukraine could go on for years and the effort requires Western support, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview published Sunday by the German publication Bild.

"We must prepare for the fact that it could take years," he said.

International leaders have repeatedly shown their support for Ukraine in recent days, including recommending the country join the European Union. The Group of Seven pledged to support Ukraine for as long as necessary," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with Germanys dpa news agency.

He said he wants to discuss the issue with fellow G-7 leaders in a scheduled meeting this week, saying they intend to disrupt Russian President Vladimir Putins plans.

Putin obviously hopes that everything will fall into place once he has conquered enough land and the international community will return to business as usual, Scholz said. That is an illusion.

Also, in a second surprise visit since the war began, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Kyiv on Friday to offer continued aid and military training. Johnson shares Stoltenberg's belief that this will be a protracted conflict, writing in The Sunday Times of London: I am afraid that we need to steel ourselves for a long war, as Putin resorts to a campaign of attrition, trying to grind down Ukraine by sheer brutality,

JUNE 18 RECAP: 900 Ukrainian kids dead or injured since start of war; Zelenskyy visits troops

Latest developments:

Russia may be violating international humanitarian law with its use of weapons that cause indiscriminate damage to humans and property and have been banned under several treaties, the New York Times reported after a photo analysis.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited troops and health care workers on the front lines in south Ukraine on Saturday during a trip to the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.

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CAPTURED: Two US military veterans felt compelled to fight Russia. They've been captured in Ukraine.

In Father's Day message, Zelenskyy urges country to keep fighting

As Ukraine's outmanned forces slowly give way in the critical battle against Russia for the Donbas region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a poignant Father's Day message Sunday urged his country's citizens to keep battling for the future of their families and the nation.

Zelenskyy posted 10 photos of parents and children set against the grim backdrop of war, praising fathers who protect and defend the most precious. The images reflect the Ukrainian reality in the nearly four months since being invaded by Russia.

Being a father is a great responsibility and a great happiness, Zelenskyy wrote in English text that followed the Ukrainian on Instagram. It is strength, wisdom, motivation to go forward and not to give up.

Germany will burn more coal to offset Russian gas

Germanys economy minister said Sunday that the country will limit the use of natural gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a cut in supplies from Russia. Robert Habeck said Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel.

Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, said Habeck, a member of the environmentalist Green party.

Russian gas company Gazprom announced last week that it was sharply reducing supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for technical reasons. Habeck said the decision appeared to be politically motivated.

Germany, which has long relied heavily on energy imports from Russia, began significantly scaling them back because of the war in Ukraine.

 Associated Press

Ukrainian medic who treated wounded soldiers on both sides released from captivity

A celebrated Ukrainian medic who treated soldiers on both sides of the war was freed by Russian forces three months after she was taken captive on the streets of Mariupol, a development Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced to the country.

Yuliia Paievska is known in Ukraine as Taira, a nickname she chose in the World of Warcraft video game. Using a body camera, she recorded 256 gigabytes of her group's efforts over two weeks to save the wounded  both Ukrainians and Russians  and had the footage smuggled out of the besieged city by an Associated Press team.

The videos, shown by major networks in the U.S. and Europe, were seen by millions of people globally. They illustrated the war's brutality but also the medical workers' humanity. Taira and a colleague were taken prisoner by Russian forces on March 16.

Im grateful to everyone who worked for this result. Taira is already home,'' Zelenskyy said in a national address over the weekend. "We will keep working to free everyone.

Stoltenberg: Russian nuclear attack unlikely

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Bild that Western backing of Ukraine's fight against Russia must remain strong.

"We must not let up in supporting Ukraine,'' he said. "Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, but also because of rising energy and food prices. But that is no comparison to the price that the Ukrainians have to pay every day with many lives."

Stoltenberg emphasized that while NATO is supporting Ukraine with weapons and stronger defenses on its eastern flank, troops would not set foot in Ukraine.

He also said a nuclear attack appears unlikely. "We do not see a higher level of readiness in the Russian nuclear forces," Stoltenberg said.

British report: Morale low on both sides

The British Defense Ministry's Sunday update on the war in Ukraine indicated morale is waning on both sides.

"Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, however, Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled," the ministry tweeted. "Cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur."

On the Russian side, morale is depressed because of poor leadership and few opportunities for soldiers to rotate out of combat units, the ministry said.

"Many Russian personnel of all ranks also likely remain confused about the wars objectives,'' it said. "Morale problems in the Russian force are likely so significant that they are limiting Russias ability to achieve operational objectives."

A Ukrainian serviceman sits next to a destroyed Russian tank at an abandonned Russian position near the village of Bilogorivka not far from Lysychansk, Lugansk region, on June 17, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine recap: Stoltenberg says Russian nuclear attack unlikely
A group of tourists stop to take photos of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington on May 11, 2022. (Shuran Huang/The New York Times)

WASHINGTON  Within days, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court is expected to hand down a decision that could severely limit the federal governments authority to reduce carbon dioxide from power plants  pollution that is dangerously heating the planet.

But it is only a start.

The case, West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, is the product of a coordinated, multiyear strategy by Republican attorneys general, conservative legal activists and their funders, several with ties to the oil and coal industries, to use the judicial system to rewrite environmental law, weakening the executive branchs ability to tackle global warming.

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Coming up through the federal courts are more climate cases, some featuring novel legal arguments, each carefully selected for its potential to block the governments ability to regulate industries and businesses that produce greenhouse gases.

The plaintiffs want to hem in what they call the administrative state, the EPA and other federal agencies that set rules and regulations that affect the U.S. economy. That should be the role of Congress, which is more accountable to voters, said Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a leader of the Republican group bringing the lawsuits.

But Congress has barely addressed the issue of climate change. Instead, for decades it has delegated authority to the agencies because it lacks the expertise possessed by the specialists who write complicated rules and regulations and who can respond quickly to changing science, particularly when Capitol Hill is gridlocked.

West Virginia v. EPA is also notable for the tangle of connections between the plaintiffs and the Supreme Court justices who will decide their case. The Republican plaintiffs share many of the same donors behind efforts to nominate and confirm five of the Republicans on the bench  John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

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Its a pincer move, said Lisa Graves, executive director of progressive watchdog group True North Research and a former senior Justice Department official. They are teeing up the attorneys to bring the litigation before the same judges that they hand-picked.

The pattern is repeated in other climate cases filed by the Republican attorneys general and now advancing through the lower courts: The plaintiffs are supported by the same network of conservative donors who helped former President Donald Trump place more than 200 federal judges, many in position to rule on the climate cases in the coming year.

At least two of the cases feature an unusual approach that demonstrates the aggressive nature of the legal campaign. In those suits, the plaintiffs are challenging regulations or policies that dont yet exist. They want to preempt efforts by President Joe Biden to deliver on his promise to pivot the country away from fossil fuels, while at the same time aiming to prevent a future president from trying anything similar.

The Stakes for Climate

Victory for the plaintiffs in these cases would mean the federal government could not dramatically restrict tailpipe emissions because of vehicles effect on climate nor force electric utilities to replace fossil fuel-fired power plants. And the executive branch could not consider the economic costs of climate change when evaluating whether to approve a new oil pipeline or similar project or environmental rule.

Those limitations on climate action in the United States would quite likely doom the worlds goal of cutting enough emissions to keep the planet from heating up more than an average of 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with the preindustrial age. That is the threshold beyond which scientists say the likelihood of catastrophic hurricanes, drought, heat waves and wildfires significantly increases.

The ultimate goal of the Republican activists, people involved in the effort say, is to overturn the legal doctrine by which Congress has delegated authority to federal agencies to regulate the environment, health care, workplace safety, telecommunications, the financial sector and more.

Known as the Chevron deference, after a 1984 Supreme Court ruling, that doctrine holds that courts must defer to reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes by federal agencies on the theory that agencies have more expertise than judges and are more accountable to voters.

The Chevron deference has long been a target of conservatives, according to Michael McKenna, a Republican energy lobbyist who worked in the Trump White House. The originalist crew has been steadily moving toward significantly rewriting Chevron for years, he wrote in an email. They are about to be rewarded with a substantial and material victory.

Filling the Bench

The roots of that victory were planted in 2015, when Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., became the Senate majority leader and led his party in a sustained campaign to deny President Barack Obama the opportunity to appoint federal judges.

He refused to confirm nominees, waiting for a Republican administration to fill the courts with judges who shared his belief in minimal government regulation. McConnells effort ensured that Trump inherited not just an open Supreme Court seat but 107 additional judicial vacancies.

In stepped Leonard Leo, then executive vice president of the Federalist Society, the conservative legal group that helped secure the appointments of Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court.

Some of the many donors to the Federalist Society include Koch Industries, which has fought climate action; and Chevron, the oil giant and plaintiff in the case that created the Chevron deference.

Leo worked with Don McGahn, Trumps White House counsel and another longtime Federalist Society member, to vet and recommend judicial candidates to the president.

Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices, 54 appeals court judges and 174 district court judges. By comparison, Biden has, to date, appointed 68 federal judges.

Tangled Connections

In 2020, Leo stepped down as head of the Federalist Society to run CRC Advisors, a right-wing political strategy firm. In that role, he has operated at the center of a constellation of advocacy groups and undisclosed donors that share a similar goal: Use the courts to advance conservative and libertarian causes.

One of CRC Advisors biggest clients is the Republican Attorneys General Association. Another is the Concord Fund, the advocacy group that is the latest incarnation of the Judicial Crisis Network. The fund is also the largest financial backer, by far, of the Republican Attorneys General Association.

Since 2014, the Judicial Crisis Network, now the Concord Fund, has poured more than $17 million into the campaigns of the Republican attorneys general. In the current electoral cycle, the Concord Fund has contributed $3.5 million, several times more than the next biggest donor, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with $800,000.

Leo and McGahn did not respond to requests for interviews. McConnell declined an interview request.

Neomi Rao, 49, is typical of the judges given lifetime appointments by Trump with support from Leo and his network. Following discussions with McGahn, Rao was nominated in 2018 to replace Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after he was elevated to the Supreme Court.

The D.C. Circuit Court hears challenges to federal environmental, health and safety regulations.

Rao had never served as a judge and had never tried a case. But she had impeccable conservative credentials and a dislike of government regulation.

In 2017, she was tapped by Trump to run the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. From that perch, she oversaw an aggressive regulatory rollback, including the weakening or elimination of more than 100 environmental rules.

A New Legal Approach

Of the 27 Republican attorneys general, a core group from fossil fuel states is leading the coordinated legal challenges: Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia, Daniel Cameron of Kentucky, Todd Rokita of Indiana, Ken Paxton of Texas and Landry from Louisiana.

Lined up behind the West Virginia power plant suit is another case in the D.C. Circuit Court brought by 15 attorneys general challenging a 2021 federal rule designed to cut auto pollution by compelling automakers to sell more electric vehicles.

Should that challenge succeed, more than a dozen Democratic-governed states are expected to impose tougher state-level auto pollution standards. But the Republican attorneys general have already filed a suit in the D.C. Circuit court seeking to block states authority to do that.

While no single case is aimed at overturning Chevron, a string of victories would essentially hollow it out.

Sally Katzen, co-director of the Legislative and Regulatory Process Clinic at New York University School of Law, said that a Supreme Court victory this month for the Republican attorneys general and their allies would just be a taste of whats to come.

The Federalist Society has put a lot of time and energy into this and a lot of intellectual power, said Katzen, former head of the White House office of regulatory affairs in the Clinton administration. All that effort has paid off. But I dont think this is the culmination of their agenda. I think its just the beginning.

 2022 The New York Times Company
Texas DPS

A Texas DPS trooper was shot and killed a suspect after a vehicle chase Saturday night in Falfurrias.

The shooting happened about 8:20 p.m. after the chase concluded. The driver shot the trooper and the trooper returned fire killing the suspect, according to a DPS news release.

The trooper, whose identity has not been released, is in stable condition.

Texas Rangers responded to the scene that night. The investigation is ongoing. No other details were released.

This is a developing story. Check back to Caller.com for updates.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: DPS trooper shot, suspect killed after vehicle chase in Falfurrias
BRANDON  Luis Quixtan experienced a childhood full of mixed feelings. From his native Guatemala, he has memories of his friends, Christmas and birthdays. But he also remembers the horror of the insecurity that existed in its streets.

He grew up in a country where violence, gang activity and police corruption are common. At age 11, he was nearly kidnapped as he was leaving a store in his neighborhood. Two men followed him and tried to stop him. Quixtan managed to evade them until he got home safely.

His family came to the United States 18 years ago, fleeing the violence. He couldnt sleep well, Quixtan said, thinking he could be deported and sent back to Guatemala.

A decade ago, when Quixtan was 20, he first applied to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Former President Barack Obama established the program for undocumented immigrant children on June 15, 2012, through an executive order. Now, an estimated 611,470 people fall under its protection.

Quixtan thought it was a temporary solution that would allow him to stay in the country without getting deported.

But after a decade of the program, Congress still has not passed legislation for young immigrants to apply for permanent legal status.

Weve been waiting so long, said Quixtan, who is 30 now.

Immigration advocates and local activists marked the 10th anniversary of the program by asking for a definitive solution.

This DACA anniversary must be the last without action from Congress to provide Dreamers with a pathway to citizenship, Ted Hutchinson, Florida director for FWD.us  a bipartisan organization working to reform immigration and criminal justice systems  said in a statement.

According to the FWD.us, 23,600 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients in Florida alone pay $290 million in annual federal, state, and local taxes. Dreamers encompass 21% of Floridas undocumented immigrant population, and 60% have lived in the U.S. for over a decade.

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The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is open to those who were brought illegally to the United States as children before they were 16, have a clean record and have lived in the country at least five years. The program provides recipients a Social Security number to work and invites them to renew their status every two years. It doesnt offer a path to citizenship or the right to vote.

So-called Dreamers, known for the Dream Act  a proposal to grant legal status to young people  had been targeted by former President Donald Trump and Republican lawyers for deportation. Last July in Texas, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled against the program, prohibiting new applications but leaving it intact for existing recipients. More than 600,000 young immigrants cannot have their applications processed because of the judges decision.

Next month, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments regarding the programs constitutionality. The appeals court will likely rule on the policy later this year, opening up the possibility that the legal battle could end up in the Supreme Court, according to advocates.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients have increased high school attendance and graduation rates, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. Because of their jobs and incomes, the institute said, Dreamers contributed nearly $42 billion to U.S. gross domestic product each year and added $3.4 billion to the federal balance sheet.

But thousands of Dreamers have seen delays in their renewal requests, jeopardizing the legal status that enables them to remain in the United States. Some recipients have reported losing their jobs or being furloughed while they wait for their applications to be processed. Others work for employers willing to give them more time.

For many years, activists, spiritual leaders and advocates have urged Congress to work together for immigration reform.

Cirenio Cervantes, 28, a community leader with Faith in Florida, a nonprofit that advocates for immigrants, said the program has provided an opportunity for many, including him.

Cervantes came with his parents from the Mexican state of Guerrero when he was 7. He was accepted into the program in 2013 and used his legal status to study at the University of South Florida, where he received a biology degree. The program, he said, has allowed him to feel like he is part of his community. He can drive and live without the constant fear of being deported.

DACA is only a temporary solution, and we will keep advocating for something more permanent, Cervantes said. Not only for us but also for our parents.

Quixtans parents, Angel and Sandra Quixtan, 60, were both family doctors who ran a medical clinic in Guatemala. They fled to the U.S. in 2004 because of unrest and chronic violence in their country. They said they saw armed robberies and men shot in the middle of the street. Many times, they had to save the lives of people in their clinic, men and women who fell victim to violence and street insecurity.

The couple said they left their medical practice after being assaulted at home by gangs and paramilitaries. The trigger, however, was the attempted kidnapping of their eldest son and threats that they would be killed if they did not pay a ransom of $5,000. In the U.S., Luis Quixtans parents got different jobs and survived by working as much as they could. Angel painted houses and worked in stores. Sandra became a caregiver.

Fleeing to the United States was not an option. It was a matter of life or death, Luis Quixtan said.

He graduated with honors from Brandon High School, in an unincorporated community east of Tampa. He was a member of the Youth Orchestra at the Patel Conservatory in Tampa and was living in Brandon with his parents and siblings, three of them also Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and musicians: Christian, 27, Kevin, 25, and Sandra, 23.

Luis Quixtan now works full time taking care of the elderly. Over the past two years, he has often worked up to 80 hours caring for patients in the middle of the pandemic. He never fell sick until a couple of weeks ago when, he said, he contracted COVID-19.

He also is studying to receive a biology degree from St. Petersburg College so he can become a doctor. In 2020, he married his girlfriend, Michelle, a U.S. citizen, and they have an 11-month-old son. Now he can fix his legal status through his wife, but Luis Quixtan said the pressure and the emotional challenge never ends for Dreamers.

When DACA came to us, it was like a dream come true, he said. But it can change any time.
The first "heat" in Brevard County's 2022 election race season is over.

The qualifying period for candidates closed Friday with 80 candidates vying for office in 44 races. Republicans dominate the field of local contestants, much as they always have in recent years.

Some qualified by petition, while others ponied up their own money for consideration. Still others stepped in at the last minute as write-in candidates, closing several key races.

Regardless of the method, the field has been set and the voters now know who they will have to choose from.

The most contentious contests will be for seats in the Florida Legislature, the County Commission and the Brevard County School Board.

Here is a brief look at the candidates that will be running in those most competitive races now that they have closed.

Brevard County Commission

The District 2 race has garnered the most attention in the past few months after Bryan Lober resigned as commissioner in District 2. Prior to that, he was the favored candidate to retain his seat.

Republican Joseph Cholewa, who had been one of Lober's biggest critics for his use of county purchasing cards, qualified as a candidate for the commissioner race.

"As a first time candidate I am excited to qualify for the commission race by petition, and I am looking forward to our primary in August," he said.

David Armstrong: Brevard businessman David Armstrong announces bid for county commission for second time

Brevard commissioners: Brevard County commissioners seem open to giving hotel company a $30M marketing grant

The second, a non-party affiliated candidate, Dontavious Smith filed to be candidate in August of last year.

"I put my money up, that is it," Smith said. "It is a job application. I put my own money up to run. That goes to show my commitment to not only my vision, but it goes to show my commitment to not have anyone contribute to my campaign and be a self-made campaign."

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Dave Netterstrom filed to be a candidate early on as well and also managed to qualify.

"I am pleased to see that the voters have a good choice of people," he said. "I am working hard to get their vote. I know I am the best choice for the voters and I am going to work the hardest and bring the most to the table."

Some entrants threw their names into the hat more recently.

The first to do so after Lober resigned was Tom Goodson, Sheriff Wayne Ivey and Brevard Republican Executive Committee Chair Rick Lacey's favored candidate.

"I look forward to earning the vote of District 2 residents," he said.

Christopher Hattaway, a U.S. Army veteran and policeman, was the most recent candidate to file and is seen by some as a serious contender because of his law enforcement and military background.

"It feels good to have qualified," he said. "This is the next layer of showing people how committed I am to actually representing them and how serious I am when I say I want to continue to be a servant and bring people together and offer a seat at the table."

District 4 Commissioner Curt Smith termed out of his seat and has to step down. In total, five candidates managed to qualify as candidates and move forward to become the person to succeed him.

Robert Feltner will run for the second time after placing third in the Republican primary back in 2006. He works as a political campaign consultant who announced his intention to run early last year, and has won Sheriff's Ivey's endorsement.

"I am excited for the coming election," he said. "I am out knocking on doors everyday talking to voters and they have been really great to me. I appreciate it very much."

Sandra Sullivan, an activist known by many, was also one of the earlier candidates to announce for the seat. She has been a consistent presence at County Commission meetings, learning about issues while advocating for the lagoon.

"I am excited to officially qualify to be on the ballot after a grassroots campaign working for 11 months to qualify by petition by the people," she said. "I will serve the people and not special interests, like not supporting the Driftwood proposal to give $30 million of public tax money to a developer."

Businessman David Armstrong, who once ran for this seat before, announced his candidacy Thursday, and wants to encourage growth and development issues for the county.

Margaret Mary Steciuk is the most recent Republican to qualify as a candidate. Little is known about her except that she is a Satellite Beach resident.

The person who has perhaps had the greatest impact on this race at this point is a write-in candidate. Joseph Michael Aiello entered the race at the last minute, announcing and qualifying Thursday.

Write-in candidates like Aiello only have only to submit paperwork to qualify and are spared the usual filing fees and petitions. Their name may not be on the ballot, but they are an official candidate for the general election in November.

But his candidacy closes the primary in August to only registered Republican voters.

When candidates from only one party qualify to run for a partisan office like County Commission, the primary is open to all voters to participate  not just Republicans or Democrats.

But because Brevard County is a heavily Republican area, party leaders encourage a write-in candidate to qualify before the primary. This closes the primary and makes sure only the party faithful can determine who goes on to the general election.

More: Florida House candidate Hattaway, opponent Tramont pick up key endorsements

More: Florida's outrageous, illegal gerrymander | Opinion

State Legislature

Florida Legislature races have changed shape this year, with many of the district numbers shifting even if they include many of the same areas  changes made as a result of the 2020 Census.

Redistricting this past year saw much of the area that was Florida Senate District 14 become District 8, which covers swaths of southern Volusia County and northern Brevard County.

Two Democrats, Richard Dembinsky and Andrea Williams, both qualified to run against Tom Wright, the current Senator of District 14, for that new District 8 seat.

In District 19, which covers central and southern Brevard County and northern Indian River County, the current Senator and Senate Majority Leader Debbie Mayfield, R-Indialantic, will be running unopposed for her seat.

In possibly the highest-profile state legislature race, incumbent Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay has qualified for the race. The winner will face a challenger in Democrat Anthony Yantz, a Brevard County realtor in District 33.

Fine has won re-election twice since he initially won his seat in 2016, fending off challenges from Brevard County Democrats. District 33 covers most of southern Brevard County.

In District 30, two Republican candidates will be facing off against one write-in candidate who qualified for the race.

Current Port Canaveral Commissioner Robyn Hattaway will go against Chase Tramont, both Republicans. Vic Baker qualified as the write-in candidate.

In District 31,Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, is the only candidate qualified to run for his current seat. District 31 covers much of Central Brevard County including Cape Canaveral, Merritt Island and Cocoa.

Thad Altman, R-Indialantic, will also run unopposed for District 32, which includes portions of Central Brevard, including Rockledge and Melbourne.

District 34, which covers a sliver of southern Brevard County along with Indian River County, will see a race between two Republicans in Robert Brackett and Karen Hiltz and one Democrat, Karen Greb.

More: Brevard Public Schools says district has shooting safety plans in place and ready

More: Brevard Public Schools offer free summer meals, but there's a catch worrying needy parents

School Board

Perhaps the hottest and most ruthless races will be the contests for three School Board seats.

Over the last few years, school boards across the country  and here in Brevard County  have become a new front in America's culture wars where conservatives and liberals battle over education and social policy impacting not only curricula but also racial and sexual politics.

Three races for seats on the five-seat Brevard County School Board could be decided during the August primary. Two current School Board members each face an opponent, and four contenders will vie for the District 2 seat that board vice chair Cheryl McDougall will vacate. If a candidate in a School Board race does not secure 50% or more of the vote, a runoff election for that seat will be held in November.

Eight-year District 1 School Board member and current chair Misty Belford is facing a challenge from Megan Wright, a real estate agent.

Belford, who is not affiliated with any political party, has served as chair of the board since 2016. She has some under fire from the right for her support of mask mandates in Fall 2022 and her support of policies affirming LGBTQ students.

Belfords opponent, Wright, founded her own real estate agency in 2012. Wrights platform on her website lists critical race theory, parental rights and a more balanced and transparent school budget, as well as access to trade education, better classroom discipline and improving teacher pay.

If we dont start to look at the opportunities that are available to us and only focus on this illusion that something like race or gender is holding us back, then we are crippling an entire demographic of people with a lie," Wright wrote on critical race theory.

Belford's website platform doesnt speak to critical race theory or parents rights. People in Brevard are more worried about school safety and career technical education, she said.

Right now, the big concern is school safety, Belford said. With the recent Uvalde shooting, I think a lot of people have that on their mind.

Current School Board District 5 member Katye Campbell faces an opponent to the left, Kim Hough, co-founder of organization Families for Safe Schools.

Campbell, a former music teacher, as served one four-year term on the School Board. A Republican, she has received both praise and criticism for her strong stance against mandatory masks and her opposition to allowing transgender students to use restrooms of the opposite sex.

Hough said she decided to run after co-founding Families for Safe Schools, a nonprofit that favors COVID-19 mitigations, gun control, advocacy for LGBTQ students, accurate history education and more.

I don't believe that I should make rules and policies that come from my personal beliefs, Hough said. I might not agree with everyone's values or faith, but I will not force my own faith or value on every student in our public school system.

District 2 is the most crowded School Board race on the August ballot. One candidate, Erin Dunne, is a registered Democrat who has the support of gun safety organizations and LGBTQ advocates. Dunne, a teacher for 13 years, said she is running because she believed students need to feel included in Brevard schools and teachers and staff need better support from the community.

Whether it's due to their race or their or disability or their (beliefs), we need to make sure that they know that they are entitled to the best possible education, Dunne said.

Gene Trent is a 20-year math teacher. His main campaign focuses are school choice, parental rights and progress monitoring instead of standardized testing. He said in in an interview classrooms should be more transparent and parents should be as involved as possible in their childrens education.

They should not only have a say in their childrens education, Trent said. They should be the say.

Courtney Lewis is an owner of two restaurants and mother to a son with special needs. According to her website, her main campaign goals are to protect parental rights and student safety, ensure transparency on the school board, and support vocational programs and teacher pay.

Shawn Overdorf is a US Army Veteran and a retired police officer who served as a school resource officer for 13 years. According to his website, he wants a school resource officer present in every school and considers student safety a top issue. He also wants to find solutions to retain teachers and is against mask mandates.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Courtney Lewis' occupation and the gender of her child. She is the owner of two restaurants and has a son. It also stated that District 33 includes Indian River County. District 33 comprises most of southern of Brevard County and not Indian River .

LIST OF QUALIFIED CANDIDATES IN CONTESTED 2022 RACES

State Senator District 8

Richard Paul Dembinsky (Democrat)

Tommy A. Wright (Republican)

Andrea Williams (Democrat)

State Representative District 30

Vic Baker (Write in)

Robyn Hattaway (Republican)

Chase Tramont (Republican)

State Representative District 33

Randy Fine (Republican)

Anthony Yantz (Democrat)

State Representative District 34

Robert Brackett (Republican)

Karen Greb (Democrat)

Karen Hiltz (Republican)

Circuit Judge 18 Group 3

John Mannion

Jessica Recksiedler

County Court Judge Group 2

David Allen Baker

Kelly Ingram

County Court Judge Group 4

Rodney A. Edwards

Kimberly Musselman

Renee Torpy

County Commission District 2

Joseph Cholewa (Republican)

Tom Goodson (Republican)

Christopher Hattaway (Republican)

Dave Netterstrom (Republican)

Dontavious "Tay Duh Mayuh" Smith (No Party Affiliation)

County Commission District 4

Joseph Michael Aiello (Write in)

David W. Armstrong (Republican)

Rob Feltner (Republican)

Margaret Mary Steciuk (Republican)

Sandra Sullivan (Republican)

School Board District 1

Misty Belford

Megan Wright

School Board District 2

Erin Dunne

Courtney Lewis

Shawn Overdorf

Gene Trent

School Board District 5

Katye Campbell

Kim Hough

Canaveral Port Authority District 3

Fritz VanVolkenburgh (Republican)

Wayne Justice (Republican)

Soil and Water Conservation District Group 2

Joseph "Bud" Crisafulli

Nancy Marr Stephenson

City of Palm Bay City Council Seat 4

Kenny Johnson

Nathan Timothy White

City of Titusville City Council Seat 1

Herman A. Cole

Kenneth Hall May

Kathleen Perez

City of Titusville City Council Seat 5

Stan Johnston

Jo Lynn Nelson

Nathan Slusher

Barefoot Bay Trustee (3 seats available)

Bruce Amoss

Joseph B. Klosky

Michael R. Morrissey

Lynn Tummolo

Baytree Community Development District Supervisor Group 4

Janice "Jan" Hill

Stu Waldron

Baytree Community Development District Supervisor Group 5

April Simmons

Jeremy Tippey

Montecito Community Development District Seat 5

Joline P. Nivert

Eric C. Smith

Richard Wellman

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard elections: stiff competition in D2, D4 and School Board 2022 races
DESTIN  The Coast Guard and state and local responders were continuing a search for a Louisiana boater Friday morning who went missing after he reportedly fell overboard Thursday evening.

Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders received a report from the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office on Thursday evening that a boater had fallen overboard a few hundred yards off Marler Bayou in Destin and didnt resurface, according to a news release.

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The 55-year-old man, identified as Shreveport City Marshal Charlie Caldwell Jr., was last seen in the water without a life jacket. He was wearing black swim trunks and a mint green shirt. Watchstanders launched a boat crew to conduct a search.

The Coast Guard was continuing its search at 11 a.m. Friday alongside the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Destin Fire Control District.

Caldwell has served as the city marshal for Shreveport since May 2008. He initially was appointed to the position, but was elected to remain in the post later that year.

"Same ol', same ol', baby," he told the Shreveport Times after being re-elected in 2014. "I serve a high God, you know. He told me I already had it."

According to his profile on the Shreveport website, Caldwell is the father of four children. He is a member of the 100 Men of Shreveport and the Highland Outreach Ministries. He is a member of the Louisiana City Marshals and Constables Association and the National Constables and Marshals Association.

He has held the positions of president and vice president of the Louisiana City Marshals and City Constables Association and the National Constables and Marshals Association.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Destin missing boater: Coast Guard searching for boater who fell
Today Americans celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day, or simply Juneteenth. It commemorates June 19, 1865, the day that the last enslaved African Americans in the United States, a group living in Galveston, Texas, learned that they were free, having been emancipated over two years earlier.



On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which stated that all persons enslaved in the rebellious Confederate states were free. It was more of a threat than anything else because it only applied to the rebel states and was therefore unenforceable.



Technically, the enslaved people there were now free. But due to prevailing conditions, word was slow to spread. It was not until two months after the Civil War ended and Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston to take command of the garrison there that the joyful news reached the farthest, most isolated corner of the fallen Confederacy. With the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution on December 6, 1865, the institution of slavery and indentured or involuntary servitude was abolished everywhere on U.S. soil, forever.



The first celebrations of Juneteenth took place in Texas on June 19, 1866, and soon began to spread across the American South. It is considered to be the countrys longest-running African American holiday. But it took 156 years for the importance of the nineteenth of June 1865 to be officially recognized. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth to be a Federal Holiday by signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.



Juneteenth marks both the long, hard night of slavery and subjugation, and a promise of a brighter morning to come. This is a day of profound  weight and profound power. A day in which we remember the moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery took on the country and continues to take  what Ive long called Americas original sin, said President Biden during the signing ceremony.



Great nations dont ignore their most painful moments. They dont ignore those moments of the past. They embrace them. Great nations dont walk away. We come to terms with the mistakes we made. And in remembering those moments, we begin to heal and grow stronger.
In this week's "It's Debatable" segment, Rick Rosen and Charles Moster debate whether the Charlottesville City Council should have removed a statue of Robert E. Lee from public display. Rosen is the Glenn D. West Endowed Research Professor of Law at the Texas Tech University School of Law and a retired U.S. Army colonel. Moster is founder of the Moster Law Firm based in Lubbock with seven offices including Austin, Dallas, and Houston.

Moster

MOSTER 1

I am steadfastly opposed to the decision of the Charlottesville City Council to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee from public display. Notwithstanding Lees service to the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, he should not fall victim to revisionists who seek to apply contemporary moral standards to prior historical figures.

Viewing the totality of Lees career, he was an exemplary solider and hero having graduated second in his class at the U.S. Military Academy. He went on to serve with honor during the war with Mexico in 1846 under Gen. Winfield Scott. He was viewed as a military genius and a patriot.

Upon the election of Abraham Lincoln, seven southern states seceded from the Union. The newly elected president viewed such decision as acts of rebellion requiring a military response. Although Lee was offered the role as commander of the Union, he resigned his commission to take up the Southern cause. Of course, it is this decision which forever tarnished his reputation and led to the removal of his statue by the city of Charlottesville, Virginia.

As a student of history and the constitution, I challenge Professor Rosen to cite any authority which prevented a state from exercising its right to secede from the Union during Lees tenure. Unlike the prior Articles of Confederation which were deemed to be perpetually binding on the member states, no such restriction was set forth in the constitution. Consequently, Lincoln had no legal right to demand continued adherence to the Union and exercise military action against the seceding states. Although this is a controversial statement, it is legally correct. Lee was not in violation of any laws or legal precedent which existed at that time. He was not a traitor.

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The above position does not negate my abhorrence of slavery and the moral imperative of the Union forces. That said, the participating states under the Constitution had the legal right to secede notwithstanding the legitimacy of the slavery issue.

Of course, history is written and viewed from the perspective of the victors and the losers are vilified. Interestingly, Robert E. Lee retained his heroic veneer after the Civil War but now has fallen victim to the enormous pressure of historical revisionists who seek to eradicate our own history based on contemporary standards.

The removal of General Lees statue is an affront to our history and opens the door to the eradication of the Founding Fathers themselves who supported slavery at the time including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Where do we draw the line? Should we demolish the Washington Monument and rename the capital city?

We honor American history and ourselves by recognizing who we are  blemishes and all. That is the American spirit. Censorship is not.

Rosen

ROSEN 1

In the 2009 case of Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, the Supreme Court observed that [g]overnments have long used monuments to speak to the pubic. A monument, by definition, is a structure that is designed as a means of expression. When a government entity arranges for the construction of a monument, it does so because it wishes to convey some thought or instill some feeling in those who see the structure. The free speech clause does not regulate such government speech; [a] government entity has the right to speak for itself.

To Charlottesville's governing body, the Robert E. Lee monument represented a message it no longer wanted to convey because the majority of its citizens viewed the statue as a symbol of racial injustice given Lee's defense of the Confederate states and slavery. Consequently, the City Council voted to remove the monument. Charles' objections notwithstanding, the decision to remove the Lee monument rested solely with Charlottesville's residents through their democratically elected representatives.

Nor was the City Council's decision irrational. I am familiar with Charlottesville, having lived there for seven years. (Charlottesville is the home of the Army's Judge Advocate Generals Legal Center & School to which I was assigned as a graduate student, a professor, and later, the schools commandant.) The Robert E. Lee monument was located only a few short blocks from what had been a market where slaves were bought and sold, the enormity of which cannot be overstated. The monument was not completed until 1924, well after the end of the Civil War. It was dedicated at the height of Jim Crow and the KKK, and to the people of Charlottesvilleparticularly its African-American residentsit was emblematic of an era of white supremacy. And to some, Lee was a traitor who breached his solemn oath to support the Constitution, and to bear true allegiance to the United States of America, and to serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies.

I agree with Charles that we should neither judge historical figures based wholly upon contemporary mores nor permit small vocal minorities dictate our moral standards. Communities must be free, however, to display only those monuments that reflect their residents' values and beliefs.

MOSTER 2

Ricks rejoinder is well-reasoned, and I certainly respect the right of Charlottesville to articulate any sociopolitical message it chooses. The issue here presented, however, like General Lee, is of greater stature and that is the concerted effort to retroactively negate our own history and vilify those who honorably served.

The removal of Lees statue is part of a larger effort across the country to eradicate all vestiges of the southern resistance during the Civil War. According to NPR over 100 Confederate monuments have been removed since 2020. As I stated previously, General Lee and his colleagues were not traitors and did not violate their oath to the Constitution as still erroneously maintained by many scholars and others. Although President Lincoln was obviously correct on the slavery question, he was dead wrong on secession.

The problem with the Charlottesville action and other municipalities is that it embodies the worst form of censorship as personified by George Orwell in his dystopian novel 1984. It is certainly dangerous to burn books or in the case of physical monuments  to melt down the characters depicted. However, the greatest threat of all is in the falsification or erasure of the idea itself. Thats what the Charlottesville action is all about.

It is historically incorrect that the Southern states engaged in an illegal insurrection. They had every legal and constitutional right to leave the Union. The only Supreme Court decision of which I am aware, was decided in 1869, years after the conclusion of hostilities. No such restriction was in place when Robert E. Lee determined to honor his allegiance to the State of Virginia and the Southern cause.

I will also note that the removal of Thomas Jeffersons statue at the University of Virginia has also been hotly debated  the very citadel of learning that he founded. Indeed, where does this madness end?

We dishonor ourselves by rewriting history. Yes, Charlottesville had the right to remove the statue of General Robert E. Lee, but it was the wrong decision.

ROSEN 2

I agree with much of what Charles argues. Whether Robert E. Lee was a traitor in light of the customs and beliefs of his era is a complex question.

That Lee believed loyalty to his state was more important than his oath to the federal government is not wholly surprising. Although rejected by the Supreme Court in McCullough v. Maryland, many still believed that the United States was just a compact of sovereign states, which transferred some powers to the national government. The United States was referred to in the plural (the United States are), only becoming singular following the Civil War (the United States is). Even today states talk about secession. For example, according to Reuters, during the Trump Administration, one-third of Californians wanted the state to separate from the national government. I do not remember the advocates of separation being called traitors.

References to Lee as a traitor may simply be a kneejerk reaction to his abandonment of the Union. But I believe more is involved: Lee breached his oath to the United States to perpetuate the institution of slavery, and government entities no longer want to honor such a divisive historical figure. Parenthetically, Congress amended the Articles of War (now the Uniform Code of Military Justice) to include Lee's conduct as a form of desertion  a capital offense in time of war.

I concur with Charles' concerns about cancelling other historic figures who held views or engaged in conduct no longer approved by society although lawful and customary when they were alive. Charles' reference to Thomas Jefferson is good example. Jefferson founded the University of Virginia (one of my alma maters), yet there are those who want to erase his connection to the university. Similarly, activists at the University of Wisconsin have pushed for the removal of a bust of Abraham Lincoln based in part on his views about race, which may have been progressive in his time, but are no longer acceptable. I suspect future generations may find the views of these activists to be repugnant, and they too will be cancelled.

The generals who led the Confederate armies are unique however. They took up arms against the United States in defense of slavery and involved the nation in its bloodiest war, leaving the country with an indelible scar. Many citizens rightfully believe these generals do not deserve the approbation of their communities by displaying statues in their honor.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: It's debatable Charlottesville's decision to remove Lee statue
Jun. 18One person is dead after a vehicle crashed into a pole on state Route 122 in Gratis Township, Preble County Friday evening.

The person was identified as Aaron Whitesell, 27, from New Paris, Ohio, according to a press release from Ohio State Highway Patrol.

According to Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatchers, the crash was reported at 7:47 p.m. just north of the intersection of Route 122 and Greenbush Road.

They received a call about a possible injury crash with a car on it's side and with power lines down, the release said.

A witness said prior to the crash the car appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed, the release said.

The power lines were wrapped around the vehicle, Gratis Fire and EMS said.

Dispatchers said there was only one person was in the vehicle.

Whitesell was extricated from the car around 8:29 p.m., the release said, where CareFlight was called to scene.

The driver of the vehicle succumbed to his injuries prior to being loaded for transport.

The crash is under investigation by OSHP.

We will update this story with any new information.
National Economic Council Director Brian Deese said it makes sense for President Joe Biden to travel to Saudi Arabia despite that nation's much-criticized human rights record.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Biden's economic czar said that next month's trip is all about advancing American interests.

"What's behind this is a very simple proposition, which is when it is U.S. interest for the president to engage with a foreign leader, he will do so," he told host Shannon Bream.

Deese was responding to suggestions by Bream that Biden might look desperate traveling to Saudi Arabia  a nation he has previously condemned for its human rights record, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi  at a time of increasing energy prices. Critics on both the left and right have said it is wrong for Biden to seem to give the Saudi royal family his stamp of approval by visiting there.

"We have significant interests, national security interests, in the region, as well as economic interests as well. He will vigorously represent American interests, while also vigorously representing American values," Deese said of Biden's July 13-16 trip, which will also include a trip to Israel and the adjacent West Bank.

Deese also spoke at length of various steps the administration is taking in connection with oil companies to help lower energy prices  while still attempting to make it possible to address long-term clean energy and climate goals.

"The reality is," Deese said, "we are a net exporter of oil, but more important than that for the immediate term is what we can do to increase supply. As you said, supply came down precipitously during Covid; we want to see that come back and come back online. In the near term, the companies have a very powerful market incentive. Prices are high, and their profit and profit margins are high, and what we are encouraging is that they take those and put those profits to work to increase production."

He added of the administration: "If there are practical things we can do, we're willing to listen and willing to be open."
Jun. 18Thumbs up to Minnesota State University and its efforts to welcome marginalized communities and high school students to summer camps that aim to help students feel comfortable at college and experience what can be possible with a college degree.

MSU hosted this week its first Asian American Pacific Islander Summer Camp to introduce Asian American high school students to the college experience. Ninth through 12th graders were invited to a three-day camp that was aimed in part at solidarity building as well as experiencing college life.

Asian Americans came under attack during the pandemic as ex-President Donald Trump and others tried to blame the pandemic on them. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism recently reported a 169% increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans in the first quarter of 2021 and a 339% increase for the year.

MSU has also reached out to Native American students and been operating a similar summer camp for eight years.

Disasters galore

Thumbs down to the number of natural disasters occurring, fueled by climate change that still isn't taken seriously by too many Americans.

Last week about one-third of the United States was under dangerous heat and drought advisories, and it's only early June.

Meanwhile, wildfires are raging across the West at record pace. California's sequoia trees are struggling to survive climate change heat and more severe wildfires.

And early last week all Yellowstone National Park entrances were closed in the wake of what the National Park Service called "unprecedented" rainfall causing "substantial flooding, rockslides and mudslides on roadways."

Decades ago, scientists around the world began warning of man-made greenhouse gases changing the climate. The warnings were ignored by those who benefited from fossil fuels and politicians who benefit from supporting them.

What we're seeing is the result, and yet there are still too many who deny climate change and don't want to take the steps needed to ensure things don't get much worse.

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Avoidable disease

Thumbs down to two measles cases occurring in Minnesota.

State health officials said this week they confirmed two cases of measles in preschoolers who live in Hennepin County. The siblings developed symptoms shortly after returning from another country where the disease is common, the state health department said in a news release. The children were unvaccinated, and one was hospitalized due to complications.

Getting children all of their immunizations is as important as ever. The health department reports that childhood vaccination rates statewide declined slightly during the pandemic. Recent data show the percentage of Minnesota 2-year-olds who had received at least one dose of the MMR  measles, mumps, rubella  vaccine was 81.4 percent in 2019, then declined to 79.3 percent in 2021.

That may not seem like a huge dip, but vaccination rates need to be as high as possible to protect children from serious diseases.

If your children got behind on their immunizations, it's time to catch up.

Electoral paranoia

Thumbs down to the continued acceptance by far too many Republicans of Donald Trump's Big Lie.

This week, even as the House Select Committee honed in on Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election:

A judge in Wisconsin held the election "investigator" hired by the Republican state Assembly speaker in contempt, fined him $2,000 a day until he complies with an earlier court order and referred his findings to the state's legal discipline office. Michael Gableman's bogus investigation has thus far cost Wisconsin taxpayers $900,000 and turned up no legitimate issues with the 2020 vote.

A county commission in New Mexico refused to certify the primary election results there, citing disproven conspiracy theories about the election machines. One of the commissioners is about to be sentenced for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Several Big Lie advocates have won Republican primaries in this cycle, in such swing states as Nevada and Pennsylvania. Oddly, those winners don't doubt the validity of those vote counts.
Evils David Acosta has been a priest for all of, what, five minutes? And hes already bored of the monotony of parish life: the ho-hum confessions, the poorly attended 6 am Masses, the other priests slurping soup at dinner. How lucky for him, then, when The Entity  the super-secret Vatican group that offers information and assistance when needed  approaches him to join their covert ranks.

But does he sign up? And whats this about someone named Visiting Jack? Read on for the highlights of The Demon of Memes.

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THE ENTITY ARRIVES | God wants you to be a friend of the Vatican, Victor LeConte (Brian dArcy James, Smash) informs David when he mysteriously shows up in his room one night. Theres something happening in New York that is evil but it is not just supernatural. It is also corporeal, LeConte says. He informs David that he will get a mission from the Vatican in the coming days, and its all very cloak-and-dagger  especially the part where David isnt allowed to say anything to anyone about what hes doing. Still, David signs up.

HOME IMPROVEMENT PLAN | Kristen and Andy need $90,000 to add another bathroom and bedroom to their house, but theyre only poised to sell the trekking business for $85,000 and they owe almost that much on their mortgage. Andy suggests that he try to get a higher price for the business. And when he meets with an associate, he learns of a potential buyer who wants to pay $800,000 (!) for the business and scale it up. And when Andy has a videoconference to meet that potential buyer its Sheryls infusion pal Eddie, with Leland and Sheryl in the background.

Eddie asks Andy to accompany him to Nepal as part of the deal, and when Andy balks, Edward tosses in $150k more to sweeten the deal. I dont really see how we can say no, Kristen notes later, grimacing as they talk about how hell have to be away for three months. Just dont die. A moment later, though, shes in tears. Being a single mom really sucks, she laments. He kisses her and promises that its almost over.

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Elsewhere, after a few punk kids prank David in the confession box by screaming, Captain Kirk is Christ! and then running out of the church, the monsignor investigates and realizes that its probably part of a blasphememe that also includes the phrase Praise Wandering Jack. Its probably harmless online ridiculousness, but the monsignor soberly notes that a teen killed himself the week before and his parents think he got caught up in the Slenderman-like hysteria. David agrees to check it out.

THE TWILIGHT THRONE | Meanwhile, upstairs, Laura is in the bathroom when the toilet starts acting funny. And then it starts overflowing with blood. By the time her folks hear her cries and come running, the blood is gone but the commode is still not working well. Ben comes over to see whats up; he cant find anything. And when David calls Kristen to tell her about their next job, the daughters Bouchard correct their mom: Its Visiting Jack, an urban horror legend, and a boy that Lynn may or may not be dating is wrapped up in the whole thing.

The boy, Ren, has holed himself up in his room, watching videos about the inevitability of death and muttering, Hes coming for me. He says hes not done with the licks, which are apparently tasks that Visiting Jack requires be completed within seven days of first seeing a specific photo. In Rens browser history, Ben finds an address for an abandoned house in Queens; a street view of the location reveals that someone has asked for the photo to be obscured. Bens sister, Karima, helps him find an older iteration of the photo, which makes it look like one of The Gentlemen from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is standing in one of the homes upstairs windows.

David, Ben and Kristen visit the house that evening, but David gets diverted by an ill-timed call from The Entity. So he takes off, and well get to him in a moment. Meanwhile, Kristen and Ben break into the house after noticing some movement on the upper level, and they find a college student squatting there. He says Visiting Jack lets me stay here as long as I feed him and angrily insists that he didnt make the whole thing up.

Ren later tells Linda that Visiting Jack is in photos for six other homes where he allegedly killed the families who lived there; he gives Kristen and Ben the locations, and the street views reveal a ghoulish face in each  with ol VJ getting closer to the camera each time. Ben and Kristen discern that the homes in the photographs were the sites of violent deaths, and they theorize that whoever is behind the hoax cherrypicked them to make it seem like Visiting Jack was culpable. In the last picture, though, theres a woman in the driveway; Kristen recognizes the woman as Orson LeRouxs widow, and the house as the LeRouxs home.

THE FIRST MISSION

| The Entity sends David running to a church in Manhattan, where Victor gives him a Bible and instructs him to await a call that will tell him where to deliver it. That follow-up call comes just as Kristen, Ben and David are about to talk with Emily LeRoux. LeConte directs David to a hotel where a man is dying. Hes to administer last rites, then find a postcard, take it and leave  but make sure you leave the door open. So David skips out on his partners again, leaving them to talk to the woman who was married to the man Kristen killed. Kristen gives AMAZING compassion face when Emily talks about how the police still dont know who murdered Orson. She recalls that the driver who was capturing the street0view photos passed by the house several times; Ben is able to get a good look at the driver via one of the shots taken as he passed a reflective window.

David arrives at the hotel, administers last rites to a not-terribly-old Chinese man whose family is weeping nearby while various other people mill about. After a doctor determines that the man has died, David grabs a Statue of Liberty postcard thats on the table and goes to leave. On his way out the door, one of the men bustling about the room tips him. (Ha!)

THE GRACE OF GOD

| When David returns to the rectory, Kristen is waiting for him: They tracked down the street-view driver and he goes to school with the guy they found living in the abandoned house: They must have worked together to create the scam. She wonders what called David away and he lies unconvincingly about how the Mass schedule had to be solved right then. I miss us, she says quietly, and he assures her his weirdness had nothing to do with us. Still, Were not what we were, she says, and she worries that its her fault because what she confessed to him and what happened after that. David says all of that is done, and that what is going on with him has nothing to do with how they feel about each other. She cries, he promises her that he will be himself again, and they shake hands.

Victor LeConte is waiting for him in his bedroom, asking for the postcard. David demands to know why the man in the hotel room was dying. LeConte says he was poisoned to stop him from delivering a message  that message, he says, indicating the postcard. He says he needs it to save someone: Grace Ling from Season 1, whom the Vatican believes is a prophet but whom was deported to China and has been lost in a work camp. LeConte seems bothered by the fact that theres nothing written on the postcard, but when he asks if David was given anything else, the priest turns over the tip that the man insisted he take. LeConte sees something he likes on the bill, praises Davids good work, and takes off just as mysteriously as he appeared.

SHERYLS NEW SCAM

| If youre wondering what Sheryl is up to during all of this, shes started a job as an online troll. Or rather, someone who oversees a group of online trolls. Youre to keep the people doomscrolling, Leland says, pointing out that keeping people nervous makes them focus on the evil in the world, and not the good, and therefore is under the purview of the father below.

Now its your turn. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments!

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This Fathers Day, my kids and I have a lot to talk about. If only they were listening. Its not me, its them. Now that theyre teenagers, theyve tuned out their old man.

Damn. Just when I was getting to the good stuff.

For one thing, at 55, I feel confident in sharing my thoughts about how to live a good life. Ive been a liberal, a conservative, and everything in-between. Ive visited 43 states, and Ive lived in five of them. Ive been knocked down, and Ive gotten upand been knocked down again. I had an elite education, and yet my mistakes, failures, and setbacks were my best teachers.

Theres a Right Way and Wrong Way to Do Police Reform

For another, mankind is in a fix and the stakes are high. The world is in disarray, and our country is more divided and polarized than it has been since the 1960s. Against that backdrop, Im itching to share some sage advice to the three people who will one daywhen Ive met my final deadline and gone to the big newsroom in the skyrepresent my most important legacy.

I cant fault my kids for not listening. With the Navarrettes, tuning out our fathers is a family tradition. The youngest of five boys, my dad was the runt of the litter. His childhood nickname was pee wee. He dreamed of being a police officer, and he spent 37 years on the job. And it was all because my father didnt listen to his dad, my grandfather, when the old man from Chihuahua, Mexico, told him that he was too small for police work.

As a teenager back in the mid-1980s, I wasnt listening to my dad, eithereven with all the yelling.

I was listening to Bruce Springsteen, the speeches of Robert Kennedy, and my hormoneswhich lit up like a pinball machine thanks to the pretty cheerleader in my advanced algebra class. Raised in a small farm town in Central Californiathe kind of place where you cant hidemy greatest wish was to run away from home. Eventually, I ran off to New England for college, as far as I could run without getting my feet wet in the Atlantic. When I arrived, I was homesick and couldnt wait to run back.

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Today, the universe in which my wife and I raise our kids bears little resemblance to the one in which I was raised.

I grew up in a hardscrabble town in the center of California that was 70 percent Mexican American, and my kids are coming of age in an affluent coastal community that is 80 percent white. But what really bothers me is that a fire in the belly is not transferable from one generation to the next. I cant give my kids the passion that I had to look for something better.

Americans are supposed to leave this country better than we found it. We failed. Were low on empathy and understanding. Its one thing to argue over opinions, but we cant even agree on facts. Too often, our politics dictate our news sources. We have no interest in having our beliefs challenged, or questioning why we believe what we believe. We can be unfriended, canceled or worse simply for voicing an opposing or unpopular point of view.

But more people are turning away from the screeching voices at the extremes and drifting toward those of us who make camp in the sensible center.

Thats where I want my kids to livein the center. At our dinner table, they know that Dad doesnt care what they think as long as they, well, think. They know that I dont need for them to agree with everything I believe, only for them to think deeply and think critically. And they know its important to see issues from different points of view.

This Fathers Day, if my kids would tune me back in for just 24 hours, I would jump on my soapbox and give them this advice:

Dont be afraid to be emotional. Emotion is good. But always strive to be at an even keel. Thats where you control your emotions, and they dont control you.

Be kind to others and treat everyone with respect. Just because you shouldnt let anyone look down on you doesnt mean you should look down on someone else.

Own your words, actions, and decisions. Take responsibility for what you say and do. In a world full of people who make excuses and shift blame, be different by being accountable.

Dont play the victim, even in those instances when you are, in fact, being victimized. Doing so only gives those who torment you more power over you than they deserve to have.

You can be friends with people even if you dont agree politically. Argue your truth, but argue fairly and with an open mind that allows for the possibility that youre wrong. Because, oftentimes, you will be.

Talk less. Listen more. Think harder. And never stop learning. Throughout life, youll learn more from those who challenge you than you will from those who fall in line behind you.

Intelligence is fine. But social skills, hard work, and perseverance carry you farther. Rather than being the smartest person in the room, be the person that others want in the room.

Finally, always stay curious. There is no shame in not knowing the answer, but you should be embarrassed if you dont care enough to find out.

If my kids do all that, they can be better people. And better people can make this a better country.

I Was for Affirmative Action, but Now I Think It Should Go Away

Our kids are a giant billboard on the highway of life that announces to the world what kind of job weve done as parents. If we were too strict, or too permissive, if we neglected or smothered them, itll all show up on the canvas under the bright lights. Its a sobering thought.

I know my kids wont ignore me forever. Thats how growing up works. As the saying goes, my father really did get a lot wiser the older I got.

When I was a teenager, he didn't know anything. Now that Im a dad raising teenagers, I have an even greater respect for the guy. I also have an understanding of just how difficult this gig is. My dad wasnt perfect, and he made mistakes. But overall, he did great.

What I appreciate most was that he always tried to be present for me, even when his job made that tough to do. I remember him coming to my little league games in his squad car, parking just outside the fence with the police radio on.

Thanks, Dadfor always showing up. Happy Fathers Day.

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A Rikers Island juvenile detention facility officer walks down a hallway of the jail, Thursday, July 31, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ORG XMIT: NYJJ

As tales of teenage 'superpredator' criminals took root in the 1980s and 1990s, states started enacting laws that imposed harsher penalties on children.

And as those laws were codified, the world wide web came online, giving anyone with a home computer increasingly easy access to court records.

Those two factors helped create a patchwork system in the United States that puts the confidentiality of juvenile records  one of the fundamental aspects of juvenile justice  at risk, and that system has largely remained in place even as statistics show juvenile crime rates dropping dramatically in the past 20 years.

Such that, if a child is accused of a crime in a state where juvenile court records are generally confidential there is no central, online database where the public can access those records. But if that same child is accused of a crime in a less-stringent state, that information is available to anyone with an internet connection.

Juveniles in Washington have the right to seal their records, but once the information is online, "you can't unring that bell" because of the potential permanence of the internet, said Kim Ambrose, law professor at the University of Washington.

"By putting these records on the public website, it was very difficult for juveniles to be able to seal their records and not have them come up and impact their ability to get jobs," Ambrose said.

Washington is among states that rank low in policies to ensure children's confidentiality in court, according to the Juvenile Law Center's national scorecard. Idaho, where juvenile court proceedings and records are only closed to the public if the minor is under 14 and not charged with an offense that could be considered a felony if committed by an adult, also scores low on confidentiality, according to the organization.

Washington's Supreme Court recently adopted rule changes to protect children's confidentiality, but the court paused putting them into effect while justices weigh concerns.

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The new rule would scrub juvenile court files from online systems and require young people be identified by initials and birthdate rather than their full name.

"It's common in a lot of places to see initials in captions of cases," said Paul Holland, a law professor at Seattle University. "That is something that is intended to be just an additional layer of protection... as we come to recognize even more clearly not just how significant the impacts can be of juvenile court involvement but also, in particular, the disparities."

But even efforts in states with liberal reputations, such as Washington, have been met with some resistance from court officials and free-speech advocates.

In line for breakfast at the Juvenile Detention Center in Shreveport, La., on May 15, 2008.

The court rule changes have received pushback, including from the Washington Association of County Clerks, which said it's a "bad idea" limiting access to juvenile records and making them available only in courthouses.

Court records are not just about an offenders alleged actions they are also an official court record of decisions of government officials including law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, county clerks, etc. and should not be impossible to access, Kimberly A. Allen, president of the clerks association, wrote in a letter opposing the changes.

The Seattle Times editorial board said the juvenile record changes would "stir chaos in the legal system, prevent residents from holding their elected judges accountable and even, potentially, smear some of the young people the new rule purports to protect."

Holland said, though there might be a public interest in knowing a specific young person has been involved in a crime, it's "outweighed by our public interest in providing all of our youth, particularly those youth who come from communities that are disproportionately affected by the operation of the criminal legal system, the chance to minimize the negative effects of justice system involvement."

Other states have recently made efforts to reform juvenile laws:

Indiana in March passed a juvenile justice reform law that generally prohibits detaining children under 12 years old and implements risk-assessment tools to divert kids from the system.

In Pennsylvania, a bill seeks to reform the process to expunge juvenile records.

Maryland's legislature passed a set of bills earlier this year that would establish new sentencing rules for youth and add requirements before police interrogate a child.

In 2020, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled a plan to overhaul the state's juvenile justice system and last year signed a law that reduces mandatory sentences for youth.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this month vetoed a bill that would have expunged juvenile criminal records.

Confidentiality in juvenile court

Since the establishment of juvenile courts, states have recognized that children are fundamentally different from adults.

The juvenile court model, from its inception in the late 19th century, was intended to protect young people from the long term consequences of having been involved in potentially criminal conduct and being involved with the court, Holland said.

The earliest juvenile courts were all confidential and proceedings were closed to the public, Ambrose said.

It was this idea of protecting children, that we didn't want to start labeling and stigmatizing children for things that they did as children, Ambrose said. Children are different. The mistakes that they make are different.

During the 1980s and 1990s, however, an increase in juvenile crime rates led to tougher laws that deprived children of certain protections, said Andrew Keats, staff attorney at the Juvenile Law Center.

"The interest in protecting them has diminished over time, and I think it's only recently starting to get more attention as it should," Keats said.

In a 2008 file photo, a juvenile female naps in her room in Pod 1 at the Juvenile Detention Center in Shreveport. Jim Hudelson/The Times

Over the past 20 years, the share of crimes committed by youth in the U.S. have declined by more than half, according to an analysis by advocacy organization the Sentencing Project.

The Juvenile Law Center recommends juvenile legal systems ensure law enforcement and court records are not widely available and are never posted online, Keats said.

"When the case is closed, they should be expunged, meaning records should be actually destroyed usually when the cases are closed or the youth ages out of the juvenile system." Keats said. "And that should be automatic."

The Juvenile Law Center also says sealed records should be completely closed to the public.

The greater the protections afforded to young people at the start of the process, Keats said, "is a good thing for the for the juvenile system."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are juvenile records sealed? State policies vary, pushback continues
When asked if he considers playing 1-2 seasons in Europe, Batum responded with the following answer: I grew up being a big fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv. I dont know if itll happen but if I had to choose one: Maccabi all day, the 33-year-old tweeted.

Source: BasketNews

Whats the buzz on Twitter?

Nicolas Batum @nicolas88batum

Its been awhile quick Q&A  7:25 PM

More on this storyline

Fischers reporting, laid out in an online conversation Thursday with Boardrooms Eddie Gonzalez, was less certain, which he admitted, but decidedly more interesting. The Bleacher Report writer opened by saying that he has long assumed that Irving, along with Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons, will all be on the court for training camp. Still Ive been working on the assumption that all three  Kevin, Kyrie, Ben Simmons  will be there for the start of training camp. However, theres a lot of talk about Kyrie, he told Gonzalez. Definitely some talk about whether they are going to figure out a long term relationship. -via NetsDaily / June 19, 2022

In a couple weeks, Bradley Beals future might look a lot clearer. At this point, the Washington star isnt tipping his hand. When asked Saturday about how he expects the start of free agency to go, he replied: Crazy probably  like it always is. When asked how he expects his own contract situation to play out, his response was the same: My situation? Crazy probably. -via basketballnews.com / June 19, 2022

Kevin OConnor on James Harden: Ive been told that (Sixers) ownership wants him to opt into the $46.9 million deal for the 22/23 season, which no surprise. Ive been told Morey he wants that to be a three-year deal. -via Spotify / June 19, 2022
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

The looting of art at times of war dates back millennia, with the Greeks and Romans among the worst perpetrators. Museums and private collections around the world are filled with looted art that changed hands during conflicts. During World War II, a secret Allied army known as the Monuments Men worked to protect European treasures from being pilfered by invading armieswith mixed success. Hitlers stolen treasures are still being discovered across Germany. Millions of stolen pieces may never be found.

So far there are no specially trained armies in Ukraine to protect treasures from the precision Russian art thieves working under the cover of war to empty museums and destroy important pieces of Ukraines cultural heritage. There are just brave museum curators in regions where the Russians have seized control doing everything they can to hide and fortify their art and antiquities, using supplies smuggled in from the West to help them crate up paintings and sandbag statues.

Since Russia began its invasion in February, 250 cultural institutions have been targeted by Russian munitions. Thousands of important museums pieces have been destroyed during the bombing of Mariupol and elsewhere. In Melitopol, Scythian gold artifacts worth millions that date back to the fourth century B.C. were stolen from crates the museum had hidden them in.

Brian Daniels, an anthropologist in Virginia, is heading a project that monitors the destruction of cultural heritage in Ukraine. There is now very strong evidence this is a purposive Russian move, with specific paintings and ornaments targeted and taken out to Russia, he told The Daily Beast. His team saw surveillance video supplied by Ukraine in which a Russian art expert in a white lab coat removed the gold with the precision of a surgeon, careful not to destroy them. There is a possibility it is all part of undermining the identity of Ukraine as a separate country by implying legitimate Russian ownership of all their exhibits.

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Art historians are extremely concerned that Russia is stealing the countrys soul by destroying these items. We have museum buildings destroyed, with all collections turned into ashesit's quite a barbaric situation, curator and art historian Konstantin Akinsha, who is an expert in Ukrainian art, told The Roundtable program on Australias ABC. [The] other side of the problem is that in little towns which are occupied by Russians, we have the first cases of random looting of museums.

An employee walks past a protectively-wrapped display cases and furnitures in one of the galleries of the Potocki Palace, one of the architectural gems of western Ukraine and home of Lviv National Art Gallery in Lviv on May 13, 2022. Photo by Yuriy Dyachyshyn / AFP via Getty Images

In many cases across Ukraine, museum directors have refused to evacuate without their art so are huddling in fortified museums. Directors cannot leave the building because [they will need to] return at night in case something happens, Akinsha, who is in touch with many of them, said. So they became kind of cellar hermits all around the country.

Among the destroyed art are 25 pieces by Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko which were in the Ivankiv museum near Kyiv. Ukrainian officials say the art was taken by Russian troops before they destroyed the museum in a missile attack.

1241028991 View from the window of Theater Square, sandbags barricade the sculpture-fountain "Molodist", and the windows of the Museum of the Marine Fleet of Ukraine are covered with boards. Ukrainian authorities in Odessa have installed barricades in the historical center to protect key sites and monuments in the event of Russian bombing or possible street fighting. Photo by Viacheslav Onyshchenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The ALIPH Foundation, which has worked tirelessly in conflict zones including Syria and Afghanistanwhere untold treasures were destroyed in recent decadessaid they are sending supplies like crates, fireproof blankets and packing materials, to Ukrainian museums to help them fortify works in case bombing continues.

The storage facilities themselves need to be up to standard, Sandra Bialystok, spokesperson for ALIPH, said in a statement posted on their website. They need to have proper humidity control, be away from the elements and the packing boxes need to be of a certain caliber in order to protect the artifacts because these artifacts are, of course, precious and fragile.

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COHASSET  "Can I have more blue on it?" said Tristan Reyes Erler, 4, of Cohasset, as he waited for his new wooden top at the 67th South Shore Arts Festival.

He had returned to the stand for the third time in a day, finally getting what he wanted.

"If you return a few moments later, you can have one more," said John Shooshan, a member of the Massachusetts South Shore Woodturners, while turning a piece of wood with a lathe.

John Shooshan paints blue stripes on a top for Trista Reyes Erler, 4, of Cohasset, during the South Shore Arts Festival on Cohasset Common on Friday, June 17, 2022.

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the South Shore Arts Festival on the Common returned on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. .

"It has been a tradition for Cohasset," said Tristan's mother, Wendy Erler. "It feels like summer again!"

Patrice Maye, executive director at the South Shore Art Center, during the South Shore Arts Festival on Cohasset Common on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Patrice Maye, executive director of the South Shore Art Center, said the purpose of the event is to introduce art to South Shore residents.

The exhibit featured art by more than 300 local artists. There were rows of booths with artwork, crafts, jewelry, clothing and food.

A visitor looks at the mural painted by a group of high school students during the South Shore Art Festival in Cohasset on Friday, June 17, 2022.

One of the main exhibits was a giant mural painted by 22 local students. The image depicted a person blowing bubbles near a window with symbols including doors and pigeons to show a hopeful future.

"It's amazing that sometimes we forget how skillful they are," Maye said.

The mural will be installed at the front of the South Shore Art Center.

Lynn Ray with her oil painting during the South Shore Art Festival in Cohasset on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Lynn Ray, a member of the art center, used strokes in vibrant colors such as yellow and light green to show an abstract scene of the sunlight shining through her flowerbed in her oil painting.

"It's moving into the abstraction, but you can still tell it's a floral," she said. "I like to use a bright color. I worked very quickly. I want it to be a vibrational expression."

Maye said she hopes the festival, which coincided with Juneteenth, helps promote social justice.

A photo of a mural by Boston artist Robb "Problak" Gibbs at the South Shore Arts Festival in Cohasset on Friday, June 17, 2022.

She invited Robb "Problak" Gibbs, an African American artist based in Boston who is a co-founder of Artists for Humanity and was an artist-in-residence at the Museum of Fine Arts in 2020. His latest public mural, "Breathe Life Together," is on display on the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston.

Story continues

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The main tent at the Cohasset festival was a showcase of paintings by Gibbs as well as photos of the murals he has created.

"I want to give the residents of the South Shore a taste of Boston and how public art changes lives," Maye said. "I'm trying to have an art festival as platform for social change."

Daniel Saccardo plays drums during the South Shore Arts Festival in Cohasset on Friday, June 17, 2022.

The event was held in honor of Dorothy Palmer, one of the founding members of the art center, who died last year.

"It's a beautiful tribute to her," Maye said. "She loved this festival so much."

Kathleen Scranton, left, sells her vintage book purses during the South Shore Arts Festival on Cohasset Common on Friday, June 17, 2022.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

Reach Hongyu Liu at HLiu@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: South Shore Art Center hosts 67th arts festival on Cohasset Common
While many western observers pit health against wealth in fighting the epidemic, assuming that one must come at the expense of the other, China holds a philosophy that protecting the two during a pandemic is by no means a zero-sum game.

On the one hand, the country is trying its best to make the anti-virus approach ever more scientifically sound, targeted and effective. On the other hand, it extends sophisticated policy support to minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development.

The work has proven pragmatic and effective over the past years. This is why the Chinese leadership has repeatedly driven home a crystal-clear message -- the country's dynamic zero-COVID policy will stay in place.

In the latest COVID-19 resurgence, China's governing capabilities and efficiency should not be underestimated either.

As China is sparing no efforts to tame the resurging epidemic, a sweeping policy package unveiled in late May has been implemented in most areas of the country to help stabilize the economy. Positive signs have already come.

Take logistics as an example. The logistics performance index, which tracks business volume, new orders, employment, inventory turnovers, and equipment utility rates in the sector, dipped to 43.8 percent in April when multiple areas including Shanghai were in the depth of the epidemic.

By May, however, logistics have become smoother on roads and the backlogs of goods have been gradually cleared at ports, and the index jumped 5.5 percentage points to 49.3 percent.

As mobility improves, the production capacity is recovering as well. Tesla, for example, is working at full capacity in Shanghai, where more than 40,000 cars have rolled off its production line since April 19 when the production began to resume.

China takes a dialectical view of crisis and opportunity, holding that danger always comes with opportunities. The process of coping with the economic challenges amid Omicron variant infections also offers opportunities to boost the country's industrial upgrade.

Taking this into consideration, the country started early construction for infrastructure projects related to 5G and industrial internet, and accelerated energy-saving and carbon-reducing transformation in key fields.

Global investors have cast votes of confidence in China. Foreign capital inflows into the country's stock markets flipped back to net inflow in April from net outflow in March, and further expanded in May, a nod to China's efficiency in coordinating epidemic response and economic growth.

The World Bank forecasted in its June report that China's growth momentum is expected to rebound in the second half of 2022, helped by fiscal stimulus, monetary easing, and other measures to mitigate the economic downturn.
Jun. 19Thousands of people turned out for the Pride Portland! 2022 parade and festival on Saturday.

There was a decided party atmosphere  dancing in the street, music, joy, laughter and hugs  as participants celebrated the LGBTQ community at the event, which hadn't been held since 2019 because of the pandemic.

Before the parade began, people lined Congress Street wearing every possible rainbow fashion: shirts, beads, socks, hats, glasses, earrings, capes, tutus, dresses, pants and facial makeup with rainbow colors. Even dogs were dressed in rainbow tutus and shirts.

Pride Portland! spokespeople said about 90 groups registered for Saturday's parade. So many groups marched that the parade lasted an hour.

The organizations marching included Hannaford, Unum, Harbor Masters of Maine, Gym Dandies Circus, ACLU, the city of Portland, the Portland Museum of Art, the Portland Public Library, Planned Parenthood, News Center Maine, MaineTransNet. Numerous groups from churches also marched, including the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland and the Universalist Church of Yarmouth.

A group supporting the Janet Mills for Governor campaign was there with Gov. Mills marching and waving.

The parade host was a drag queen, Chartreuse, who on a stage wore a striking outfit of black and lime green with a flowing cape and a constant smile. As the L.L. Bean group marched by holding "Be an Outsider" signs, Chartreuse made a joke. "Honey, I've never been an insider myself."

Dancers from Hustle & Flow Movement Studio of Portland wore black and gold skirts as they performed a lively dance before Chartreuse's stage, just before the Portland Public Schools marchers came by, followed by a yellow and black school bus.

A number of gay, queer and transgender groups marched, both the young and old. The parade proceeded down Congress Street to High Street and ended at Deering Oaks, where the festival was due to conclude at 5 p.m.

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There was a bit of tension when at Monument Square, a small group of men held Bibles and religious signs, with one speaking into a megaphone encouraging LGBTQ people to repent and "not live in sin." But it was difficult to hear the man with the megaphone because "Dykes on Bikes" revved up their motorcycles to drown out his voice.

Meanwhile, a crowd gathered around and chanted: "God loves gays! God loves gays!"

Kate Allerding of Westbrook came with her son, who is transgender.

"I'm here because I am a daughter, a mother, a cousin, a niece" and want to support the LGBTQ community "with all my heart," Allerding said. She said she's glad the small group encouraging LGBTQ members to repent were there, because it demonstrated how few people oppose them and how many are accepting.

"There are so many people in the world who aren't like him," Allerding said, referring to the man with the megaphone.

Asher Allerding, 12, and his mother wore colors of the rainbow and a shirt that read: "Love is better in color." The parade is important, Asher said, because being around so many who are supportive makes him "feel loved, and sometimes I struggle feeling loved. So this feels really good."

This year's Pride Portland! had more than the usual energy of other years, he said, probably because "we realized how much we missed it."

Kate Pennington of Newcastle showed up with a group from the Midcoast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Damariscotta. The day is a joyful celebration of pride and accepting people as they are, Pennington said. "There are so many people who have hate in their hearts for people who don't fit the standard gender norms. I do fit the standard gender norm, and I think it's my responsibility to be here."

Ryan Polly of Biddeford, grand marshal of the parade and vice president of diversity for MaineHealth, said "I'm a trans man. It means a lot to see this many people here, to have folks demonstrating their love of each other." Especially now, he said, "when rights are being challenged everywhere. We need to be out there today."

Justine Ravenscroft, a marketing volunteer with Pride Portland!, said Saturday's huge turnout was expected.

In addition to celebrating diversity, the day honors the history of the Stonewall Uprising, when the first gay pride event was held after a 1969 police raid of a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village, Ravenscroft said. "We want to make sure everybody knows that we're here."
Jun. 19A threat of unknown origin was received Sunday by Maine Medical Center, forcing Maine's largest hospital to cancel all patient visitations for the rest of the day.

In a statement issued at 3:15 p.m, the Portland hospital said its switchboard received the threat, and it is being investigated by Portland authorities in coordination with MMC's safety and security teams. The hospital did not disclose the nature of the threat.

The Portland Police Department, in a statement issued on Facebook Sunday afternoon, confirmed that it was investigating the threat, but said no further information is available.

"An update will be provided when appropriate," Portland police said.

Patient visitations were canceled for the rest of Sunday.

"Out of an abundance of caution, patient visitation has been cancelled today unless deemed medically necessary by the MMC care team," the hospital said.

Incorporated in 1868, MMC is the state's largest medical center. It is licensed for 700 beds and employs more than 9,600 people.
A US Air Force pararescuemen crosses a waterway using a rope system during jungle warfare training in Wahiawa, Hawaii, April 1, 2022. US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer

The US military is shifting its focus toward the Indo-Pacific region amid competition with China.

That shift means US troops are doing more training to deal with conditions specific to that region.

This spring, Air Force commandos trained in one of the region's toughest environments: the jungle.

Georgia-based Air Force special operators deployed to the Pacific this spring for jungle-warfare training.

Such training is nothing new for US troops, but this exercise comes as the US military is shifting its focus a potential conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific region  where US conventional and special-operations forces may find themselves up against a well-armed enemy in a dense, sweltering jungle.

Air Force Special Operations Command commandos from the 38th Rescue Squadron based at Moody Air Force Base spent almost a month between March and April in Hawaii to hone their jungle-warfare skills.

As pararescuemen, these commandos focused their training on tracking personnel in the jungle and on avoiding being tracked themselves, while also testing their tactics, techniques, and procedures in other skill sets.

In a press release, Lt. Col. Michael Vins, the squadron's commanding officer, noted that the jungle is a "very unforgiving environment" and that US special operators "need to be ready for that kind of environment by training there, understanding how to survive there."

Air Force special warfare operators learn about tracking in the jungle of Wahiawa, March 29, 2022. US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer

As US special operators found in World War II and Vietnam, the jungle is probably one of the hardest places to fight. Visibility is limited  sometimes to just a few yards  and the surroundings are rife with dangers, including poisonous plants and lethal animals, that can put troops out of commission pretty quickly.

US troops have had "to take a step back" from what worked in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan and figure out what works in the jungle, "which is way more difficult to operate in," Staff Sgt. Evan Rogowski said in the release.

"It's pretty unpredictable out here," Rogowski added. "It can be raining in the morning and then completely sunny in the afternoon, and back to rain. Outside of carrying the proper equipment, there's not much we can do to control that."

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During the Vietnam War, US special-operations recon teams from the highly secretive Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group lived and fought in the jungles of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam, where they tracked the movements of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops and fought running battles against an often overwhelming enemy.

MACV-SOG still influences modern US special operations, but many of the jungle-warfare skills those Vietnam-era operators developed have atrophied.

Staff Sgt. Evan Orth writes coordinates while Staff Sgt. Evan Rogowski uses a radio during a tracking exercise in Wahiawa, April 1, 2022. US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer

"As highly trained special warfare operators, we're always thinking about modern-day warfare and high-tech weapon systems, but something so primitive like grenades that roll out of bamboo if you kick the wrong stick over is enough to wipe us all out," Staff Sgt. Evan Orth said in the release.

The importance of fundamental combat skills and small-unit tactics are constants wherever troops find themselves, but what troops need to do to properly apply them can change radically in different locations.

Orth added that by training in the jungle, the pararescuemen would be "more aware of threats" that they wouldn't otherwise expect.

Tracking people in the jungle has dual importance for pararescumen and other special operators. Whether they are pursuing an enemy or trying to rescue a friendly, the principles are the same.

The "footprint" of that target "is going to explain a story to you," Rogowski said in the release. "Where that person went, what they did, how fast they were moving, where they're going to, are they paranoid? And I think that's kind of hard to put into words unless you've actually been there."

Air Commandos

An Air Force pararescueman climbs a tree to secure a tarp over a campsite in the jungle of Wahiawa, March 29, 2022. US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer

US Air Force Special Operations Command is the Air Force component of US Special Operations Command, and its Air Commandos provide air transport, close air support, precision strike, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities to other special-operations units.

AFSOC itself has two components. In the air, it operates a variety of special-operations aircraft, including the AC-130 "Spooky" gunship, the CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, the MQ-9 Reaper drone, that support other US commando units.

On the ground, AFSOC's pararescuemen, special reconnaissance operators, combat controllers, and tactical air control party commandos augment other special-operations units as individuals or in teams, acting as a link to forces in the air.

Air Force pararescuemen set up a rope system to cross a waterway in the jungle of Wahiawa, April 1, 2022. US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Devin Boyer

Pararescue is unique among the US military's career fields. Pararescuemen specialize in combat search and rescue and personnel recovery and are probably some of the most competent medics in the entire military.

Reflecting their motto, "so that others may live," pararescuemen are ready to deploy anywhere to search for or recover US troops. To do so, pararescuemen need to be familiar with and proficient in every operational environment.

"The lessons and skills learned here will further expand the way we operate in the" Indo-Pacific, Rogowski said of the exercise in Hawaii. "We'll take these lessons and shape our [tactics, techniques, and procedures] for the future of special operations, personnel recovery, and combat search and rescue."

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...High temperatures of 99 to 106 expected. * WHERE...In Washington, Lower Columbia Basin of Washington, Foothills of the Blue Mountains of Washington and Yakima Valley. In Oregon, Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon. * WHEN...Until 11 PM PDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Widespread afternoon high temperatures between 99 and 106 degrees are expected, with the highest temperatures in the Lower Columbia Basin of Washington. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... 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. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...High temperatures of 98 to 106 expected. * WHERE...In Washington, Lower Columbia Basin of Washington, Foothills of the Blue Mountains of Washington and Yakima Valley. In Oregon, Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon. * WHEN...From 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Widespread afternoon high temperatures between 98 and 106 degrees are forecast with the highest temperatures expected in the Lower Columbia Basin of Washington. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... 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. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1. &&
To the editor  Two letters to editor on May 29 make no sense whatsoever.

People continue to talk about high-tech military assault rifles  there is no such rifle. Most that I am aware of are .223s, which do not blow very large holes in people.

Offering a buy-back is dreaming. The government is not going to buy back for market value. If all guns were collected today the U.S. would be overrun tomorrow. You better hope that you are not here.

One writer thought the gun store owner that sold a legal gun should burn in hell. To make that kind of statement is pure stupidity. In case you die tonight I suggest you get right with God first.

When the Bill of Rights was done I was not there. I'm quite sure these people were not either.

One thought you should write your congressmen. Congress is not the solution. It's the problem.

If you want to take away someone's right, which one are you willing to give up? Sweep around your own back door.

PINK ROBBINS

Tieton
Central Washington University is offering another example of the direct value higher education brings to communities.

In a state where fewer than 1% of K-12 students attend schools that meet the federal recommended ratio of students to counselors  one counselor for every 250 kids  a new CWU program is providing immediate help.

The universitys psychology department started a program this year that makes graduate students available to counsel kids who cant find help elsewhere in Kittitas County. Nine CWU students took part in the program this quarter.

Nine might sound like a modest number, but the shortage of school counselors and psychologists is extreme across Washington, and anything helps.

Kids in our region have been especially hard-hit. Theyve suffered pandemic-fueled anxiety, depression, behavioral issues  many have even attempted suicide.

While Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill earlier this year that gives local school districts money for more counselors, nurses, speech pathologists, social workers and therapists, itll take time for districts to get people hired.

Meantime, kids are suffering as families scramble for limited services.

CWU assistant psychology professor Olivia Holter helped get the program started. As a licensed psychologist herself, shes seen firsthand how severe the shortage of counseling is in the region.

Theres just a huge vacuum of services for kids, she told the YH-Rs Vanessa Ontiveros.

The service gap hits low-income families the hardest. Few professional counselors accept Medicaid insurance, and counseling fees generally arent cheap.

So CWUs program is a valuable  perhaps even life-saving  community benefit.

Its also a practical teaching tool for the graduate students. As theyre helping others, theyre getting real-life training that will help them on their way to becoming professional school psychologists.

Everybody wins.

Beyond the immediate support CWU is extending to local kids, its an excellent illustration of how educational institutions strengthen their communities.

In addition to cranking out qualified graduates whose training and skills ultimately benefit us all, schools like CWU are sharing their expertise and resources to address local needs right now.

Thats worth remembering the next time somebody tries to tell you that education is overrated, overpriced, disconnected or doesnt apply to the real world.

The Yakima Valley is fortunate to have such easy access to schools like CWU, Yakima Valley College, Heritage University and Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.

Theyre truly community treasures.
A B737-800 aviation simulator is displayed at an industrial park of Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Co Ltd in Zhengzhou, Henan province. [Photo/China Daily]

A brand new set of B737-800 aviation simulation equipment rolled off the final assembly line in Zhengzhou, Henan province this week, and the equipment was then transported to Tanzania, indicating China's first export of large-scale aviation simulators.

Completed at the aviation manufacturing industrial park of Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Co Ltd, the simulators are for the National Institute of Transport of Tanzania to help train professionals for the local transportation sector.

Xi'an Feiyu Aviation Simulation Technology Co Ltd, an aviation simulator manufacturer settled in the industrial park, has been responsible for the manufacturing of the equipment and delivered the set of cabin training equipment of the B737-800 which is worth nearly 50 million yuan ($7.5 million).

The set includes a dynamic training cabin, an emergency evacuation training cabin, a firefighting training cabin, an aquatic trainer and a hatch trainer. It is estimated that about 3,000 people can be trained and retrained annually with the equipment.

"Last year, Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment increased its investment in Xi'an Feiyu, which has been providing strong support to the development of the company. We are glad to see that the equipment was exported from Henan," said Hu Zhigang, general manager of Xi'an Feiyu.

In the latter half of this year, Feiyu said it plans to send technical staff members to Tanzania to install and debug the simulation equipment. Tanzania is a country involved in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

Mbelwa Kairuki, Tanzanian ambassador to China, said the movement serves as a true portrayal of China-Africa friendly exchanges and sincere cooperation.

The aviation industrial park in Henan, which began construction in February, has seen the first phase of factories complete construction in four months. With an investment of 1 billion yuan, the first phase of plants can manufacture more than 50 sets of simulators annually, including cabin simulators, firefighting simulators and cabin service training simulators.

The plants will also be able to manufacture five to eight aircraft maintenance simulators and 10 to 13 sets of trainers annually. The annual output value of the first-phase project is expected to reach 2.5 billion yuan. The second phase of plants requires an investment of another 1 billion yuan, according to Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment.

From 2018 to 2021, China mainly exported spare parts for aircraft, automatic adjustment and control instruments and equipment, and the export of large-scale aviation simulation equipment shows significant growth potential, according to the General Administration of Customs.

The brand influence of the Henan aviation manufacturing sector is expected to grow continuously. In the future, more aviation simulation equipment manufactured in Henan is expected to be exported, and more foreign pilots and flight assistants will learn related professional skills with the equipment, said Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment.

"We will focus on growing the business in the aviation industry, strengthening cooperation and exchanges in research and development with other industry players, and striving to build ourselves into a leading aviation service provider," said Zhang Mingchao, president of Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment.
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With Tata Group taking control of Air India, the airline is in the news for purchasing a flock of wide-bodied planes. We recently reported that the erstwhile national carrier will be procuring Airbus A350 planes. In a new statement from the Chief Commercial Officer of Airbus, it is confirmed that the airline is reorganising itself under the new ownership. However, it is still unclear if the operator is keen on buying new wide-bodied Airbus planes. When asked about the order for Airbus A350 aircraft from Air India during the annual general meeting of the IATA, Christian Scherer said, "I will not comment on that."

These remarks from Christian Scherer came after it was reported last week that the Tata Group-owned Air India is inching closer to order its maiden batch of wide-bodied A350 aircraft from Airbus and the first plane is likely to be delivered to the airline by March 2023.

However, it was not immediately clear how many A350 aircraft will be purchased by Air India.

"Air India is clearly reorganising itself under the very able stewardship of the Tatas and as such, it is very natural that they contemplate an investment in new fleets, new airplanes, if only to regain more sovereignty, more market share, for an Indian carrier in the international market," Scherer said.

Air India has not bought a single aircraft since 2006 when it had placed orders for purchasing 111 aircraft - 68 from the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing and 43 from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

Also read - DGCA orders probe on Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight for mid-air engine fire

A wide-bodied plane like Airbus A350 has a bigger fuel tank that allows it to travel longer distances such as India-US routes.

The Tata Group took control of Air India on January 27 after successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8 last year.

Sources told PTI on June 15 that Air India had started asking its senior pilots if they will be interested in getting the "conversion training" to operate A350 aircraft.

Air India's pilots are trained to operate the wide-bodied aircraft of Boeing. Therefore, they have to undergo "conversion training" to operate the A350 aircraft of Airbus.

According to Air India's website, the airline has a total of 49 wide-bodied aircraft - 18 Boeing B777, 4 Boeing B747 and 27 Boeing B787 - in its fleet. The carrier has 79 narrow-bodied planes in its fleet too.

Sources had said Air India was purchasing A350 aircraft and is likely to get its first A350 plane by March 2023.

Since April, airline's chairman N Chandrasekaran - who also is the chairman of the Tata Group - has rejigged the top management of the airline, bringing in senior and middle-level executives who have worked in other companies of the Tata Group such as Tata Steel and Vistara.
Akasa Air, India's newest airline recently took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in Seattle, USA. The aircraft has now left the Boeing's facility in Seattle and has reached Iceland. The plane has limited range and needed a stopover before entering India. Ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala backed airline is the India's latest low cost air carrier launched to cater the growing air travel demand in the country and will start with domestic routes first. The airline says they will be providing the lowest seat-mile costs for a single-aisle airplane as well as high dispatch reliability and an enhanced passenger experience.

The airline earlier placed one of the largest orders for the controversial 737 Max 8 aircrafts at the Dubai Airshow. Akasa Air placed a total order of 72 aircrafts, which includes an initial delivery of 18 aircraft by March 2023, followed by delivery of the remaining 54 aircraft over the course of the next four years. The first of the 72 aircrafts has already been handed over to the airline at the Boeing's production facility in Seattle and will soon fly to India.

Post the arrival of the aircraft, Akasa Air will apply for necessary certification with the India's aviation nodal body DGCA. Akasa Air has already received No Objection Certificate to operate airline in India earlier. Akasa Air's airline code is 'QP' and the livery is a combination of Sunset Orange and Purple shade, a new for any airline in India.

Commenting on the delivery, Vinay Dube - Founder, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Akasa Air said, This is indeed a symbolic milestone in the journey of Akasa Air, bringing us one step closer to the process of obtaining our Air Operators Permit (AOP) and leading to our commercial launch. While we are extremely happy with this achievement, we want to keep ourselves focussed on the task of delivering on our vision to transform Indias air transportation ecosystem, support the nations economic growth engine and help fellow Indians chase their dreams.

Also read: Airfare set to increase by upto 15 percent due to aviation fuel price hike?

We are grateful to Boeing and Griffin for their trust in us and supporting us early in our journey. I, along with our team, are looking forward to receiving our first aircraft in Delhi early next week as it arrives from Seattle. Dube added.

"We are honored to deliver the first 737 MAX to Akasa Air, Indias newest airline focused on making air travel inclusive and affordable for all," said Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO. "Flying an advanced, environmentally progressive 737 MAX fleet with greater fuel efficiency and lower operating costs will enable Akasa Air to profitably serve the Indian market while passing those savings on to its passengers."

Live TV
With a drop in COVID-19 cases, tourists have started heading out for the Kedarnath yatra. The temple remains one of the holiest shrines for the Hindus and is located in the Rudra Himalaya Range at an elevation of 12000 feet in Uttarakhand, India. It is accessible by either a trek of 18 km or via helicopter ride. While a large chunk of visitors uses the former route, the latter mode of access is busy too. In case you plan to take a chopper ride to Kedarnath temple, you better weigh less than 80 kilograms. In a new guideline, it has been announced that travellers weighing over 80 kilos will have to pay Rs 150 per kg as an additional charge.

In fact, those tipping the scale at over 120 kilograms will have to pay the double fare. Also, the chopper service providers will consider the weight of individual passengers, and it will not be offset with another passenger even if travelling together. A total of 2 kgs of baggage is allowed to be carried along on the flight.

Also read - Kedarnath Dham Yatra: How to book helicopter ride to temple, timings and price - Know it all

Talking of helicopter services, various companies are offering them, namely Pawan Hans, Pinnacle Air, Heritage Aviation and more. They offer service for one-sided travel or a round trip. Pilgrims can opt to board helicopters from a host of locations - Phata, Sersi, Sitapur, Guptkashi, Dehradun and Delhi.

The fare for the ride remains in the range of Rs 6500-8000 for a round trip per person. However, it does fluctuate as per demand and footfall. For the one-way journey, companies charge in the range of Rs 3,000-3,500.
Experts share experiences about digital transformation applications that are of interest to the world. (Photo: SGGP)

The activity was part of the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Grant (AVEG) towards the 50th anniversary of the two countries diplomatic relationship. In addition, the forum was an opportunity for the two countries business to have access to, introduce outstanding technology, and seek cooperation opportunities.

Sarah Hooper, Australian Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City, said that the bilateral relationship between the two countries is very important. The Australian Government is very interested in promoting investment in innovation and new technology in Vietnam through the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), sponsoring USD2.5 million for key economic sectors. At the same time, it invites Vietnamese businesses to learn about new energy and Australia's technology transfer process, help strengthen the comprehensive economic cooperation relationship, and remove tariff barriers.

She said that innovation is very necessary in Vietnam, so that Vietnam's clean energy industry was highly appreciated by the world at the recent COP26 conference.

In recent years, Vietnam is a country with a growing economy, attracting investors, of which Australia is in the group of 20 countries investing the most in Vietnam, with USD1.38 billion in 2020. With a vision of global impact, over the past few years, UTS professors and scientists have collaborated with universities and industry in Vietnam to implement many pilot projects that benefit both sides./.
A SpiceJet flight that took off from Patna for Delhi reported a mid-air engine fire and made an emergency landing at the Patna airport itself with just one of its engines being operational. On the incident, Gurcharan Arora, SpiceJet Limiteds chief of flight operations, conveyed that the pilots handled the situation really well. He added that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will also probe the matter. "Pilots handled the situation well. Only a single engine was functioning when the plane landed back. Engineers inspected the aircraft. It was confirmed that the fan blade and engine were damaged as a bird hit it. DGCA will probe further," Arora said.

#WATCH Patna-Delhi SpiceJet flight safely lands at Patna airport after catching fire mid-air, all 185 passengers safe#Bihar pic.twitter.com/vpnoXXxv3m  ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2022

The Boeing 737 aircraft had 185 people on board passengers, and all of them walked out of the flight safely, soon after the plane made the emergency landing. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials said that the plane (VT-SYZ), prima facie, was involved in air turnback as the cabin crew informed PIC about sparks coming out of the engine.

During the rotation, the cockpit crew suspected a bird hit on the engine. Later, the crew did not observe any abnormality and the flight resumed further climb."The flight returned back after a bird hit and due to one engine shut in the air, all on-board passengers safe," the officials added.

On Sunday afternoon, a Delhi-bound Spice Jet aircraft made an emergency landing at Patna airport after there were reports of a technical glitch which prompted fire inside the plane. All the passengers were safely rescued.

Also read - Char Dham Yatra: Loose weight before you board helicopter for Kedarnath, OTHERWISE

"The Delhi-bound flight had returned to Patna airport after locals noticed a fire in the aircraft and informed district and airport officials. All 185 passengers were safely deboarded. The reason is a technical glitch, engineering team analysing further," said Chandrashekhar Singh, Patna District Magistrate told media persons. Taking note of the incident, Patna airport Director said that an alternate flight is being arranged by SpiceJet airlines.

(With inputs from ANI)
New Delhi: Filmmaker Ayan Mukerji's much-awaited adventure trilogy 'Brahmastra' Part 1 trailer was released some time and the buzz has been palpable. The high on VFX and special effects is laced with lead pair Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's reel chemistry as Shiva and Isha. The trailer has been the talk of the town ever since it came out and left its fans talking about it.

Meanwhile, at the same time, the trailer was subjected to criticism too, due to one of Ranbir Kapoor's entry scene wherein the actor is seen ringing a giant bell of a temple while wearing his shoes. The hashtag 'Boycott Brahmastra' trended on Twitter and the scene received much backlash from a section of netizens.

Now, director Ayan Mukherji finally broke his silence on the controversy and released a statement in his defence. He mentioned that contrary to what it might have looked like, Ranbir is entering a pandal with shoes on, instead of a temple. In his justification, he wrote, "We had some people in our community, upset because of one shot in our Trailer - Ranbirs character wearing shoes as he rings a Bell. As the Creator of this film (and a devotee), I wanted to humbly address what happened here. In our movie, Ranbir is not entering a temple, but a Durga Puja Pandal.

Durga Puja Celebration for 75 years! One, which I have been a part of since my childhood. In my experience, we only take off our shoes, right on the stage where the Goddess is, and not when you enter the Pandal."

Ayan added, "It is personally important for me to reach out to anyone who may have been upset with this image because above all, Brahmastra is created as a movie experience which pays respect to, and celebrates - Indian culture, traditions, and history. That is at the heart of why I made this movie, so it is very important to me that this feeling, reaches every Indian who is watching Brahmastra!"

'Brahmastra' the trilogy is a three-part film franchise and the beginning of India's first original universe, 'The Astraverse'. The trailer of the film was unveiled on June 15. Helmed by Ayan Mukerji, Brahmastra also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, Nagarjuna, apart from Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the lead. Reportedly, Shah Rukh Khan has a cameo in the project.

Meanwhile, apart from Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, the film also stars Nagarjuna, Mouni Roy, and Amitabh Bachchan in pivotal roles. The film is slated to release in theatres on September 9.

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Orissa Board of secondary Class 12 examination results: The Council of Higher Secondary Education Odisha will release the results for the class 12 board examination 2022 soon. According to the latest reports, the evaluation process for the class 12 board exam papers is likely to conclude in a day or two and the results will be issued on the official website soon after. If local media reports are to be considered, the evaluation and marking process for class 12 answer scripts will be concluded by June 2022 and the results can be expected within a week. The results will be uploaded to the official website and students can check their marks online.

Based on the latest information the Orissa Board of secondary Class 12 examination results is likely to be released in the first week of July. However, an official announcement will be made by the council through its official website - chseodisha.nic.in once the evaluation of the Odisha Plus 2 Exams is concluded and the work towards the publication of the CHSE Odisha Result 2022 begins.

Candidates are advised to keep a tab on the official website at chseodisha.nic.in.

The council began the evaluation process for the Odisha Plus 2 Result 2022 on June 2. CHSE Odisha conducted the evaluation in two phases. The first phase took place from June 2 to June 12, 2022. The second phase began on June 13, 2022, and is expected to conclude on June 22, 2022.

The evaluation of the papers was done in two modes  offline and offline. Offline evaluation is being conducted in 64 centres whereas online evaluation is being conducted in 37 centres in the state, as per TOI.

CHSE Odisha Exams 2022 for Class 12th were held from April 28 to May 31, 2022. However, CHSE Odisha had postponed the May 31 Exams for Mathematics, Home Science and BFC Biology and rescheduled these exams for June 4, 2022 due to the Brajrajnagar bypolls conducted in the state.
BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday drew flak from the Opposition as well his own party MP Varun Gandhi for apparently suggesting that he will give priority to 'Agniveers' for security jobs at his party office. While the Congress accused him of insulting soldiers, Vijayvargiya alleged the "toolkit gang" was twisting his comments and all he meant was that the excellence of these soldiers will be utilised in whichever field they go to after completing their tenure.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP office in Indore, Kailash Vijayvargiya made the remarks while defending the Centre's agneepath scheme on four-year contractual military recruitment that has sparked protests in many parts of the country and is being questioned by many parties.

#WATCH | I will give preference to an Agniveer to hire him as security in BJP office, even you can...People have faith in armymen: BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya in Indore, Madhya Pradesh pic.twitter.com/6NQoXw2nFv  ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2022

In Army training, first is discipline and second is following orders. He will undergo training and when he comes out (of the armed forces) after four years of service, he would have Rs 11 lakh in his hand. And he would also walk around with the badge of Agniveer on his chest, Vijayvargiya said. He went on to say, ?If I have to have security (personnel) here in this BJP office, I will give priority to Agniveer - a remark which was shared on social media by many who criticised him for it.

"BJP general secretary insulting soldiers. Agniveer will become a watchman outside the BJP office. Mr. Modi, this was the mentality we were afraid of - shameless government," the Madhya Congress said on its Twitter handle. Hitting out at Vijayvargiya, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the youth of the country join the Army to serve the nation, not to be a guard outside the BJP office later.

Don't insult the youth and army personnel of the country this much, Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi. The youth of our country work hard day and night to pass the physical exam, pass the test because they want to serve the country for their entire life by joining the Army, not because they want to be a guard outside the BJP office, he added.



Varun Gandhi, the BJP MP from Pilibhit who has been expressing views divergent from the party's stand on various issues including on agneepath scheme, took a swipe at Vijayvargiya.

''Our great army's heroic tales cannot be expressed with mere words and its valour echoes in the entire world," Gandhi said, accusing the BJP national general secretary of offering the job of a "chowkidar" (watchman) to soldiers after retirement. "Indian Army is a means to serve mother India, not merely a job," Gandhi said. He also posted the short video clip of Vijayvargiya in which he says if he has to keepsomeone for security at a BJP office, he will give priority to 'Agniveer'.

The government had last Tuesday announced the 'agneepath' scheme and those recruited will be called 'Agniveer'. In his statement later, Vijayvargiya alleged that people associated with "toolkit" were twisting his remarks to insult "karmveer". The country is aware of the toolkit gang's conspiracies, the BJP leader said.
New Delhi: As the anti-Agneepath scheme protestors continue to wreak havoc in the country by vandalising and burning down the public property, the Indian Defence Ministry on Sunday announced that those who were involved in any kind of violent protests and arson will not be admitted to the Agniveer programme. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Luitenant General Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Department of Military Affairs said, Indian Army's foundation in the discipline. There is no space for arson and vandalism. Every individual will have to give a certificate that they were not part of the protest or vandalism at the time of enrollment. Police verification is 100% and no one can join the forces without it.

And if any FIR lodged against them, they can't join...They (aspirants) will be asked to write as part of the enrollment form that they were not part of the arson, their police verification will be done:Lt General Anil Puri, Addit'l Secy, Dept of Military Affairs #AgnipathScheme pic.twitter.com/7N1InFsBzG  ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2022

Verification of candidates

According to the recent announcement, Puri said that those who will register for the Agneepath recruitment scheme will have to provide a certificate that they were not involved in any kind of vandalism. The certificate will later be verified by the police and a background check will take place.

"And if any FIR lodged against them, they can't join...They (aspirants) will be asked to write as part of the enrollment form that they were not part of the arson, their police verification will be done," he added.

The registration process to begin from June

Air Marshal Suraj Kumar Jha on Sunday announced that the registration process for the enrollment in the first batch of Agniveers will commence on June 24 and subsequently, the online examination process will begin just a month after that.

Amendments in Agneepath scheme

As the nationwide violent protests and outrage against the Centres recently launched Agneepath Recruitment Scheme continue to intensify, the government has made some amendments to address the concerns of protesting students and defence aspirants. On Saturday, the Centre announced 10% reservations for the Agniveers In various Central government jobs after completion of the four-year service tenure as per the Agneepath scheme.

Apart from this, the age limit for recruitment during the first year has also been raised.

Addressing the amendments made in the scheme following the nationwide outrage, Puri said, The announcements regarding the reservations for 'Agniveers' announced by the different ministries and departments were pre-planned and not in reaction to the arson that happened after the Agnipath scheme announcement.
New Delhi: The Centre and Armed forces are all set the begin the recruitment through the recently launched Agneepath scheme despite heavy criticisms and nationwide outrage from a section of students and defence aspirants, reported ANI. Air Marshal Suraj Kumar Jha on Sunday announced that the registration process for the enrollment in the first batch of Agniveers will commence on June 24 and subsequently, the online examination process will begin just a month after that. Agniveers is the term used for the candidates who will be recruited to the defence forces via the new recruitment scheme. They will be given a special Agniveer certificate on completion of their 4-year service tenure.

As the protests against the Agnipath scheme across India continue to grow stronger with violence being reported at certain spots, here are the important dates for the candidates willing to enrol themselves in the Agnipath scheme.

Important announcement for Air-Force Agniveers

Commencement of Registration process- June 24

Commencement of phase 1 online examination process- from July 24

The first batch would be enrolled by December 2022

Commencement of training of first Agniveers batch- December 30, 2022

Agniveer batch number 1 registration process to start from June 24 and from July 24, phase 1 online examination process would start. The first batch would be enrolled by December and training would commence by December 30: Air Marshal SK Jha pic.twitter.com/CNkDPoSaqu June 19, 2022

Important announcement for Navy Agniveers

From November 21 this year, the first naval 'Agniveers' will start reaching the training establishment INS Chilka, Odisha. Both female and male Agniveers are allowed for this, announced Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi.

Important announcement for Army Agniveers

By December first week, we will get the first batch of 25,000 'Agniveers' and the second batch would be inducted around February 2023 making it 40,000: Lt Gen Bansi Ponappa announced on Sunday.

No violent protestor will be enrolled under Agneepath

Indian Army's foundation in the discipline. There is no space for arson and vandalism. Every individual will give a certificate that they were not part of a protest or vandalism. Police verification is 100%, no one can join without that Lt General Anil Puri, Addit'l Secy, Dept of Military Affairs announced.

Amendments in Agneepath scheme

As the nationwide violent protests and outrage against the Centres recently launched Agneepath Recruitment Scheme continue to intensify, the government has made some amendments to address the concerns of protesting students and defence aspirants. On Saturday, the Centre announced 10% reservations for the Agniveers In various Central government jobs after completion of the four-year service tenure as per the Agneepath scheme.

Apart from this, the age limit for recruitment during the first year has also been raised.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday hit out at the Centre over its 'Agnipath' military recruitment scheme and said it was wrong to play with the lives and ambitions of the country's youth. Addressing Shiv Sena MLAs and senior leaders on the occasion of the party's 56th foundation day, Thackeray said if the youth do not have jobs, there is no use of speaking only about Lord Ram. He said farmers were the first to take to the streets against some of the Centre's agri laws . "You must assure only what you can deliver, " the chief minister said.

Why give names like 'Agniveer' and 'Agnipath' to schemes which have no meaning? What will the youth aged 17 to 21 years get after four years? he asked.

"Having soldiers on contract is dangerous, and playing with the ambitions and lives of youth is wrong. There is no use of only speaking about Lord Ram, if the youth do not have jobs," the Sena president said.

ALSO READ: Agnipath scheme will kill youth, finish Army: Congress Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's BIG attack on Centre

He said Maharashtra was calm, despite violent protests in some parts of the country against the 'Agnipath' scheme. "Today may be my day, tomorrow some one else will emerge as a better alternative," he added.

The Centre had on Tuesday announced the scheme, saying youth between the ages of 17 and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure in the armed forces, while 25 per cent of them will be subsequently inducted for regular service.

The youths to be recruited under the new scheme would be called 'Agniveer'.

Later, in an attempt to pacify the protesters, the government on Thursday increased the upper age limit for recruitment under the 'Agnipath' scheme to 23 years from 21 for the year 2022. As the protests intensified in various parts of the country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the jobs in various organisations under the ministry for recruits under the 'Agnipath' scheme if they meet the requisite eligibility criteria.
New Delhi: Extending her partys support to demonstrators protesting against the Centre's Agnipath scheme, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday (June 19) urged the youth to recognise "fake nationalists". Condemning the Agnipath recruitment scheme, Vadra said this scheme will kill the youth of the country and finish the Army. She further appealed to the youth to participate in peaceful protests against the scheme and bring a government that is true to the nation. The Congress General Secretary made the remarks in New Delhis Jantar Mantar where the grand old party MPs and leaders held 'Satyagraha' to show solidarity with those protesting the controversial Agnipath scheme.

"There is no bigger patriot than you. I want to tell you, open your eyes and recognise the fake nationalists and fake patriots. The entire country and the Congress are with you in your struggle," Gandhi said addressing the aspirants protesting the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces.

Delhi | Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other party leaders protest against the 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme pic.twitter.com/6EnpkPm0HG  ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2022

Vadra also quoted lines from Harivansh Rai Bachchan's Hindi poem 'Agnipath' to appeal to the youth to continue their protests peacefully. "The name of the poem has been given to a scheme that will destroy the youth. This scheme will destroy the Army. Recognise this government's intentions," she added.

Many Opposition parties including the Congress have demanded the Centre take back the Agnipath Yojana, which has led to protests across several states. Congress MP KC Venugopal said his party will demand the withdrawal of the scheme. While Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday slammed the Agnipath recruitment scheme and said it has left the country`s youth "disappointed and frustrated". Urging the youths to exercise restraint, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister asked the Central government to "reconsider" the scheme and "take Parliament into confidence in such important matters related to the security of the country." Her appeal comes in the wake of the protests turning violent in several states as trains were torched and public properties damaged.

Meanwhile, Lt General Anil Puri, Additional Secretary, Dept of Military Affairs defending the Centre on Agnipath scheme said that the concessions announced by various ministries was "pre-planned". "The announcements regarding the reservations for 'Agniveers' announced by the different ministries and departments were pre-planned and not in reaction to the arson that happened after Agnipath scheme announcement." ANI quoted Lt Gen Puri as saying.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Amid demands for rollback of the Agnipath scheme, a top military official on Sunday (June 19) categorically denied taking back the yojana for recruitment in the armed forces. Addressing mediapersons, Additional Secretary Lt Gen Anil Puri, Department of Military Affairs (DMA) said the Agnipath scheme will not be withdrawn. Why should we rollback? It is the only progressive step to make the country young, he added. His remarks come amid various Opposition parties and agitators demanding the Centre take back the Agnipath recruitment scheme.

Protests have erupted across the country with many states witnessing violence as demonstrators torched trains and vandalised public properties. At least 250 people have been arrested and six FIRs were lodged in Uttar Pradesh till Friday, following Agnipath protests. One youth died during police firing in Telanganas Secunderabad district. Protestors are angry over the Agnipath Yojana as 75% of Agniveers, soldiers recruited under the scheme, will have to retire after the four-year contractual period without pension benefits.

#WATCH No rollback of #Agnipath scheme, says Lt General Anil Puri, Additional Secy, Dept of Military Affairs, MoD pic.twitter.com/d4raPk9IjN  ANI (@ANI) June 19, 2022

Here are the top quotes from Lt Gen Puris briefing on Agnipath scheme:

1. For Agnipath protestors: Indian Army's foundation is discipline. No space for arson, vandalism. Every individual will give a certificate that they were not part of protests or vandalism. Police verification is 100%, no one can join without that. And if any FIR is lodged against them, they can't join...They (aspirants) will be asked to write as part of the enrollment form that they were not part of the arson, their police verification will be done.

2. On Agnipath protests violence: We had not anticipated the recent violence over this scheme. There is no place for indiscipline in the Armed Forces.

ALSO READ: Agnipath scheme: Violent protests continue in Bihar railway station, police jeep set ablaze, cops injured

3. On Agniveers retirement concern: Around 17,600 people are taking premature retirement from the three Services every year. No one ever tried to ask them what they will do after retirement.

4. Agniveers recruitment to increase: "Our intake of 'Agniveers' will go up to 1.25 lakhs in near future and will not remain at 46,000 which is the present figure," Lt General Puri was quoted as saying by ANI.

5. Compensation for Agniveers: 'Agniveers' will get a compensation for Rs 1 crore if they sacrifice their life in service of the nation.

6. Agnipath scheme: The 'Agniveers' would get the same allowance in areas like Siachen and other areas which are applicable to the regular soldiers serving at present. No discrimination against them in service conditions.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: All-India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi again on Sunday (June 19) over the Agnipath Yojana and asked the Central government to rollback the armed forces recruitment scheme. Taking a veiled dig at Modi, Owaisi said the unpopular Agnipath scheme is being forced down the throats of the youth by 56-inch, an apparent reference to the PM. A political decision, extremely unpopular with our youth because it plays with their future, is being forced down their throats by 56-inch hiding behind the military leadership which is bound by discipline, the AIMIM chief said in a series of tweets.

I once again appeal to the government to stop this devious manner of working, listen to the youth of this country, immediately rollback this cruel scheme of contractual recruitment and make up the shortfall in men and equipment for our armed forces, he added.

A political decision, extremely unpopular with our youth because it plays with their future, is being forced down their throats by 56-inch hiding behind the military leadership which is bound by discipline. June 19, 2022

Accusing the BJP of involving the armed forces to pacify the grievances of the youth protesting against the Agnipath scheme, Owaisi said the saffron party is playing a dangerous game. Our armed forces have always been kept out of politics, unlike Pakistan. That has been the biggest strength of our democracy. By involving them to counter the grievances of the youth , due to socio-economic turmoil caused since 2014, the BJP is playing a very dangerous games, he wrote further.

Taking a potshot at BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya for his remark that he will give priority to 'Agniveers' for security jobs at his party office, the Hyderabad MP questioned if this is the dignity Modis party assigns to soldiers and soldiering, which is a profession of honour. He added it is regrettable that we have such a ruling party in the country.

We have seen the destruction caused to Indian economy and society by reckless steps like demonetisation and lockdown taken without any thought and planning. Does @PMOIndia now want to do the same to our national security? the AIMIM chief asked.

Owaisi has been consistently targeting PM Modi and the Centre over the Agnipath scheme that has triggered various protests across states. Following the violent protests against the Agnipath scheme, he had earlier asked Narendra Modi to take ownership of the reckless decision and face the consequences.

Military Affairs Department denies withdrawal of Agnipath scheme

Amid demands for rollback of the Agnipath scheme by protestors and various Opposition parties, a top military official today categorically denied taking back the yojana for recruitment in the armed forces. Addressing mediapersons, Additional Secretary Lt Gen Anil Puri, Department of Military Affairs (DMA) said the Agnipath scheme will not be withdrawn. Why should we rollback? It is the only progressive step to make the country young, he added.
Vice Chairman of Can Tho Peoples Committee Nguyen Thuc Hien

addressing the event (Photo: VNA)

The event was a chance to further strengthen the friendship and mutual understanding between Vietnamese and Cambodian people, while promoting the land, culture and people of Vietnam and Cambodia to each other's residents.

Addressing the event, Vice Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Nguyen Thuc Hien saif that the city has attached great importance to the traditional friendship and solidarity with Cambodian friends.

Can Tho has supported and coordinated with the Cambodian side to organise many cultural and people-to-people exchange activities together with charity activities, including the provision of free medical check-ups and medicines to locals in Cambodia and Vietnamese Cambodian people hit by COVID-19, he noted.

At the same time, Can Tho has provided scholarships and created favourable conditions for Cambodian students to study in universities in the city, he added.

He said that recently, the city has send a delegation to Cambodia to work with the Cambodian Ministry of Home Affairs, Cambodian Royal Army units and localities to further foster the solidarity with the neighbouring country and seek new cooperation opportunities with Cambodian partners.

In 2020 and 2021, despite COVID-19 impacts, the partnership between Vietnam and Cambodia still progressed in all fields from politics, defence, security to economy, trade, investment, culture, education, and local cooperation.

For his part, Cambodian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Sok Dareth spoke highly of the close ties between the two countries through difficult periods of history.

Both countries have made positive contributions to the building of peace and prosperity in the international community, especially the ASEAN Community in which both countries are members, he said, expressing his delight at the growing bilateral ties.

He said he hopes youngsters of both countries will get closer together for deeper mutual understanding, while staying ready to pioneer in implementing historical missions, safeguarding and developing relations between the two countries.

He reaffirmed the commitment to making more efforts to promoting and deepening the partnership between the two countries in general and between the Cambodian Consulate General and Can Tho as well as the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association in the city in particular.

On the occasion, the organising committee of a contest exploring the history of the Vietnam-Cambodia relations presented awards to winners.

Since the contest was launched on May 19, it received 27,658 entries from 14,269 contestants. One first, two second, three third and 10 consolidate prizes were awarded./.
Guwahati: The flood situation in Assam deteriorated on Sunday with nine more persons, including three children, losing their lives and over 42 lakh people suffering across 31 districts, an official bulletin said. According to the daily flood report of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), six persons drowned and three were killed in landslides in different parts of the state. Among those killed are three persons, including a child, in Cachar, two persons, including a child, in Barpeta, and one person each in Bajali, Kamrup, Karimganj and Udalguri districts, it added.

Besides, eight more people are missing across five districts, the bulletin said. With this, the total number of persons losing their lives in this year's flood and landslides has gone up to 71. At least 42,28,100 people are affected due to the floods, the bulletin said.

ALSO READ: Bangladesh floods: Six million people marooned; Army rushed in for rescue operations

Barpeta is the worst-hit district with over 12.76 lakh people suffering, followed by Darrang with nearly 3.94 lakh people affected and Nagaon with more than 3.64 lakh people hit by the deluge.

Massive landslides were reported from Cachar, Dima Hasao, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Kamrup Metropolitan and Karimganj.

Till Saturday, almost 31 lakh people were affected by the deluge across 27 districts of the state.

The weather office has issued an 'Orange Alert' for Monday, while a 'Yellow Alert' has been issued for Tuesday to Thursday.

"Widespread rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm/lightning/heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely to continue over Northeastern states during the next 48 hours and a decrease in rainfall intensity thereafter," it said.

At present, 5,137 villages are under water and 1,07,370.43 hectares of crop areas have been damaged, the ASDMA said.

Authorities are running 1,147 relief camps and distribution centres in 27 districts, where 1,86,424 people, including 29,722 children, are taking shelter.

In the last 24 hours, 8,760 persons were rescued from various flood-hit areas.

Massive erosions were witnessed in Baksa, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Chirang, Dhubri, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Majuli and Morigaon, among others.

Embankments, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been damaged by flood waters in several districts. A total of 29,28,030 domestic animals and poultry have been affected in the deluge across 25 districts, the ASDMA said.

Quoting a Central Water Commission bulletin, the ASDMA said that the Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger marks at Neamatighat in Jorhat, Tezpur, Goalpara town and Dhubri town. Its tributaries Beki, Manas, Pagladiya, Puthimari, Kopili, and Subansiri are also flowing above danger levels.
Mangaluru: Unidentified miscreants attacked the house of Congress IT cell secretary V Shylaja Amarnath at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district in protest against the 'derogatory' remarks on Hindu Gods allegedly made by her through social media, police said. Based on a complaint from Hindu organisations, the police have registered a case against the leader for making the comments with the intention of creating enmity between religions and breaching peace in society.

The miscreants who vandalised the house of Shylaja, smashed the window panes and sprayed black ink on the walls on Saturday. The lawyer has lodged a complaint with the police in this connection.

Police reached Shylaja's house and conducted an inspection. Investigation is on, the sources said.

Meanwhile, right wing outfits Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal (BD) strongly condemned the leader's alleged insulting remarks on Sri Rama, Lord Hanuman and Goddess Sita through the Clubhouse platform in a programme at 9 pm on June 16.

Live TV
Duare Ration scheme case: The Calcutta High Court has held that there is no illegality in the West Bengal Duare Ration scheme, under which the Mamata Banerjee government delivers foodgrains through the public distribution system at the doorsteps of beneficiaries. Passing judgement on a plea challenging the state government's Duare Ration scheme, Justice Krishna Rao noted that on an earlier occasion, too, fair price shop dealers had filed petitions on similar issue, but the high court, even then, did not interfere with the Duare Ration Scheme.

Justice Rao, in the judgement passed on June 16, observed that as per provisions of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, it is the obligation of the state government to ensure actual delivery or supply of the foodgrains to the entitled persons at prices specified. The court held that the state government's decision to deliver foodgrains at the doorsteps of the beneficiaries "cannot be said to be in violation of any provision of the NFSA".

A writ application filed before the court prayed that a notification by the state government on September 13, 2021 which amended a clause of the West Bengal Public Distribution System (Maintenance and Control) Order, 2013, be declared as ?unconstitutional and ultra vires (beyond powers) to Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and National Food Security Act, 2013.

The petitioners' counsel submitted that the central government has authority for regulating and prohibiting the production, supply and distribution of essential commodities. He said that the central government by way of notification delegates the power to the state but in this case, it has not delegated any power to the State of West Bengal.

Advocate General S N Mookherjee, appearing for the state government, prayed that the Duare Ration Scheme is an administrative order under the purview of the NFSA, 2013 which makes the state government responsible for actual delivery of grains to the beneficiaries.
Bhavnagar: Two members of a family were killed and one person was injured in a lightning strike in Moti Jagdhar village in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district on Sunday amid rain and thunder in many parts of the state. Bhupati Mavji (25) and his nephew Ravi (10) were killed after lightning struck them in the afternoon when they were returning after completing a job under the MGNREGA scheme in Moti Jagdhar village, a Mahuva police station official said. "A woman, who was seriously injured in the incident, was shifted to a hospital in Mahuva for treatment," he added.

As many as 57 taluks in Gujarat recorded some rainfall, with Mahuva in Bhavnagar receiving 15 mm rainfall between 10 am and 12 noon on Sunday, as per the State Emergency Operation Centre.

The meteorological department has forecast light to moderate rainfall with heavy rainfall in isolated places in several districts of the state over the next five days.
Kabul: Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) on Sunday (June 19, 2022) claimed the responsibility for the Karte Parwan Gurdwara attack in Kabul. ISKP released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. According to ISKP, `Abu Muhammed al Tajiki` carried out the attack which lasted for three hours. The group claimed that besides submachine guns and hand grenades, four IEDs and a car bomb were also used in the attack. It further claimed that about 50 Hindu Sikhs and Taliban members were killed in the attack and the attack was conducted as revenge for the insult of Prophet Muhammed by an Indian politician.

However, in the attack, only two people were killed and seven others were wounded.

Strong action has already been taken against those who made derogatory remarks. A statement was also issued by concerned quarters emphasizing respect for all religions, denouncing insult to any religious personality or demeaning any religion or sect. Vested interests that are against India-Kuwait relations have been inciting the people using these derogatory comments.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma from the party`s primary membership and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their alleged inflammatory remarks against minorities.

At least two civilians, including a Sikh man and a Muslim security guard, died after an attack by ISKP in Afghanistan`s Kabul city on Saturday.

Initial inputs suggested that an explosion took place outside the gate of the Gurdwara killing at least two people. Another explosion was later heard from inside the complex and some shops attached to the Gurdwara caught fire.

The holy Guru Granth Sahib from Gurudwara in Afghanistan`s capital city Kabul was retrieved from the complex, from which plumes of smoke were seen billowing out after the attack early this morning, according to visuals posted on social media.

Visuals posted by locals on social media show a barefoot man carrying the Guru Granth Sahib on his head. The visuals show two or three more people, all walking without footwear accompanying him.

According to Sikh religious belief, the Saroop, a physical copy of the Guru Granth Sahib is considered a living guru. The transportation of Guru Granth Sahib is governed by a strict code of conduct and as a mark of respect, the Guru Granth Sahib is carried on the head, and the person walks barefoot.

According to reports, the Holy Book was taken to the residence of Gurnam Singh, president, of Gurdwara Karte Parwan.

Religious minorities in Afghanistan, including the Sikh community, have been targets of violence in Afghanistan.

In October, last year 15 to 20 terrorists entered a Gurdwara in the Kart-e-Parwan District of Kabul and tied up the guards.

In March 2020, a deadly attack took place at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul`s Short Bazaar area in which 27 Sikhs were killed and several were injured. Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack.
Srinagar: Two terrorists were killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Sunday (June 19), while another gunfight was going on in the Kulgam district that killed another two terrorists. Two anti-terror operations are simultaneously underway in north and south of Kashmir.

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said, A Pakistani terrorist affiliated with Lashkar-i-Toiba has been killed, whole two to three terrorists along with arrested terrorists are trapped in an ongoing encounter in Kupwara border district of North Kashmir. The identity of the second slain terrorist was yet to be ascertained.

Earlier, Kupwara Police launched a joint anti-terrorist operation along with the Army's 28RR on the disclosure of an arrested terrorist Showket Ahmed Sheikh in Lolab area of Kupwara. During search of hideouts, hiding terrorists fired upon joint search parties and our team also retaliated, in which one terrorist got killed. The arrested terrorist also got trapped. Encounter in progress, said a police officer monitoring the operation.

Meanwhile, two terrorists have been killed in the encounter that broke out in the Kulgam district of south Kashmir. It's the second gunfight underway in the Valley. The gunfight broke out after Jammu and Kashmir police got specific input about the presence of terrorists in Gujjar Pora, DH Pora area of Kulgam district of South Kashmir.

A police officer said, "A joint team of Police and army launched a cordon and search operation in Gujjar Pora after the input about the presence of terrorists in the area. He said, "As the joint searching party of forces cordoned the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon the forces which was retaliated, and encounter started."

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar confirming the exchange of fire said "Encounter has started at D.H Pora area of Kulgam. Police and Army is on job. Further details will be shared."

On the other hand, the Handwara Police has arrested three over ground workers (OGW) of Al-Badr terror outfit and recovered arms and ammunitions from them at Wagam crossing on the highway in Kralgund area of Handwara.

A police officer said, "On preliminary questioning, the individuals were identified as Nazim Ah Bhat, Siraj din Khan, and Adil Gull all residents of Khaipora, Kralgund," he added ."On their search, one pistol along with a magazine and eight rounds, besides, two hand grenades were recovered from their possession,".

Officer said the investigation suggests that the trio is affiliated with the banned terror organisation Al- Badr, and that they were assigned task by Pakistan-based handlers to carry out militant acts in the area.

It is pertinent to mention here that 67 encounters have occurred in Kashmir since January this years and security forces have managed to kill 109 terrorists, out of which 31 are Pakistani. However, 16 security personnel and 18 civilians too have lost their lives. While 46 active terrorists mostly hybrid terrorists have been arrested alive, and 189 terrorists' supporters have also been nabbed including today's three terrorist associates.
New Delhi: In the wake of the recent terror attack on a gurudwara in Kabul, the Indian government has issued e-visas to more than 100 Sikhs and Hindus dwelling in Afghanistan, PTI cited sources as saying. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has given these electronic visas "on priority" to these people, the government sources added. "More than 100 Afghan Sikhs and Hindus have been granted e-visas by India, on priority, post the attack on gurudwara in Kabul, a source told the news agency. The step comes after several blasts rocked Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul's Bagh-e Bala neighborhood early Saturday morning leading to the death of two persons, including a Sikh.

Among those killed, one was a member of the Islamic Emirate forces and another was an Afghan Sikh national, the Afghanistan Interior Ministry spokesperson confirmed. The Taliban forces also managed to kill three attackers, the Pajhwok news agency reported. This was the latest targeted assault on a place of worship of the minority Sikh community in Afghanistan.

India had strongly condemned the "cowardly attack" on the Gurudwara in Kabul on Saturday. The cowardly attack on Gurudwara Karte Parwan should be condemned in the strongest terms by all. We have been closely monitoring developments since the news of the attack was received. Our first and foremost concern is for the welfare of the community," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wrote in a tweet.

PM Modi had also denounced the "barbaric" attack and tweeted, Shocked by the cowardly terrorist attack against the Karte Parwan Gurudwara in Kabul. I condemn this barbaric attack, and pray for the safety and well-being of the devotees.

ISKP claims responsibility for Kabul gurdwara attack

Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed the responsibility for the attack on the gurudwara in Kabul. As per ISKP, 'Abu Muhammed al Tajiki' carried out the attack as revenge for the insult of Prophet Muhammed by now-suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: Its finally that time of the year, the day to celebrate someone who climbed mountains, swam the rivers and fought the catastrophes of the world to make it to their school. Yes, you guessed it right- Its Fathers Day. While theres no single day that can celebrate the love and bittersweet relationship of a child with its father, this is surely the day we can express how thankful we are for all that he has done for us and what better way to express gratitude but to cook a tasty snack or maybe a full meal for him? Lets get started.

As the world celebrates Fathers Day 2022, here are 5 super-easy and mouth-watering recipes you can prepare for your super-special HERO.

Corn chaat

Roast two pieces of corn on the high flame till it turns brownish or dark golden, Once it's cooled down, remove all the corn kernels from the cob. Now chop onion, tomato, green chillies and mix them with half a cup of shredded cabbage, and salt as preferred.

You can also add half a spoon of each: curd, chilli powder, roasted cumin seeds with 2 spoons of mint or tamarind syrup. Now mix the ingredients well and serve

Mango chaat

To make this sweet and sour mouth-watering chat, take some well-chopped mangoes, the greener ones and mix them with normal bhel. Now add onions, tomato, coriander, peanuts and other snacks to taste. You Mango chaat is ready to serve.

Chickpea kababs

For this, you need Minutely chopped veggies (capsicum, carrot, peas), Boiled chickpea (chole) and Basic spices (salt, pepper, red chilly). Now, mash the boiled chickpea and prepare a thick batter, add finely chopped veggies and spices to it. Keep it aside for some time. Once settled, shape the mixture into kabab-like structures and shallow fry in a frying pan.

Pyaaz kachori

Prepare a smooth dough using plain flour or maida as per choice, now take a finely grated onion and fry it till it turns light pink. Now mix this onion in the dough. Prepare kachori-like pieces and deep fry them in a pan. Serve with green chilli chutney.

Pan pizza

Take two pizza bases for this easy-to-made pan pizza. Toast the pizza bases on both sides and set them aside. Now, take 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, fry 2 to 3 finely chopped tomatoes, 2 green chillies, 1 capsicum, 7 french beans, and small-sized paneer cubes for a minute.
In a big setback to opposition unity, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has decided to skip the meet called by NCP chief Sharad Pawar to pick the opposition camp's presidential candidate. Intead of Mamata Banerjee, her nephew and senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee will attend the meeting in Delhi. This was reported by Trinamool sources on Sunday.

Why is Mamata Banerjee angry with Sharad Pawar?

On Saturday, Pawar e-mailed the leaders of the opposition parties for Tuesday's meeting. But Pawar's statement in that letter has hurt the Trinamool top leadership, sources said.

Earlier, Mamata had written to everyone inviting them to the meeting. During the first such meeting called by Banerjee in Delhi on June 15 to formulate a strategy for the upcoming Presidential poll, it has been decided that a common candidate, who will "uphold the democratic ethos of the country", will be chosen as the opposition nominee.

As many as 17 parties attended the meeting.

Leaders of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, NCP, DMK, RJD and the Left parties attended the over two-hour-long meeting called by the Trinamool Congress supremo, while the AAP, SAD, AIMIM, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and Odisha's ruling BJD skipped it.

Leaders of Shiv Sena, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), National Conference, PDP, JD(S), RSP, IUML, RLD and the JMM were among those present.

Pawar's four-sentence letter has no reference to the previous meeting. So Mamata decided not to go to that meeting.

Abhishek Banerjee, party's all-India general secretary, is likely to visit Delhi for the meeting. According to Trinamool sources, he is scheduled to go to Tripura on Sunday before going to Delhi. By-elections are being held at four seats in Tripura. That's why Abhishek will take part in the last minute campaign. He is likely to hold a press conference in Agartala at 11 am on Monday. Abhishek will also hold a public meeting later in the afternoon in Agartala. According to sources, the Diamond Harbour MP will fly straight to Delhi to attend the opposition meeting from Tripura in the evening.

In 2012, the meeting in which Pranab Mukherjee's name was announced as the UPA camp's presidential candidate was attended by the then All India General Secretary Mukul Roy on behalf of the Trinamool supremo.
Gearing up for next year`s Assembly elections in Telangana, which is part of the party`s southern expansion plan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advised party cadres in the southern state to show their social face along with the political one. The saffron party is working hard to increase its foothold in the southern states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The party is in power in Karnataka where Assembly elections will be held in the first half of next year, while Telangana will go to the polls at the end of 2023. Modi will be the face of BJP`s campaign against Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao`s Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana. The Prime Minister has already spoken against dynasty politics in Telangana.

Earlier during a meeting of BJP corporators from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and senior leaders from the state, the Prime Minister, sources said, advised them on how to strengthen the BJP in Telangana, saying that the party`s growth is directly linked to their individual growth.

"Prime Minister Modi told the corporators that their performance will help them move up the ladder as BJP does not follow dynasty politics. He further said that the party`s growth is directly linked to the individual worker`s growth.

"He advised them to highlight the policies and programmes of the Union government. He also pointed out that the corporators` performance would help in the Assembly and general elections. They must focus on `Mera Booth, Sabse Mazboot`," a senior party functionary told IANS.

It is learnt that during the meeting, Modi told the corporators that they must be the social face of the party.

"He (Modi) said that the corporators and others shouldn`t only be the party`s political face, but they should become its social face as well. He explained that once people get to know you better, they will have a better understanding of the BJP," he said.

`Seva` (service) is also one of the `mantras` which the Prime Minister gave the party leaders during the meeting. A leader present in the meeting told IANS that service to people differentiates BJP corporators from leaders of other political parties.

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Cambodian Consul General in HCM City Sok Dareth speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)

The event was jointly held by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisation (VUFO), the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Association (VCFA)'s chapter in Can Tho, the Cambodian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho University, and the Youth Union of Can Tho.

The programme saw the participation of Cambodian students in HCM City and Can Tho, Vietnamese students from Can Tho University, and representatives of the Can Tho Youth Union. They participated in futsal matches and some folk games such as tug of war, sack jumping, and bamboo dancing.

Speaking at the event, Cambodian Consul General in HCM City Sok Dareth emphasized the important role played by Vietnamese and Cambodian young people, saying that they are a "bridge" promoting diplomatic relations between the two countries.

He expressed his hope that the young generations of the two countries will enhance connections through exchange and sharing activities, thereby creating important foundations for more fruitful diplomatic relationship in the future.

Nguyen Van Can, Chairman of the VCFA, said that in the past time, the associations chapter in Can Tho has regularly coordinated with the VUFO to help its members with difficult circumstances, and Cambodian people, and provide scholarships for Cambodian students studying in Vietnam.

The exchange programme is expected to contribute to maintaining and developing the neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia, and popularising the importance of preserving and developing the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship among people from all walks of life, especially youngsters, he said./.
New Delhi: Amid condemnation by Muslim countries over the controversial remarks made by now-suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma against Prophet Muhammad, India at the UN has said that the country promotes tolerance and inclusion, and deals with any aberration within the legal framework. TS Tirumurti, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, has also asserted that the country does not need "selective outrage" from outsiders.

Speaking at the high-level event to make the celebration of the 1st anniversary of the International Day on Countering Hate Speech on Friday (June 17, 2022), Tirumurti stated that India's multicultural edifice has, over centuries, made it a safe haven for all those who seek refuge in India, whether the Jewish community or Zoroastrians or Tibetans or from our own neighbourhood.

"It is this underlying strength of our nation that has withstood radicalisation and terrorism over time," he said.

"As we have emphasized time and again, combating religiophobia should not be a selective exercise involving only one or two religions but should apply equally to phobias against non-Abrahamic religions as well. Till this is done, such international days will never achieve their objectives. There cannot be double standards on religiophobias," India's top envoy at the UN said.

#IndiaAtUN



Watch: @ambtstirumurti, Permanent Representative speak at the High level event on the role of education to counter hate speech @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/uDxepfrVOK  India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) June 17, 2022

"Aberrations are dealt with within our legal framework and we do not need selective outrage from outsiders, especially when they are self-serving - even communal in nature, and pursuing a divisive agenda," he said.

Tirumurti added that India has been the greatest victim of terrorism, especially cross-border terrorism and called on countries to develop an education system that truly contributes to combating them by promoting the principles of pluralism and democracy.

Earlier this month, over a dozen Muslim countries, including Iraq, Libya, Malaysia and Turkey, condemned the controversial remarks made by two now-suspended BJP functionaries against the Prophet. The BJP then on June 5 suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks against the Prophet.

The saffron party also issued a statement aimed at assuaging the concerns of minorities and distancing itself from these members, asserting that it respects all religions and strongly denounces the insult of any religious personality.

The Ministry of External Affairs also issued a statement and said that India accords the highest respect to all religions.

"The offensive tweets and comments denigrating a religious personality were made by certain individuals. They do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the Government of India. Strong action has already been taken against these individuals by relevant bodies," the MEA spokesperson said.
New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday (June 18, 2022) said that the Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar. "Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into entire Westcentral Bay of Bengal, most parts of northwest Bay of Bengal, some parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand and some more parts of Bihar today," the IMD said in its bullitien. The weather department informed that the conditions are favorable for further advance of monsoon into some more parts of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and the northwest Bay of Bengal.

Monsoon will also advance in some more parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, some more parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and northeast Uttar Pradesh during next two to three days. "Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with thunderstorm/lightning very likely over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal during next 5 days. Isolated heavy rainfall is likely over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Gangetic West Bengal during June 18-20," the IMD said in its latest bulletin.

IMDs rainfall prediction:

Under the influence of strong southerly/southwesterly winds from Bay of Bengal to Northeast & adjoining East India:

oWidespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely over Northeast India and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during next 3 days. pic.twitter.com/6ikCCXbucm  India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) June 18, 2022

- IMD said under the influence of strong southerly/southwesterly winds from Bay of Bengal to Northeast & adjoining East India, widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely over Northeast India and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during next 3 days.

- Met Office also informed that fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with thunderstorm/lightning very likely over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal during next 5 days. Isolated heavy rainfall likely over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal during 18th-20th and over Odisha on 18th & during 20th-22nd June, 2022.

Pleasant weather in Delhi

On Saturday, Delhiites witnessed another pleasant day as the maximum temperature settled at 32.7 degrees Celsius, seven notches below the normal and the lowest in June in five years, the IMD said. The city is likely to witness a cloudy sky and light to moderate rain till Tuesday, the Met office said. The IMD has forecast more pre-monsoon showers over the next two to three days which is likely to compensate for the rain deficit.

Rainfall in Rajasthan

Several places in Rajasthan received light to moderate rainfall on Saturday. Intermittent rainfall has been continuing since Friday even as a few places also recorded heavy rainfall during this period, IMD said. The weather department has predicted similar weather conditions with possibility of heavy rainfall at one or two places in Alwar, Jhunjhunu and Sikar districts during the next 24 hours.

Heavy rains in parts of Odisha

Heavy showers lashed parts of Odisha yesterdayy as conditions are favorable for further advancement of the monsoon over the next two-three days, the weather office said. The weather office has forecast heavy downpours in parts of the state for the next four days. There can be widespread rain during the next five days under the influence of strong southerly and southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal, it said.

Monsoon rains soak parts of Bengal

Rains lashed Kolkata and its neighbouring districts on Saturday as the Southwest monsoon entered southern West Bengal, IMD said. "Eastern parts of Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) passes through Haldia, Bardhaman, Dumka, Banka and Motihari. Entire North Bengal was already covered yesterday 17.06.2022," the Met office said in a statement. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in parts of Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts in the next 24 hours, it added. Under the impact of an east-west trough, heavy to very heavy rainfall was recorded in sub-Himalayan West Bengal.

Southwest monsoon sets in over Jharkhand

The monsoon sets in over Jharkhand on Saturday and covered the districts of Sahibganj, Godda, Pakur and some parts of Dumka. We expect the monsoon to reach central parts of Jharkhand in a day or two and cover the entire state in the next four days, Abhishek Anand, in-charge of Ranchi Meteorological Centre, told PTI. He said overall seasonal rainfall between June and September is expected to be normal. The state might experience deficient rainfall in June but it will pick up in July, Anand said.

Rain brings respite from heat in Haryana, Punjab

Several places in Haryana and Punjab registered a drop in maximum temperature on Saturday after rain lashed both the states a day ago, IMD said. The drop in mercury provided the much sought after respite to the masses from scorching heat that persisted in the Northwest region for the past few weeks.

(With agency inputs)
MUMBAI: Actor Arjun Kapoor shared a special post for his father and filmmaker Boney Kapoor on the occasion of Father's Day, however, it appeared that he could not find a perfect picture with his dad. The 'Ishaqzaade' actor shared a picture featuring his father Boney and his step-sister Khushi Kapoor.

Arjun took to his Instagram handle on Sunday and posted an adorable picture of Boney with Khushi where they can be seen posing for the camera with a happy face. In the snap, Khushi can be seen wearing a white top with blue denim while Boney opted for casual wear.

Sharing the post, he wrote a funny caption, "I tried finding pictures of dad with me but only found more images of him with @khushi05k."After this funny caption, Khushi replied to his caption, calling herself the 'Favourite Child' of Boney.

She wrote, "The Favourite Child."

As soon as he shared the post, fans also commented on the post and suggested him to find photos with Boney on Google. A fan wrote, "Just Google yourself with your dad you'll get plenty of pictures together."

Meawhile, Khushi posted a picture on her Instagram Stories of Boney kissing her on the forehead. She captioned it, "Happy Father's Day to my favourite person @Boney.kapoor."

Actor and Boney's elder daughter Janhvi Kapoor shared a collage of many pictures of her with Boney.

Arjun and Anshula Kapoor are Boney's children from his first wife, the late Mona Shourie Kapoor.

Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor are the daughters of the late Sridevi.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Arjun has 'Ek Villain Returns'. The film co-starring Disha Patani, John Abraham and Tara Sutaria is scheduled to hit the screens on July 29.

Khushi, on the other hand, has wrapped up the Ooty schedule of her action musical drama 'The Archies'. She was spotted arriving in Mumbai on Sunday afternoon.

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New Delhi: Actress Radhika Madan recently took some time out from her hectic schedule for her Instagram Fam and did a quick Ask Me Anything a.k.a AMA session. The actress during the session expressed her excitement for the release of her first titular film Sanaa'.

During the AMA session, one of the fans had asked about which film did Radhika enjoy the most while shooting. The Angrezi Medium actress posted a picture of hers along with the director of the film Sudhanshu Saria. Replying to the question, she wrote along with the picture, Cant wait for you guys to experience this. #sanaa. The actress had wrapped up shooting for the film a while back and is very keen for the film to release. Sanaa will mark as the first titular film of Radhika.

Apart from this the fans had a great AMA session on the gram as Radhika replied to various questions with fun answers. During the session Radhika was also asked if there are any plans for the sequel of Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. She posted a BTS video from one of her rehearsal sessions and wrote Apne haath me sirf nunchucks hai baaki sab inke haath @vasanbala.

Radhika mentioned how only the director of the film, Vasan Bala can answer the question.

On the work front, Radhika has wrapped up shooting for four of her upcoming films, namely - Sanaa, Kutte, Saas Bahu Aur Cocaine, and Kache Nimbu. Currently she is working on her untitled project with Akshay Kumar.
New Delhi: A former female engineer of Amazon Web Services (AWS) was found guilty of breaking into the cloud storage systems of more than 100 million users and collecting information related to the 2019 Capital One breach. AWS is the cloud division of retail behemoth Amazon. In connection with her plan to hack into cloud computing accounts and steal data and computing resources for her own gain, Paige Thompson, a 36-year-old former tech worker, was found guilty in Seattle's US District Court of seven federal felonies. After Capital One informed the FBI of Thompson's hacking behaviour, she was detained in July 2019.

According to a statement from the US Department of Justice, Thompson will be sentenced by US District Judge Robert S. Lasnik on September 15, 2022. (ALSO READ: Gold price today, June 19: Gold rates slashed, Check prices in your city)

"Thompson used her hacking skills to steal the personal information of more than 100 million people, and hijacked computer servers to mine cryptocurrency," said US Attorney Nick Brown. (ALSO READ: Petrol, Diesel rates drop after excise duty cut, check prices in your city)

"Far from being an ethical hacker trying to help companies with their computer security, she exploited mistakes to steal valuable data and sought to enrich herself," Brown added.

In addition to five charges of unauthorised access to a protected computer, Thompson was also found guilty of destroying a protected computer. However, she was found not guilty of access device fraud and severe identity theft by the jury.

"She wanted data, she wanted money, and she wanted to brag," Assistant US Attorney Andrew Friedman said.

More than 100 million US customers were compromised by the breach of Capital One accounts. The firm paid a $190 million settlement to resolve customer lawsuits and another $80 million in penalties.

-- With IANS inputs.
New Delhi: Despite the fact that Elon Musk, a billionaire businessman, is buying Twitter, he believes that social media is destroying civilisation. Yes, you are right. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted, "Is TikTok destroying civilization?" Some individuals believe this. Or maybe it's just social media in general? Musk's question sparked a flurry of inquiries. Some others advised him to buy TikTok and eliminate it in order to preserve humanity. Others have said that "Dogecoin" is the "final hope" for civilization's survival. The tweet was as follows:

Is TikTok destroying civilization? Some people think so.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 18, 2022

It has received a great deal of attention on social media. "As a civilization, people are prioritising tiktok movies and social media over collective emphasis on becoming a technologically competent species." Sadly, the dreams of living to see intergalactic travel are fading "remarked someone. "The fact that you think a clock is doing more damage than your rocket fuel tells everything," another individual remarked. Learn about global warming, consider what you've learned, and then try typing." Here are a few examples of reactions: Read More: Garena Free Fire redeem codes for today, 19 June: Check website, here's how to redeem

Are you destroying the world? Some people think so. https://t.co/dV8dAhqoSe  Benzo (@fryingsaucer) June 19, 2022

You're about to buy Twitter - the biggest cesspool in the world... https://t.co/UW2si6S0Kr June 18, 2022

Its billionaires, you silly goose. Billionaires are destroying civilization. https://t.co/uKo83XrYNM  Zola In Recovery (@WarriorZoltar) June 18, 2022

Meanwhile, Musk recently spoke to Twitter staff for the first time, ostensibly to "assuage worries" about the transaction. Soon later, a video went viral purporting to show messages from colleagues discussing him. Only one word came out of Musk's mouth: "interesting." According to Reuters, Twitter employees expressed their dissatisfaction with Musk's agenda by posting memes on Slack. "He's trying not to be dull," one Slack user remarked. There was also someone who said LGBT people shouldn't trust this man. "We've seen this kind of homophobia and transphobia before; nothing he said is redeemable," the person wrote. Read More: Fathers Day 2022: Check out the exciting gift ideas for your dad

Musk mentioned the need for "headcount rationalisation" at the microblogging platform. "Right now, the expenses outweigh the revenues." That isn't a good scenario to be in. To have revenue larger than cost, there would have to be some staffing and expense optimization," he was cited as saying in a report. "Anyone who's... a substantial contributor should have nothing to worry about," Musk added.
New Delhi: Observing that religious sites are representative of the history, social fabric, and traditions of people in every country and community, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that religious sites and all places of worship and contemplation should be safe havens, not sites of terror or bloodshed. Unfortunately, it is the religious places that have become a flashpoint of the religiously motivated hatred and have come under attacks by the terrorists.

The recent incident is of dastardly attack at Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita Guru Gobind Singh, Karte Parwan in Afghanistans Kabul which left two persons Sawinder Singh, 61, and a security guard Ahmad dead.

Before fleeing, the terrorists set the Gurdwara building on fire following a gun battle with Taliban fighters who finally took control of the Gurdwara. Reports suggest that a few Sikhs were injured while the three saroops of Sri Guru Granth Sahib were evacuated to safety.

All eyes are once again set on the United Nations (UN) to ensure that its resolution is implemented with both the Sikhs apex body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sikhs prominent seminary Damdami Taksal issuing an appeal to the UN to intervene and ensure that minuscule Sikh and Hindu communities of Afghanistan is evacuated to safety, their properties and religious places are preserved.

The SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami and Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa has called on the UN to take initiatives to ensure the safety of Sikhs in Afghanistan.

Given the urgency of the situation and life threat to the minorities in Afghanistan and the government's proceedings at a snails pace, a businessman and philanthropist turned Member of Parliament Vikram Sahney has offered to evacuate the remaining 164 Sikhs and Hindus from Kabul.

Talking to the media, Sahney who is also the president of the World Punjabi Organisation (WPO) said in the past that WPO had sent 3 chartered flights to evacuate Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan. Similarly are ready to bring remaining Sikhs and Hindus back from Afghanistan by sending a chartered plane but we need the government to issue them e-visas at the earliest, he said.

The gurdwaras are visible where a large number of congregation gathers to offer prayers and perform religious services thus they become a vulnerable target for violence at least for their symbolic political significance for the terrorists.

Puneet Singh Chandok, President of India World Forum who worked as a bridge between the Afghan Hindu/Sikhs and the authorities in the country thanked the Central government for issuing the visas to over one hundred members of minorities in Afghanistan. He said that the UN should make sure the safety and security of members of ministries in Afghanistan and the properties and religious places of the minorities.

Expressing concern over the Kabul Gurdwara attack, Sikh body United Sikhs observes that they were worried that Sikh identity, culture, and religion continue to be under attack globally because of their distinct appearance and the hate-driven and malicious motives of the terrorists.
The war in Ukraine could last for years, the head of NATO said on Sunday, as Russia stepped up its assaults after the European Union recommended that Kyiv become a candidate to join the bloc. Jens Stoltenberg said the supply of state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukrainian troops would boost the chance of freeing its eastern region of Donbas from Russian control, Germany`s Bild am Sonntag newspaper said. "We must prepare for the fact that it could take years. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine," Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of the military alliance, was quoted as saying.

"Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, also because of rising energy and food prices."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who visited Kyiv on Friday, also spoke over the weekend of a need to prepare for a long war.

This meant ensuring "Ukraine receives weapons, equipment, ammunition and training more rapidly than the invader", Johnson wrote in an opinion piece in London`s Sunday Times.

"Time is the vital factor," he wrote. "Everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its ability to defend its soil faster than Russia can renew its capacity to attack."

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Johnson stressed the need to avoid "Ukraine fatigue". With Russian forces "grinding forward inch by inch", allies must show the Ukrainians they were there to support them for a long time, he said.

Ukraine received a significant boost on Friday when the European Commission recommended it for candidate status, a decision European Union nations are expected to endorse at a summit this week.

That would put Ukraine on course to realise an aspiration seen as out of reach before Russia`s Feb. 24 invasion, even if membership could take years.

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A painting from the book Luc Van Tien (The Tale of Luc Van Tien), an epic poem with 2,076 lines by late poet and teacher Nguyen inh Chieu (1822  1888), one of the countrys leading writers in the 19th century. (Photo courtesy of the Culture & Art Publishing House)

A special exhibition on poet Chieu has opened and will run through July at the HCM City Museum.

The event is called Danh Nhan Van Hoa Nguyen Dinh Chieu - Cuoc Doi Va Su Nghiep (Man of Culture Nguyen Dinh Chieu - Life and Career).

It features 95 photos, paintings and information about the poet, his life and career.

Chieus famous literary works, including the epics Luc Van Tien (The Tale of Luc Van Tien) and Van Te Nghia Si Can Giuoc (Funeral Oration for the Partisans of Can Giuoc), are also displayed.

Nguyen Dinh Chieu (1822  1888) was born in Binh Duong, Gia Dinh province (now District 1, Ho Chi Minh City).

He was a patriotic teacher, physician and poet of southern Vietnam in the second half of the 19th century.

At around age 24, Chieu contracted an eye infection and was soon blind. Just before this infection, he learned of his mothers death, and according to legend, Chieu was so heartbroken he was said to have gone blind with grief.

He opened a small school to teach poor students in Gia Dinh. He was also a popular medical practitioner who offered treatment for local people.

He later moved to Can Giuoc in Long An province (now Ben Tre province), where he died.

His Luc Van Tien was written in nom (the old Chinese-based Vietnamese script) in the 1850s. It is one of the two most celebrated Vietnamese epic poems, along with Nguyen Dus Truyen Kieu (The Tale of Kieu) in the early 19th century.

The 2,076 line-work highlights the culture and lifestyle of southern people. Topics of love, loyalty, bravery and fair justice are featured.

The epic is used in textbooks for secondary high school students. It has been translated into many languages, including French, English and Japanese.

It has been adapted into many theatre plays of cai luong (reformed opera) and tuong (classical drama) as well as movies.

Van Te Nghia Si Can Giuoc highlights patriotism. It features the authors nationalism and anti-colonialism against the French colonisation of Cochinchina, the European name for the southern part of Vietnam.

Another well-known work by Chieu is Ngu Tieu Y Thuat Van Dap (Medical discussion between fisherman and woodcutter). It includes useful information and knowledge on traditional Vietnamese medicine.

In Ben Tre province, a ceremony to honour and celebrate Chieus 200th birthday will take place on July 1 at the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Temple, where the tomb and monument of the poet are located. Drama shows will be also staged.

The highlighted show will be Tien Nga (Fairy Tale), a musical play based on Chieus Luc Van Tien, by talented artists of the private drama theatre IDECAF of HCM City.

The play is about the life of Luc Van Tien, a poor student who travels to the capital to take a civil service examination for mandarins. He rescues Kieu Nguyet Nga, a beautiful woman from a wealthy family, from a robbery. They fall in love but cannot be together because of feudal society's mores.

We hope our musical show, Tien Nga, will attract local people and visitors in Ben Tre  homeland of poet Chieu, said Huynh Anh Tuan, owner and managing director of the IDECAF.

Last year, a proposal for the celebration of Chieus 200th birthday anniversary was submitted and is expected to be approved by the UNESCO General Assembly in November.

The proposal has received support and recognition from the Republic Korea, Thailand, Japan and India.

UNESCO has commemorated the birth anniversaries of four Vietnamese celebrities, including the late President Ho Chi Minh, educator Chu Van An, and poets Nguyen Du and Nguyen Trai./.
Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong addresses the event (Photo: VNA)

According to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong, despite complicated world situation, Vietnam still enjoyed good socio-economic outcomes in the first five months of this year.

Particularly, in the period, 7.7 billion USD of foreign investment was disbursed, up 7.8 percent year on year, showing foreign investors high demand of expanding business in Vietnam, he said. Meanwhile, bright signs were seen in business and production activities as well as industrial production, he added.

He attributed the results to the improved investment environment of Vietnam and the countrys advantages in many fields, as well as the stable socio-political and macro-economic situation, with average annual growth of 6-7 percent in the recent two decades.

Dong underlined that Vietnam considers science-technology and innovation as a motivation for economic growth towards the target of a high-income country in 2045.

Vietnam is calling for foreign-invested projects with high technology and innovation, which can help domestic firms engage deeper in value chains, contributing to promoting digital transformation and sustainable development of Vietnam, he stressed.

The official added that Vietnam also encourages foreign investors and financial institutions to conduct projects to develop the infrastructure system through the public-private partnership (PPP) format.

The RoK is currently the largest investor of Vietnam with 9,288 underway projects worth over 79 billion USD, accounting for 18.5 percent of total FDI in Vietnam. Korean investors have been present in 59 out of 63 Vietnamese localities, focusing on areas of processing, manufacturing, electronics, high technology, logistics and construction.

Deputy Minister Dong said that Vietnam is working hard to reform administrative procedures to make it easier for investment activities, while preparing itself for innovation investments from outside, especially from the RoK.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment will continue to accompany investors and localities during the process, he pledged.

Lim Hankyu, Vice President of the Korea Overseas Infrastructure and Urban Development Corporation (KIND), an organisation specialising on supporting PPP projects abroad, said that Vietnam and the RoK see high potential to promote PPP in transport infrastructure projects.

He suggested Vietnam optimise ODA-funded programmes and PPP projects through Government-to-Government (G2G) partnership, making full use of ODA to strengthen infrastructure connection and using part of the infrastructure system to increase feasibility of large-scale projects.

At the conference, representatives from some localities have also introduced their investment potential to foreign investors, including those from the RoK./.
By Trend

Participants of the IX Global Baku Forum made a trip to the Karabakh economic region - Fuzuli and Shusha on June 19, Trend reports.

During the trip, carried out in order to get acquainted with the reconstruction and development of the Karabakh and East Zangazur economic regions of Azerbaijan, as well as the course of demining the territories, the guests are accompanied by representatives of local and foreign media.

On June 16, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center under the patronage of President Ilham Aliyev, the 9th Global Baku Forum under the motto "Challenges to the Global World Order has today kicked off.
Senior officials from Egypt, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco, and the US held the inaugural meeting of the Negev Forums Steering Committee on Monday in Bahrain to outline a framework document for the forum, setting out its objectives and structure  a joint statement of the forums six countries said.
The defence ministers of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece signed a joint statement on Monday within the framework of their armed forces keenness to support defence and security cooperation during a tripartite meeting in Egypt.
Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett hosted what was almost certainly his final cabinet meeting Sunday, commending his government as "short-lived with great achievements", ahead of parliament's expected dissolution this week.
``The effort must be immediate, collective and massive,'' the leaders of the three companies, TotalEnergies, ...
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in which the two discussed recent developments in the region as well as joint efforts to achieve the interests of both states and those of the Arab countries, the presidential spokesperson said in a statement late on Monday.

El-Sisi and Crown Prince Salman, who is also the Saudi defence minister, discussed Egyptian-Saudi ties and means to bolster mutual cooperation, the statement added.

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Member of Parliament (MP) Mostafa Salem  deputy chairperson of the Egyptian Parliaments Budget Committee  revealed on Monday that the committee will be mobilised this week to discuss and review the new FY2022/23 budget and development plan with members of the Cabinet.

Salem added that the committee will hold nine meetings this week, the first two of which will be on Monday, and another two on Tuesday.

Moreover, the MP said that Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said is expected to address members of the committee during its morning meeting on Tuesday on the new 2022/23s social and economic development plan and answer questions of MPs in this respect.

He added that Tuesdays afternoon meeting will be devoted to discussing the FY2022/23 budget of the Ministry of Education.

Additionally, the MP said that Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait was invited to attend the Budget Committees meeting on Wednesday morning.

Minister Maait will answer questions on the new FY2022/23 budget in general, the budgets of the states economic institutions in detail, and the National Organisation for Military Production, said Salem.

He also indicated that two meetings will be held on Thursday, the first of which will be dedicated to reviewing the budget of the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade and its affiliated institutions.

The two meetings will also focus on the 2022/23 budgets allocations to food and basic commodity subsidies. Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali El-Moselhi is expected to attend this meeting.

The discussion comes after the finance and planning ministers delivered two statements on the new FY2022/23 budget and development plan on 9 May.

Maait said the dramatic spike in world food and energy prices compelled the government to restructure the 2022/23 budget to spend more on subsidies and social protection programmes to cushion their negative effect on the most vulnerable members of society.

Preliminary figures show that allocations to subsidy and social protection programmes will be increased by 11 percent, reaching EGP 356 billion in the new 2022/23 budget.

According to the draft 2022/23 budget report, fuel subsidies will be increased from EGP 18.4 billion to EGP 28.9 billion, while food subsidies  which cover bread and basic food commodities for 71 million citizens holding ration cards  will climb from EGP 87.2 billion to EGP 90 billion.

Maait also said the budgetary allocations for public sector salaries will increase by EGP 43 billion to reach EGP 400 billion, revealing the increase was ordered by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to improve the financial position of 4.5 million state employees.

Additionally, Planning Minister El-Said said that while Egypt had been on target to achieve a growth rate of 6.4 percent in 2021/22 and nine percent during the first half of the current fiscal year, however, the Russian-Ukrainian war led the growth rate to be downgraded to six percent by the end of the current fiscal year and to 5.7 percent in FY 2022/23.

We do, however, expect it to begin climbing again to reach 6.2 percent and 6.5 percent in the following two years, she added.

At the same time, we expect that investments will exceed EGP one trillion for a second year, reaching EGP 1.45 trillion in the new FY  a growth rate of 17 percent  with EGP 1.1 trillion going to public investments and EGP 350 billion to private investments.

In terms of public investments, the minister said priority will be given to completing national projects.

She added that higher economic growth rate is not the only objective of the new socio-economic development plan, as It also aims to reduce the unemployment rate to 7.05 percent, which will be achieved by implementing infrastructural reforms and modernising technical education.

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Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias will participate in the Egypt-EU Association Councils ninth meeting, which will be held on Sunday 19 June in Luxembourg, according to a statement by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ninth meeting will be chaired by Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

The plenary session will be devoted to a discussion on the developments and prospects of the Association Agreement between the EU and Egypt, according to the European Council.

Greece values the great importance of the constantly developing relation between the EU and Egypt, who is a strategic partner of Greece with a key role in the wider Mediterranean region, the statement said.

During the meeting, Dendias and Shoukry are expected to discuss developments in Africa and Egypt, and then exchange other views over an informal business lunch.

Furthermore, the meeting will cover recent developments in the EUs relations with Gulf countries and Jordan.

Finally, Dendias will brief Shoukry and Borrell on his recent tour of the Western Balkans and the results of the Southeast European Cooperation Process Summit, which took place in Thessaloniki on 10 June.

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The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said that security forces had summarily executed residents in Gambella, suspecting them of collaborating with rebels who attacked the southwestern city earlier this week.

The assault on Gambella on Tuesday triggered an hours-long gunfight between security forces and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), a rebel group which is branded a terrorist organisation by the Ethiopian government.

After soldiers successfully repelled the attack by the OLA and a local armed group, "residents faced various human rights abuses at the hands of the Gambella regional... forces," the EHRC, a state-affiliated independent rights body, said in a statement.

"EHRC has, from witness accounts and video evidence it has received, understood that individuals suspected of participating in the (rebel) attack or collaborating in the attack were killed," it said, adding the security forces carried out "door to door executions".

The rights body urged the authorities to "conduct an investigation and ensure accountability into illegal acts committed by security forces".

The statement was released the same day that a video circulating on social media, whose authenticity could not be immediately confirmed, showed a man, allegedly of Oromo ethnicity, being shot dead by several uniformed men.

A spokesman for the Gambella regional authorities said in a press release that the "information being circulated on some social media platforms suggesting that an ethnic-based assault has occurred is false".

He added that the government was taking action against some members of the security forces for unethical behaviour following an investigation.

Odaa Tarbii, spokesman for the OLA, which is active in the neighbouring Oromia region, said 11 civilians had been killed in Gambella since Tuesday's attack.

"Security forces in Gambella have gone on a killing spree targeting anyone they suspect of being #Oromo," he said on Twitter.

The Gambella region borders South Sudan and has in the past suffered incursions by armed fighters from the neighbouring country.

The OLA last year forged an alliance with the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which has been locked in conflict with federal forces in northern Ethiopia since November 2020.

Ethiopia's government declared a "humanitarian truce" in March, allowing limited supplies of international aid to the stricken Tigray region for the first time since mid-December.

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By Trend

The plane with the participants of the IX Global Baku Forum landed at Azerbaijans Fuzuli International Airport and from where the guests will leave for Shusha, Trend reports.

Participants of the IX Global Baku Forum will hold panel discussions in Shusha.

The IX Global Baku Forum on "Challenges to the Global World Order" organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center began its work under the patronage of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on June 16.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to land in Egypt on Monday on his first leg of a three-nation regional tour, two diplomatic sources told Reuters.

The Crown Prince will meet Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to discuss issues that include the regional impact of the war in Ukraine.

The meeting will also tackle preparations for US President Joe Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia next month, according to the sources.

On Tuesday, the White House announced that Biden will make his first trip to the Middle East as president July 13-16. The US President will attend a regional Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Saudi Arabia.

The latest visit by the Saudi Crown Prince to Egypt was in June 2021, when he met the Egyptian President in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Bin Salman's regional tour includes Jordan and Turkey.

He is expected to hold meetings with leaders of both countries, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported.

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Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Ati said on Sunday that the rates of rainfall over the Niles headwaters in June are promising.

Abdel-Atis remarks came during a meeting with the Permanent Committee for Regulating the Niles Revenues that was held on Sunday, a statement by the ministry said.

The Niles flooding season, which takes place from July to September, is caused by heavy rains in the Ethiopian highlands. Some 85 percent of the rivers waters flow from the Ethiopian highlands through the Blue Nile  one of the Niles two main tributaries along with the White Nile.

The minister reviewed the various expected scenarios in the coming flooding season to deal with the period of maximum needs effectively and meet the current agricultural seasons water needs.

The Permanent Committee for Regulating the Niles Revenues convenes regularly throughout the year to ensure water resources are optimally managed to provide for the countrys water needs.

Egypt  which is considered one of the most water-scarce countries in the world  receives around 60 billion cubic metres (bcm) of water annually, mainly from the Nile. However, its needs stand at around 114 bcm, placing the 102-million-plus country well below the international threshold for water scarcity at 560 cubic metres per person annually.

The large gap in water resources in Egypt, which is one of the driest countries in the world, is overcome by importing 54 percent of its virtual water and reusing 42 percent of its renewable sources, Abdel-Ati said in an earlier statement.

Access to the Niles waters is one of the outstanding points in the long-running Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute between downstream countries Egypt and Sudan from one side and upstream country Ethiopia on the other.

Despite the opposition of the downstream countries to filling the GERD without signing a binding agreement that could secure the three countries water needs, Ethiopia is getting ready to execute the third filling of the reservoir in August and September, according to remarks by Kiffle Horo, the GERDs project manager.

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The Palestinian Authority on Sunday called on Israel to hand over the gun that allegedly fired the shot which killed Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh.

Abu Akleh was shot and killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli army operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

A Palestinian probe said that an Israeli soldier shot dead the veteran Palestinian-American reporter, echoing findings by Al Jazeera and several other major news organisations.

Israel has asked the Palestinian Authority to provide the bullet extracted from her body so Israel can conduct its own ballistic investigation. Israel has offered to do so with Palestinian and American representatives present.

"We have refused to hand over the bullet to them, and we even demand that they hand over the weapon that murdered Shireen Abu Akleh," Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said at a ceremony in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Sunday to mark 40 days since her death.

Israel's army has said that it has not concluded whether Abu Akleh -- who was wearing a bullet-proof vest marked "Press" when she was shot, was killed by one of its troops or stray Palestinian gunfire.

The army has maintained that no Israeli soldier fired at Abu Akleh knowing she was a journalist.

The Palestinian probe concluded that Abu Akleh was killed using a Ruger Mini-14, a semi-automatic weapon.

Israel's army has said its investigation into her killing has centred on one soldier who fired near the area where Abu Akleh was killed.

Abu Akleh's brother Anton told the Ramallah ceremony, where photos of the reporter were displayed, that the family was "only seeking justice for Shireen".

Israel's army has said it has not yet concluded whether one of its soldiers will face criminal charges over Abu Akleh's killing.

But the army's top lawyer has said such charges would be unlikely given the circumstances surrounding her killing that, according to the military, amounted to active combat.

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Four months of war in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers' orders, British defense officials said Sunday. NATO's chief warned the fighting could drag on for ``years.``

``Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale,`` Britain's defense ministry said in its daily assessment of the war.

``Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks,'' the assessment said, but added that ``Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled.''

It said ``cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.''

Separately, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate released what it said were intercepted phone calls in which Russian soldiers complained about front-line conditions, poor equipment, and overall lack of personnel, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

In an interview published on Sunday in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that ``nobody knows'' how long the war could last. ``We need to be prepared for it to last for years,`` he said.

He also urged allies ''not to weaken support for Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military aid, but also because of the increase in energy and food goods prices.``

In recent days, Gazprom, the Russian gas company, has reduced supplies to two major European clients, Germany and Italy.

In Italy's case, energy officials are expected to huddle this week about the situation.

The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through the coming winter, but he warned Italians that ``restrictions'' affecting gas use might be necessary.

Germany will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia, the country's economy minister said on Sunday. Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the cold winter months.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. ``That's bitter, but it's simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage,'' he said.

Stoltenberg stressed, though, that ``the costs of food and fuel are nothing compared with those paid daily by the Ukrainians on the front line.''

Stoltenberg added: What's more, if Russian President Vladimir Putin should reach his objectives in Ukraine, like when he annexed Crimea in 2014, ``we would have to pay an even greater price.''

Britain's defense ministry said that both Russia and Ukraine have continued to conduct heavy artillery bombardments on axes to the north, east and south of the Sieverodonetsk pocket, but with little change in the front line.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said via Telegram on Sunday: ``It is a very difficult situation in Sievierodonetsk, where the enemy in the middle of the city is conducting round-the-clock aerial reconnaissance with drones, adjusting fire, quickly adjusting to our changes.``

Russia's defense ministry claimed on Sunday that Russian and separatist forces have taken control of Metolkine, a settlement just to the east of Sievierodonetsk.

Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas, is 55 kilometers (33 miles) southwest of the twin cities of Lysyhansk and Siervierodonetsk, where fierce military clashes have been raging. Every day, Russian artillery pummels Bakhmut.

But Bakhmut's people try to go about their daily lives, including shopping in markets that have opened again in recent weeks.

``In principle, it can be calm in the morning,'' said one resident, Oleg Drobelnnikov. ''The shelling starts at about 7 or 8 in the evening.`` Still, he said, it has been pretty calm in the last 10 days or so.

``You can buy food at small farmer markets,'' said Drobelnnikov, a teacher. ''It is not a problem. In principle, educational institutions, like schools or kindergartens, are not working due to the situation. The institutions moved to other regions. There is no work here.``

Ukraine's east has been the main focus of Russia's attacks for more than two months.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a trip south from Kyiv to visit troops and hospital workers in the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions along the Black Sea. He handed out awards to dozens of people at every stop, shaking their hands and thanking them again and again for their service.

Zelenskyy, in a recorded address aboard a train back to Kyiv, vowed to defend the country's south.

``We will not give away the south to anyone, we will return everything that's ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe.''

He added: ``Russia does not have as many missiles as our people have a desire to live.''

Zelenskyy also condemned the Russian blockade of Ukraine's ports amid weeks of inconclusive negotiations on safe corridors so millions of tons of siloed grain can be shipped out before the approaching new harvest season.

In other attacks in the south, Ukraine's southern military operational command said Sunday that two people were killed in shelling of the Galitsyn community in the Mykolaiv region and that shelling of the Bashtansky district is continuing.

Russia's defense ministry said seaborne missiles destroyed a plant in Mykolaiv city where Western-supplied howitzers and armored vehicles were stored.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns ``that a bit of Ukraine fatigue is starting to set in around the world.``

``It would be a catastrophe if Putin won. He'd love nothing more than to say, `Let's freeze this conflict, let's have a cease-fire,'`` Johnson said on Saturday, a day after a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy and offered offer continued aid and military training.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines. But Ukraine's leaders have insisted for weeks that they need more arms and they need them sooner.

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Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will visit Turkey next week, his office said Sunday, days after he urged Israelis to leave that country over threats of attacks by Iranian operatives.

Sunday's announcement came after Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke by telephone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and "thanked" him "for the efforts to thwart terrorist activities on Turkish soil", according to a statement from the Israeli presidency.

"President Herzog emphasised that the threat has not yet passed and that the counterterror efforts must continue," it added.

Lapid will visit Turkey on Thursday and meet his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, an Israeli foreign ministry statement said.

On Monday, Lapid urged Israelis in Turkey to leave "as soon as possible", saying they faced "a real and immediate danger" from Iranian agents.

The foreign minister cited "several Iranian attempts at carrying out terror attacks against Israelis on holiday in Istanbul".

"If you are already in Istanbul, return to Israel as soon as possible," he said.

"If you have planned a flight to Istanbul, cancel. No vacation is worth your life."

The stark warning came amid the latest surge in tensions between bitter rivals Iran and Israel, with Tehran blaming the Jewish state for a series of attacks on its nuclear and military infrastructure, inside Iran but also inside Syria.

In recent weeks, Israeli media carried several reports claiming that attacks on citizens in Turkey were being planned.

Public broadcaster Kan reported last Monday that Iranian operatives had planned to kidnap Israelis in Turkey a month ago but the plot was thwarted after Israel alerted Ankara.

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The leaders of Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan emphasised in a summit held in Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday the importance of strengthening ties between the three nations to the highest levels, especially amid the international and regional challenges.

The trilateral summit brought together Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Bahrains King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, and Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Egyptian Red Sea city.

The talks touched upon the tracks of cooperation between Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan, in addition to ways of achieving common goals and interests, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement following the meeting.

President El-Sisi said Egypt aspires to further cooperation with Bahrain and Jordan to achieve the common interests of the peoples of the three nations as well as boost joint Arab action, particularly amid great challenges of multiple regional and international developments.

The Bahraini and Jordanian kings praised "the inextricable" ties binding the three countries, stressing their keenness to elevate cooperation with Egypt to the level of strategic partnership.

Furthermore, the kings added that they seek maximising benefits of opportunities and potentials of cooperation relations with Egypt, Rady's statement added.

King Hamad and King Abdullah also said that relations between the three countries "represent a cornerstone for maintaining regional security and stability as well as restoring balance to the region, in light of the pivotal importance of Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan regionally and internationally."

The talks also touched upon the mutual coordination regarding issues of common concerns, in addition to the latest developments on regional and international fronts and challenges facing the region.

GCC+3 summit

Meanwhile, the leaders welcomed the upcoming GCC+3 summit  scheduled for 16 July in the Saudi city of Jeddah  among leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in addition to Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and the United States.

The summit is expected to tackle regional issues of concern and mechanisms of enhancing joint work to achieve stability in the region.

Issues expected to be raised during the summit include enhancing regional economic and security cooperation, deterring Iranian threats in the region, promoting human rights, discussing global energy, and ensuring food security.

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to attend the summit on what will be his first Middle East tour as president from July 13-16.

The White House announced that Biden is also scheduled to meet with regional counterparts to advance US security, economic, and diplomatic interests."

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to arrive in Egypt on Monday on his first leg of a three-nation regional tour, two diplomatic sources told Reuters.

The Crown Prince will meet Egyptian President El-Sisi to discuss issues that include the regional impact of the war in Ukraine, in addition to preparations for US President Joe Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia next month, according to the sources.

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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has extended condolences to South Sudans President Salva Kiir over the death of South Sudans Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Manawa Peter Gatkuoth.

Related Egypt furthering relations with South Sudan

The president sent a message of condolences to Kiir, First Vice President Riek Machar, and South Sudans government and people, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement on Sunday.

Manawa died on Sunday morning in a hospital in the Egyptian capital Cairo, where he was flown in from Juba after suffering from persistent chest pains, according to Sudan Post.

In a statement cited by the independent South Sudanese online newspaper, Machar said Egyptian doctors tried their utmost to save the minister after he was diagnosed with high blood pressure that destroyed blood vessels in his heart, stomach, and kidneys.

Gatkuoth had been a main pillar of sincere national work in the African continent, who devoted his life in defence of his nations issues, El-Sisi said, mourning the death of the minister.

Gatkuoth was also very keen to maintain continuous communication and joint work with Egyptian officials to coordinate positions on all issues of mutual concern, the Egyptian president said.

The minister had contributed to enhancing relations between the two sisterly countries of Egypt and South Sudan, El-Sisi added.

El-Sisi prayed to God to bestow his mercy on Gatkuoth and grant his family patience and solace.

Egypt has been steadily upgrading its relations with South Sudan in a range of fields, including agriculture and irrigation as well as construction and security cooperation.

In June last year, the two countries signed a technical cooperation protocol in water resources to prepare a draft for feasibility studies for the construction of the multi-purpose Wau Dam on the Siwi River in South Sudan.

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Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell endorsed on Sunday EU-Egypt partnership priorities that will guide cooperation between the two sides until 2027.

Shoukry and Borrell chaired today a plenary session of the ninth meeting of the EU-Egypt Association Council with the participation of a number of European FMs, according to Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez.

The new priorities include responses to the coronavirus pandemic, health and vaccines production files, as well as social and green files, according to earlier remarks.

New priority areas also include the economy's digitisation and various artificial intelligence domains, Head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt Christian Berger said in October 2021.

The council will continue discussions regarding various cooperation issues between the two sides besides issues of mutual concern, the spokesman said.

The session discussed means of enhancing all aspects of bilateral relations and cooperation between Egypt and the EU in line with the partnership priorities between the two sides until 2027, the spokesman said.

The session also discussed international and regional issues of mutual concern, he added.

Our partnership has enormous potential; we are on the right track to advance it further, Borrell said on his Twitter account after a meeting with Shoukry.

He added that cooperation between the two sides is crucial to fight climate change and other global challenges and ensure clean energy and food security.

The meeting comes less than a week after Egypt, the EU and Israel signed in Cairo a framework agreement to export natural gas from Israel via Egypt to Europe as part of the EUs efforts to reduce dependency on Russian gas.

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Egypts Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced half-priced tickets for Egyptians and foreigners visiting archaeological sites and museums in Upper Egypt from June to August 2022, in a new initiative to bolster tourism in the country.

A discount of 50 percent upon entry on tickets for Egyptians and foreigners to archeological sites and museums in Upper Egypt  from Beni Suef to Aswan including the New Valley and Fayoum from June to August 2022, the ministry said.

On Thursday, Egypt announced lifting all COVID-related entry restrictions for all travellers, whether Egyptians or foreigners.

Earlier this month, the Egyptian cabinet's media centre posted a video, the first part in a series named Egypt From here the journey begins. The series aims to promote Egypt as one of the world's favourite tourist destinations.

The six-minute video reviews the most prominent plans and mechanisms that Egypt implements to regain its status as one of the worlds preferred tourist destinations.

Egypts measures and initiatives come during a time when its tourism sector is struggling to recover from the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, as the country heavily relies on visitors from both countries.

In the second half of 2021, Egypts tourism sector picked up momentum thanks to the return of Russian tourists to Sinai in August and high-profile events such as the glitzy Pharaohs Golden Parade in Cairo in April and the opening of the Avenue of the Sphinxes in Luxor in late November.

In the first six months of 2021, 3.5 million tourists visited Egypt, with revenues reaching $3.5 to $4 billion. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, this is almost equal to revenues in 2020 when the sector had begun recovering following setbacks by COVID-19.

In April, UKs Daily Mail news website selected Egypt as one of the best touristic destinations for spring and summer 2022, coming in second place on a list of top holiday destinations.

In the same month, Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform, named Cairo the second most trending destination in the world and the ninth-best destination for city lovers in 2022.

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By Trend

As part of the reforms carried out in the Azerbaijan Army under the instruction of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, activities on creating a military infrastructure that meets modern standards and increasing the combat training of the units continue, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The Minister of Defense Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and the leadership of the Ministry got acquainted with the work carried out at the military facilities being under construction in Kalbajar and Lachin.

It was reported that the construction of barracks and office premises, a bath and laundry complex, a medical point, and other infrastructure facilities, as well as their provision with modern equipment, are planned to organize military police service at a high level in the liberated territories.

Then Colonel General Z. Hasanov inspected the warehouses of logistics being under construction. It was emphasized that in order to organize the continual and sustainable activity of the troops, regardless of the climatic conditions and terrain, the units will be centrally provided with ammunition, fuel and lubricants, as well as other necessary spare parts and equipment through warehouses built with the consideration of modern requirements.

Having checked the progress of construction work, the Minister of Defense gave relevant instructions on strict compliance with safety rules, high quality and timely completion of construction.








The first batch of Egyptian pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to perform the Hajj (greater pilgrimage), according to the Ministry of Social Solidarity.

Egypts Social Solidarity Minister Nevine El-Qabbaj announced on Saturday that the first batch will include 225 pilgrims traveling under the sponsorship of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), with the remaining batches following by 2 July.

The minister directed subordinates to raise their preparedness, provide the best services and overcome any obstacles so that the pilgrims can perform the rituals easily.

She noted that a delegation from the ministry would be sent to Saudi Arabia to check hotels and review all details, before the arrival of the first batch.

More than 17,500 Egyptians applied to get Hajj visas sponsored by NGOs this year, with 3,000 awarded according to the quota for this year, the statement added.

About 1,100 pilgrims will travel directly to Medina while 1,900 others will land at Jeddah at first, the ministry stated.

In earlier remarks, El-Qabbaj said the number of NGO visas in 2022 had gone down from 12,000 to 3,100 after Saudi Arabia limited the number of pilgrims due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saudi Arabia announced earlier that it would resume receiving non-Saudi pilgrims who want to perform the Hajj following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Hajj is one of the world's largest religious gatherings; about 2.5 million people took part in 2019. The number of pilgrims Saudi Arabia will receive in 2022, however, will decrease by 40 percent to a million people  Saudi and non-Saudi alike  compared to the numbers it hosted before the outbreak.

After the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Saudi authorities allowed only 1,000 pilgrims to participate.

The Hajj season is expected to start on 7 July and will conclude on 12 July.

All capable Muslims are required to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, once in their lifetime. The hajj consists of a series of religious rites that are completed over five days in Islam's holiest city, Mecca, and surrounding areas of western Saudi Arabia.

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A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces on Sunday near a security barrier in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the man killed as Nabil Ghanem, 53, from the West Bank city of Nablus.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Ghanem was among the tens of thousands of West Bank Palestinians who regularly seek work in Israel.

An Israeli army spokesperson said forces had shot at "a suspect who vandalised the security fence".

Wages on Israeli farms and construction sites are far higher than what most Palestinian employers can pay in the West Bank, a territory occupied by Israeli since 1967.

Jobs inside Israel are highly coveted by many Palestinians. Some have permits to work in Israel while others seek to cross without authorisation.

Ghanem's killing comes amid a spike in Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Nineteen people, mostly Israeli civilians -- including 18 inside Israel and a Jewish settler -- have been killed in attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs since late March.

Israeli security forces have responded with raids inside Israel and in the West Bank, particularly in and around Jenin. Three Israeli Arab attackers and an Israeli police commando have been killed.

Forty-five Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank -- suspected militants but also non-combatants, including an Al Jazeera journalist who was covering a raid in Jenin.

Tensions have recently flared again since three Palestinians, members of armed factions, were killed Friday by Israeli forces during an army raid in Jenin.

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Sullivan, 45, is "asymptomatic" and has not been in close contact with US President Joe Biden, according to Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council.

He is the latest member of the Biden administration to have been infected with the coronavirus.

According to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, the United States has reported nearly 86 million COVID-19 cases and over 1 million related deaths in total.

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Cairo-based start-up Beyooot, an e-commerce platform specialised in home and office furniture, has announced its official launch in Egypt with a total capital of EGP 5 million.

The platform, which specialises in Egyptian-made furniture, is the first in the Egyptian marketplace that utilises augmented reality, enabling customers to check out furniture pieces before purchasing.

Furthermore, it is the first platform to link local manufacturers with international markets, especially the Gulf, amid ongoing challenges facing furniture manufacturers in reaching other markets.

As an e-commerce platform focusing on furniture export from the Egyptian market to other ones, it provides marketing and advertising campaigns to ensure the highest traffic rate, with an integrated customer service and a technical support system. Also, we have logistic support services in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, said CEO & Co-partner of Beyooot Hussain Talaat.

Talaat also said that the platform is planning to expand in the Gulf market, currently focusing on the UAE and Saudi Arabia, adding that the launch comes at the same time the Egyptian government is keen on supporting Egyptian-made product exports.

Accordingly, Beyooot has contracted 30 furniture manufacturing factories and workshops so far, aiming to increase to 100 factories by the end of June and to 1,000 factories by the end of 2022, according to Talaat.

With an integrated e-commerce system, Beyooot has a website as well as an application for both Android and IOS systems for an easier online furniture shopping experience.

Such solutions are designed to receive orders, issue purchasing invoices, and follow up on customer reviews. They also provide e-payment services using various types of electronic payment cards; including Visa, Mastercard, Mada cards, and STC pay with all types of currencies available to purchase in.

Furniture is one of the industrial sectors that the government plans to completely leave to the private sector in terms of investment within three years, according to the recently announced State Ownership Policy document.

On a wider level, industrial sector investments recorded EGP 49 billion in FY2020/2021, accounting for about 6 percent of total public investments, according to the Ministry of Trade and Investment.

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Germany's economy minister said Sunday that the country will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia.

Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the winter months, when gas is more urgently needed as a heating fuel.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel.

``That's bitter, but it's simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage,'' he said.

While the situation on the gas markets has become more acute in recent days, storage facilities are still able to make up the shortfall from Russia with purchases from elsewhere.

Still, Habeck said the situation was serious.

Russian gas company Gazprom announced last week that it was reducing supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for technical reasons.

Habeck said he believed the move was politically motivated.

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I am following treatment protocol in home isolation, and I am following up on my work remotely until fully recovered God willing, Talaat wrote on his Facebook page.

Over the past two years, a number of Egyptian ministers have either contracted the coronavirus directly, or self-isolated after coming into contact with infected people.

Egypt has witnessed a significant drop in coronavirus infections and deaths over the recent months with the average daily coronavirus infection and deaths tolls in the country dropping to single digits.

Health officials have recently affirmed that quarantine hospitals are almost void from new infections and that Egypt has inched closer to recording zero COVID-19 cases.

Last week, Egypts cabinet announced that it is lifting all COVID-related entry restrictions for all travellers, whether Egyptian nationals or foreigners.
KYODO NEWS - Jun 19, 2022 - 09:40 | Japan, All

Japan is considering hosting the 2023 Hiroshima summit of the Group of Seven nations in the latter half of May and aims to announce the plan later this month, government sources said Saturday.

The Japanese government has already sounded out the other G-7 countries about the idea of holding the summit in late May, the sources said.

Japan is arranging to announce the schedule when this year's G-7 summit is held from June 26 to 28 in Schloss Elmau, Germany, and intends to select host cities for G-7 meetings of finance and other ministers as early as July, according to the sources.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is hoping to demonstrate his determination to work towards nuclear disarmament with other G-7 leaders in front of the cenotaph for atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima, which suffered the world's first nuclear bomb attack, the sources said.

The decision to host the summit in Hiroshima had come against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the growing threat of Moscow resorting to the use of atomic weapons.

The summit in Hiroshima, Kishida's electoral district, is seen as a symbolic move in the push for nuclear disarmament, despite three of the G-7 developed nations -- the United States, Britain and France -- possessing nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima was devastated by the Aug. 6, 1945 bombing by the United States, killing an estimated 140,000 by the end of that year. A second atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki in southwestern Japan three days later.

The rest of the G-7 -- Canada, Germany, Italy and the European Union -- have also thrown their support behind Kishida's selection of Hiroshima as the host of next year's summit, according to Japan's top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno.

The government initially considered holding the gathering in June after a regular parliamentary session ends but was concerned that the rainy season could start by then in the region, the sources said.

Japan hosted its last G-7 summit on May 26 and 27, 2016, in the central prefecture of Mie.

Related coverage:

Japan PM keen to arrange G-7 leaders' meeting with A-bomb survivors
KYODO NEWS - Jun 18, 2022 - 23:02 | Japan, All

Senior diplomats from Japan and China are arranging to hold talks Thursday to discuss suspected gas field explorations by Beijing in a contested area of the East China Sea, diplomatic sources said Saturday.

Japan will lodge a protest against the development work and repeated intrusions by Chinese ships into Japanese waters around the Japan-controlled, China-claimed Senkaku Islands, the sources said.

At the first virtual meeting at the director-general level since last November, Japan will be represented by Takehiro Funakoshi, head of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Foreign Ministry, while China is set to field Hong Liang, who is in charge of boundary and ocean affairs.

Earlier this month, the Japanese government confirmed new construction work by China that is suspected to be for gas field exploration in the contested area. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force found Chinese ships transporting what would be the "foundation" of a new structure on the west side of a Tokyo-proposed median line separating the countries' exclusive economic zones in the sea.

On May 20, Japan said it confirmed another area of ongoing construction by China in nearby waters. Including the latest one, Tokyo has been aware of 18 structures developed by Beijing on the Chinese side of the median line in the sea, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

Japan and China agreed to jointly develop gas in the area in 2008, but negotiations were suspended in 2010 when tensions increased following a Chinese trawlers collision with a Japan Coast Guard vessel.

Japan regards the median line as the demarcation line between the two neighbors under domestic law, but China says its EEZ extends much further.

The sources said Tokyo will raise the issue of a joint overflight by Chinese and Russian strategic bombers in May over waters near Japan, adding it will also take up discussions on the creation of an emergency hotline between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese People's Liberation Army to avoid unintentional contingencies.

Japan will again lodge a protest with China during the talks regarding a Chinese research vessel conducting a suspected survey in Japan's EEZ, according to the sources.
By Peter Masheter, KYODO NEWS - Jun 19, 2022 - 11:00 | All, Japan

A new nonprofit organization headed by cross-party Japanese lawmakers and others aims to raise funds to directly aid people suffering in Myanmar, while also lobbying for a return to democracy in the wake of a February 2021 coup that put the nation under the grip of a military dictatorship.

The Myanmar International Assistance Organization plans to work with local NGOs that have better access to deliver supplies including food and medicine, and intends to work across borders with the Japan-Myanmar Friendship Association, the Thai-Japan Education Development Foundation and other entities.

Speaking at a press conference last Wednesday, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Ichiro Aisawa, one of the group's directors, expressed his desire to use activities and connections established to "report to the Foreign Ministry or the government the reality on the ground that we confirm, as a member of the ruling party."

Related coverage:

FOCUS: Myanmar shadow gov't seeks to engage Japan despite geopolitical bind

Myanmar's Suu Kyi gets additional 5-yr sentence for corruption

Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected administration was overthrown in the coup after the military claimed the results of the 2020 election -- which saw strong support for her National League for Democracy -- were illegitimate.

Officially launched in June, the group will also support efforts to democratize the country, including by lobbying the Japanese government to recognize the shadow civilian leadership, the National Unity Government of Myanmar, known as NUG.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration has so far avoided recognizing the shadow government out of fear that antagonizing the junta could push it into China's embrace.

Constitutional Democratic Party House of Councillors lawmaker Michihiro Ishibashi, executive director of the Japanese Parliamentary Group Supporting Democratization in Myanmar, serves as a director alongside Aisawa, a House of Representatives member who also serves as head of the Japan-Myanmar Parliamentary Friendship Association.

Among those attending the press conference in support of the organization was Akie Abe, the wife of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Yutaka Nagasugi, another of the group's directors and CEO of Myanmar Japon, a magazine specializing in relations between the two countries, described a reported incident in which a bag of rice provided as aid from Japan had half its contents replaced with crushed rice typically used in chicken feed.

It was alleged someone with military links was responsible, with the incident used as evidence of the need for in-situ oversight of aid distribution.

"The government is clearly working hard to help, but aid is not reaching people on the ground. Someone, somewhere, must do something, and that's why this organization exists," Nagasugi said.

Also in attendance was Saw Ba Hla Thein, an ethnic Karen and the Japan representative of the NUG. He called for continued support for Myanmar democracy and expressed hope the newly founded NPO's activities could be a "bridge toward the Japanese government recognizing the NUG."

Myanmar's people are reported to be facing desperate circumstances. Since Feb. 1, 2021, Myanmar's military has killed nearly 2,000 peaceful demonstrators and other citizens and left some 700,000 people displaced, according to U.N. and other data.

Some 14.4 million people -- about 25 percent of the country's population -- urgently need humanitarian assistance, according to Noeleen Heyzer, the U.N. special envoy of the secretary general on Myanmar.
By Trend



The process of development and reconstruction of Azerbaijans Shusha city [liberated from Armenian occupation in the 2020 Second Karabakh War] is impressive, the former Vice President of the World Bank Ismail Serageldin told reporters on the sidelines of IX Global Baku Forum, Trend reports.

Serageldin noted that Shusha is an important and historical city.

"The liberation of Shusha and the restoration work here is Azerbaijan's success. As participants in the Global Baku Forum, we are very pleased to be here now," he added.
Farmers are busy working in rice paddies in Shashuiping Village, Xindian Township of Yuping Dong Autonomous County in Tongren City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 5, 2022. (Photo by Hu Panxue/Xinhua)

SHANGHAI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists found two genes in rice that can make the staple crop more heat-resistant, providing a new way for breeding highly thermotolerant crops.

The researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shanghai Jiao Tong University revealed the mechanism by which the rice's cell membrane senses external heat-stress signals before communicating with chloroplasts. It is the organ where photosynthesis takes place to orchestrate heat tolerance.

Too much heat can damage a plant's chloroplasts. When temperatures exceed a crop's usual tolerance, its yields tend to drop.

The researchers identified a locus with two genes, Thermo-tolerance 3.1 (TT3.1) and Thermo-tolerance 3.2 (TT3.2). They interact in concert to enhance rice thermotolerance and reduce grain-yield losses caused by heat stress.

The researchers found that accumulated TT3.2 triggers chloroplast damage regarding heat stress, but, in that scenario, TT3.1 can serve as a remedy.

Upon heat stress, TT3.1, a potential thermosensor, will remove the cell membrane from the cell to degrade the mature TT3.2 proteins, according to the study published on Friday in the journal Science.

"The study elucidates a fresh molecular mechanism that links plant cell membranes with the chloroplast in responding to heating signals," said the paper's co-corresponding author Lin Hongxuan with the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology.

Then, the researchers used hybridization to translate the TT3 locus of African rice into Asian species.

The field test has shown that the new species is more heat tolerant. It can withstand heat at 38 degrees Celsius without crop failure, while the output of normal species would be reduced above 35 degrees Celsius, said the researchers.

The newly-found gene might also be used in other plants, including wheat, maize, bean, and vegetables, to cultivate heat-tolerant strains, according to the researchers. 
Resident cast ballots at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)

PARIS, June 19 (Xinhua) -- French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly.

A total of 1,148 candidates who won the support of at least 12.5 percent of registered voters in the first round on June 12 advanced to Sunday's contest. Five candidates have won an absolute majority of more than 50 percent of the vote with a turnout rate of no less than 25 percent in their constituency.

According to the Interior Ministry, the legislative elections are contested between three blocs that were leading the first round race, namely President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance Ensemble (25.75 percent), left-wing alliance NUPES (25.66 percent) led by Jean-Luc Melenchon and far-right party National Rally (18.68 percent) led by Marine Le Pen who lost the presidential election to Macron in a run-off in April.

The preliminary results are scheduled to be announced after 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT).

The abstention rate of the first round vote stood at 52.49 percent, compared to 51.29 percent in 2017, according to the Interior Ministry. 

A resident casts her ballot at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)

A resident casts his ballot at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)

A resident casts his ballot at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)

A resident casts her ballot at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)

Staff members work at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)

A resident casts her ballot at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)

A resident casts his ballot at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)

An election identity card is pictured at a polling station in Nice, southern France, June 19, 2022. French voters started to cast a ballot in 572 run-off races on Sunday to elect the 577-member National Assembly. (Photo by Serge Haouzi/Xinhua)
SHANGHAI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai reported one locally transmitted asymptomatic COVID-19 case from community screening on Sunday, the municipal government told a press conference.

As of 4 p.m., 137 close contacts and another 171 sub-close contacts of the case have been identified and placed in quarantine.

One neighborhood in Baoshan District has been classified as medium-risk for COVID-19. 
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with visiting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday to discuss defense and security issues.

In particular, they discussed in detail the current situation on the frontline in the east and the south of Ukraine as well as the supplies of weapons.

Johnson said that his country stands ready to continue providing weapons to Ukraine and organizing military training for its use.

Besides, the parties have discussed security guarantees for Ukraine and the efforts to clear the Ukrainian territory from landmines.

Other key topics of the conversation were financial and economic support for Kiev, the blockade of Ukrainian ports, as well as efforts to address the energy crisis in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Zelensky on Friday welcomed the positive assessment of the European Commission on granting Ukraine European Union (EU) candidate status.

He tweeted "I commend the positive European Commission Conclusion on Ukraine's candidate status. It's the first step on the EU membership path that'll certainly bring our victory closer." #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
UNITED NATIONS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday warned against the stigma and discrimination fanned by the Internet and social media.

"The internet and social media have turbocharged hate speech, enabling it to spread like wildfire across borders," the UN chief said in his message for the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, which was marked the first time since a UN General Assembly adopted a related resolution last year.

"The spread of hate speech against minorities during the COVID-19 pandemic provides further evidence that many societies are highly vulnerable to the stigma, discrimination and conspiracies it promotes," the secretary-general noted.

Guterres underlined that "hate speech incites violence, undermines diversity and social cohesion, and threatens the common values and principles that bind us together."

"It promotes racism, xenophobia and misogyny; it dehumanizes individuals and communities; and it has a serious impact on our efforts to promote peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development," he said. "Words can be weaponized and cause physical harm and the escalation from hate speech to violence has played a significant role in the most horrific and tragic crimes of the modern age, from the antisemitism driving the Holocaust, to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda."

"In response to this growing threat, three years ago, I launched the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. This provides a framework for our support to member states to counter this scourge while respecting freedom of expression and opinion, in collaboration with civil society, the media, technology companies and social media platforms," said the top UN official.

The UN chief warned that hate speech is a danger to everyone and fighting it is a job for everyone.

"This first International Day to Counter Hate Speech is a call to action. Let us recommit to doing everything in our power to prevent and end hate speech by promoting respect for diversity and inclusivity," he added.

In July 2021, the UN General Assembly highlighted global concerns over "the exponential spread and proliferation of hate speech" around the world and adopted a resolution on "promoting inter-religious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech."

The resolution recognizes the need to counter discrimination, xenophobia and hate speech and calls on all relevant actors, including states, to increase their efforts to address this phenomenon, in line with international human rights law.

The resolution proclaimed June 18 as the International Day for Countering Hate Speech. 
HONG KONG, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Sunday expressed firm support and extended congratulations to principal officials of the sixth-term HKSAR government appointed by China's State Council based on the nominations put forward by the incoming HKSAR chief executive John Lee.

A spokesperson of the office said that the HKSAR government has put forward a proposal to optimize the restructuring of the government on the basis of its past governance experience and Hong Kong's development needs in a new phase.

"The proposal was carefully considered and passed by the Legislative Council within one month, which reflects the close docking between two terms of the governments and the healthy interaction between the executive and the legislature under the new electoral system," the spokesperson said.

The new principal officials of the HKSAR government appointed by China's State Council meet the political requirements of the central government, while fully demonstrating the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," the spokesperson said.

The principal officials of the newly-appointed governance team are patriotic and consistent in their working philosophies, said the spokesperson, adding that the team is reasonably composited with members coming from diversified backgrounds, who have broad international perspectives and high-level management abilities.

The spokesman expressed the belief that the new-term government of the HKSAR will firmly uphold the constitutional order established by the Constitution of the country and the Basic Law of the HKSAR, adhere to the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," and actively integrate into the overall development of the country.

The spokesperson also believes that the new-term government will continue to enhance governance effectiveness, unite people from all walks of life and solve deep-seated problems in the Hong Kong society, and make great achievements as Hong Kong embarks on a new journey.

The spokesman added that the office will continue to fully implement the "one country, two systems" principle, and support the administration of the chief executive and the HKSAR government in accordance with the law, so as to maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. 
Sara Duterte-Carpio (C) poses for photos with her father President Rodrigo Duterte and her mother Elizabeth after taking her oath of office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines in Davao City in the southern Philippines, June 19, 2022. A lawyer and former mayor of Davao City, Duterte-Carpio will officially assume office on June 30. Her six-year term ends on June 30, 2028. Duterte-Carpio won by garnering 32.2 million votes, the highest number of votes from all national candidates, in the May 2022 elections and about twice the 16.6 million votes cast for her father in the 2016 presidential race. Duterte-Carpio will also head the Department of Education in the incoming Marcos administration. (Xinhua/Liu Kai)

DAVAO CITY, the Philippines, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Sara Duterte-Carpio was sworn into office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines on Sunday in her hometown in Davao City in the southern Philippines.

Wearing an emerald green chiffon Filipiniana gown, Duterte-Carpio took her oath of office as her mother, Elizabeth, and her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, standing next to her, watched.

"We should not, as we could not afford to squander the future of our children. The days ahead may be full of challenges that call for us to be more united as a nation," said Duterte-Carpio, popularly known by her nickname Inday.

Duterte-Carpio rallied the people to serve her country of 110 million and protect the integrity of families and children's future.

"Let us show our love for our country by taking care of our family and communities despite the challenges that come their way," Duterte-Carpio added.

A lawyer and former mayor of Davao City, Duterte-Carpio will officially assume office on June 30. Her six-year term ends on June 30, 2028.

At 44 years old, she is the youngest to have been elected vice president and the third woman vice president after Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Maria Leonor Robredo.

Thousands flocked to the square fronting the city hall to listen to and watch Duterte-Carpio take her oath of office, including Duterte-Carpio's family, President-elect Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, and former President Arroyo.

Earlier this month, Duterte-Carpio said she looks forward "to achieving new milestones with the ever-active Filipino-Chinese community in the (Philippines)."

Over 4,000 troops and police personnel were deployed to secure the event and the hotels where guests stayed.

Duterte-Carpio won by garnering 32.2 million votes, the highest number of votes from all national candidates, in the May 2022 elections and about twice the 16.6 million votes cast for her father in the 2016 presidential race.

Duterte-Carpio's running mate, Marcos, 64, also won by a landslide with 31.6 million votes. He will take his oath of office in Manila as new Philippine president on June 30, succeeding Duterte.

Duterte-Carpio will also head the Department of Education in the incoming Marcos administration. 



Sara Duterte-Carpio poses for photos with her family members after taking her oath of office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines in Davao City in the southern Philippines, June 19, 2022. A lawyer and former mayor of Davao City, Duterte-Carpio will officially assume office on June 30. Her six-year term ends on June 30, 2028. Duterte-Carpio won by garnering 32.2 million votes, the highest number of votes from all national candidates, in the May 2022 elections and about twice the 16.6 million votes cast for her father in the 2016 presidential race. Duterte-Carpio will also head the Department of Education in the incoming Marcos administration. (Xinhua/Liu Kai)

Sara Duterte-Carpio (2nd L) poses for photos with her father President Rodrigo Duterte (1st R) and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2nd R) after taking her oath of office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines in Davao City in the southern Philippines, June 19, 2022. A lawyer and former mayor of Davao City, Duterte-Carpio will officially assume office on June 30. Her six-year term ends on June 30, 2028. Duterte-Carpio won by garnering 32.2 million votes, the highest number of votes from all national candidates, in the May 2022 elections and about twice the 16.6 million votes cast for her father in the 2016 presidential race. Duterte-Carpio will also head the Department of Education in the incoming Marcos administration. (Xinhua/Liu Kai)

Sara Duterte-Carpio speaks after taking her oath of office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines in Davao City in the southern Philippines, June 19, 2022. A lawyer and former mayor of Davao City, Duterte-Carpio will officially assume office on June 30. Her six-year term ends on June 30, 2028. Duterte-Carpio won by garnering 32.2 million votes, the highest number of votes from all national candidates, in the May 2022 elections and about twice the 16.6 million votes cast for her father in the 2016 presidential race. Duterte-Carpio will also head the Department of Education in the incoming Marcos administration. (Xinhua/Liu Kai)

Sara Duterte-Carpio (2nd L) takes her oath of office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines as her father President Rodrigo Duterte (1st R) and her mother Elizabeth standing next to her in Davao City in the southern Philippines, June 19, 2022. A lawyer and former mayor of Davao City, Duterte-Carpio will officially assume office on June 30. Her six-year term ends on June 30, 2028. Duterte-Carpio won by garnering 32.2 million votes, the highest number of votes from all national candidates, in the May 2022 elections and about twice the 16.6 million votes cast for her father in the 2016 presidential race. Duterte-Carpio will also head the Department of Education in the incoming Marcos administration. (Xinhua/Liu Kai)

Sara Duterte-Carpio speaks after taking her oath of office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines in Davao City in the southern Philippines, June 19, 2022. A lawyer and former mayor of Davao City, Duterte-Carpio will officially assume office on June 30. Her six-year term ends on June 30, 2028. Duterte-Carpio won by garnering 32.2 million votes, the highest number of votes from all national candidates, in the May 2022 elections and about twice the 16.6 million votes cast for her father in the 2016 presidential race. Duterte-Carpio will also head the Department of Education in the incoming Marcos administration. (Xinhua/Liu Kai)

Sara Duterte-Carpio (2nd L) poses for photos with her father President Rodrigo Duterte (4th L) and President-elect Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos (3rd R) after taking her oath of office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines in Davao City in southern Philippines, June 19, 2022. A lawyer and former mayor of Davao City, Duterte-Carpio will officially assume office on June 30. Her six-year term ends on June 30, 2028. Duterte-Carpio won by garnering 32.2 million votes, the highest number of votes from all national candidates, in the May 2022 elections and about twice the 16.6 million votes cast for her father in the 2016 presidential race. Duterte-Carpio will also head the Department of Education in the incoming Marcos administration. (Xinhua/Liu Kai)
CAIRO, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met with visiting Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh on Saturday, discussing regional and international issues.

During a meeting in the Red Sea resort city, the two leaders agreed to maximize bilateral coordination and cooperation to develop the joint Arab action system in a bid to safeguard Arab national security and enhance Arab capabilities, said an Egyptian presidential statement.

Sisi noted Egypt is ready to enhance bilateral cooperation with Bahrain in various fields, push forward development coordination in the Middle East, and strengthen unity and joint Arab action facing various regional and international challenges.

For his part, King Hamad praised the pivotal and well-established role of Egypt as the cornerstone of regional security and stability and acknowledged Egypt's efforts in promoting joint Arab action at all levels.

He said the two countries have seen significant progress in political and economic relations, among other fields. 
Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022. About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022. About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors attend the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022. About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022. About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors attend the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022. About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

A re-enactor performs during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022. About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Spectators watch the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022. About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors attend the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022. About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
NEW DELHI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government has taken a series of measures to modify a controversial new recruitment scheme to quell the young people's protests.

This week, the youths vented out their anger against the new recruitment scheme called "Agnipath" announced by the government on June 14 which entailed provisions for recruiting 46,000 youths into the country's armed forces.

Under the new scheme, the recruits would be enrolled in the armed forces under respective Service Acts for a period of four years. They would form a distinct rank in the armed forces, different from any other existing ranks.

Upon the completion of four years of service, based on organizational requirements and policies, they would be offered an opportunity to apply for permanent enrollment in the armed forces.

Based on the performance of four years, up to 25 percent of each specific batch of recruits would be enrolled in a regular cadre of the armed forces. And, the rest 75 percent would be relieved from service but given priority in the selection for various jobs along with a financial package.

Initially the age eligibility criterion announced was in a range from 17.5 to 21 years.

The protesters argued that there had not been any recruitment in armed forces during the past two years, and hence some who were eligible in the past two years were barred from recruitment under the new scheme.

Questioning the viability of the new scheme, the protesters also asked what would be their fate after exiting from the service four years later. Thus, they demanded the total rollback of the scheme.

Sensing the public outrage over the new scheme immediately after it was announced, the government did damage control. First it announced a relaxation of two years in the upper age limit, thus making it 23 years old instead of 21 years old, but only for this year.

On Saturday, the Home Ministry announced a 10 percent job reservation in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles for the recruited soldiers after they finish their four-year term service.

Similar reservation was offered by the Ministry of Defence on Saturday. It approved a proposal to reserve 10 percent of the job vacancies in the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), defence civilian posts and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) for those completing the four-year service under the new scheme.

The epicenter of protests remained in the eastern state of Bihar, while violent protests were also reported from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, etc, leaving at least 12 trains burnt, many government properties damaged, and at least one youth killed. 
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree amending decree No. 1340 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On some measures to improve management in the field of state compulsory personal insurance" dated May 18, 2021, Azernews reports.

To be updated
WASHINGTON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.

Sullivan, 45, is "asymptomatic" and has not been in close contact with U.S. President Joe Biden, according to Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council.

He is the latest member of the Biden administration to have been infected with the coronavirus.

According to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, the United States has reported nearly 86 million COVID-19 cases and over 1 million related deaths in total. 
Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

A re-enactor performs during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Re-enactors perform during the re-enactment of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo in Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 2022.

About 2,000 re-enactors, more than 100 horses as well as over 20 canons participated in the re-enactment, showing the clash of June 18, 1815 between Napoleon and Wellington. The event marked the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
Working staff pose for a photo with contestants shown on the screen during the online "Chinese Bridge" language competitions in Zagreb, Croatia, on June 18, 2022. The 21st "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign college students and the 15th such competition for secondary school students in Croatia were successfully held via video on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)

ZAGREB, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The 21st "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign college students and the 15th such competition for secondary school students in Croatia were successfully held via video on Saturday.

Chinese ambassador Qi Qianjin, who was present at the competition held at the Confucius Institute subordinate to the University of Zagreb, said that learning Chinese can serve as a bridge to understand China better.

He voiced hope that more and more Croatians would learn Chinese to promote friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Damir Boras, president of the University of Zagreb and who was also present at the competition, said that with the rapid development of China's economy, it is very necessary and important to learn Chinese.

"China is already the most important industrial country and it deserves special attention. Every young man in Croatia should think about learning the Chinese language," he said.

A total of five middle school students and three college students from across Croatia participated in the competition, including a written test, making a short speech, answering questions and making a talent show.

During the talent show, contestants displayed flute playing, Chinese dance, Chinese calligraphy, poetry recitation and song singing.

Bernada Zoricic from Pazin Middle School and Vanessa Gaza from the University of Zagreb won the top prizes in the groups of middle school and college students respectively. They will represent Croatia in the continental-level competition.

The Confucius Institute was established in 2012, co-organized by the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics and the University of Zagreb. 

A contestant (on the screen) competes during the online "Chinese Bridge" language competitions in Zagreb, Croatia, on June 18, 2022. The 21st "Chinese Bridge" language competition for foreign college students and the 15th such competition for secondary school students in Croatia were successfully held via video on Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Xuejun)
Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett (R) holds a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (L) at the Israeli Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, June 14, 2022. (Yoav Ari Dudkevitch/JINI via Xinhua)



by Xinhua writer Zhang Tianlang



JERUSALEM, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Ramping up gas exports from Israel to Europe, backed by the latest trilateral deal reached with the European Union and Egypt on expanding LNG shipments, can hardly fill the huge gap in energy supply to the European countries left by Russia, experts said.

Israel on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Egypt and the EU in Cairo to allow more Israeli gas to be liquefied in Egypt and then transported to Europe. Shortly after the signing ceremony, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen lauded the deal as "a big step forward in the energy supply to Europe."

The EU seems to have been striving to cut heavy reliance on Russian gas, with its latest such efforts seen in the respective meetings in Jerusalem on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett by von der Leyen, the EU chief, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

The two major Israeli gas fields off its coast in the East Mediterranean, Tamar and the nearby Leviathan, supplied about 19.5 billion cubic meters in 2021, and 7.2 billion cubic meters of them were exported, Ofira Ayalon, a professor in environment and energy policy at the University of Haifa, told Xinhua.

The Leviathan gas platform of Noble Energy is under construction in the Mediterranean Sea, some 10 km off the Israeli coast, on Jan. 31, 2019. (Xinhua/Marc Israel Sellem-JINI)

However, that was only a fraction of the EU's 55 billion-cubic meter of gas imports from Russia last year, which account for 45 percent of the bloc's total gas imports, according to the International Energy Agency.

"For Europe, the Israeli gas export will not be a game-changer," Ayalon said. "What Israel can do is give or export only a small part of the European consumption."

The EU has been preparing for the risk of a complete Russian "gas cutoff" to the bloc, as its relations with Russia have deteriorated rapidly since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in late February.

Russia has now cut off gas supplies to several EU members including Finland, Bulgaria and Poland over a gas-for-rubles payment dispute and has reduced maximum gas supply volumes to Germany through the Nord Stream pipeline by 40 percent.

For Israel, a large number of natural gas resources have been discovered in the eastern Mediterranean Sea over the past 20 years, enabling it to actively seek energy cooperation with neighboring countries.

After multiple rounds of negotiation, Israel, Egypt and the EU on Wednesday signed a five-year agreement in Cairo. But that is far from enough, experts said.

Photo taken on April 28, 2022 shows the office of Russia's energy giant Gazprom in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/Xinhua)

Adi Wolfson, an expert in sustainability at Shamoon College of Engineering in the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheva, said Israel and Egypt can hardly play a key role in solving the European energy crisis as they are not able to handle the whole European market in terms of capacity, infrastructure, and facilities.

Both experts agreed that exporting natural gas is beneficial for Israel geopolitically, as Israel has been exploring the possibility of boosting ties with other countries by promoting energy cooperation.

Israeli President Issac Herzog visited Turkey in March, the first such visit by an Israeli president in 14 years. After meeting with Herzog, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the media that Turkey was willing to promote energy cooperation with Israel, indicating that Israeli gas could be sent to Europe via Turkey.

Herzog's visit was hailed by Erdogan as a "new turning point" of the bilateral ties, which have been at a low level since 2010, while energy cooperation has been widely viewed as an important chance for both sides to break the ice. 
Staff of the Tunisian Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) distribute registration materials of a referendum for a new constitution to the public in the center of Tunis, Tunisia, May 30, 2022. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

by Xinhua writers Xu Supei, Huang Ling

TUNIS, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied has declared that a constitutional referendum will be held on July 25, the country's Republic Day, for a "new republic."

However, the referendum, which aims to replace the 2014 constitution, is being boycotted by the main political parties in the North African country.

With about 30 days left before the referendum, voting for or against the new constitution has become the focus of Tunisian political life.

CONSTITUTION FOR NEW REPUBLIC

The plebiscite is Saied's latest attempt to restructure the country's political system, experts said.

"Unlike the previous ones, the 2022 constitution will pay special attention to the economic aspect," Sadok Belaid, head of Tunisia's constitution committee, said in a statement on Saturday.

Belaid added he would hand over the draft constitution to Saied on Monday.

"The new constitution will reflect Tunisians' will. A new republic would be founded on the new constitution," the president told a council of ministers meeting in May.

A man wearing various plastic flowers on his head is pictured in the Medina of Tunis, Tunisia, May 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Supei)

On July 25, 2021, Saied sacked the prime minister and suspended the parliament in response to a series of mass anti-government protests amid an economic collapse fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

After that, he appointed a new government and dissolved the parliament as well as the supreme judicial council.

Despite fierce criticism from rivals, the Tunisian president insisted that his moves were legal and needed to save Tunisia from a prolonged crisis.

It is worth noting that the July referendum corresponds to what Saied promised during his presidential campaign as a political outsider in 2019, when his supporters doubted if the newly elected leader would be able to deliver on his promises in a country with a strong parliament system.

HARD TO REACH BROAD CONSENSUS

It seems difficult to build an internal consensus on the new constitution, as many political parties have expressed firm rejection of the referendum.

Free Constitutional Party, Tunisia's main opposition party, led a mass protest on Saturday against the referendum, warning it would "cement the president's hold in power."

Ennahda, the largest party in the now-dissolved parliament, held another protest on Sunday against the referendum and the president's latest decrees.

However, many Tunisians and other political parties fed up with boisterous partisan conflicts and deep-rooted corruption welcome Saied's moves.

Last October, three months after the president sacked the prime minister and suspended the parliament, a survey by the Tunis-based Sigma Conseil Foundation showed the confidence in the president had increased by four points to 77 percent.

Tunisian President Kais Saied (R, Front) speaks to members of the caretaker Superior Council of the Judiciary in Tunis, Tunisia, on March 7, 2022. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)

At the same time, the political barometer indicated that Tunisians' confidence in the future increased for the third consecutive month to 74.3 percent.

"The 2014 constitution fragmented power, enabled corruption gangs and religious groups to form centers of power, which threatens the unity of the state," Mohsen al-Nabati, spokesman for the Popular Current Party, told Xinhua.

If the new constitution would be passed, Tunisia will take a giant step toward stability and establish a healthy democracy so that we can rebuild our country, Nabati said.

TEPID SUPPORT FOR NEW CONSTITUTION

"Do you approve the draft of the new constitution for the republic?" This will be the only question on the referendum, according to the official gazette.

Contrary to the intensive preparations by the government, the response from voters seems tepid.

An online consultation was launched in January to collect Tunisians' suggestions regarding the political reforms. However, only more than 500,000 of the country's 12 million people participated in it.

Some university students told Xinhua that they are in favor of it because "the new constitution will be drafted by a professional team of law professors and experts."

Photo taken on on Feb. 7, 2022 shows the closed Superior Council of the Judiciary in Tunis, Tunisia. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

"There is no serious mistake in the 2014 constitution, which certainly needs improvements and this is the matter of most of the constitutions in democratic countries," Sufian al-Makhloufi, a leader in the Democratic Current Party, told Xinhua.

While some don't care about the July vote.

"The referendum may not meet the aspirations of Saied, given the low participation of the Tunisian people, especially the youth," a judge told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Enditem

(Ayten Laamar also contributed to the story)
QINGDAO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from 476 Fortune 500 and industry leading companies attended the third Qingdao Multinationals Summit that opened Sunday in the coastal city of east China's Shandong Province.

Themed on "multinationals and China," this year's summit focuses on topics including global industrial and supply chain reconstruction in the post-pandemic era, implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and promotion of institutional opening up, multinationals' role in enhancing economic and social development, and the Yellow River Basin ecological protection and high-quality development.

More than 5,600 industry leaders, company delegates, ambassadors, scholars and government officials participated in the summit online and offline. 
A Tanzanian student performs Chinese martial arts during the 21st Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition 2022 at the Confucius Institute of the University of Dar es Salaam in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on June 17, 2022.(Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

Twelve university students in Tanzania on Friday gathered to compete in the 21st Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition 2022 at the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM).



DAR ES SALAAM, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Twelve university students in Tanzania, whose faces glittered with broad smiles, on Friday gathered to compete in the 21st Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition 2022 at the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM).

The contesting students, who competed via prepared video clips, came from the Confucius Institute at UDSM, Confucius Institute at the University of Dodoma and Confucius Classroom at the State University of Zanzibar.

After a two-hour grueling competition, Adam Nyenje, a second-year Chinese language student from Confucius Institute at the University of Dodoma was declared the overall winner. Nyenje will later this year travel to China to compete in an international Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition.

The main purpose of the competition is to assess the proficiency of students in various skills of the Chinese language such as Chinese speech, and knowledge about China as well as a talent show.

Participants of the 21st Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition 2022 pose for a group photo at the Confucius Institute of the University of Dar es Salaam in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on June 17, 2022. (Photo by Herman

Emmanuel/Xinhua)

Vice-Chancellor of the UDSM William Anangisye thanked the Confucius Institute at the UDSM for hosting the competition, saying the event promotes and encourages more students who will be interested in learning Chinese and performing different talents, including Chinese culture.

Anangisye believed that Chinese language learning is an effective approach to further developing Sino-African ties.

He said the UDSM is offering a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education (Chinese and English) to students who will later teach the Chinese language in primary and secondary schools across Tanzania.

Wang Siping, the cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania, thanked the government of Tanzania, particularly the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Confucius Institute at UDSM for supporting the promotion of the Chinese language and Chinese culture.

Wang, who presented certificates to some of the winners, said the Chinese Embassy in Tanzania will support the teaching of the Chinese language in schools at all levels.

The competition was also witnessed by Aldin Mutembei and Zhang Xiaozhen, both directors of the Confucius Institute at the UDSM, who presented the winners with certificates. 
KIGALI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and six injured when armed insurgents attacked a passenger bus Saturday afternoon in southwestern Rwanda, Rwandan police said.

The attack by suspected members of the National Liberation Front (FLN) rebel group occurred at 2 p.m. local time in Nyamagabe district, in Nyungwe forest, according to a statement by the Rwanda National Police.

"Armed thugs suspected to be members of the FLN operating across the border, shot at a public passenger bus on the Nyamagabe-Rusizi road," the statement said.

The dead included the bus driver and a passenger, police said, adding that a man hunt has been launched to track the assailants.

FLN is a military wing of the Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change led by Paul Rusesabagina, a Hollywood film Hotel Rwanda hero who was last year sentenced to 25 years in prison for terrorism committed by the FLN in 2018, which claimed the lives of nine civilians in Rwanda's southwest.

The group reportedly operates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In April, a Rwandan court in the capital Kigali upheld a 25-year jail sentence for Rusesabagina following an appeal by prosecution. 
COLOMBO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera told reporters on Sunday that they have reached out to several Russian crude oil suppliers for the country's energy solution, according to the Russian embassy in Colombo.

Wijesekera said that they are trying to obtain Russian crude oil on credit to keep the country's only oil refinery running.

The minister said that Sri Lanka's oil bill has risen to 550 million U.S. dollars a month by June 2022.

He added that Sri Lanka now owes oil firms 730 million dollars for oil imported on credit, and these companies will now only supply fuel after upfront payments or deposits.

Sri Lanka has suffered crippling fuel shortages since February as a foreign exchange crisis worsened in the South Asian country. 
NEW DELHI, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Four people went missing in a river when a boat capsized in India's flood-hit Assam state, a local police official said on Sunday.

The incident occurred at around noon. There were nine people aboard the ill-fated boat.

"Five persons swam to the river bank, while four are still missing. We have called the National Disaster Response Force, which is carrying out an extensive search in the entire area and downstream," Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police Shwetank Mishra said.

He added that the search operation would continue on Monday.

According to media reports, over 60 people have died in the raging floods this year, as around 3.1 million people have been affected across 32 districts in the state.

The Indian Army has deployed 11 contingents to assist in rescue and relief operations in various districts, and has so far evacuated 4,500 people to safety. 
By Trend

Holding of the Global Baku Forum has particular importance, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in Shusha [liberated from Armenian occupation in the 2020 Second Karabakh War] Emin Huseynov told reporters, Trend reports

"Today, the guests were informed about the ongoing work on the restoration of territories, demining and the complexities of this process, construction work, work in the field of infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, and others," Huseynov added.
WASHINGTON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Americans from across the nation gathered Saturday in downtown Washington D.C. for a rally to call attention to the living conditions of the low-income people, urging policymakers to do more to support those in the bottom.

The Mass Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington took place near the Capitol Hill, with protestors holding signs with messages such as "money for the poor not for war," "lift from the bottom everybody rises," "stop racism now," and "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Adrienne J. Gaymon, who came from Columbia, South Carolina to join the packed crowd, told Xinhua that she thinks income gap in the country has been widening in recent years.

"It seems like there's all tax breaks for the rich and everything is more expensive and nothing's being done to help those that are struggling," Gaymon said. "I just think that the country is going backwards."

According to the website of the Poor People's Campaign, while the U.S. economy has grown 18 folds in the past 50 years, wealth inequality has expanded, the costs of living have increased, and social programs have been restructured and cut dramatically.

"The truth is that the millions of poor people in the United States today are poor because the wealth and resources of our country have been flowing to a small number of people and federal programs are not meeting the growing needs of the poor," the campaign noted.

"For those who say we have a deficit of resources, I say absolutely not. The deficit is in the human will," Bernice King, the youngest child of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., told the rally, urging an "immediate abolition of poverty."

By 2018, the top 1 percent of U.S. households were securing 16.4 percent of income, up from 8.9 percent in 1979, according to a recent research by the Economic Policy Institute. The rise in income inequality over the past few decades was reducing growth in aggregate demand by about 1.5 percent of GDP. 
Kathmandu, June 19

Dr Bhampa Rai, a Bhutanese refugee leader who lived in Damak, Jhapa, has died.

He breathed his last at Nobel Hospital in Biratnagar at 2:40 a.m. on Sunday. He was 75.

Bhampa Rai has been at the forefront of the repatriation of Bhutanese refugees for the past 30 years. Rai was suffering from stomach disease and had surgery for a hernia five days ago.

Rai was rushed to Lifeline Hospital, Damak, on Saturday after he complained of pain in his chest. He was then taken to the Nobel Hospital.

Rais last rites will be performed in Damak on Sunday in accordance with Kirat rituals.

He had been living alone after the death of his parents and wife.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a stylish return to London today. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at St. Pauls Cathedral in London to attend the National Service of Thanksgiving. Queen Elizabeths family has gathered for a special service as a part of the weekend-long festivities in honor of the monarchs 70-year reign. This is the first time that Prince Harry and Markle have made a public appearance in the United Kingdom since taking a step back from royal duties in 2020.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at St Pauls Cathedral for the Queens Jubilee celebration on June 3, 2022. - Credit: Raw Image LTD/MEGA

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Markle brought her fashion A-game to the Platinum Jubilee celebration. The actress looked sophisticated and refined in a stone white belted coat dress by Dior. The ensemble included a dramatic collar with a sharp hemline. She covered her brunette tresses with a wide-brimmed hat and continued to accessorize with stud earrings and a small square statement clutch.

Sticking to a monochromatic moment, Markle completed her look with matching pointed-toe pumps. The shoe style featured a sharp triangular toe, a high counter for extra support at the back and sat on top of a thin stiletto heel. Pointy pumps are a go-to for the Suits alum, she often steps out in a variety of neutral hues from top labels like Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik and Aquazzura.

A closer look at Meghan Markles pointed-toe pumps. - Credit: Raw Image LTD/MEGA

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The Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrates Queen Elizabeth IIs unprecedented 70-year reign over the United Kingdom and associated Commonwealths. The Queen is the first British Monarch to achieve a Platinum Jubilee following seven decades of service to the throne, longer than any other British royal in history. The Platinum Jubilee, which runs from June 2 to June 5, is a four-day bank holiday that will include celebrations all over the U.K., including parades, performances, and other public gatherings.

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There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. But while the successes are well known, investors should not ignore the very many unprofitable companies that simply burn through all their cash and collapse.

Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Energy Resources of Australia (ASX:ERA) shareholders should be worried about its cash burn. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

See our latest analysis for Energy Resources of Australia

How Long Is Energy Resources of Australia's Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is the amount of time it would take to burn through its cash reserves at its current cash burn rate. When Energy Resources of Australia last reported its balance sheet in December 2021, it had zero debt and cash worth AU$164m. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through AU$38m. That means it had a cash runway of about 4.3 years as of December 2021. A runway of this length affords the company the time and space it needs to develop the business. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

How Well Is Energy Resources of Australia Growing?

Energy Resources of Australia actually ramped up its cash burn by a whopping 95% in the last year, which shows it is boosting investment in the business. While that's concerning on it's own, the fact that operating revenue was actually down 21% over the same period makes us positively tremulous. Taken together, we think these growth metrics are a little worrying. In reality, this article only makes a short study of the company's growth data. This graph of historic earnings and revenue shows how Energy Resources of Australia is building its business over time.

Can Energy Resources of Australia Raise More Cash Easily?

Even though it seems like Energy Resources of Australia is developing its business nicely, we still like to consider how easily it could raise more money to accelerate growth. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations.

Energy Resources of Australia has a market capitalisation of AU$960m and burnt through AU$38m last year, which is 4.0% of the company's market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

Is Energy Resources of Australia's Cash Burn A Worry?

Even though its increasing cash burn makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Energy Resources of Australia's cash runway was relatively promising. Considering all the factors discussed in this article, we're not overly concerned about the company's cash burn, although we do think shareholders should keep an eye on how it develops. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 3 warning signs for Energy Resources of Australia (of which 2 don't sit too well with us!) you should know about.

Of course Energy Resources of Australia may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of companies boasting high return on equity, or this list of stocks that insiders are buying.

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.
When China announced in 2019 that it was working on its own national digital currency, there was widespread speculation about what role, if any, blockchain would play in a digital yuan, or e-CNY. One reason for this was that news of the digital yuan came just after Facebook announced its own digital currency called Libra, later renamed Diem and killed after its assets were sold off.

While the warning signs of regulatory hurdles facing Facebook were apparent from the beginning, it was not clear three years ago that Facebook, one of the world's largest tech companies, would fail. So Beijing moved up its timeline to launch the e-CNY.

Mu Changchun, head of the People's Bank of China's (PBOC) digital currency research institute, said that year that the digital yuan "isn't bitcoin and is not for speculation". While authorities have promoted the use of blockchain for cross-border financing and settlements, cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) typically have very little in common.

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.

Facebook's Libra was a short-lived experiment in digital currencies. It was eventually rebranded as Diem, but it failed to get off the ground because of regulatory hurdles. Photo: DPA alt=Facebook's Libra was a short-lived experiment in digital currencies. It was eventually rebranded as Diem, but it failed to get off the ground because of regulatory hurdles. Photo: DPA>

China, as the only large economy to have trialled a national digital currency, is demonstrative of this fact, and other central banks are showing little interest in using blockchain to manage digital cash. Here is why.

While the digital yuan attracted broad attention with comparisons to blockchain-based cryptocurrencies, the reality is that CBDCs are almost as different from each other as bitcoin is from the cash in your bank account.

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This is because blockchain is unlikely to be used to mint CBDCs. Other database technologies are better suited for scaling across entire populations. When it was created in 2009, blockchain's biggest asset was that it was the first peer-to-peer currency that did not need a central authority or server. CBDCs obviously do not operate like this, as they would be part of the greater money supply that is directly managed by a central bank.

"If we look at modern database technologies, they're good enough for securing transactions," said Jan Ondrus, associate dean of faculty at the ESSEC Business School's Asia-Pacific campus in Singapore, who has studied mobile payment technologies for two decades. "And that's what banks are using. That's what most of us use on a daily basis when we use any kind of applications. When you check your emails on Gmail, or when you write on Google Docs, texts, all of this is stored in a centralised, secure way. So it works."

Most of today's money supply is already little more than numbers on a computer. In some ways, CBDCs are an extension of that. The main difference is that the central bank's backing means that it is a liability directly held by the government institution.

Today, the general public does not have access to liabilities from a central bank. Instead, that process goes through consumer-facing banks and other approved financial institutions.

The original bitcoin blockchain sought to bypass this complicated system of monetary management with a creative trick called proof-of-work, which made it prohibitively difficult to modify a permanent ledger of all transactions on the chain. The bitcoin blockchain also tightly manages the amount of new supply that can be created per minute, to eventually max out at 21 million bitcoins, which would make many elements of modern monetary policy unworkable.

Public blockchains like bitcoin's are open source and do not have any intermediary. CBDCs, on the other hand, are centralised by definition. Their value comes from the full faith and credit of the institutions that create them, not directly from the technology underpinning the currency.

Headquarters of the People's Bank of China pictured in Beijing on September 28, 2018. Trust in the digital yuan comes from the backing of China's central bank, not the underlying technology. Photo: Reuters alt=Headquarters of the People's Bank of China pictured in Beijing on September 28, 2018. Trust in the digital yuan comes from the backing of China's central bank, not the underlying technology. Photo: Reuters>

How does the e-CNY work?

The underlying system managing the e-CNY can be summed up as "one coin, two databases, three centres", as explained in the paper Digital Currencies: The US, China, And The World At A Crossroads from Stanford University's Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank. The paper cites Chinese CBDC research from before the launch of the digital yuan.

The system manages the one coin (the e-CNY) through an issuance database and transaction databases at commercial banks. As the names indicate, the former is a database that manages the currency doled out by the central bank to commercial banks, while the latter is the more traditional distributed system of databases through which banks monitor their money supply.

The system is monitored through the "three centres": registration centres, an authentication centre and a big data centre.

Registration centres are where the records of e-CNY owners are held. These centres keep track of the identities of e-CNY holders, their transactions, and the circulation, redemption and life cycle of the digital coins.

The digital yuan's structure differs from that of a traditional blockchain-based cryptocurrency. This type of distributed ledger, which is what bitcoin uses, tracks all new transactions on a public ledger that anyone can view. Graphic: SCMP alt=The digital yuan's structure differs from that of a traditional blockchain-based cryptocurrency. This type of distributed ledger, which is what bitcoin uses, tracks all new transactions on a public ledger that anyone can view. Graphic: SCMP>

The authentication centre is perhaps the part of the system that is closest to cryptocurrencies, as it manages the encryption keys needed to verify transaction requests. For high-end users such as large institutions, this is managed using public key infrastructure (PKI). Other types of identity-based cryptography can be used for retail users.

Finally, the big-data centre processes transaction data to monitor for illegal activities.

Similar to other mobile payment systems that have existed in China for years, such as Tencent Holdings' WeChat Pay and Ant Group's Alipay, the e-CNY is transferred between digital wallets using quick response (QR) codes. The wallet manages the cryptographic keys for the e-CNY, which is the mechanism that prevents double spending, enabling digital currencies.

One crucial difference between this system and a decentralised cryptocurrency is that the e-CNY is still distributed through banks and other verified financial institutions. The advantages of this method help endure redundancy in tracking the money supply and prevent overburdening a central bank with managing direct-to-consumer services.

This method also avoids undermining an established monetary system, which many central banks fear could be destabilising.

There has been some speculation that by offering its own app, the e-CNY could undermine other digital wallets like WeChat Pay and Alipay. Ant Group is the fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post.

However, PBOC's Mu said the e-CNY does not compete with private digital wallets, as they "don't belong to the same dimension".

"They are wallets ... Inside that wallet they can have multiple types of currencies," said ESSEC's Ondrus. "So for WeChat and Alipay, to some extent, it's just adding one more currency to what they offer in their services. So I don't see [the e-CNY] as a direct threat."

Both WeChat Pay and Alipay currently support the e-CNY. Ondrus noted that the e-CNY app could be a potential competitor if enough consumers make the switch, but keeping money in other systems comes with advantages like accruing interest.

From the user's perspective, the e-CNY app works much like most mobile payment apps, which has led to concerns that it could compete with private companies like Tencent and Ant Group. Photo: Kyodo alt=From the user's perspective, the e-CNY app works much like most mobile payment apps, which has led to concerns that it could compete with private companies like Tencent and Ant Group. Photo: Kyodo>

Third-party systems can also facilitate the use of the e-CNY outside mainland China. Hong Kong is currently trialling the use of the e-CNY in the city through its local Faster Payment System (FPS). PBOC's Mu said in late 2021 that a future scenario could involve Chinese tourists visiting the city and paying with digital yuan, while merchants automatically receive Hong Kong dollars.

The e-CNY is currently the only large-scale example of a CBDC in action, but some other countries have also been trialling or conducting research for their own digital currencies. Some of this research expresses interest in blockchain. South Korea has gone as far as trialling a digital won on a distributed ledger using technology from the blockchain arm of local tech giant Kakao. But the consensus is that blockchain is not needed for a CBDC.

One problem with public distributed ledgers is scaling. Proof-of-work blockchains like the one used for bitcoin are notorious for extreme bottlenecks when it comes to transaction throughput. The bitcoin blockchain averages three to four transactions per second, compared with 1,700 for credit card operator Visa.

A newer verification method for blockchain transactions called proof-of-stake is designed to solve this problem with the ability to handle thousands of transactions per second, but experts have raised concerns about its ability to function on a large scale. Unlike proof of work, proof of stake gives users with larger stakes more control over transaction verification.

Mu Changchun, the head of the People's Bank of China's research institute for digital currency, at the 2nd Bund Summit. Photo: 2020 Bund Summit alt=Mu Changchun, the head of the People's Bank of China's research institute for digital currency, at the 2nd Bund Summit. Photo: 2020 Bund Summit>

At one point, the PBOC's Mu suggested that blockchain could be one of the technologies used to distribute the e-CNY, but that has not panned out.

In the US, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) jointly researched and developed two systems that could theoretically be used for a CBDC.

One of the architectures functioned like a blockchain, with transactions grouped into batches to be validated, resulting in a single, ordered transaction history. This system has a huge bottleneck problem, according to the corresponding research paper titled Project Hamilton Phase 1: A High Performance Payment Processing System Designed for Central Bank Digital Currencies. While most transactions completed in under two seconds, the average throughput was 170,000 transactions per second.

The second system allows for parallel transactions on multiple computers without a single, ordered ledger. This resulted in much improved throughput of 1.7 million transactions per second, with 99 per cent of transactions completing in less than a second.

"The MIT-Boston Fed technical paper for Project Hamilton makes a great case that a central bank should start from scratch and not think one should just take an existing technology stack off the shelf in order to build a CBDC," said Yaya Fanusie, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). "They identify that there are some elements from the computer programming experience of cryptocurrencies that could be infused into a CBDC, but not necessarily the unique features of decentralisation."

Research in other countries also suggests that central banks around the world are unlikely to want a national digital currency running on blockchain.

A research paper from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) outlined a system that could use a SQL database to track unspent transactions while signed transactions are stored in a NoSQL database, a type of database for holding unstructured data.

Any two types of databases could be used to track validation, according to the city's de facto central bank, and thus protect the integrity of the system from issues like double spending.

In Iceland, the central bank specifically noted, "It is possible to issue [a digital krona] using the technology already available in Iceland, which is built on the same foundation as the banks' conventional deposit and internal payment intermediation systems."

This would be the least expensive way to roll out a CBDC, the bank said in a report. Otherwise, it would have to create a system from the ground up, possibly using distributed ledger technology, which is "not yet well enough developed to enable a thorough analysis", the bank concluded.

South Korean won, Chinese yuan and Japanese yen notes are seen on US$100 notes on December 15, 2015. As central banks around the world look into their own digital currencies, South Korean is one of the few places to test one using a traditional distributed ledger. Photo: Reuters alt=South Korean won, Chinese yuan and Japanese yen notes are seen on US$100 notes on December 15, 2015. As central banks around the world look into their own digital currencies, South Korean is one of the few places to test one using a traditional distributed ledger. Photo: Reuters>

There is one area of CBDC research where blockchain is being trialled: cross-border transactions. The multiple CBDC (mCBDC) Bridge, a joint project that currently involves the PBOC, HKMA, Bank of Thailand, and Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates.

A prototype of the project meant to enable the trading of digital currencies used the Ethereum blockchain "to assess how an Ethereum-inspired architecture could support the objectives of a single-ledger multicurrency network".

The blockchain layer is considered a core component of the bridge because smart contracts are used to govern payments and currency issuance and redemption.

Perhaps one of the most surprising things about bitcoin is that it has lasted so long without any major security flaws found in the blockchain. Proof-of-work blockchains have proven resilient to hacks, helping give bitcoin its reputation as a kind of digital currency gold standard.

Still, security experts have raised concerns about distributed ledger technologies. In its report Missing Key: The challenge of cybersecurity and central bank digital currency, The Atlantic Council, a US-based think tank, said some CBDC trials are relying on unproven security protocols that have not been peer reviewed, including the digital won. The report recommended the use of "proven consensus protocols and cryptographic primitives" to deploy CBDCs.

One of the fundamental weaknesses of traditional public blockchains like the one for bitcoin is that the cryptographic key cannot be changed. A wallet is identified by its public key, which is matched with a private key used to access that wallet.

A user could just create a new wallet and transfer the tokens, but this would also mean generating a new public key. So if the previous wallet had been compromised, such as through a phishing attack, everyone with that key would have to be notified of the change.

Public proof-of-work blockchains use hash functions like SHA-256, which is used in for bitcoin, convert data into values of a fixed size. These values can then be used to verify the integrity of the original data, ensuring it hasn't been tampered with. Graphic: SCMP alt=Public proof-of-work blockchains use hash functions like SHA-256, which is used in for bitcoin, convert data into values of a fixed size. These values can then be used to verify the integrity of the original data, ensuring it hasn't been tampered with. Graphic: SCMP>

The fixed public and private key algorithm is one of the major issues with blockchain-based currencies, according to Amnon Samid, CEO of BitMint, a company that works on quantum-resistant solutions for digital currencies.

"Being 'fixed' turns it into a resting target for advanced cryptanalysis," Samid said.

One way banks and other organisations have sought to mitigate digital currency risks is through account-based verification. The e-CNY's two-tiered system is partially account-based, according to the PBOC. This system also keeps the process of creating new tokens separate from broader distribution of the e-CNY, something other central banks, including the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, agree is important to secure CBDCs.

"In order to present comparative advantages over cryptocurrencies in terms of security, privacy, stability and solvency, CBDC coins should be centrally minted through a database, shunned away from any mining, and from the idea of unaccountable source for the money," Samid said.

A limitation of account-based digital currencies, though, is that they might be limited when it comes to offline payments and anonymity, which Samid said requires a token-based system. Cryptographically secured tokens like those used in cryptocurrencies can be transferred offline using what are called hardware wallets. Some companies are preparing for a future in which the e-CNY can be transferred through hardware wallets. Huawei Technologies Co, for example, has introduced this functionality to some of its smartphone models.

The Huawei Mate 40 smartphone installed with the company's operating system HarmonyOS displayed at a store in Beijing on June 3, 2021. Huawei said the Mate 40 was the first phone to include a hardware wallet for the digital yuan. Photo: Reuters alt=The Huawei Mate 40 smartphone installed with the company's operating system HarmonyOS displayed at a store in Beijing on June 3, 2021. Huawei said the Mate 40 was the first phone to include a hardware wallet for the digital yuan. Photo: Reuters>

Still, central banks fear a completely decentralised model because it can make it more difficult to track funding of criminal activities. The PBOC says the least-privileged e-CNY wallets are anonymous, but real-name registration is required to move to a higher level.

This has led to concerns that some security measures for digital currencies could come at the expense of privacy.

"The push towards cashless society was justified by the fact that you could actually increase security," ESSEC's Ondrus said. "Privacy will be very difficult to ensure ... It's a question of choices of architecture and a choice of what is acceptable by your citizens or not."

While all digital currencies today are secured using proven cryptographic methods, there is no guarantee that the encryption will not one day be crackable. This has driven fears that state actors like the governments of the US and China are sitting on mounds of encrypted data until technology advances to the point of being able to decrypt it.

One way this might feasibly happen at some point is through the use of quantum computing, which Samid said poses a threat to digital currencies and financial stability, although it is addressable.

"The cryptographic risk of the prevailing ciphers is very worrisome on account of the looming quantum computers, and therefore CBDCs solutions should be, demonstrably quantum-resistant," he said.

The Boston Fed also warned of the risks associated with quantum computing, but said that the system proposed in the Hamilton Project is "well-prepared for such a transition and can remain a long-term secure system in a post-quantum world". This would require "minimal modifications" to its cryptography, or it could be replaced with a future standardised post-quantum alternative.

In recognition of this risk, the White House recently issued a memorandum calling for the shift to quantum-resistant cryptography to mitigate "as much of the quantum risk as is feasible by 2035".

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.
(Bloomberg) -- Former Vice President Mike Pence could be subpoenaed to testify to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection of the US Capitol, Representative Adam Schiff said on Sunday.

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Were not taking anything off the table in terms of witnesses who have not yet testified, Schiff, a California Democrat and member of the committee, said on CNNs State of the Union.

There are still key people we have not interviewed that we would like to, he added, saying Pence is certainly a possibility.

The panel heard from Pences top lawyer on Thursday, who said he voiced vociferous disagreement about former President Donald Trumps pressure on Pence to try and block the congressional certification of Joe Bidens presidential victory.

Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland who is also on the committee, praised Pence for his actions on Jan. 6.

On that day he was a hero for resisting all of the pressure campaigns and the coercive efforts to get him to play along with this continuation of the Big Lie, this big joke that he could somehow call off all of the proceedings himself, Raskin said on NBCs Meet the Press.

The committees first public hearings have revealed chilling details of the attack, including testimony that organizers would have killed Pence if given the chance.

The panel rendered a portrait of Trump as callously indifferent to the danger his vice president faced throughout the day.

Schiff said on Sunday that upcoming hearings will unveil more evidence of Trumps participation in the effort to overthrow the election results.

I dont want to get ahead of our hearing. We will show during a hearing what the presidents role was in trying to get states to name alternate slates of electors, how that scheme depended initially on hopes that the legislatures would reconvene and bless it, he said.

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Raskin said that more people are now turning over information to the committee.

There are people who are just realizing that they are in possession of facts or evidence that the committee might not have, he said. We know things this weekend that we didnt know last weekend.

The committee is set Tuesday to outline aggressive efforts by Trump and his allies to pressure state officials to help overturn the election.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, a Republican who defeated a Trump-backed candidate in the states primary earlier this year, and his top deputy, Gabriel Sterling, are to be the live witnesses. The televised hearing, the fourth of seven planned by the panel, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

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As people streamed into the Phoenix Metro Tech High School cafeteria, shuffling into seats at tables adorned with colorful assortments of confetti and cacti succulents, DJ Ramirez filled the air with songs by La Sonora Dinamita.

Everyone was here for DACAversary, an event hosted Saturday by the community organizations Living United for Change in Arizona and Arizona Center for Empowerment to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the passage of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

It's the policy that grants some immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children a work permit and protection from deportation.

The mood was joyous, but the organizers made it clear the event was not just a celebration of a 10-year-old solution but a continued fight for something better.

Its been 10 years since we got DACA  something that we had been fighting for, and something that we needed, said Blanca Collazo, a LUCHA community organizer in central east Phoenix. But it is not what we truly deserve. There are still people left in the shadows. Our parents were still left out of DACA. So today we are here to educate you all, engage you all, and empower you all to continue to fight and get involved for a pathway to citizenship, which is what we truly deserve.

DACA does not provide a pathway to citizenship; in fact, the policy implemented by then-President Barack Obama's administration is facing a court challenge. Seven states, led by Texas, are challenging DACA's constitutionality.

These 10 years have been long, and our people are still constantly getting separated, their families are getting deported, Collazo said.

After offering an overview of the impact of Arizona SB 1070, colloquially known as the show me your papers law, the fight for the Dream Act, and the passage of DACA, Collazo shared her own story as a DACA recipient. Born in Michoacan, Mexico, she arrived in the U.S. when she was 3.

It wasnt until 2010 with everything going on with SB 1070 that it hit me and it separated my family, she said. When she was 9, her grandfather was deported on his way to work. Even though I was so young, I still knew that I had lost my grandfather. I would go to the closet and smell his clothes because I missed him, and I never saw him after he was taken that morning.

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A year later, her grandmother self-deported to be with him. I still remember when she got into that white van, and she also never came back, Collazo said.

At age 16, after her mom was able to save up for a lawyer, Collazo applied for DACA. Around the same time, she joined LUCHA and became involved in protests and walkouts at her high school. I was literally the girl that would get up on cafeteria tables and tell people what was going on in our communities, and I was super, super shy.

In 2021, Collazos grandfather passed away from COVID-19. I am still grieving his death because I was not able to lay him to rest, she said.

My mom and my dad lost their loved ones, and they also could not go to say goodbye. My mom told me I wish I could turn into a butterfly so that I could fly to Mexico to say bye to my mom, Collazo said through tears.

Thats why Im here.

Immigration resources available

Along the back wall of the cafeteria, tables were set up with a variety of immigration resources. Beneath a red tent reading Sus Abogados de Confianza, the Ybarra Maldonado & Alagha Law Group offered free immigration legal consultations with attorneys.

The Arizona Dream Act Coalition promoted its Mexico study abroad trips made possible by advance parole  a travel document issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that allows DACA recipients to leave and reenter the United States for humanitarian, education or employment purposes.

This summer, the coalition will take more than 100 people through the process of applying for advance parole for educational trips to Mexico City, Tijuana, Oaxaca, and Cuernavaca. Each monthlong trip includes three weeks of independent travel allowing participants to visit their families and one week of study abroad activities, including visits to museums, universities and Spanish classes.

They just have to call, and we do everything, said coordinator Michael Browder, referring to the advance parole application process. The coalition is currently recruiting participants for its winter trip.

At the next table, Arizona Center for Empowerment helped U.S. citizens in the crowd register to vote and raise awareness for Proposition 308. It's a 2022 ballot measure that would allow all graduates of Arizona high schools to qualify for in-state college tuition regardless of immigration status.

About 11:30 a.m., a line began to form for free food, including a taco bar, aguas frescas, calabacitas with soy chorizo and tofu stir fry.

As people ate, dancers from Fiesta Mexicana Dance Company performed el baile folkorico.

Intricate butterflies  a symbol of immigration and migration and an emblem of the Dreamers movement  decorated cupcakes reading, Happy tenth anniversary. We are here to stay. Butterflies also adorned the faces and arms of people who stopped by the face paint station.

Vero Garcia painted an image of a young girl with orange butterfly wings reaching for a smaller butterfly against a backdrop filled with people of all ages.

Garcia, a Northern Arizona University senior and LUCHA team leader, was commissioned by LUCHA to do an art piece on DACA, and for her first time painting in front of an audience, she knew she wanted to use the symbol of the butterfly, but more importantly, the image of a young girl.

To me, the most empowering thing to see is a little girl achieving her dreams, Garcia said.

'Here to stay. Here to stay'

Hazel Villatoro graduated from North High School a year early and has volunteered with LUCHA since February. She and her parents are undocumented, and in 2021, she applied for DACA.

My dad is our only source of income, and he has three kids, and were all going to be in college, so its really hard to pay off tuition, or even provide for us, Villatoro said.

But four months after submitting her DACA application, she received a call from her lawyer in September 2021 telling her that all DACA applications were halted because of the Texas court ruling.

I was kind of upset. I was really looking forward to working. I wanted to help out my family, and I was really worried about my college tuition," she said. "I want to become an anesthesiologist.

She is still waiting to hear about the status of her DACA application, but through Dream US, she will be attending Grand Canyon University with a full ride scholarship. I hope younger generations are bold enough to fight  to try and get what hasnt been done yet, she said.

By the end of the event, attorney Ray Ybarra estimated about 20 people had stopped by for free consultations on topics including consular processing, DACA renewals, status adjustment and asylum.

But Ybarra said the general consensus is that there arent enough options. They want something more. They want a permanent solution.

Where to get help: Undocumented students struggle to pay for Arizona universities

To close out the event, Collazo led everyone in a melodic chant.

Solid as a rock. Rooted as a tree. We are here. Standing strong. In our rightful place. We are freedom bound. We are freedom bound.

Here to stay. Here to stay. Here to stay. Here to stay.

Madeleine Parrish covers equity issues for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at madeleine.parrish@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix community celebrates DACA milestone but vows continued fight
The ultra-not-expensive airline introduces new non-stop services to Canada's Capital

HALIFAX, NS, June 19, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, Swoop, Canada's leading ultra-low-cost airline, launched new service from Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) to Ottawa International Airport (YOW). Swoop flight WO580 departed from Halifax at 4:55 p.m. local time.

Swoop logo | FlySwoop.com (CNW Group/Swoop Inc.)

"As Canada's leading ultra-low-cost airline, we are thrilled to be adding more connectivity for residents of Halifax as part of our summer network expansion," said Shane Workman, Head of Flight Operations, Swoop. "The remarkable growth the Canadian tourism sector has experienced relies on convenient and affordable air service, and we're proud to be supporting the Halifax community with more ultra-not-expensive fares."

Swoop celebrated its first flight in Halifax four years ago, on June 21, 2018, and the airline has significantly grown connectivity over the years. Earlier this summer, Swoop began offering non-stop service between Halifax and Edmonton in addition to existing services to Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Toronto.

"Swoop's new non-stop service to Halifax offers another option as Ottawa-Gatineau vacationers look to explore Canada's beautiful east coast this summer," said Mark Laroche, Ottawa International Airport Authority President and CEO. "We are delighted that YOW continues to factor in Swoop's growth plans and look forward to welcoming their passengers to our beautiful region."

"Swoop continues to be an important airline partner at Halifax Stanfield, further strengthened by the launch of their new non-stop Halifax-Ottawa route," said Joyce Carter, President & CEO, Halifax International Airport Authority. "Air service is critical in supporting the recovery of the tourism industry and the economy. Swoop launched their very first route at Halifax Stanfield in 2018 and on behalf of the airport and Halifax community, we congratulate them on their four-year anniversary and look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come."

With introductory fares from Halifax to Ottawa starting at just $59 CAD, Swoop is showing Canadians just how affordable travelling across the country can be this summer.

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Route Peak Weekly

Frequency One-way total

price (CAD) Base Fare

(CAD) Taxes & Fees

(CAD) Halifax to Ottawa Daily $69.00 $13.93 $55.07 Halifax to Edmonton 5x weekly $129.00 $66.10 $62.90 Halifax to Toronto Daily $59.00 $5.23 $53.77 Halifax to Hamilton Daily $59.00 $5.23 $53.77 Halifax to Winnipeg 4x weekly $129.00 $66.10 $62.90

For travel between September 1-October 15, 2022 | Seasonal start and end dates apply and are indicated in the booking flow. | Fares are valid until June 23, 2022 (11:59 p.m. MT) or while seats last. | Prices displayed above are subject to change and are not guaranteed until payment is made and accepted.

To learn more about Swoop and for flight schedules and bookings, please visit FlySwoop.com . For information on how Swoop is ensuring a safe and healthy travel experience visit FlySwoop.com/traveller-safety .

About Swoop

Swoop is on a mission to make travel more affordable and accessible for all Canadians. Established in 2018 as an independent subsidiary of the WestJet Group of Companies, Swoop is Canada's ultra-not-expensive airline. Offering scheduled service to destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, Swoop's unbundled fares put travellers in control of purchasing only the products and services they desire.

Swoop's fleet of ten Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft will grow to 16 with the addition of six Boeing MAX-8 in 2022. At FlySwoop.com travellers can quickly and easily book flights, manage bookings, check-in, view boarding passes, track flights and access Wi-Fi service in-flight.

SOURCE Swoop Inc.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2022/19/c9140.html
Jen Hund manages the CAIR Refugee Resource Center and a team of volunteers to offer support to Afghan neighbors in the OKC metro area.

Since September 2021, Catholic Charities has moved roughly 90% of Afghan families into permanent housing  thats nearly 900 individuals resettling in apartments and homes across the Oklahoma City metro area. As the final group of Afghan families arrived this spring, Afghan neighbors and supporters alike began to wonder: How do we create a spirit of welcome and belonging here in Oklahoma City? How can we meet, form trusting relationships, engage in mutual learning and share our lives  in other words, how do we build community together?

Before arriving in Oklahoma City, many Afghan families experienced severe trauma, having witnessed acts of violence and the total disruption of their lives and homes, even compared to the chaos of living through four decades of war in their country. Between having to flee overnight with few to no personal possessions, being housed on military bases for weeks or months awaiting security processing, and having to live in multiple temporary locations, Afghan families settling permanently in OKC have had to rely on others for basic needs and place their trust in complete strangers.

The generosity of the Oklahoma family in responding to this historic project has been nearly overwhelming, flooding the Council on American Islamic Relations-Oklahoma office with daily calls and emails asking What can I donate? Where can I serve? How can I help?

Money, volunteer service and donated items are all essential to defraying the expenses in Afghan households during the process of building lives here in Oklahoma. Just as important, however, are the personal connections made as neighbors, colleagues and friends.

CAIR-OK volunteers were first introduced to Afghan neighbors while delivering halal welcome meals and baskets filled with hygiene products, cultural and religious items, as well as toys and games. Behind the scenes, supporters of CAIR-OK either donated money or purchased these distributed items, as well as culturally familiar clothing.

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And thats how neighborly relationships often begin  a simple greeting, a smile and a housewarming gift.

Over the past nine months, a community among Afghan neighbors, volunteers and staff from coalition organizations continues to slowly grow as we trust one another more deeply, share our concerns and brainstorm solutions to complicated issues together. Our volunteers have made it very clear that what has made the most significant impact on their lives is getting to know their neighbors. And thats because these arent one-way exchanges of welcome, but opportunities for mutual learning about hospitality.

Volunteers are always greeted with peace and a smile, and are often welcomed in for tea. Theyve been introduced to family members and neighbors, and have shared stories and pictures of family, viewed hometowns on Google maps, learned words in Pashto and Dari  and all of this is often done without speaking the same languages.

As the material needs decrease, CAIR-OK invites you to enter this neighbor-building effort, an effort that begins with a desire to learn from and be connected to your neighbors and requires nothing more than patience, kindness, and time. Organizations like CAIR-OK, The Spero Project and Catholic Charities will give you guidance and any necessary training to introduce yourself and to get to know one another in a safe and neighborly way. We promise that your efforts will be life-changing  not only for the families you connect with, but for yourself and your own community as we learn and grow together.

Jen Hund manages the CAIR Refugee Resource Center and a team of volunteers to offer support to Afghan neighbors in the OKC metro area.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Opinion: Why Oklahoma Afghan refugees need more than item donations
By Trend

A 650,000-barrel-cargo of Venezuela's oil chartered by Italy's Eni is about to set sail carrying the first export of crude from the U.S.-sanctioned country to Europe in two years, Refinitiv Eikon data showed on Friday, Trend reports with reference to Reuters.

The U.S. State Department sent letters to Eni and Spain's Repsol in May authorizing them to resume taking Venezuelan crude as a way to settle billions of dollars of unpaid debt and dividends owed by the OPEC-member nation.

A second tanker chartered by Eni, the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Pantanassa, is currently navigating towards Venezuela and expected to load 2 million barrels of the same grade, diluted crude oil (DCO), and take it to Europe, according to the Eikon data and a shipping document seen by Reuters.

That cargo is expected to be delivered by Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA later this month with an option for Eni to sell a portion of the crude to Spain's Repsol for its Cartagena and Bilbao refineries, according to the document and sources.

The Malta-flagged Pantanassa is scheduled to load via ship-to-ship transfer near Venezuela's Amuay port, the document added.

Eni, Repsol and PDVSA did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Venezuela's May oil exports plummeted to the lowest level in 19 months over contract changes enforced by PDVSA to switch most spot sales to prepayment, reducing the risk of unpaid cargoes. The change did not affect customers under swap deals of debt payment agreements.

European, Asian and U.S. companies operating joint ventures with PDVSA in Venezuela, including Eni, Repsol, Chevron, ONGC Ltd, and Maurel & Prom, have accumulated billions of dollars in pending debt since the government of then U.S. President Donald Trump suspended oil swaps used for exchanging Venezuelan oil for fuel and debt payments.
A study aimed at the Fredericksburg areas trail network is underway, and residents can give their opinions on what should be done next Monday, June 27.

The $107,850 study, initiated by the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, aims to connect the separated trails to create one network.

Three public meetings next Monday will address the train study and offer residents time to speak.

The Fredericksburg Community Planning Department will hold a meeting to address the Bankside trail, a portion of the Virginia Central Railway trail from the downtown train station to the Chatham Bridge. Residents will be allowed to comment on the trail. The meeting will be held on the first floor of Executive Plaza at 601 Caroline St.

Also next Monday, the George Washington Regional Commission and the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organizations Policy Committee will hold public comment periods on the trail issues. The GWRC meeting starts at 6 p.m., followed by the FAMPO meeting. Both meetings will be held at 406 Princess Anne St.

FAMPO also is slated to vote that night on the final list of this years Smart Scale projects, the states ranking program for transportation funding. FAMPO already has endorsed a Smart Scale project aimed at improving the VCR trail.

FAMPO Administrator Ian Ollis said the Smart Scale project aim is filling in all the gaps in the trail between Interstate 95 and the Fredericksburg Train Station and from the train station down the citys proposed Bankside Trail, which will connect the train station, the new Riverfront Park, and the new Chatham Bridge shared-use path into southern Stafford.

The study on the trail system, which could bring drastic changes to three trail crossings, has just gotten started, Ollis said.

The study will analyze the potential of building a bridge or tunnel at the current VCR trail crossings on U.S. 1 near Idlewild and at the Blue & Gray Parkway, as well as a new crossing over or under I95, near the Harrison Road overpass. Another option for that crossing would take the trail to and across the overpass.

Ollis said in an email that the study could eventually bring the trail together.

The VCR trail exists in the city and in Spotsylvania but the missing middle to make it into one trail is the (interstate), which cuts the trail in two, he said. If all of these projects and an additional section in Spotsylvania are approved and funded, it will create a massive bike and pedestrian trail from Gordon Road in Spotsylvania to southern Stafford (Chatham Heights and the Belmont Ferry Farm trail).

This article has been updated to add that the city meeting will involve the Fredericksburg Community Planning Department and is not a council meeting.

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A handful of countries, most notably Australia, impose mandatory voting, with citizens facing fines and punishments if they dont appear at the polls. And every few years, somebody proposes bringing this practice to the United States as a good-government reform that would allegedly improve the health of our democracy.

Luckily, Americans remain unimpressed by the idea. A report advocating mandatory voting by the Brookings Institution and Harvard Kennedy Schools Ash Center acknowledged as much. When polled, they found only 26% of Americans favored the idea, with 64% opposed.

The claimed benefits of mandatory voting are highly dubious. All available evidence is that it would have little effect on election outcomes since nonvoters tend to break down about the same as for voters in their partisan preferences. The main effect visible in Australia is the frequency of the so-called donkey ballot, where voters randomly pick a candidate or party without giving it any thought, often simply choosing the option listed first on the ballot. Others return a blank ballot, clearly going through the motions only to avoid punishment.

Beyond the lack of clear, practical benefit, mandatory voting sits uneasily with American principles. The First Amendment protects not only freedom of speech but also freedom from compelled speech. And even if a coerced voter shows up and casts a spoiled ballot, participating in an election is a speech act. It implies affirmation of the legitimacy and desirability of the electoral system and our current constitutional order. That might be a correct opinion, in my view, but it is not one Americans should be forced to affirm.

There is a long history in the United States of principled abstention from voting, including groups such as the Quakers and Jehovahs Witnesses, who are motivated by a thoroughgoing religious faith in strict pacifism. Others, such as anarchists ranging from libertarians to socialists, reject the moral legitimacy of all governments and do not want to lend their endorsement to the state. Faced with the need to accommodate such groups, or at least some of them, compulsory voting faces two bad options. Either any person can invoke a religious or philosophical exemption, rendering the whole exercise pointless, or must put the government in the untenable position of judging which reasons are good enough.

Even if the First Amendment argument doesnt convince you, the last thing our bloated criminal justice system needs is yet another reason to impose fines and enforcement actions on Americans, especially when such burdens will fall disproportionately on minorities and the poor. Every law must be enforced, and the police in our country already have more than enough laws to enforce.

Even if the political will could be mustered to pass a compulsory voting law, the courts are unlikely to permit it under longstanding First Amendment principles. During World War II, the court faced another attempt at coercing civic affirmation: mandatory recital of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. Again, Jehovahs Witnesses refused, believing that this was an act of flag-worship akin to idolatry.

Justice Robert H. Jackson, writing for a 63 court, offered one of the most stirring articulations of Americas radical free speech jurisprudence: If there is any fixed star in our constitutional firmament, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion.

Showing up to vote may well be a laudable act, one to be encouraged, an admirable exercise of civic duty and participation in our system of government. But as a matter of opinion, it is not the governments role to impose that view as compulsory orthodoxy. If you dont want to vote, its your right not to vote.

Andy Craig is a staff writer at the Cato Institute, where he is the associate editor of the bimonthly magazine Cato Policy Report and the quarterly publication Catos Letter. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
The newly redrawn 7th Congressional District is not at all like the one that launched Abigail Spanberger to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, and reelected her by the narrowest of margins in 2020.

Roughly 75% of voters in the new 7th District were in 2020 part of the 1st, 11th, or 5th districts.

With such a dramatic change in the 7ths voting population, no one is willing to stick their necks out and project who is going to win this district in November. The nonpartisan Cook Report calls the race a toss-up. Larry Sabatos Crystal Ball and Inside Elections rate the district with the narrowest of margins for the Democrats.

On Tuesday, the talking heads shift from prognosticators to analysts as this new stock of voters take control of the 7th District race and select the Republican they want to try and unseat Spanberger. The candidates are: Derrick Anderson, Gina Ciarcia, Bryce Reeves, David Ross, Crystal Vanuch, and Yesli Vega.

As with the general election in November, no one seems eager to venture a guess as to who will come out ahead on Tuesday. Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, told the Richmond TimesDispatch last week that the primary is a jump ball. (Read this story in the June 13 edition of The Free LanceStar, Crowded primary looming for GOP)

Every election matters. But with so many unknown variables in the new 7th District, it is especially important that people turn out on Tuesday.

While complacency has long plagued the American electorate, especially in primaries and other nonpresidential-year elections, a new threat is further eroding peoples willingness to vote. And, more importantly, their willingness to accept results: disinformation and blatantly false statements about the integrity of our election processes.

Both rose sharply in 2015 when, even before elections began, Donald Trump cast doubt on the electoral process.

Even winning didnt stop his assault on election processes, as he falsely claimed that millions of people voted illegally. Those assaults continued throughout his presidency and intensified in 2020.

Today, while most Americans believe that our elections are fairly run and are trustworthy, a growing number of those, mostly Trump supporters, disagree.

In fact, our overall voting processesthough unusual in that we allow 50 states to set their own rules and oversee their own processes, unlike Canada, where elections are centrally administeredhave consistently been rated as secure by groups like the Pew Research Center and Freedom House.

Here in Virginia, each year the state Department of Elections is required to coordinate an annual postelection, risk-limiting audit of races. The findings should bolster anyone whose confidence in our systems is waning.

Consider the audit from the 2020 presidential election. The election commission website reports: The state set a risk measurement of under .1 and the audit results fell well under that measurement. For the Presidential race the audit came in at .0000065117 and for the Senate race, the audit came in at .0000424172. In other words, these results confirm that the results in Virginia accurately portrayed the winners of these elections in Virginia.

The story is the same for audits conducted in other district and state-wide elections since 2018. If thats not enough to sate you and get you in the voting booth, check out the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agencys website at cisa.gov/

rumorcontrol. CISA does an excellent job exposing the disinformation behind the claims that our election system is insecure.

In close elections, such as were expecting on Tuesday, every vote matters.

In 2020, Spanberger defeated Republican Nick Freitas by just 8,270 votes, out of 454,339 votes cast. Even with exceptionally high voter turnout that year75% of registered Virginia voters cast ballots that Novemberthere were more than enough votes left uncast that could have altered that result.

So Tuesday, exercise your right to vote. Dont allow false narratives and disinformation to disenfranchise the most important right and responsibility every American has: Voting.

Further, we encourage the candidates, both those on Tuesday and in November, to respect the integrity of the voting process and accept the outcomes.

Failure to do so is not only unflattering, its devastating to democracy.
Worries about gun violence in schools

In a few months, Im going to start my senior year of high school. Like a lot of my friends, Im worried about violence in schools.

The news and social media seem to focus on school shootings, but I think another issue that needs to be given more attention is what drives these people to violence in the first place.

At my school, and other schools in Stafford County, there are constantly fights between students, many of which result in one or more students bleeding in the halls.

And from what I can tell, the students involved in these fights never receive any form of real punishment for their actions. Yes, they might get talked to by a teacher or administrator, or they might get sent to the principal, but nothing more than thatnot even in-school suspension.

A few months ago, there was even a student at my school that assaulted a teacher, and the student got an intervention, but they didnt get suspended.

The lack of punishment isnt unique to physical violence either, as Ive met students whove been verbally bullied, and the school also seems to do nothing to stop this behavior.

If students are worried about being bullied or physically assaulted at school, its not hard to imagine how this could lead to students becoming depressed and so angry at how theyve been treated that the idea of getting a gun and shooting other people doesnt feel like the crazy idea that it should be.

So, instead of focusing on just making schools Gun-Free Zones, we need to focus on making schools Violence-Free Zones. That way everyone understands that all forms of violence are wrong. It might even stop the next child from getting to the point where using a gun even enters their mind.

Ethan Bingham

Fredericksburg
If you are proud of your workplace, you can nominate your employer as one of the best in the Colorado Springs area.

The deadline to nominate employers for The Gazettes Best Workplaces programs is Aug. 1. The free annual program recognizes public and private employers for creating strong healthy workplace cultures and environments. Employers can be nominated at gazette.com/best-workplaces/ by clicking on the nomination button in the middle of the page.

If you believe employees are your greatest asset and the primary reason behind your companys success, I would strongly encourage you to nominate your company for recognition as one of Colorado Springs best places to work through The Gazettes sixth annual Best Workplaces Awards, said Karen Hogan, The Gazettes manager of advertising operations, marketing and classified advertising.

The Gazette is sponsoring the program with the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development Corp., employment websites Monster.com and springsjob.com, among others.

Employees, organization leaders or customers can submit a nomination; multiple nominations are not needed to qualify. The Gazette will contact the human resource department of nominated employers  private companies, government agencies and nonprofits  to ask them to participate in a survey of employees. The deadline to participate is Aug. 15. Questions will focus on leadership, culture, mission and values, benefits, training and social responsibility.

Employee responses are anonymous. Employers are required to have at least 10 employees, and a majority of employees must respond to the survey for an employer to be honored as a best workplaces. The deadline for employee surveys to be completed is Sept. 23.

Employers are divided into four levels  small employers with 10-29 employers, midsize with 30-75 employees, large with 76-299 employees and extra large with more than 300 employees.

The number of employers recognized through the program has grown each year, with 108 recognized last year, headed by Rocky Mountain Health Care Services, which provides a continuum of health care services to the elderly, blind and disabled patients. Other winners were Vanguard Skin Specialists, in the large category, Colorado Springs Therapy Center in the midsize category and Summit Wealth in the small category.

Top employers this year will be honored at a celebration Dec. 4 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Colorado Springs. The Gazette will publish the results, including cumulative survey data and profiles of the top-ranked companies.
Wet your whistle and get a taste of the Old West at one of these five historic bars in Colorado.
By Trend

A lucky, and likely wealthy, person bid more than $19 million to dine with Warren Buffett, in the 21st and final time that the billionaire businessman auctioned a private lunch to benefit a San Francisco charity, Trend reports with reference to Reuters.

The winning bid in the eBay auction that ended on Friday night far surpassed the previous record of $4.57 million, paid in 2019 by cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, although the new winner's identity could not immediately be determined.

Proceeds benefit Glide, a nonprofit in San Francisco's Tenderloin district that helps the poor, homeless or those battling substance abuse. Glide offers meals, shelter, HIV and hepatitis C tests, job training and children's programs.

Buffett, 91, the chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Inc, has raised more than $53.2 million for Glide in the 21 auctions, which began in 2000.

An eBay spokeswoman said the lunch was the most expensive item ever sold on the company's website to benefit charity.

No auctions were held in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buffett became a supporter of Glide after his first wife Susan, who died in 2004, introduced him to the charity, where she had been volunteering.

He has also pledged to give away nearly all of his fortune. Buffett was worth $93.4 billion on Friday, ranking seventh worldwide, according to Forbes magazine.

This year's auction winner and up to seven guests will dine with Buffett at the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in Manhattan.

Buffett will talk about almost anything, but not where he may invest next.

Hedge fund managers David Einhorn and Ted Weschler are among previous auction winners.

Weschler became a Berkshire portfolio manager after paying a combined $5.25 million to win the 2010 and 2011 auctions.

Berkshire owns dozens of companies including the BNSF railroad, Geico car insurance, energy, manufacturing and retail businesses, and stocks such as Apple Inc and Bank of America Corp.

Buffett still owns nearly 16% of the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate, despite having donated more than half of his shares since 2006, including $4 billion on June 14.
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By Trend

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with Malaysian foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah on Friday and expressed confidence on taking forward the bilateral strategic partnership.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, Welcome FM of Malaysia Saifuddin Abdullah to our meeting today. Our conversations will take forward our Enhanced Strategic Partnership.

Abdullah participated in the foreign ministerial meeting of India and the ASEAN member states on Thursday.

Notably, the year 2022 marks 65 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Malaysia.

India and Malaysia share close relations anchored in vibrant people-to-people linkages, shared history and well-established trade relations. Both the countries enjoy robust trade relations with bilateral trade at USD 14.45 billion for the year 2020-21. Cooperation in defence and security has become an important pillar of India-Malaysia bilateral cooperation.

Addressing the Ministerial Session of Delhi Dialogue, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah on Thursday said India and ASEAN will resolve to strengthen and widen strategic partnerships including on the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

This year is the India-ASEAN friendship year. And this is to commemorate the India-ASEAN partnership. This morning, we had a very fruitful India-ASEAN Foreign Minsters meeting. We resolve to strengthen and widen our strategic partnership including on the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific, the Minister said.

There are unique features from India combined with ASEAN that will strengthen our partnership. Just calculate the number of people in India and Indonesia and pulls the whole of ASEAN. Its almost 2 billion people. And the technology. India has the edge as a partner that can be of a lot of assistance, he added.
Portia Prescott is the president of the NAACP Colorado Montana Wyoming State-Area Conference and managing partner of Jefferson Prescott Consulting, a strategic Consulting Outreach and Engagement firm based in Aurora.
When youre a woman of a certain height, certain wardrobe choices can feel like the wrong fit.

For a time, Chayse Romero felt that way about bolo ties.

Her hesitation stemmed from her first impression of the ties often made of leather cords, metal and decorative stones, like the ones she saw around the necks of handsome, burly cowboy types posing in Western-themed magazines.

Those images played into her general understanding of bolo ties and who they were for: Men, especially if they were tall, big and rugged, and rode horses. They were not for a 5-foot-tall girl from Louisiana. They were, probably, not for most people.

Then, Romero got into silversmithing while attending college in Durango. As she graduated and grew her business, she decided to try her hand at creating a bolo tie.

As soon as I started wearing it, I felt like, This thing is powerful, she said. I felt empowered. I felt the universe saying, OK, its time to do this.

This was around 2019, when friends started asking her to make custom bolo ties and Romero was starting to see them around more. The universe was telling her to try selling her own version of bolo ties. And she decided to listen. She chronicled the journey in a blog post titled, The bolo comeback.

Some people, especially women, are intimidated by these, she said. How can we make them less intimidating?

This was one reputation built around bolo ties. It wasnt based on much. But thats the thing about bolo ties. Its tough to pinpoint much about them.

Ive been told no one really knows where they came from, Romero, 28, said.

She shared a theory that pops up first on Google. In the 1940s, an Arizona silversmith claimed to invent the bolo tie after his hat blew off while riding a horse. He didnt want his silver hatband to fall off, so he slipped it around his neck. Friends joked it looked like a tie, inspiring the silversmith to make the first bolo tie.

Theres also a theory from a decade earlier, when the owner of a New Mexico craft store was inspired to make bolo ties after noticing men from Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes wearing bandanas that were clasped together with a shell or silver conch.

These stories are referenced on the website of The Faust Gallery in Arizona, which carries a collection of bolo ties alongside jewelry, pottery and paintings.

There are several accounts of the origins of the bolo tie, the site reads.

Theres no consensus. It couldve been a cowboy who created the bolo tie. Or Native American silversmiths.

Theres also the story of Jack Weil, known as Papa Jack, the founder of the Denver-based store Rockmount Ranch Wear in 1946.

We were the first company to commercially make bolo ties, said Steve Weil, a grandson of Papa Jack and the CEO and president of Rockmount. We started making them in the 40s. Ive never seen bolos prior to ours.

Rockmount Ranch Wear has made millions of them.

They started out as a regional thing and somehow percolated into the popular culture, he said. That could be due to the popularity of Western fashion overall.

Weil recalls his first memory of the bolo tie making that shift. It was when Bruce Springsteen wore a bolo tie on the cover of Esquire magazine in the 1980s.

Forty years later, celebrities wear bolo ties on red carpets, and wedding sites publish lists about bolo ties for brides and grooms.

People think of them as an alternative to boring neckties, Weil said. I find the current situation is theres a really wide audience for bolo ties.

Romero is adding to that. She opened her Durango storefront, Frontera Silver, in 2021 and sells bolo ties alongside other jewelry.

Its been a huge hit. People love bolo ties, she said. Its just a statement piece.
A slate of Republican candidates in El Paso County is calling for sweeping changes to local elections, claiming mail-in balloting and electronic voting systems can lead to fraud.

But Colorado elections officials say some of the proposed modifications would hinder voting accuracy and accessibility, while others wouldn't be allowed under current state law.

Clerk and Recorder candidate Peter Lupia is campaigning ahead of Colorado's June 28 primary election on a promise to return the county to the practice of hand-counting ballots at the precinct level on Election Day.

He says if elected he will ask the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners to defund all Dominion voting machines used in local elections and cancel all county contracts with the firm.

"We will ask voters to return to in-person ballot delivery by presenting their ID at a local precinct location where ballots would be hand counted on site then transferred to the Clerk's Office for final countywide tabulations of precinct filed totals," Lupia said. "Ballots would still arrive via mail (until that statute is repealed) but would be submitted in person to protect the chain of custody in delivery."

On his campaign website, Lupia promises to advocate for statewide election changes at the Legislature.

In an email to The Gazette, he said his proposed changes are necessary because he believes elections have been both inaccurate and fraudulent, with "overwhelming" evidence to prove it.

Lupia did not provide specific examples of such evidence, and elections officials in Colorado and elsewhere in the United States have disproved those claims.

But he is not alone in his convictions.

Political newcomers and county commission candidates Lindsay Moore and David Winney also say mail-in balloting and automatic tabulation is vulnerable to fraud. Moore is running against Holly Williams in District 1 and Winney is running against Cami Bremer in District 5.

Sheriff candidate Todd Watkins, a former Border Patrol agent, is also running on a promise that as sheriff he will nullify laws he deems unconstitutional and will "investigate election fraud where reasonable suspicion exists to do so."

Some of these candidates, including Watkins, have promoted a film called "2000 Mules," directed by conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza. It claims to prove widespread voter fraud occurred in the 2020 presidential election. To date, dozens of federal and state investigations have found no evidence to overturn the election's results.

Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said he agreed with Bill Barr, the former U.S. attorney general, who laughed at the film.

"The evidence is completely uncompelling," Crane, a Republican, said. "For those people who actually work in elections, you look at that and you say, 'You have got to be kidding me.'"

Asking voters to cast their ballots in person is a misguided idea that probably would hurt voter turnout because most Colorado voters, of all affiliations, vote by mail or return their ballots via secure drop boxes, Crane said.

"What happens if (voters) don't show up (to cast their ballots on Election Day)?" Crane asked. He said about 93% of voters in a general election vote by mail. Of those voters, between 70% and 80% of them return their ballots to a drop box, he estimated.

"The vast majority of people are not going to commit to going to a specific location and wait in line when they can go to a drop box and drop off (their ballots)," Crane said.

The constant message that elections cannot be trusted overall is hurting turnout among Republican voters, he said, pointing to the loss of two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia in the 2020 election to Democrats.

Some of Lupia's election proposals are also not currently allowed under state law. Colorado requires counties provide a certain number of ballot drop boxes based on population.

All counties with more than 1,000 people must use tabulation machines and they must complete recounts with tabulation machines. Only San Juan County is allowed to hand count ballots.

Lupia also claimed Colorado's ballot tabulation machines "are not, and cannot be, certified to state or federal standards." Neither is there a certification entity capable of doing so, he said. He plans to eliminate them by cutting funding to them.

Crane said the claim was false and called assertions that Colorado's voting system testing lab lost its certifications  which would render any results certified through it improper  "absurd."

A clerk that violates state law by not providing drop boxes or completing a count on time can be sued by the Secretary of State's Office and the Department of Justice, Crane said. The secretary can also put a third-party observer in place.

Other state election officials say it would be difficult for El Paso County to accurately hand count its large number of ballots and meet statutory deadlines.

There are 466,077 active registered voters in El Paso County as of June 1, according to data from the Colorado Secretary of State's Office. During the countywide election in November, El Paso County saw about 36% voter turnout, or about 171,000 ballots cast, local election data show.

Lupia told The Gazette teams of three to four trained volunteers have proved they can accurately count 100 ballots in approximately 15 minutes. He said if El Paso County averaged 1,200 votes for each of its approximately 325 precincts  or 390,000 votes total  and averaged 300 votes counted per hour, it would take about four hours to accurately count the ballots.

"Everyone would have preliminary final results late election night and wake up the next day with full results," Lupia said.

Colorado law allows counties to begin counting mail ballots 15 days ahead of an election, but even that time frame is too tight to hand-count ballots and adhere to other statutory deadlines, Mesa County Director of Elections Brandi Bantz said.

Bantz was hired as Mesa Countys director of elections in April 2020. After embattled Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who faces 13 criminal felony charges for alleged elections tampering and misconduct, was removed from her post, Bantz was among the elections team who helped conduct the countys November 2021 election and its December audit, which included a hand count.

Before Bantz moved to Mesa County, she worked in El Paso County's elections department for about 10 years.

"A majority of voters vote on Monday and Tuesday, so it would be very time-consuming," Bantz said.

Hand-counting ballots includes checking in ballots, conducting signature verifications, separating ballots from their envelopes, and then conducting the hand tally.

"It's going to take a very long time to get those results. In El Paso County, that would be a tough ask," Bantz said. "Laws would have to be changed to extend the time frame."

She also said the practice of hand-counting ballots is more vulnerable to inaccuracies because humans make more errors than automatic tabulation machines.

As part of Mesa County's process to test its tabulation machines for accuracy, election officials fill out 25 blank ballots each, which they then hand-tally. The test ballots are then run through the electronic machines and those results are compared to the hand counts, Bantz said.

"Since I've worked here in Mesa County doing the hand tally in the (accuracy test), they've never matched up one time," Bantz said. "It's always been human error. That's just with 25 ballots."

El Paso County Republican Janna Blanter said while she has doubts about election practices in other states, she has faith in the local office after seeing all the checks and balances firsthand as an election judge.

"I think the system we have in place is very, very well done. Its very open and transparent," she said.

She noted all the county's polling places are staffed by a combination of Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters, and anyone can volunteer to observe the process if they have questions.

While she does see room for improvement, such as better maintenance of the voter rolls, she doesnt agree with returning to hand-counting ballots. She said she was aghast when she first heard about Lupia's plan.

It would be "an invitation of an absolute disaster of so many human errors," she said.

No federal or state laws prohibit a hand count of ballots "if it is done in addition to a count through certified voting equipment," said Annie Orloff, a spokeswoman in the Colorado Secretary of State's Office.

Lupia said he would "consider" a machine count as a "follow-up" to verify a hand count of tabulations.
By Trend

Norwegian citizens will be allowed to enter Turkiye with just their national identity cards for a temporary period, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports citing Hurriyet Daily News.

'As the Norwegian citizens are unable to renew their passports as a result of the ongoing global chip crisis and upon the request of the Turkish tourism sector, a temporary arrangement will be made to enable Norwegian citizens to visit Turkiye during the 2022 tourism season,' ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said in a statement.

'Within the framework of this temporary arrangement, Norwegian citizens will be allowed to travel to Turkiye with their biometric ID cards, containing their personal information, for a temporary period of 6,5 months. At the end of this period, the Norwegian citizens will be able to travel again to Turkiye with their passports only,' Bilgic said.
CEDAR FALLS  A Mason City man who lost his friend in a brief gun battle on College Hill in February has pleaded to charges in the shooting.

Under the agreement, Daniel Martez Judon IV, 24, was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison on a charge of intimidation with a weapon. As part of the arrangement, the state agreed to waive sentencing enhancements, said Black Hawk County Attorney Brian Williams.

Prosecutors said Judon appeared to be the least culpable in the Feb. 6 firefight, which killed his friend Arthur Craig Lang III, 19, of Clear Lake, and left a man on the other side, Darius Holt, with serious injuries.

Details of the shooting remain sketchy and authorities said it appeared Judon was returning fire, although that put others in the area in danger.

The circumstances in this case could have been much, much worse than they were, said Judge David Odekirk. Any number of innocent bystanders could have been caught in crossfire, beyond those who were immediately involved. But for some grace of God in this case, no other innocents were killed or injured.

Authorities said Judon and his acquaintances  all from the Mason City/Clear Lake area  were in a vehicle and had just met Holt and another man from the Quad Cities area who were on foot around 1:45 a.m. in the area of College and 22nd streets.

Within minutes an argument erupted. Then gunfire.

Judon, who was in the passenger seat, left the vehicle and apparently shot back.

Holt, who wasnt shooting, collapsed from a gunshot wound to the chest, and the other pedestrian  who was firing a gun  fled.

Lang was also hit by gunfire. The SUV carrying Lang, Judon and Brandon Javon Mitchell drove for about a block and then stopped.

Police allege Mitchell then got out, returned to the shooting scene to fire more shots at Holt, who was on the ground. He then returned to the SUV, which made its way to MercyOne Cedar Falls Medical Center, where Lang was pronounced dead.

Holt suffered a partially severed spine, according to court records.

Mitchell was arrested for attempted murder, intimidation with a weapon and prohibited person in possession of a firearm. His attorneys have indicated they may argue self-defense, diminished capacity and intoxication at trial.

No one has been arrested for firing the shot that killed Lang, and the investigation is still ongoing.

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A lack of daycare is hindering economic growth in Mitchell County.

Mitchell County Supervisor Jim Wherry recently attended a local industry meeting regarding Osage businesses Fox River Mills, RR Donnelley and A to Z Drying. Wherry reported there is a daycare shortage in Mitchell County, and that these local industries are exploring a 50-50 matching daycare grant offered by the State of Iowa.

There are 3.4 kids for every one slot that is available in daycares, Wherry said at the June 14 Mitchell County Board of Supervisors meeting.

According to Wherry, there are two separate grants within the larger Iowa grant. One is a $20 million grant with a $3 million cap and a $1.5 million commitment. The other part is a $5 million grant with a $250,000 cap and a $125,000 commitment.

According to Iowa.gov, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the Child Care Business Incentive Grant Program on May 18. The $20 million will support local infrastructure investments to build or expand childcare capacity, and the $5 million will be used to support arrangements between employers and existing childcare centers to create new childcare slots paid for by the local employer.

There also must be a plan for sustainability. The grant timeline is short, beginning June 17 and ending July 18.

The daycare problem is statewide. According to Iowa.gov, Iowa has lost 33 percent of its childcare businesses over the past five years, costing the States economy nearly $1 billion in lost tax revenue, worker absences and employee turnover.

In the Iowa.gov press release, Reynolds is quoted as saying, Ive heard from both parents and employers that childcare is a barrier to work in our state.

According to Wherry, Fox River Mills is in an expansion hiring freeze due to the lack of housing and daycare in Mitchell County.

They want to do expansion, but they can expand and nobody will come here for work because they dont have a place to live or a place for their kids to stay, Wherry said. So its a tough situation. Those three entities (Fox River Mills, RR Donnelley and A to Z Drying) are looking at trying to make this happen.

Im not really sure if there is a government role involved with this. Even one industry might not be big enough to apply for this, thats why the three of them are getting together.

According to Wherry, one local daycare needs six more staff members to fill the need of five children in each room. With wages often under $10 an hour, even employees well suited for the job cannot afford to work at a daycare. Turnover is high. Workers committed to the mission of daycares are a saving grace.

Theyre (staying) simply because theres no one to take their place, Wherry said of these aging employees. And theyre just so dedicated to these babies theyre staying because of that.

Supervisor Mike Mayer asked hypothetically if daycares could apply for grants to assist in employment needs.

It goes along with economic development, said St. Ansgar Mayor Keith Horgen. Private industry as well as county government should be involved in it as well.

Wherry replied that he had considered whether there is a role for the Board of Supervisors.

How many jobs are you going to create by us putting money into (the industries) plan here? Wherry asked. Anytime we use money I look at it as an investment. What can we get back out of it? I dont want to just give money.

More jobs mean more people living in the county, more people in the schools. Its that trickledown.

I dont think any of the daycares are full of kids, Mayer said. Theyre just short on employees. So building onto the daycare isnt the solution either because then youll just have empty buildings. The wages (are most important).

Jason W. Selby is the community editor for the Mitchell Country Press News. He can be reached at 515-971-6217, or by email at jason.selby@globegazette.com.

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NEW YORK (AP)  U.S. health officials on Saturday recommended COVID-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers and preschoolers  the last group without the shots.

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the decision hours after an advisory panel voted unanimously that vaccines should be made available to children as young as 6 months.

We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with todays decision, they can, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC's director, said in a statement.

The shots offer young children protection from hospitalizations, deaths and possible long-term complications that are still not clearly understood, the CDC's advisory panel said earlier.

Weve taken a major step forward today, said Dr. Oliver Brooks, a member of the panel.

While the Food and Drug Administration approves vaccines, it's the CDC that decides who should get them.

The government has been gearing up for the start of the shots early next week, with millions of doses ordered for distribution to doctors, hospitals and community health clinics around the country.

Roughly 18 million kids will be eligible, but it remains to be seen how many will ultimately get the vaccines. Less than a third of children ages 5 to 11 have done so since vaccination opened up to them last November.

Here are some things to know

WHAT KINDS ARE AVAILABLE?

Two brands  Pfizer and Moderna  got the green light Friday from the FDA. The vaccines use the same technology but are being offered at different dose sizes and number of shots for the youngest kids.

Pfizer's vaccine is for 6 months through 4 years. The dose is one-tenth of the adult dose, and three shots are needed. The first two are given three weeks apart, and the last at least two months later.

Moderna's is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids 6 months through 5. The FDA also approved a third dose, at least a month after the second shot, for kids with immune conditions that make them more vulnerable to serious illness.

HOW WELL DO THEY WORK?

In studies, vaccinated youngsters developed levels of virus-fighting antibodies as strong as young adults, suggesting that the kid-size doses protect against coronavirus infections.

However, exactly how well they work is hard to pin down, especially when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine.

Two doses of Moderna appeared to be only about 40% effective at preventing milder infections at a time when the omicron variant was causing most COVID-19 illnesses. Pfizer presented study information suggesting the company saw 80% with its three shots. But the Pfizer data was so limited  and based on such a small number of cases  that experts and federal officials say they don't feel there is a reliable estimate yet.

SHOULD MY LITTLE ONE BE VACCINATED?

Yes, according to the CDC's advisers. While COVID-19 has been the most dangerous for older adults, younger people, including children, can also get very sick.

Hospitalizations surged during the omicron wave. Since the start of the pandemic, about 480 children under age 5 are counted among the nation's more than 1 million COVID-19 deaths, federal data show.

"It is worth vaccinating, even though the number of deaths are relatively rare, because these deaths are preventable through vaccination," said Dr. Matthew Daley, a Kaiser Permanente Colorado researcher who sits on the advisory committee.

WHICH VACCINE SHOULD MY CHILD GET?

Either one, says Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA's vaccine chief.

"Whatever vaccine your health care provider, pediatrician has, that's what I would give my child,'' Marks said Friday.

The doses haven't been tested against each other, so experts say there's no way to tell if one is better.

One consideration: It takes roughly three months to complete the Pfizer three-shot series, but just one month for Moderna's two shots. So families eager to get children protected quickly might want Moderna.

WHO'S GIVING THE SHOTS?

Pediatricians, other primary care physicians and children's hospitals are planning to provide the vaccines. Limited drugstores will offer them for at least some of the under-5 group.

U.S. officials expect most shots to take place at pediatricians' offices. Many parents may be more comfortable getting the vaccine for their kids at their regular doctor, White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said. He predicted the pace of vaccination to be far slower than it was for older populations.

"We're going see vaccinations ramp up over weeks and even potentially over a couple of months," Jha said.

CAN CHILDREN GET OTHER VACCINES AT THE SAME TIME?

It's common for little kids to get more than one vaccine during a doctor's visit.

In studies of the Moderna and Pfizer shots in infants and toddlers, other vaccinations were not given at the same time so there is no data on potential side effects when that happens.

But problems have not been identified in older children or adults when COVID-19 shots and other vaccinations were given together, and the CDC is advising that it's safe for younger children as well.

WHAT IF MY CHILD RECENTLY HAD COVID-19?

About three-quarters of children of all ages are estimated to have been infected at some point. For older ages, the CDC has recommended vaccination anyway to lower the chances of reinfection.

Experts have noted re-infections among previously infected people and say the highest levels of protection occur in those who were both vaccinated and previously infected.

The CDC has said people may consider waiting about three months after an infection to be vaccinated.

AP reporter Zeke Miller in Washington contributed. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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The 2022 legislative session was historic for Iowa taxpayers. Nearly two months ago the legislature passed the largest tax relief measure in Iowa history, which was signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds on March 1. What too many people overlook is that significant tax cuts like Iowas are only made possible by years of prudent and conservative budgeting.

Since 2018, Governor Reynolds and the legislature have placed an emphasis on passing tax reforms and restraining the growth of spending. This legislative session delivered the third (and largest) round of tax cuts yet, which was accompanied by a budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 of $8.2 billion. This is a slight increase from the $8.1 billion FY 2022 budget and will likely mean yet another large budget surplus. Both the Cash Reserve Fund and the Economic Emergency Fund are at their statutory limits with a combined balance of $895.2 million. The Taxpayer Relief Fund is projected to have an ending balance of over $2 billion for FY 2023; Iowa has developed a habit of collecting more money than the state needs. Its a credit to our policymakers that they havent given into the temptation to crank up spending.

Prior to the legislative session Governor Reynolds and the legislature stated that tax reform would be a priority. The result was a series of phased in cuts that will create a flat individual income tax rate of 3.9 percent by 2026, gradually phasing down the corporate income tax until it reaches a flat 5.5 percent rate and eliminating all state taxes on retirement income. Iowa is proving that lowering tax rates and keeping spending low is a fiscal policy that places the taxpayer first and creates economic growth and opportunity.

Consider the latest unemployment report, with Iowa checking in at 3.0 percent unemployment in April. This is more than one and a half points better than our big spending colleagues in Illinois, New York, and California. Those three states are losing seats in Congress because their population growth is lagging behind the rest of the country.

Governor Reynolds and Iowas legislative leaders understand that more government spending is not the only response to policy issues. Critics who argue that the legislature is depriving education or other programs of funding, need to consider that state spending has not decreased; the growth of Iowas budget has simply been restrained. Education, for instance, will still consume more than half of the tax dollars Iowa will spend next year.

Iowas FY 2023 budget continues the fiscally conservative trend that has emerged from a number of state capitols across the country. Iowa is following the example of states like North Carolina, which serves as the gold standard for state-level tax reform. Its often discussed how North Carolina is a national model for smart tax reform, but what the Old North State doesnt get enough credit for is how much it has also been a model for conservative budgeting and spending restraint, wrote Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform.

Conservative budgeting is working in Iowa. As a result, our economy is strong, and the states financial foundation is secure. It is imperative that Iowa continues to follow a policy of fiscal conservatism. This generational tax cut will be implemented over the next several years, and a conservative, sustainable budget must accompany that tax relief, stated Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver.

Governor Reynolds and the Iowa legislature should be commended for continuing to hold the line on spending growth while putting the taxpayer first. Too often the taxpayer is forgotten, but this is changing in Iowa. Our state is growing stronger and more competitive because of it.

John Hendrickson serves as policy director for Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation

John Hendrickson serves as policy director for Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation.

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Well Mr. President or Joe as you insist we call you, this is a first for me. Moreover, since it is a first, you can surmise that I have reached my frustration level limits on a vast sundry list of issues of this so-called modern world.

So Joe, you see it's like this: One hundred percent of us out here in the Heartland have had enough of this crap.

However, with that unanimity, there is a catch. The divisiveness between us happens because there is a great disagreement out here regarding what the word "crap" really means.

I can hear the cogs of the brains of all of your advisors and even your cogs, kicking in at the mere mention of a plurality somehow existing anywhere and the immediate leap as to how to capitalize on that momentary majority.

That's a political response.

I don't blame you for defaulting to that, because it is all you have ever known. 50+ years, essentially your entire adult life, the sunrise brings the days first thoughts, which are political, the waking hours and the days actions are political, and when the sun sets, well, that is political too. I suspect that after a half-century, the sugarplums that dance in your head during slumber are polling numbers and legacies, and the sheep you count are votes of the Electoral College.

Hell, I don't say this to disparage you. This is Iowa and we have Chuck Grassley.

How did I get wrought up enough to write you this letter?

After a lifetime of being a registered Independent, trying to keep clear of the political party fracas, and spending my votes on issues that I deemed important for America, or my state, or my county, or my city.

Votes cast over and above institutional politics, it has gradually become apparent to me, that we in this "United" States are standing at the crossroads predicted by George Washington in 1796, and have been at least the entire 21st Century.

In his farewell address to this Nation, Washington warned that "the forces of geographical sectionalism, political factionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation's domestic affairs threatened the stability of the Republic."

George (since Joe, you and I are on a first name basis) was referring, in 1796, to North vs. South, to Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists, and threats from Great Britain.

His words ring abundantly true only needing a couple of word substitutions to be equally prescient in 2022; East/West Coast vs. The Heartland; Republicans vs. Democrats; and threats from Russia and China and any number of other players, whom on any given day are so fed up with US Global Policies, that anyone of which is capable of pushing a button on America just out of fits of exasperation, vexation and bitterness.

Washington also provided his thoughts for future Chief Executives to speak less, listen more, and approach each day in office as an opportunity to represent and serve the best interests for every citizen.

Joe, that sounds like a pretty good foundational absolute to us flyover folks who increasingly are feeling squeezed and stuck in the middle between raving lunatics and partisan and electoral nightmares.

Just a couple more points and I'll let you go.

First, you really should listen to George on the speak less, listen more thing.

I watched and heard you during your Q&A with the Associated Press and you didn't do yourself any favors. Really, read the transcript.

But Joe, far, far worse, I think is to keep speaking and speaking and speaking, well after you have already freaked us Heartlanders the hell out.

You are not the first and will not be the last. In fact there were many, many times when your predecessor #45, freaked me, here in the Heartland, the hell out too; and he kept talking, and talking and talking some more.

Since this is Father's Day, I've been thinking a lot about friendly discussions engaged in over the decades, relating to great advice from dads. The best advice is simple, yet tried and true.

The greatest of all time? I think it is, "Don't pee on an electric fence."

Joe, during your interaction with those AP reporters, not only did you pee on an electric fence, you kept doing it over and over and over again.

And that, there, freaks me the hell out too.

Happy Fathers Day.

JW Sayles is a Mason City resident. Opinions are his own.
jzchina wrote:

Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to protest a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year .





A. year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year



B. year toward the cost of higher education, for which was previously paid $7 per year



C. year, compared to the previously $7 per year, toward the cost of higher education



D. year toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required previously



E. year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher education

Meaning is crucial to solving this problem

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Modifiers + Awkwardness/Redundancy

A:

B:

practically

required

C:

when compared to

rather than

D:

Correct.

requires

rather than

E:

Hence, D is the best answer choice.

Dear Friends,Here is a detailed explanation to this question-Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of the crucial part of this sentence is that the law requires students to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher education, rather than the $7 per year that the students used to have to pay.This answer choice incorrectly modifies "the cost of higher education" with "previously paying $7 per year", illogically implying that "cost of higher education" was practically paying $7 per year; the intended meaning is that the students used to have to pay $7 per year for higher education; please remember, in a noun + comma + phrase construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun.This answer choice alters the meaning through the phrase "for which was previously paid $7 per year"; the construction of this phrase incorrectly implies that the studentsused to pay $7 per year; the intended meaning is that the students wereto pay $7 per year. Further, Option B uses the passive voice construction "for which was previously paid", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.Trap. This answer choice incorrectly modifies "$330 a year" with "compared to the previously $7 per year", illogically implying that the law requires students to pay $330 a year towards higher educationthe previous $7 per year; the intended meaning is that the law requires students to pay $330 a year towards higher educationthe previous fee of $7 per year; please remember, in a noun + comma + phrase construction, the phrase must correctly modify the noun. Further, Option C incorrectly uses the adverb "previously" to modify the noun "$7 per year"; please remember, an adverb can only be used to modify a verb or an adjective.This answer choice correctly modifies "cost of higher education" with "instead of the $7 per year required previously", conveying the intended meaning - that the lawstudents to pay $330 a year towards higher educationthe previous fee of $7 per year. Further, Option D correctly uses the adverb "previously" to modify the verb "required". Additionally, Option D is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.This answer choice uses the needlessly wordy phrase "as opposed to", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.Additional Note: Please note that the phrase "as opposed to" is used to indicate difference or contrast, so it conveys the same meaning as "instead of" in this context.To understand the concept of "Phrase Comma Subject" and "Subject Comma Phrase" on the GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minutes):All the best!Team_________________
A powerful storm system comprised mostly of gusty winds ripped through the Dan River Region on Friday afternoon toppling trees and sending thousands into the dark after a sweltering day.

The system brought relief from a week of 90-plus-degree weather, but it wont last long as another heat wave heads to Southside by Tuesday.

A squall line of storms ahead of a cold front came through the region at about 5 p.m. Friday.

The worst is first, Phil Hysell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, said in describing the burst of wind that ushered in cooler, drier air.

The Danville Regional Airport recorded a gust of about 42 mph Friday.

The initial line was mostly void of other traditional storm characteristics like rain, hail, thunder or lightning.

There are three things needed to produce what happened Friday: instability, moisture and lift, Hysell said.

The instability was provided by scorching temperatures that topped out in the upper 90s Friday afternoon. The high levels of humidity more than qualified to provide the moisture.

It was associated with a cold front with lift over a fairly broad area, Hysell said, providing the third key ingredient for a powerful storm punch.

After the storms passed, Danville Utilities reported nearly 10,000 customers without power, according to its online outage tracker.

By about 8 a.m. Saturday, the utility said about 800 were still in the dark.

Additional tree damage is being discovered making restoration progress slower, officials wrote in a Facebook post. Crews are working continuously until everyones service is restored.

One of those trees crashed into a home on Mowbray Arch in Danville, Danville Fire Department Battalion Chief Will Smotherman told the Register & Bee.

The large tree sliced through the medium-size, two-story home, destroying the roof and most of the second floor.

The Danville Fire Department responded to secure the area and help the residents retrieve some personal belongings from the house, Smotherman said.

There were no injuries reported.

There were still places all over the city littered with downed trees, Smotherman said, noting the fire department has coned or taped off multiple areas in Danville.

The fire department has to wait until the electric department handles any situation with a live wire before they can move in.

It keeps us busy, Smotherman said of days when storms roar through the area. Thankfully, we didnt have any fatalities.

Crews also contended with damage from a Thursday afternoon storm that brought heavy winds. However, that tended to be more localized.

Its wide and its broad as far as its area, Smotherman said of Fridays storm.

The weather service also received reports of damage in Pittsylvania County. Trees were knocked down on power lines in the Blairs area and also on Moorefield Bridge Road.

After a reprieve for a few days, temperatures will soar well into the 90s next week, Hysell said. On Wednesday  a day after the official arrival of summer  the weather service is forecasting a high of 99 degrees.

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By Trend

A soldier and a terrorist were killed in combat between security forces and terrorists in the north Waziristan district of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an army statement said on Saturday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

During an intense exchange of fire, a terrorist was killed, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in the statement.

The soldier who lost his life was a 32-year-old resident of the Charsadda district of the province, the ISPR said.

Weapon and ammunition were seized from the terrorist, said the statement.
DANVILLE, Va.  COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising in the Dan River Region, but new models show  amid great uncertainty  the upcoming summer surge may not be as severe as once feared.

However, elevated cases could last longer than anticipated just two weeks ago.

But as health experts are quick to warn, the coronavirus is not one for following patterns and easily can shift course without warning.

Combined, Danville and Pittsylvania County are averaging about 51 new reported cases of COVID-19 per day, a steady increase in the last month. That count is undoubtedly an underestimation of the real number of illnesses in the community. Thats because many people are opting for at-home testing.

Those kits offer convenience, but the results arent reported to the Virginia Department of Health, leaving a gap in the true picture.

As of Friday, Sovah Health was treating about a dozen patients for COVID-19 across its campuses in Danville and Martinsville. Thats more than double compared to late last month.

The increase in hospitalizations pushed Danville back into the medium stage of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions community level tracker. For a week, the city briefly dipped into the low stage. Pittsylvania Countys status has stayed steady in the medium tier.

For this level, the federal agency doesnt recommend mask wearing for the general public, however, high-risk individuals are advised to don face coverings for indoor spaces, experts at the University of Virginias Biocomplexity Institute suggest.

The CDC uses hospitalizations and current caseloads to weigh the burden on health care systems for its three-category system. When a location jumps into the high level  such as neighboring Halifax County  that triggers the mask recommendation for all.

The Pittsylvania-Danville Health District remains in a surge trajectory, defined as a doubling of cases on a 100,000-population scale.

Cases have dipped slightly across the state, but officials warn the impact of the Memorial Day weekend could be in play.

The holiday may affect surveillance and modeling efforts with testing and reporting delays, researchers wrote in Fridays UVa report. A few districts are showing case declines this week, but interruptions in testing and reporting may be impacting case data.

Also, since gatherings and travel may result in increased spread, the holidays impact may not become fully clear until two weeks from now.

New models

UVa narrowed its forecasting models in Fridays report to just three: the current course, one showing the impact in new emerging subvariants and the final exploring what increased mitigation efforts would do to the situation.

The first model keeps cases increasing slightly with only a muted rise until the beginning of the fall.

The second models shows a larger surge occurring by early September. The also anticipates two new subvariants of omicron  itself a spawn of the original coronavirus  will overtake the current version.

Preliminary evidence suggests the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants have advantages over BA.2.12.1 and will eventually out-compete it, scientists wrote in the report. Models suggest the possibility of considerable growth in the coming weeks, but the uncertainty bounds are quite large.

In this situation, the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District could see about 1,347 cases per week, Fridays model update shows. By comparison, there were 363 infections logged over the past seven days.

The most optimistic scenario shows cases rising to a slight peak in early July, then falling until the rest of the year.

This scenario shows the importance of Virginians continuing to practice appropriate prevention and following the prevention guidelines for the CDC Community Level in their area, researchers said.

Overall, all forecasts point to smaller peaks compared to the model runs two weeks ago. None show a serious threat to capacity for the hospitals.

These are all good signs for those hoping for a mild summer, authors of the report said. Despite this, there are reasons to remain vigilant.

A new era

With life  relatively speaking  resuming to pre-pandemic normals, a new era of COVID-19 has emerged.

Vaccinations are considered to be the ultimate weapon safeguarding Virginians.

Even as cases persist and new variants escape immunity, these vaccinations continue to provide protection from sever disease and death, UVa researchers said. Nevertheless, COVID-19 continues to kill, including over 100 Virginians in April.

Acknowledging the battle is far from over, UVa suggests residents follow prevention methods based on current community levels. And even though cases statewide have leveled off, they are still much higher than a year ago.

Though there is reason for optimism, there are also reasons to remain vigilant, UVa researcher said.
The North Carolina House passed a bill Wednesday, just hours after it became public, that would take some power from the governor and give it to the legislature.

It is the latest move by the Republican-majority General Assembly to take power from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

The bill would take control from the governor  and give it to the House and Senates top elected officials  to appoint seats on a community college board, a move that has been done before. It is a local bill, meaning it cannot be vetoed by the governor.

Senate Bill 256 would take four Rockingham County Community College Board of Trustees seats now filled through appointments by the governor and have them filled by the president pro tempore of the Senate and the House speaker, after they consult with the representatives and senators who represent those districts.

Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger represents Rockingham County. A few years ago, the legislature passed a similar law for Cleveland Countys community college, which is in House Speaker Tim Moores district.

Rep. Reece Pyrtle Jr., a Rockingham County Republican, said that the bill mirrors what legislators did in Cleveland County.

Democrats oppose the bill

Democrats, some of whom hadnt even seen the bill until it came up for a vote, spoke against it.

Rep. Raymond Smith, a Wayne County Democrat, opposed the bill.

I think this is a stepping stone towards removing the governors authority, Smith said, noting there have been numerous related bills. He also asked Pyrtle if Cooper had been consulted about the potential change. Pyrtle said he was not.

Rep. Carla Cunningham, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, said that if the House wanted to make a change and take away the authority of the governor, at least we could speak to his office and collaborate.

The bill was fast-tracked through the House Rules Committee and to the House floor, where it passed entirely along party lines, with all Republicans voting yes and Democrats voting no. It passed the House 61-40 and now goes to the Senate, where it is very likely to pass. It is on the calendar for Tuesday.

Berger told reporters on Wednesday that he discussed the bill with Pyrtle and agrees with him that having more local input in terms of who the trustees for a community college are is a step in the right direction.

We noticed that a number of other local bills have done something similar in other communities over the past several years, and just felt like it was the right thing to do at this time, Berger said.

Asked about taking power from the governor, Berger noted that the bill shifts control of some appointments to the Rockingham board from the local school system to the county commissioners as well. The school boards appointments were reduced from four to two, with county commissioners getting more seats to appoint, from four to six. The board has at least 13 seats in all.

As far as any plans for other bills shifting control from the executive to the legislative branch, Berger said he would take it on a case by case basis. I dont have any others in mind at this time.

The 2021 state budget signed into law by Cooper included a policy provision taking control from the governor and giving it to the legislature and Council of State over the length of states of emergency. That provision was in response to Coopers handling of coronavirus pandemic restrictions and takes effect in 2023.

North Carolina is still under a state of emergency issued in March 2020 because of the pandemic. Moore said he doesnt think it makes sense, but there are no new plans to try to end it via legislative action.

No one person should have that much authority, Moore said. We dont have the votes right now to overcome a veto. Ive been there before, Ive got the T-shirt. Theres no reason to do that again. Instead, hes looking to the November election, when Republicans hope to retake a supermajority.

Berger, Moore will get to appoint trustees

Addressing why the next community college to change was in Bergers Rockingham County district, Moore said: Every now and then Sen. Berger has a good idea.

Both Berger and Moore said the legislature is best positioned to make the appointments.

The members of the legislature are closer to the people in the county and have a better sense of what the countys needs are and are just in a better position to select folks, Berger said.

Moore and subsequent House speakers will get to appoint two people to terms expiring in 2023 and 2025, and every four years from then on. Berger and future Senate leaders would do the same for terms expiring in 2022 and 2024, and every four years after that.

Rockingham Community College Board of Trustees Chair Scott Barham told The News & Observer in an emailed statement Wednesday evening that they were aware of the bill and will support the ultimate decision that is made.

The RCC Board of Trustees historically has benefited from proficient local trustees who have made solid decisions in the best interest of the College and the community, and we expect that to continue, Barham said.

Cooper spokesperson Jordan Monaghan said in a statement emailed to The N&O that Cooper has made strong trustee appointments to this Board and other community colleges across the state.

To rip away this connection and input from the Governors Office will hurt Rockingham Community College in the long run, regardless of who the Governor or the Senator representing Rockingham County may be, Monaghan said.

Berger and Moore both said they dont know who they would appoint to the schools Board of Trustees.

There are so many good quality folks to pick from, its really very tough, Moore said.
As legislators consider giving schools more money for free menstrual hygiene products, its clear that demand for help is strong in North Carolina.

The Feminine Hygiene Products Grant program, funded in last years state budget, was so popular that the allotted $250,000 ran out in two days, said Lillian Pinto, a reproductive health consultant for the Department of Public Instruction. Sixty-eight applications went unfunded.

In May, state legislators filed the Menstrual Equity for All Act, which contains a provision to establish recurring funds for the program in addition to waiving the sales tax on menstrual products. If the bill passes, it would double the amount of money allotted to the program and allow it to be offered annually.

The goal is to reduce the effects of  period poverty, or not having access to menstrual products, sanitation or education about periods.

A 2021 national survey of teens who menstruate, funded by period underwear company Thinx and advocacy group PERIOD, found one in four couldnt afford menstrual products and four in 10 felt they couldnt do their best school work because they didnt have them. In 2019, more than four in five students surveyed nationwide had missed class during their period or knew someone who had.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia require schools to provide menstrual products to students, according to the Alliance for Period Supplies, a partner of PERIOD that addresses period poverty in schools. However, the Alliance says most of those states dont provide additional funding to do so, which can pose barriers to fulfilling access needs.

Supporters of expanding state funding in North Carolina told the News & Observer that continuing the program may help more students experiencing period poverty attend school less disruption.

Pinto said the response this year shows substantial need. DPI continues to get inquiries about the program weekly, she said.

Where did the money go?

Last years program allowed public school districts, charter schools and other specialized schools to apply for up to $5,000 to provide menstrual products like pads, tampons and period underwear to their students. Grants were released by mid-February, according to a DPI newsletter.

Only 66 of the 134 applicants to the program received grants. Three of the states largest school districts  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Durham Public Schools and Wake County Public School System  did not see any of that money.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had already included feminine hygiene products in the 2021-2022 budget, so it didnt apply for the grant, spokesperson Eduardo Perez told The Observer. The district is interested in applying if the funding is renewed.

Wake County Public School System did not participate in the grant program, spokesperson Lisa Luten wrote in an email. Luten also noted that she could not speculate on whether the district would apply in the future.

Durham Public Schools applied for the grant but DPI was unable to fund the districts request because money had already run out, Pinto wrote in an email message. Some Mecklenburg and Wake County charter schools received funding.

Emma Dulin, a rising senior at William Amos Hough High School, wasnt aware of the state grant program, but said she thought that CMS could benefit from it.

Dulin is the founder of the Pink Bin Project, an initiative to collect and distribute menstrual hygiene products to low income individuals in Charlotte.

In schools across Mecklenburg County, Im sure there are plenty of girls that lack access, Dulin said. Oftentimes a nurse may have feminine hygiene products but nobody knows, and its not talked about enough to where people are comfortable to reach out.

The extent of period poverty is not known because it hasnt been studied adequately, Dulin said.

A range of needs

Grant recipients described their needs in different ways, according to a report to legislators. Some mentioned students asking for period products to take home; others pointed to the percentage of their students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. The Davidson County Schools application mentioned that 34% of its students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, but acknowledged it wasnt certain about the extent of the need for free supplies.

Despite lingering questions about who needs what type of help, grant recipients said they made the money work for their students.

Union County Public Schools focused on campuses where at least 40% of students are economically disadvantaged. The district purchased pads, tampons and panties for students at Monroe Middle, Monroe High, East Union Middle and Forest Hills High, according to district spokesperson Tahira Stalberte.

Lincoln Charter Academy in Lincolnton, about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte, landed $5,000 to install and fill product dispensers in restrooms, which will be finished this summer.

Still, school officials are thinking about future needs, according to chief administrator Jonathan Bryant. We will definitely be watching for future grants, he said.

Pinto said it would take time to track the impact of the program on student absenteeism and other school-related issues. DPI tracks attendance but does not keep track of reasons for missing school. Shame around menstruation might keep students from being honest about why theyre absent, she said.

The proposed increase in funding for the program is heartening, and we are grateful that the General Assembly has proposed this increase, Pinto said. I can imagine we could have even more interest in future opportunities.
EDEN  Faculty and staff with Rockingham County Schools have earned top grades for conserving energy from a national leader in conservation strategy for schools.

The districts energy-efficient adapting has achieved significant savings  and good conservation habits have earned Rockingham County Schools national recognition from Dallas, Texas-based Cenergistic, a leading firm of energy experts that has consulted with RCS for years to help trim its energy budget by millions.

Indeed, the district saved over $6 million dollars in 90 months with an innovative organizational behavior-based energy conservation and management program with Cenergistic.

Reaching this energy savings mark is a significant milestone, said Dr. William S. Spears, CEO and founder of Cenergistic in a recent news release.

Rockingham County Schools has achieved success by consistently implementing a comprehensive approach to energy conservation and maintaining productive efforts at all levels of the organization, he said.

Dr. Rodney Shotwell and board, with other administration, faculty and staff members are to be commended for clearly fulfilling their commitment to being good stewards of the taxpayers money and the environment.

The program delivers financial savings, as well as an environmental benefit from a reduced carbon footprint, Cenergistic experts said in the release.

Energy not used prevents the emission of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

According to EPA/EGrid figures, since the program began, Rockingham County Schools has prevented carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to 105,769,335 miles not driven, or 695,893 pine trees grown for 10 years.

Were reaping the benefits of this program with more comfort and better buildings. The engineering and building operations expertise Cenergistic provides is helping us redirect funds we would have paid for energy to important programs, said Assistant Superintendent of Logistics and Operations for Rockingham County Schools Sonja Parks.

RCSs comprehensive behavior-based energy conservation program addresses energy use throughout the district. Gene Kelley of RCS works closely with district personnel as well as Cenergistic engineers and experts to continually optimize systems and schedules.

They monitor energy use with advanced technology and shape organizational behavior through education  affecting how each person in the organization understands, uses and saves energy for years to come, the release said.

The outcome is healthier, more efficient buildings using less energy  and lower related costs, a Cenergistic spokesman said in the release.

Cenergistic client energy conservation programs have saved more than

$6 billion for educational, governmental and ministerial organizations since 1986. This customized energy conservation management approach provides clients more control over energy use with no upfront costs, no new equipment, and no equipment retrofits.
REIDSVILLE  April Cox, executive director of the Rockingham County Partnership for Children, spoke recently to the Kiwanis Club about all the programs offered to children in the county, from their birth through their teen years, the club announced in a recent news release.

Cox said: The organization is working to build strong families and communities that grow healthy children. We provide a variety of programs and services in Rockingham County to help ensure young children are healthy and ready to succeed when they enter kindergarten.

Cox explained that there are only 2,000 days between the time a child is born and when they start kindergarten. Those days are crucial to their development and a critical time for both children and parents to have the support they need to thrive, she said.

In Rockingham County, nearly 70% of children under the age of 5 are not enrolled in childcare or early childhood programs, Cox said. Smart Start began in 1993 when Jim Hunt was the North Carolina governor.

Using a video presentation, Cox showed the Kiwanis Club all of the 14 programs and resources her agency provides youngsters and explained how each helps a child and/or family.

She then took questions from club members. In response to a question regarding children being taken out of a home she said that many are placed in foster homes but there is a great need for more foster parents.

RCPC has a 15-member board of directors who oversee the operations. For more information or if you have questions, contact the main office number at 336-342-9676 or go to www.rockinghamkids.org.

The Kiwanis Club meets each Thursday at noon at Main Street Methodist Church Fellowship Hall in Reidsville. Guests are welcome.
One woman is dead and another injured after they were hit while pushing a disabled SUV on U.S. 58 Wednesday night in Pittsylvania County, state police report.

The incident happened shortly after 9:15 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 58 less than a mile east of Clarks Mill Road, according to the Virginia State Police.

Authorities said a 2004 Honda CR-V had become disabled when heading west along U.S. 58.

Lenise K. Snead, 62, of Danville, and another woman only identified as a 33-year-old from Ringgold started pushing the SUV in the right travel lane.

Thats when they were both hit from behind by a 2021 Honda Accord.

Both vehicles ended up off the right side of the highway, Corinne N. Geller, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, wrote in a news release. The driver of the Accord then fled the scene on foot.

Snead died on the scene. The other woman was taken to an unidentified hospital for treatment of what Geller described as serious injuries.

Officials are searching for the driver.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Virginia State Police by dialing #77 on a cellphone or calling 540-380-5700 or emailing questions@vsp.virginia.gov.
Americans are being tested right now about the kind of country and world they want to live in.

At home  as children are slaughtered with easily acquired assault weapons  members of Congress must decide whether they prefer the rule of law or the law of the jungle.

Abroad, the Biden administration, and the American public, must decide whether the strong U.S. support for Ukraine will be continued for the long haul (and even strengthened) as Vladimir Putin breaks all the rules that have kept peace in Europe since World War II.

So far Congress is failing when it comes to the home front. Despite heartrending pleas last week by survivors of the Uvalde massacre, Republican legislators are opting for the jungle. Although a hefty majority of the U.S. public favors banning military assault weapons and ammo of the kind that ripped apart Uvaldes children, the GOP is blocking any limits.

Putins new war crime: starving worlds poor by blockading Ukraines ports.

As for Ukraine, key decisions still need to be made immediately in Washington about how long and how intensely to back the victims of Putins war.

After the Ukrainian militarys early successes against Putins invaders, the war has entered a phase of attrition in eastern Ukraine. The war has largely disappeared from U.S. front pages and been overtaken by domestic crises  like mass shootings.

But that doesnt mean the outcome of Putins war has become less important. Many Americans may not realize that a Putin victory is still possible, enabled by a brutal autocrat who has no qualms about slaughtering civilians and laying waste to whole cities.

Moreover, some European leaders, like Frances Emmanuel Macron, are agitating for premature peace talks with Putin, refusing to recognize that he is committed to controlling and/or destroying Ukraine. The only thing that can bring Putin to the table is to push him back from seized Ukrainian land.

Indeed, the wars outcome will be shaped by whether the West finally delivers the necessary weapons in sufficient quantity and with sufficient speed.

Putin clearly has a new strategy after failing to blitz Kyiv and depose President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At this point, the Russian goal is to seize the whole of the eastern Donbas region (Moscow occupied one-third of that area in 2014), and to annex a broad band of contiguous territory in the south, running from occupied Mariupol all the way to the major port of Odesa (which remains unoccupied but is blockaded).

This would cut Ukraine off from the sea, including the critical ability to export grain (a looming reality that is already causing a global famine). A truncated Ukraine with a crippled economy would be hard-pressed to attract a Western Marshall Plan to rebuild its cities or entice millions of refugees to come home.

Should this disaster come to pass, Putin no doubt thinks he could sit back and wait for Zelenskyys fall, pushed out by an embittered public  and then try again to impose a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv.

This Putinesque scenario will not happen  the Ukrainian population is already resisting in Russian-occupied areas of the south. But having regrouped, the Russian armys overwhelming superiority in heavy weapons  artillery, rockets, missiles, and their launchers  is taking a terrible toll on Ukraines military and civilians in the eastern fields of the Donbas.

The heavy weapons loudly promised by the United States and several European countries are either insufficient in numbers or arriving too slowly.

The Ukrainians are not doing well because were not sending them what they need, retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, a former NATO commander, told me last week. At the speed we are doing things, the Ukrainians will have to fall back.

Let me be clear: The volume of equipment that President Joe Biden has authorized for Ukraine, including critical Javelin antitank weapons, has been impressive, as has his pressure on NATO members to do likewise. But the arrival of critical systems often comes weeks after they were needed. And when it comes to seriously protecting Ukrainian skies, the help has never arrived, or doesnt meet the need.

One prime example: Ukrainians are finally being trained outside their country on the multiple rocket-launcher systems known as HIMARS, which are critical for driving the Russians back in the Donbas. But the systems will only get delivered three or four weeks from now. And only four firing units are being sent.

Four units is less than 10% of what they need, I was told by retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, former commander of the United States Army Europe. There needs to be a steady flow.

Sweden and Finland are joining NATO because Europeans cant stay neutral about Putins war.

Hodges said he believes the Russians are near exhaustion, in both weapons systems and manpower, but are making gains because the Ukrainians dont have the long-range weapons they need. Were at the critical point in the war, he said. Hopefully in three or four weeks, stuff [sent by the U.S. and European allies] will start showing up in numbers.

Hodges said he believes that with new heavy weapons, the Ukrainians can start doing successful counterattacks. By September, they will have the potential to push the Russians back to the pre-invasion lines.

Whether or not this can be achieved, it wont be feasible unless the West delivers more and more sophisticated weapons systems ASAP. And unless Western support holds firm for the long term.

The critical battle to prevent Putin from imposing his law of the jungle on Europe is now being waged in Western capitals  and on Ukrainian soil.
RALEIGH  Samples taken in recent years show that untreated drinking water from dozens of utilities across North Carolina contain concentrations of forever chemicals well above the interim health advisory levels set last week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A group called the N.C. PFAS Testing Network sampled raw water  water that has not passed through a plants treatment process  from every municipal or county water system across the state in 2019 and 2020, with the labs capable of detecting PFOA and PFOS at levels as low as one part per trillion. Scientists concluded that samples from 44 utilities contained PFOS above the EPAs .02 ppt advisory level while 38 had PFOA above the new .004 ppt level.

Many of those samples came from utilities in the Raleigh-Durham area. More recent testing indicates that drinking water that has been treated also frequently contains concentrations of PFOA and PFOS above the health advisory levels.

PFOA and PFOS  short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)  were used throughout the economy for decades. After evidence about the manmade chemicals impact on human health began to mount in the 1990s and early 2000s, the EPA worked with manufacturers to largely phase them out.

But the chemicals are long-lasting and are frequently found in water supplies today.

The EPAs new limits are so low that its impossible for Lee Ferguson, a Duke University environmental analytical chemist who is one of the co-leaders of the testing networks sampling effort, to say how many samples contain concentrations of PFOA or PFOS that the federal government considers dangerous over a lifetime of exposure.

Fergusons lab can find the chemicals at concentrations as low as one part per trillion, but the EPAs health advisories are .02 ppt for PFOA and .004 ppt for PFOS.

Essentially anything that can be measured using current technology in water  any detection  is considered to be a risk with respect to health exposure over the long term, Ferguson said.

Some utilities routinely test for PFAS chemicals in their treated drinking water. Those tests frequently show that the water supplied to customers contains levels that are well above the new EPA recommendations.

For instance, Raleigh Waters most recent samples, collected in January, show that water from Falls Lake treated at the E.M. Johnson Water Treatment Plant contained 5.1 ppt of PFOS and 3.4 ppt of PFOA. Drinking water from Lake Benson that was treated at Raleighs Dempsey E. Benton Water Treatment Plant had 3.3 ppt of PFOS and 2.3 of PFOA.

Edward Buchan, a Raleigh Water spokesman, said the agency is reviewing the new health advisories.

We will continue to work with our industry partners and regulatory agencies to ensure our drinking water meets all current and future regulations, Buchan wrote in a statement.

In Durham, officials said they need to conduct more monitoring to determine when PFOA and PFOS levels spike, research treatment options that can remove the chemicals and figure out how to cut down on PFAS as the EPA moves toward an enforceable drinking water standard.

Orange Water and Sewer Authority, which provides drinking water to Chapel Hill and Carrboro, has been testing for PFAS quarterly since 2018. Those samples routinely contain concentrations of PFOA and PFOS above the advisory levels, including the 19 ppt of PFOA and 15 ppt of PFOS detected in a sample this year.

We are certainly going to be evaluating these health advisory levels and evaluating our treatment process, what we can do, what we need to do, whats the next step, said Blake Hodge, a spokesman for the utility. A lot of those discussions of course are still being had, as were still in the early days of this.

The EPA evaluated more than 400 studies in deciding to drop the health advisory level for PFOA and PFOS from the combined 70 ppt level the agency set in 2016.

The chemicals have been linked with a wide range of health effects from increased risk for kidney and liver cancer to increased cholesterol to changes in liver enzymes. According to the EPA, the health effect that led to this weeks advisory levels was a decreased immune system response to vaccines in children.

After touring a Wilmington water treatment plant on Wednesday, the EPAs Radhika Fox said that water systems could start testing for PFOA, PFOS and other PFAS compounds to determine if they need additional testing or monitoring. That could help, she said, when EPA proposes its enforceable drinking water standards, something the agency is trying to do by the end of this year.

If they then are testing for it and then they see it in their water supplies, thats a great opportunity to start a conversation with their state drinking water utility, their state regulators, said Fox, an assistant administrator.
When I first began covering state politics and public policy in the late 1980s, North Carolina families dissatisfied with the quality of education provided by their local school district had limited options. Some could afford private schools, or to move to other communities where they hoped the assigned public schools were better. A few were brave enough to try homeschooling their children.

For most parents with concerns about their assigned schools, however, the only recourse was to complain to administrators or try to elect different politicians to their local school boards. Neither option proved particularly effective.

Since then, the situation has dramatically changed for the better.

For one thing, the state legislature created three new options  chartered public schools, opportunity scholarships for private education and educational savings accounts for special-needs students  that provide a wide range of choices for many North Carolina families. During the last school year, for example, some 130,000 students were enrolled in the states charter schools. Another 20,000 students received opportunity scholarships to attend private schools. Some 13,000 additional students have applied for scholarships for next year.

Partially in response to these policy changes, teachers and entrepreneurs have created new educational enterprises that seek to serve families in new ways. Some are new brick-and-mortar schools and networks. Others offer university model education that blend in-person and at-home instruction. Still others provide textbooks, resources, supplemental services and other assistance to home-

school families.

And with regard to the governance of school districts themselves, many North Carolinians are part of a national movement to push back against slapdash instruction, politicized curricula and operational decisions that fail to put the interests of students first. Initially frustrated by the lengthy COVID shutdowns imposed by state and local officials, parents grew angry when they saw firsthand what their children were being taught  or not being taught, as the case may be.

In the past, school board elections were relatively low-turnout affairs in which local chapters of the North Carolina Association of Educators  the state affiliate of the nations largest teachers association  often played outsized roles. The NCAEs influence is ebbing, however, thanks partly to changes in the timing and structure of school board elections and partly to NCAEs own missteps.

The organization is down to about 17,000 members, a tiny fraction of the total number of teachers and principals who staff North Carolinas public schools. Even as NCAE was shrinking, it was becoming increasingly shrill and ideologically left-wing.

As a school-choice proponent and practitioner  my own children have attended a mixture of public and private schools  I recognize that many North Carolinians continue to cherish their relationships with their local school districts. They want their district-run schools to succeed, even as they also favor expanded options for families who want something different.

To advocate choice and competition, as I do, is not to advocate the abolition of public schools. In fact, I believe competition makes school districts better. Thats the way most other fields of human endeavor work, including preschool and higher education. As Ive written many times, theres good empirical evidence for the proposition that increasing school-choice options in a community tends to improve student achievement and educational attainment within public school districts, too.

Progressives disagree. They seek at least to roll back and constrain our school-choice programs, if not to abolish them altogether. Theyre not going to succeed, though. The constituency for these programs is too large and growing too rapidly.

Would you believe that North Carolina ranks seventh in the nation in the share of children educated outside of district-run public schools? I didnt either until I examined the latest numbers from EdChoice.org. Only Delaware, Louisiana, Arizona, Hawaii, Florida and Pennsylvania had higher percentages of kids enrolled in private, charter or home schools.

According to the most recent estimates, about a quarter of North Carolina kids were so enrolled last year. Thats going to continue to rise, no matter how loudly progressives complain about it. Parents voices are louder, and more numerous.

John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His latest books, Mountain Folk and Forest Folk, combine epic fantasy with early American history (FolkloreCycle.com).
By Trend

An intense and unprecedently early heatwave is baking western Europe, with temperatures in many places topping 40C Saturday, Trend reports citing Euronews.

Temperatures were high across most of Western Europe on the first day of the weekend. However, France and the Iberian Peninsula have been hit particularly hard.

In southwest France, there were peaks of close to 42/43C, as the city of Biarritz broke an "absolute" temperature record.

Nearly three-quarters of the country's population, some 45 million people, were issued with red or orange heat alerts in what is the earliest heatwave ever recorded in France.

For some in Paris, especially those living in cramped, old apartments, the scorching heat was too much to bear.

Many regions of France also experienced high levels of toxic ozone concentrations due to Saturday's heat wave, according to the country's official Prev'Air bulletin.

Ozone, a so-called "secondary" pollutant, is created when pollutants released by road traffic and industrial compounds, such as solvents and hydrocarbons, react with the sunlight.

The resulting gas causes increased wheezing, coughing and chest tightness. Children playing outdoors are particularly susceptible.

Areas across Western and Southern Europe are already rationing water amid the sweltering heat, with a very dry spring putting immense stress on water systems.

Scientists have said the multiplication of heat waves in Europe is a direct consequence of global warming, with the World Meteorological Organisation warning this is only a "foretaste of the future."

Greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are increasing the strength, duration and rate of repetition of heat waves across the world.

Faced with this exceptional situation, festive, sporting and cultural events were cancelled in France.













From Saturday evening, occasional thunderstorms could occur on the Atlantic French coast, meaning the heatwave may gradually decrease, especially in the worst affected areas in the southwest.

In Spain, firefighters continued to fight several fires across the country, which have broken out due to the dryness.

The most devastating fire forced authorities to evacuate 14 villages, regrouping several hundred inhabitants in the Sierra de la Culebra, a mountain range in the region of Castile and Leon, near the border with Portugal.

According to regional authorities, some of them were able to return to their homes Saturday morning as the flames had moved away from their homes.

Nearly 20,000 hectares of land have been burned by the giant fires sweeping through Spain.

In northern Italy, several towns have announced water rationing and the northern Lombardy region has hinted at declaring a state of emergency as a record drought threatens harvests.

As a result of climate change, heatwaves are starting earlier, said Clare Nullis, a spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organisation in Geneva.

What were witnessing today is unfortunately a foretaste of the future," she added.

Temperatures in London stayed well below 20, with rain and cloud hitting the British capital.


June 9, 2022



RELEASE: Maryland Department of Health launches new GoVAX campaign featuring Maryland families stressing the importance of vaccinating against COVID

Families across the state share reasons why they got vaccinated



Baltimore, MD  The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) launched a new series of television, radio and social media ads today featuring Maryland families from across the state, who share their reasons for vaccinating against COVID-19. The new series is part of the state's ongoing GoVAX campaign.

We want parents and guardians to hear from other families about the choices they made to protect themselves and their families. They need to be able to make informed choices based on their own research and information available about safety and effectiveness, said MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader. Marylanders want to do what they can to protect themselves and their communities, and most agree vaccines are our best defense against COVID-19.

Families featured in the Real Families videos tell varied stories about their reasons for vaccinating, including continuity of childcare, returning to school, resuming extracurricular activities and attending family gatherings. Some said they wanted to help protect other family members with medical conditions or who are immunocompromised.

We got vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as we could and got our daughter, Rosie, vaccinated within a few weeks of the vaccine coming out for kids, said Ginny Shenk of Eldersburg. Having our whole family vaccinated against COVID-19 gives us a level of comfort and safety.

The childrens activities were put on hold during COVID, and now that they have their vaccines, they are back to their activities, said Archana Awosika of Silver Spring.



Andrew Shannon, Director of the Cambridge Empowerment Center, runs a resource center that gives children a safe place to play and learn while their parents and guardians work. When we had to close because of COVID, life became harder for everyone. The vaccines were huge. They let us re-open our doors and get peoples lives back on track, Shannon said.

In May 2021, children aged 12 to 17 were authorized for COVID vaccines, and children 5 to 11 became eligible in October 2021. Authorization for children 6 months and up is expected to be approved next week.

To date, nearly half of Maryland children aged 5 to 11 have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, more than 83 percent of the 12- to 15-year-olds have received at least one dose and nearly 88 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds.

"We continue to reach out to parents and guardians through our GoVAX campaign, pediatricians practices, school and childcare settings and other means to encourage vaccinations," said Dr. Jinlene Chan, MDHs Deputy Secretary of Public Health. "Although most children get fairly mild cases if infected, some can become very sick from COVID. We know that vaccines are the best protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death."

The states multifaceted GoVAX campaign, which began in January 2021, has featured TV, radio, outdoor and digital advertising, social media, grassroots outreach through door-to-door canvassing, virtual town halls, the use of sound trucks in targeted neighborhoods, and community-based messaging through doctors offices, barbershops, salons and movie theaters.

GoVAX encourages all Marylanders to protect themselves, their families and their communities by getting vaccinated and boosted. Under the GoVAX umbrella, the Real Families campaign includes families from Baltimore, Carroll, Montgomery, Anne Arundel and Dorchester counties and follows the successful Real Kids campaign, released in January 2022, that featured children under age 12 stating in their own words why they got vaccinated.



For more information about COVID-19 vaccines and the GoVAX campaign, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov.



For the most recent Maryland COVID-19 vaccine data, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov.





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The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement.

Follow us at http://www.twitter.com/MDHealthDept and at Facebook.com/MDHealthDept.
Around 50 people gathered on blankets and the grass in Cherry Park on Thursday morning for Storytime in the Parks, a series of summer events hosted by the Lewis and Clark Library this summer.

This is the first summer since 2019 that the librarys wide array of summer programs and events will be hosted in-person, according to an email from Patricia Spencer, the librarys public information officer. These programs include summer reading challenges, events and activities for kids and teens to take part in.

Molly Hudson, Lewis and Clark Librarys children service librarian since April 2019, said shes been excited to interact with children and families again after two years of working remotely during the pandemic.

You really do miss out on those interactions, Hudson said. Just hearing what theyre passionate about and what theyre excited about and being able to meet them either at the park or they come to the library and they say, Oh! Were doing this and this and we love to see you! And, Oh, we just got these great new books that I think youll really enjoy!

Hudson said during the pandemic, those types of interactions were difficult because the library was in the midst of remodels and she was working from home. Still, the library put out kits for students including arts and crafts activities and books, along with resources for parents who were at home with their kids.

On the teen side, Sherry Schlundt, the teen services librarian, said the library put together a Teen Advisory Force virtually even during the pandemic. Those students volunteer with the library, develop programs for their peers and review materials for the librarys collection. But even though she was glad the library could offer those virtual opportunities, Schlundt said it wasnt the same as interacting in person.

But this summer, the librarys slate of in-person summer events is in full-swing, with a Monday showing of Moana garnering 75 attendees and around 150 attending an arts-and-crafts event to make seashell wind chimes on Wednesday, according to Hudson. All the events this summer are centered on the Collaborative Summer Library Programs theme this year: Oceans of Possibilities. That program has offered summer activities and events since 1987 with a goal of getting students interested in reading and literacy, according to its website.

Schlundt added that there are summer events and activities tailored to students in sixth through 12th grade too. She said there are scavenger hunts open for up to 50 students coming up, and a curling event co-sponsored by Last Chance Curling Club had 19 in attendance earlier this week.

Thursdays event, where Hudson read two books to children and taught them songs, also featured music, the librarys Bookmobile and an arts-and-crafts station where kids could color their own seahorse bookmarks.

Kayla Hewitt, who runs Aunties' Daycare and Preschool, brought her students to the Storytime in the Park event. She said last summer, the school could only do some activities in-person.

But this summer, Hewitt is trying to make sure her students take advantage of every event in the community that will let kids go  and many of those are library-sponsored ones. Her students attended the "Moana" event on Monday too, and theyre all taking part in the librarys summer reading challenge.

We love Miss Molly (Hudson), Hewitt said. We love the reading program in general. Literacy is very important.

Christina Holmes also brought her three children  who are 4, 6 and 8  to the Thursday Storytime in the Park event. She said they used to attend these events when her older kids were younger, and her family is excited the library is open for kids events again.

They love reading books, and they love getting to be read to by someone thats not me, Holmes said.

For Hudson, the librarys free summer programs and events offer an opportunity to encourage kids and families to keep reading and learning while on summer break.

Schlundt added the programs also help students know what the library is, and what it offers them.

Where else can you go and just read a book and not spend a lot of money? And, as they get older, I say, Its a place where we have computers! And we have printers! And we have lots and lots of online resources too, Schlundt said.

The library will be hosting other Storytime in the Parks events on June 23 at Selma Held Park and June 30 at Robinson Park. And, according to Hudson, the July 29 Pirate and Mermaid Party at Anchor Park is a cant-miss event this summer.

The librarys full slate of summer events can be found on its website, lclibrary.org.

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For decades, domestic violence survivors and all of us who support them have faced a dangerous, illogical gap in our countrys gun laws: A person who has abused their spouse or ex-spouse and is convicted of domestic violence cant buy guns. A person whos abused or caused harm to their live-in partner, or to the mother of their children, and is convicted of domestic violence cant buy guns, but a person who abuses or causes harm to their dating partner or former dating partner and is convicted of domestic violence? They can buy guns.

This gap in our laws, known as the boyfriend loophole, has cost too many lives for too many years. About half of intimate-partner homicides are committed by dating partners, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and firearms are used more than any other weapon.

Thats why we and our organizations  who work every day to protect domestic violence survivors in both the policy arena and on the ground  fully support the bipartisan announcement last weekend that an upcoming Senate bill addressing national gun violence would finally close the boyfriend loophole.

Closing the boyfriend loophole and keeping firearms away from these convicted offenders will increase safety for both domestic violence survivors and for our communities as a whole, for two reasons:

First, theres massive overlap between offenders involved in domestic violence and those who commit the mass shootings this Senate bill is trying to address. More than half of all mass shootings in the United States (54 percent) stem from domestic violence. Keeping firearms away from all people with domestic violence convictions, not just spouses, is a welcome first step towards keeping our communities safer.

Second, closing the loophole will save lives. The 32 states that already prevent dating abusers from possessing firearms have a 10 percent lower rate of intimate-partner homicide, according to the American Journal of Epidemiology. Montana is one of those states. Were on the right track here. Closing the loophole nationally means that Montanans will be safer from abusers crossing state lines.

Closing the boyfriend loophole is a narrow, discrete, common-sense change that doesnt touch law-abiding gun owners in Montana or anywhere else. Its not a new law; it expands an existing law to apply to all domestic abusers. And it requires a court decision; it doesnt violate due process or restrict access to guns based on an accusation.

In Montana, local groups like Haven (and our partners in law enforcement, health care, and emergency services) are on the front lines of dangerous domestic violence situations. We help survivors make a plan to keep themselves and their families as safe as possible. We answer their calls, day and night. Thanks to community support, we provide services that give survivors more options than staying with a dangerous abuser. Now its time for lawmakers to do what we cant do: Keep guns out of the hands of convicted abusers.

We applaud Republican and Democratic senators for agreeing to close the boyfriend loophole, and we urge our Montana senators to support this bill when it comes to the Senate floor. Domestic violence survivors, and our communities, deserve this long-overdue step towards safety.

Erica Aytes Coyle is the executive director of Haven in Bozeman. Kelsen Young is the executive director of the Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in Helena.

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DECATUR  Decaturs African-American Cultural and Genealogical Society hosted its 28th annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday.

According to AACGS Executive Director Evelyn Hood, Juneteenth is a yearly reminder to celebrate freedom for those who didnt get the chance to in the past. The holiday commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It dates back to June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and announced that the states enslaved African Americans were newly freed.

It is important because we are showing recognition for our ancestors. They longed for the day that we are now enjoying, Hood said.

Guests gathering in downtown Decatur for the celebration were met with food vendors, guest speakers, live music, games and more.

Hoods niece, Charla Bond-Jones, even portrayed civil rights leader Rosa Parks during trolley rides from the celebration grounds in Central Park to the AACGS Museum.

Hood said she hopes Saturdays celebration helps inspire more people to learn about the history of Juneteenth.

I feel that African Americans and other people that are not educated about what Juneteenth is all about, I think that they need to read about it and realize it's a celebration for all people like we celebrate the Fourth of July and all the other holidays, Hood said.

Juneteenth has long been celebrated by African Americans across the country.

This years celebration is notable as 2022 marks the first year Juneteenth is an official federal and state holiday in Illinois.

State recognition of the holiday is huge, said Sonja Chargois, community health and equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator at Decatur Memorial Hospital.

That's what the celebration is about, freedom, Chargois said. It's about the ability to move forward and develop the life you see.

DMH was one of many vendors at the event, where employees distributed cancer screening kits, health information and more.

We know that when it comes to cancer, African Americans are hit pretty hard. And so being able to have some educational information about our health is important, Chargois said.

While Juneteenth has traditionally been a holiday celebrated by African Americans, Hood said she hopes people of all identities can learn about and honor the day.

For Chargois, Juneteenth is a reminder of African Americans enduring strength.

I think it's important that we just acknowledge that we're a people that's not going away, she said.

Contact Taylor Vidmar at (217) 421-6949. Follow her on Twitter: @taylorvidmar11.

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CHICAGO - A West Lawn man was denied bail after he appeared at a Saturday bond hearing broadcast on YouTube for the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old woman during broad daylight.

Arnaldo Coronel, 32, was charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a woman shortly after 7:30 p.m. on June 12 in the 6400 block of South Kilbourn Avenue, police said.

Earlier that day, Coronel and a group of others picked the victim up in a family Lexus, and drove around for several hours, prosecutors said.

At some point, an argument ensued after Coronel asked if the victim was pretty. Tensions heated, and Coronel ended up beating the woman and holding a firearm to her head. It was not clear why Coronel turned violent towards the victim. The victim walked away but later followed Coronel and he grabbed her and threw her in the middle of the street, prosecutors said.

He shot her in the head and in multiple parts of the body in front of witnesses outside. The victim was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where she was pronounced dead.

The Lexus pulled off and Coronel and another person walked to his home where he stashed the murder weapon. It was later recovered. Video surveillance captured the violent shooting and Coronel walking off, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Coronel is a felon, convicted in Indiana and Illinois. He has a 14-year-old child and an 8-month-old he shares with one of the witnesses.

The Cook County judge presiding over the hearing denied bail noting that Coronel argued back and forth while he stood over the victim and shot her multiple times, calling the incident extremely violent.

His next court date was scheduled June 21.

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EMORY, Va.  The Emory & Henry College community gathered Saturday to celebrate the inaugural Juneteenth Freedom Festival at the college with guest speakers, music, and food.

During the festivities, John Holloway, the vice-president of the Emory & Henry College office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, or DEIB, explained that Juneteenth, which takes place on June 19, is a celebration to commemorate the day enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom, two years after the emancipation proclamation and the end of the Civil War.

Juneteenth is the recognition of when, ultimately, slaves in Galveston, Texas, were free, Holloway said. Word (of the emancipation proclamation) did not make it to Texas, and so many of those families were enslaved for two additional years.

For Holloway Juneteenth, which was made into a federal holiday by the Biden administration in June 2021, is about bringing communities together to acknowledge, discuss and celebrate the past and present.

I really just want the community to come together and have a great time and to learn a little bit more about the resilience of African Americans and what theyve been able to survive though, Holloway said. Its also a chance for our community to come together beyond just African Americans, for everyone to come together and to really acknowledge our past, maybe even acknowledge some of the present divisions that we have.

During the celebrations, Rebecca Grantham, the E&H Technical Services librarian, presented her research on the life of Squire Miller Henry, who was employed as a porter and laborer at the college from 1869 to 1918 and was one of the earliest residents of the Blacksburg neighborhood in Glade Spring, Virginia.

Attendees to the inaugural Juneteenth festivities at E&H were serenaded by various musicians, including Dennis Hill, Marva Wheeler, The Gospel Sensations, the Wolf Hills Jazz Quartet, and the Community Mass Choir.

Chinyere Mabry, who will attend the University of Mary Washington as a freshman next semester, described Juneteenth as a breath of fresh air.

Its an opportunity to uplift voices. I feel like this is a day that should be to recognize not only what happened back then, but all the steps that we have been making toward being better as a community, Mabry said. Its a breath of fresh air, but that is one day of 365.

For Elizabeth Hill, whose husband worked at Emory & Henry and whose six children attended the college as students, Juneteenth is a blessing.

Things have gotten a lot better, we still have a long ways to go, but from where weve been and what weve been through, this is a blessing to come here today, Hill said. To celebrate this day that slaves were set free back in the times, and that we are free to come together today and enjoy each other.
Volodymyr was set to begin a new job as an international truck driver March 1 and Olha, his wife, was working in retail.

Before the war, it was a normal, quiet life, Volodymyr, 32, told the Danville Register & Bee through the familys host, Michael McNeely. We had a quiet life with plans and dreams.

The Volyks have been living with McNeely since they arrived in Danville from Ukraine on June 4.

McNeely has taken in the family as a host under the Uniting for Ukraine program run by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The program was announced April 22 as a step toward President Joe Bidens effort to welcome Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

Uniting for Ukraine provides a pathway for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily for a two-year parole, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.

It was McNeelys fascination with Eastern Europe that led him to take in the Volyks.

I decided to host a family because I have had a long interest in Eastern European politics and culture, said McNeely, who studied Russian for his bachelors degree from the University of Richmond. Ive been kind of oriented towards that area of the world for most of my life.

When the war started Feb. 24, McNeely was fixated on the news and he wanted to help.

It really isnt my skill set to go over there and join the military, but when this program was created, it was an opportunity for me to do something that I felt was constructive and helpful, McNeely said.

The Volyks chose to come to the U.S. because they felt it was a strong secure, and safe democratic country, Volodymyr said through McNeely.

This is not a dangerous country, said Olha, 25.

There was not a lot of opportunity in Ukraine, even before the war, Volodymyr said.

In love with area

As for the Dan River Region, the Volyks have fallen in love with Danville and Pittsylvania County. The area has beautiful scenery and friendly people, Volodymyr said.

Were trying to get used to it and to live up to your example of being nice to each other, he said.

The Volyks, who can stay for up to two years under the Uniting for Ukraine program, would like to remain in the U.S.

Ultimately, their goal is to immigrate and become permanent residents, McNeely said.

Volodymyr added, If this is possible, we would stay in this beautiful country.

The Volyks would live in the Danville/Pittsylvania County area, he said.

In the meantime, Volodymyr has submitted a form to get his authorization to work in the U.S. He plans to earn a commercial drivers license.

Hes looking to get that testing done here, McNeely said.

Hes also taking English classes at the Adult Learning Center in Danville.

Olha, who earned a degree in chemical engineering and oil-and-gas refining in Ukraine, will look after their 22-month-old daughter, Sofiia.

The process

For McNeely, the process for hosting a family included finding a matching family for his sponsorship and filling out a sponsorship application. The family to be hosted provides the host with their information and the government looks at the sponsors financial data to make sure they can provide a place to stay for the family.

Once the sponsorship is approved, the family confirms their identity and seeks a travel authorization to come to the U.S.

McNeely, who met the Volyks through a Facebook group, said the process for sponsorship took only three days to complete.

The Volyks also had to be tested for tuberculosis before coming to the U.S.

Volodymyr, who grew up in Vinnytsia, and Olha, who is originally from Monastyr Leshyanskie, came to Danville from Vinnytsia.

His hometown has a population of about 300,000, similar in numbers to Greensboro, North Carolina. The city has a factory that produces Russian candies and another that makes electronics for Volkswagens.

A factory was also being built in Vinnytsia for making ski equipment for the European market. The citys newly remodeled airport was bombed by the Russians the first day of the war.

Monastyr Leshyanskie is much smaller.

Its a really small village, Olha said.

Its more like a bedroom community, like a sleepy village, McNeely said.

The communitys residents work in other places, he said.

The Volyks keep in touch with their families, but the couples relatives have no plans to emigrate to the U.S.

Their parents are happy they [the Volyks] are safe, McNeely said. But they themselves dont want to leave.

However, a sister of Volodymyrs has left Ukraine and relocated to the United Kingdom.

Vinnytsia has been the target of attacks since the Russian invasion, including rocket strikes against the Havryshivka Vinnytsia International Airport on March 6; rocket fire that hit a television station March 16; and a March 25 airstrike against the Ukrainian Air Force command center, according to news reports.

Vinnytsia has been more or less a safe place, McNeely said, translating for Volodymyr, but the fear for the life of the family and daughter forced them to leave the country.

There is also concern among Ukrainians, Volodymyr said, that separatists and Russians in part of neighboring Moldova could invade from there as well.

McNeely said he is still receiving messages in his Facebook group from people seeking help. Other residents in the Dan River Region looking to host a family can contact him.

Id like to encourage anyone who can and is interested in the program to message me, McNeely said.

He can be contacted on Facebook or via email at mmcneely@usc.edu.
Throughout the halls of Catawba Valley Medical Center, there are nurses, doctors, staff members and patients. Occasionally, theres a four-legged friend.

After a brief hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pet therapy program at CVMC is back in operation. One of the pets that frequents the hospital most often is Oslo, a 4-year-old Labradoodle certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Accompanied by his owner, Anthony Diem, Oslo walks through the various floors of CVMC greeting anyone who might need a little extra puppy love.

It means a lot to me to be able to bring happiness to patients, Diem said. Being in the hospital isnt usually fun, so its awesome to bring smiles to their faces.

Oslo has been volunteering as a pet therapy dog for three years, a journey that first began at CVMC. Oslo isnt the first pet therapy dog to offer services at the hospital.

CVMC began its pet therapy program in 1999 with a residential dog on duty named Case E. After 10 years of work, the poodle retired in 2009.

Since Case Es retirement weve had a number of pet therapy volunteers brightening the day of staff and visitors, said Heather Bissell, CVMCs Inpatient Rehab Care coordinator. The volunteer teams visit most parts of the hospital. If youre having outpatient surgery and need a distraction prior to or after the procedure, if youre in the Inpatient Rehab unit and need help coping with missing your pet due to a longer hospital stay, or maybe youre in one of our patient rooms or waiting areas throughout the hospital  our pet therapy teams go everywhere to provide comfort.

Pet therapy can provide both physical and emotional relief. Physical benefits include lowering blood pressure and overall pain, as well as improving cardiovascular health. Emotional benefits include reduced anxiety and loneliness, increased socialization, and reduced depression.

Right now, CVMC has four pet therapy teams, although not all have returned to a regular volunteer schedule since the pandemic restricted visitation procedures.

Were always open to accepting pet therapy volunteers, but there is a process, Bissell said. Volunteer teams would need to be trained, as we do not provide training, and they need to have a pet therapy certification through an organization such as Therapy Dogs International or Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Information about each certification requirement and testing is easily found online.
One person is dead and another seriously injured after a shooting at home near St. Stephens Elementary School.

Capt. Aaron Turk with the Catawba County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a call of a breaking and entering around 2:45 a.m. Sunday.

Inside the home, the deputies found two people shot, Turk said. One person was dead. Another was taken to a hospital and is in critical condition.

Turk added that one person has been arrested in the case and that charges are pending.
By Trend

Five more civilians detained by Russian troops have been released from captivity through a prisoner swap with Russia. The relevant statement was made by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Facebook, Trend reports citing Ukrinform.

Today the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has conducted another prisoner swap under the 5 for 5 formula. Five Ukrainian citizens came back home, the report states.

According to the data from the Main Intelligence Directorate, four civilians were taken prisoner during battles in Kyiv Region, and three of them  during the seizure of Hostomel.

In addition, a body of the fallen Ukrainian defender was brought back home.
NEWTON  Newton announced that the North Carolina Department of Commerce recently awarded the city a $900,000 grant to fund the Downtown Newton Economic Infrastructure Revitalization Project.

The grant was awarded through the Rural Transformation Grant Fund administered by the Rural Economic Development Division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Grant funds will help Newton complete the final two phases of the Downtown Newton Economic Infrastructure Revitalization Project.

The city acknowledges its partners at the Western Piedmont Council of Governments for their assistance with the grant application and continued work to improve quality of life in Catawba County.

The Downtown Newton Economic Infrastructure Revitalization Project is a public investment aimed not only at setting the stage for private investment in downtown Newton but throughout the community. A concentrated initial focus on the six city blocks surrounding the 1924 Courthouse Square has generated significant private development interest as investors recognize Newtons dedication to improving quality of life and encouraging growth.

Each phase of the Downtown Newton Economic Infrastructure Revitalization Project includes replacement of outdated underground utilities and infrastructure, such as water and sewer lines. Installation of underground electric lines and fiberoptic communication lines ensures Newton is poised to meet the needs of businesses and residents as technology evolves. The projects above ground improvements include newly paved streets, bike lanes, widened paver sidewalks, decorative lighting, street trees, benches, and trash and recycle bins.

Construction on the remaining phases of the Downtown Newton Economic Infrastructure Revitalization Project is expected to begin as soon as funding is secured. With a once-in-a-generation public investment now half finished, Newton is already attracting new businesses, visitors, and residents.

The city is grateful to the North Carolina Department of Commerce for funding the Downtown Newton Economic Infrastructure Revitalization Project and looks forward to completing this transformational project.
Sarah Palin came out on top of last weekends primary to replace longstanding Alaskan congressman Don Young (who passed away in March). She now advances to the general election scheduled for Aug. 16.

Palins vice presidential campaign in 2008 heralded the ascendency of the populist wing of the Republican Party. Her campaign this year may again serve as a precursor, this time, for whats to come in the 2024 presidential election, assuming that Trump runs as expected. Yet despite similarities, there are important ways in which Trumps populist approach differs from Palins. Examining such differences can provide insights into how their bids for office could impact the GOP and national politics.

Palins Christian faith is essential to her identity. She has described an experience in Alaskas outdoor natural beauty when she was 11 as one in which she was reborn.

She concluded that if God knew what He was doing when he created Alaska, then He certainly had some ideas in mind when He created a speck like me.

From that day forward, she wrote in her 2010 book America by Heart, I put my life in Gods hands.

In her writing, Palin has recounted numerous times she has prayed, by herself and with her family, at important moments in her life. When she was told that her baby would have Down syndrome (her fifth born), she initially questioned God. In preparation for her sons birth (whom she and her husband Todd named Trig), she wrote a letter from the perspective of his creator.

She prayed, and when he was born, she wrote, I knew that not only had God made Trig different, but He had made him perfect.

Palins religious beliefs play an important role in her politics. She believes that faith played a decisive role in the creation of America and that prayer by American leaders in times of crisis is routine, bipartisan, and good.

Rather than John F. Kennedys approach to religion and politics in which he separated the two, she has praised Mitt Romneys speech during his 2004 presidential campaign in which he eloquently and correctly described the role of faith in American public life by embracing religion rather than wanting to run away from it (as she implies Kennedy did). For Palin, her faith, she says, guides her, in ways large and small, consciously and unconsciously, virtually nonstop.

Palins views on abortion are informed by her faith. She has unapologetically stated that she is, and always has been, pro-life. The birth of a son with special needs and her daughter Bristols teenage pregnancy, though at first difficult to accept, she has written, strengthened her anti-abortion beliefs. Choosing life may not be the easiest path, but its always the right path, she concluded. I had that confirmation.

The importance that Palin places on her faith stands in contrast to Trump, who is not known to be particularly religious.

Trump had pro-choice views prior to running to become president. The reason for his later change of heart, he says, was not because of his faith but because he observed that a friend of his who considered having an abortion but did not, had a child who ended up being a total superstar, a great, great child. That example, along with other similar ones that he observed, resulted in his adoption of a pro-life stance, he has said.

As a candidate for president in 2016, rather than prioritizing social issues, Trump focused on things such as the economy, immigration, and foreign policy toward China.

On immigration, Trump made implicit, and at times explicit, racial/ethnic appeals, tapping into white, working-class cultural anxieties. He promised to build a wall at the southern border to keep out illegal immigrants whom he characterized, in many cases, as being, criminals, drug dealers, rapists (while adding the qualifier that some, he assumed, were good people). He pledged to ban Muslims from entering the United States. He referred to African Americans using stereotypical tropes (saying, for example, to Blacks in America, Youre living in poverty; your schools are no good; you have no jobs.)

While president, Trump characterized Haiti and African states as shithole countries. He tweeted that the four minority women who constituted what was known as the squad, should go back to where they came from. In regard to clashes between white supremacists and protesters at an alt-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump said that there were very fine people, on both sides.

In her memoir, Palin credits her relationship with Todd, someone who is part Yupik Eskimo and hated prejudice, for expanding her worldview.

Getting to know his family, she has said, led her to a greater appreciation of Alaskas social diversity. Our background differences were exciting to me, Palin wrote in her memoir, and opened up my more sheltered world.

John McCain, Palins running mate in 2008, deliberately tried to avoid making race an issue in the election. He forbade using Obamas former association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright as a wedge issue.

When an audience member during a town hall meeting said that she did not trust Obama and referred to him as an Arab, McCain refuted her, saying he (Obama) was a decent family man, citizen and not (an Arab). Such an approach stands in contrast to Trumps racialized promotion of the birther conspiracy theory.

Palin objected, first in private, to the McCain campaign strategy of avoiding the topic of Obamas former association with Reverend Wright. The disagreement spilled out into the public when after being asked about Wright by conservative commentator Bill Kristol she replied that she did not know why that association isnt discussed more, because those were appalling things that the pastor had said about our great country. She went on to say that because he (Obama) didnt get up and leave  to me, that does say something about his character. After the campaign, Palin wrote that she would forever question the campaign for prohibiting discussion of such associations.

In America by Heart, Palin wrote that minorities were disproportionately affected by Hurricane Katrina not because of racism or government incompetence, but because of the high rate of fatherlessness among poor African Americans in New Orleans, which translated into high crime rates, rampant drug abuse, educational failure and chronic welfare dependency. Those on the Gulf Coast were not as adversely impacted by the hurricane, she wrote, due to having strong, intact families. Such views not only seem callous (in blaming the victims of a natural disaster), but also play into long-held stereotypes of African Americans being violent, ignorant, lazy, and prone to violence.

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the Trump presidency was his willingness to violate long-held democratic norms, as reflected most notably in his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election. Palin, like other prominent Republicans currently seeking office, has expressed skepticism over the results of the election.

During her time as governor, she was more circumspect. Shortly after being elected, Alaskas Supreme Court issued a ruling that required the state to offer benefits to partners of same-sex employees. Republicans in the state legislature responded by passing a bill that would have prohibited doing so, which the Court ruled unconstitutional.

Though Palin was opposed in principle to the state granting partner benefits to same sex state employees, she vetoed the bill, saying that she was bound to do so by the constitution, thereby earning respect among Democrats and others across the political spectrum for privileging the state constitution over a personally held belief.

That was more than 15 years ago. Whether Palin would feel such an obligation today, given the loosening of democratic norms, is uncertain.

A Palin and/or Trump electoral victory would bolster the populist wing of the Republican Party.

Each has the potential to influence the GOP, and national politics more broadly, in their own way. It is too early to make a prediction with confidence as to whether either will return to Washington. What is certain, though, is that both will continue to inspire fervent support among their admirers and inflame opposition among their detractors in ways that few other public officials in the United States do.

David Dreyer is a political science professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
MATTOON  The Fourth of July is still a couple of weeks away, but a large crowd of community members gathered Saturday at Peterson Park to mark a different independence day with a Juneteenth Celebration.

RealiTea ProjecT CEO Taneya Higginbotham, who helped organize the celebration, said Juneteenth marks the June 19, 1865, proclamation of freedom for Black slaves in Texas, at the far reaches of the defeated Confederacy at the end of the Civil War. She said enslaved people finally received the freedom that they had not been granted when the United Sates declared independence on July 4, 1776.

"It is a time of reflection and rejoicing," Higginbotham said of Juneteenth during the event, which was supported with the help of approximately $50,000 in grant funding from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.

The local RealiTea ProjecT partnered with the Coles County Faith-Based Coalition for Racial Justice to organize this second annual Juneteenth Celebration, following the inaugural event last year at Morton Park in Charleston.

"This is an important day for us to be able to mark the end of a horrible and tragic era in American history and to reflect on unfinished business and what we still need to do," said coalition member Richard Wandling.

Coalition members and other volunteers helped serve up free fried chicken wings from Black-owned Zesty Wingz, Chicken & Fish in Charleston, doughnuts from Black-owned Revival City Doughnuts in Charleston, and bottled water from County Market and Rural King.

Dionna Slaughter of Mattoon helped her 4-year-old daughter, Char' Li Pearson, and her mother, Donna Slaughter, get refreshments before they sat down to enjoy live music by the Razor Sharp Band and Jeniece Mitchell.

She said the celebration was a great opportunity for community members to gather together and learn about Juneteenth, which has gained more prominence since becoming a national holiday in 2021.

"I am excited to teach my own daughter about Juneteenth, as well," Dionna Slaughter said. "This is a good starting point for her."

Free Juneteenth Celebration T-shirts, created by Black-owned Dom's Custom Designs in Champaign, were also given out at the event. Volunteers Artez Hamlin of Mattoon and Khamari Tuell of Champaign helped staff the T-shirt booth.

Hamlin said he was glad to see so many people come out for the celebration and learn about Juneteenth. He said Juneteenth had been overlooked or forgotten as a holiday, so he has been glad to see national holiday status help "bring it into the light"

"I think it's great we can get together and spread awareness," Tuell said. "For me, Juneteenth is just as important as the Fourth of July because it kind of represents the same thing."

The celebration also featured an informational booth for BIPOC for Better Birth, a grassroots organization that addresses the unique needs of Black, Indigenous, People of Color who continue to face disproportionally poor pregnancy and birth outcomes. The group was founded by Victoria Baez, Michelle Burton and Isis Rose.

Burton, an Eastern Illinois University alumnus who is a doula and a student midwife, said the event provided an opportunity to talk about BIPOC for Better Birth's support services for expectant and new mothers while joining in with the celebration of Juneteenth.

"The fact that it is out there now and is a federal holiday is beautiful," Burton said. Her husband and fellow Eastern alumnus, artist Antonio Burton, displayed his works and provided children's art activities during the event.

Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861. Follow him on Twitter: @TheRobStroud

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Achievers

Leadership North Carolina held graduation for its 29th class May 11 at the North Carolina Museum of History.

Each year, through a rigorous selection process, LNC chooses a class of established and emerging leaders from across the state to participate in its program. Leadership North Carolinas Class 29 comprises top leaders from the government, business, nonprofit and education sectors.

Local participants included: Amanda Balwah, associate vice chancellor for institutional integrity, UNC School of the Arts; Manju Bhat, interim associate dean, Winston-Salem State University; Erin Lynch, associate provost of research, WSSU; and Jeff Smith, owner, Smittys Notes and SmittysNotes.com.

* * * *

Joyner Edmundson was recently elected treasurer of CFA Society North Carolina, an association of more than 1,400 finance and investment professionals. The society is the North Carolina affiliate of the CFA Institute, a global organization of more than 190,000 investment professionals.

Edmundson, with more than 25 years of investment experience, is an investment adviser for Salem Investment Counselors in Winston-Salem, an independent wealth management firm with $3.4 billion in assets under management.

* * * *

Gov. Roy Cooper announced four judicial appointments to district courts across the state.

Local appointments include:

Gretchen Hollar Kirkman

as District Court judge in District 17B, which serves Surry and Stokes counties. She will fill the vacancy created by the passing of Judge Spencer Key. Currently, Kirkman is the sole practitioner at the Law Office of Gretchen Hollar Kirkman.

Matthew Rupp

as District Court judge in District 24, which serves Avery, Madison, Mitchell, Watauga and Yancey counties. He will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Larry Leake. Rupp is currently a partner at Angle, Rupp and Rupp, Attorneys at Law.

Announcements

Family-owned and operated Allen Industries, based out of Greensboro, acquired the Mount Airy production facility of national sign company Kieffer|Starlite (previously Burton Signworks) on April 6.

Allen Industries got its start in 1931 with neon signs, growing into a full-service signage and architectural elements manufacturer and installation company. The fourth-generation sign-maker has a national footprint with manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Florida, Arizona and Ohio. The Mount Airy facility will be Allen Industries seventh location, allowing the signage company more capacity, equipment and expertise to design, build and maintain every type of signage and re-imaging program and fulfill even more projects across the U.S. and abroad. Allen Industries completed nearly 2,000 national and international installations last year.

Allen Industries plans to add employees and bring back the numbers and culture of the former Burton Electric Signs/Burton Signworks and welcomes all applications. For information, visit www.allenindustries.com/careers.

Awards

Dr. Anthony Atala of Winston-Salem was presented with the 2022 Jacobson Innovation Award at the American College of Surgeons dinner held June 10 in his honor in Chicago. He is currently the George Link Jr. Professor and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the W. H. Boyce professor and chairman of urology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The international surgical award from the ACS honors living surgeons who are innovators of a new development or technique in any field of surgery.

Atala is a pediatric urologist, researcher, professor and mentor who is renowned for developing foundational principles for regenerative medicine research, which holds great promise for people who require tissue substitution and reconstruction. Atala and his team successfully implanted the worlds first laboratory grown bladder in 1999.

* * * *

Bernie Mann, president and publisher of Our State magazine, is the 2022 recipient of the City and Regional Magazine Associations Milton W. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award. Each year, the City and Regional Magazine Association honors a person or business who has greatly contributed to the industry.

Mann received the award at a ceremony May 23 in St. Louis during the associations annual conference.

Mann purchased The State magazine in 1996 and changed the name to Our State to reflect the inclusive nature of the magazine.

The magazine has grown from 23,000 subscribers in 1996 to 188,000 today. The magazine celebrates its 89th anniversary in June 2022.

In March 2018, Mann sold the company into an ESOP, an employee stock ownership plan. While he remains the publisher of Our State, he is no longer the owner  the employees are.

On the Move

Maya Brooks is the new assistant curator of contemporary art, serving both the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh and the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art. The new position, which started June 2, builds on the past two years of Brooks experience as the Mellon Foundation Assistant Curator at NCMA.

Send press releases to people@greensboro.com.
A driver crashed his vehicle Saturday on Interstate 40 East near Clemmonsville Road after his vehicle was struck by gunfire, authorities said.

While the driver was being treated at a local hospital, his condition deteriorated, Winston-Salem police said. His injuries from the crash are now being listed as critical and life threatening, police said.

Police didnt identify the driver.

Officers responded at 4:49 p.m. to a reported discharging of firearms into an occupied vehicle on the highway, police said. When police arrived on the scene, they found the crashed vehicle, which had gunshot damage to it.

The driver, who was the vehicles only occupant, wasnt shot, but he suffered injuries in the crash, police said. The investigation into the incident is in the early stages, and the police didnt provide any further details about it.

Anyone with information about this incident can call Winston-Salem police at 336-773-7700, 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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The tears, heartache and years of work fruitlessly lobbying for tightening the nations gun laws took their toll on Susan Kirby Browder.

Following the 2012 killing of her 29-year-old daughter  Sarah Browder was shot in the neck by her husband and died four days later  Browder and her husband Sandy immersed themselves into pressing for laws aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers, people with a history of mental illness and/or a proven propensity for violence.

Passing common-sense reforms of the sort supported by a large majority of Americans seemed a modest goal.

The Browders helped form a local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, a grassroots lobbying organization founded by parents of children slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary, and set to work.

Ten years passed with little other than lip service. Members of North Carolinas congressional delegation  U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis in particular  offered little other than thoughts and prayers given so many times that they turned into punchlines and memes.

And then, following the slaughter of 19 kids and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, some signs of progress emerged in Washington.

Baby steps, yes, but supported by 10 Republican senators once considered impediments  Burr and Tillis among them.

Its the first time since my daughter died that I felt like either of them  Ive talked to both about it  made me feel like they were listening.

Long road

The long road to realizing even modest reform began for the Browders early in the morning of Sept. 23, 2012, when a newspaper carrier found Sarah with gunshot wounds to her throat and shoulder.

Shed been shot by her husband, a jealous, troubled and controlling active-duty Marine, who turned the gun on himself. Sarah Virginia Carr Browder died four days later after being removed from life-support. She was 29.

People always say that it does get better, Susan Browder said in 2017 just before a fundraiser for Moms Demand Action. And for us, it does. We grieve and think about her every day. Its not debilitating now.

My whole family has thrown ourselves into trying to keep it from happening to anybody else.

Of course, not much of substance changed.

Carnage continued in places that have become part of a gruesome litany: Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, Fla., Buffalo and Uvalde. It happened in churches, schools and grocery stores.

Sandy and Susan moved from Winston-Salem to Florida, unable to resist the pull of grandchildren and wintertime warmth.

They continued to press for gun-law reform, obviously, but began to wonder what it would take to break the hold, greased by campaign cash, that the National Rifle Association had over politicians.

Burr, to the surprise of no one whos followed the ignominious end to a career, drank deeply from the NRA trough by banking a cool $7 million, second most among the Senate hog pen.

Tillis raked in a more modest $4.4 million  smaller, yes, but good for fourth on that list.

Then came Uvalde, a tragedy made far worse by the specter of police standing around for more than 45 minutes while listening to children die. Suddenly some of the political class  at least those standing in the way of any change  realized that thoughts, prayers and running out the clock wasnt going to cut it this time.

A bipartisan group of senators, including Tillis, announced over the framework for a deal.

Proposals

The proposals, while modest, include strengthening background checks for people under 21 by including their juvenile records in the those checks, investing in mental-health programs and providing a carrot in the form of federal money to states that opt to enact red-flag laws which make it easier for law-enforcement, with a court order, to seize guns from people deemed to be dangerous.

Another would close a so-called boyfriend loophole. Current law prohibits spouses (or unmarried co-parents) convicted of domestic violence or under a restraining order from owning guns; the framework spelled out would extend that to significant others.

The framework, negotiated by a bipartisan group of senators including Tillis, does not include raising the age limit to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21 nor prohibiting the sale of high-capacity magazines holding 15 or more rounds.

The explanation, of course, is simple. In an evenly divided Senate, any gun-control proposal that strays beyond stronger background checks or plying states with money to enact their own red-flag laws stands no chance.

Still, to people like Susan Browder long accustomed to indifference (or outright hostility) from some in Congress, even a hint of a deal is a ray of light piercing years of darkness.

Any improvement that keeps a weapon out of someones hands who shouldnt have one will save a life, she said Monday. If one new law keeps one murderer from being able to get a gun then somebody will not die.

I was very depressed (about a lack of progress) for a while but Ive gone from being depressed to being energized.  there is hope. If there is change that can save another family from going through what we have experienced, it helps. It all helps.

And for many, hope and change far outweighs empty thoughts and prayers.

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About 6,500 people attended Winston-Salems annual Juneteenth Festival Saturday in Bailey Park and the Biotech Place in the citys Innovation Quarter.

The festival featured African American cultural traditions such as music, dancing, food and arts and crafts to celebrate June 19, 1865, the date that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned that they had been freed months after the Civil War ended.

More than 75 wellness, merchandise, nonprofit exhibitors and vendors participated in the festival, including the operators of food trucks.

Entertainers performed on stages inside the Biotech Place and outside at Bailey Park in downtown Winston-Salem.

Fleming El-Amin, a Forsyth County commissioner, conducted a libation ceremony in the Biotech place at the festivals opening event to honor the ancestors of African Americans out of respect for what they did to make this day possible for us.

You have to respect those who came before you, El-Amin said, so you will have clarity for where you are going tomorrow.

Our ancestors came from the east, many of them on the bottom of slave ships, El-Amin said. They were so close to each other (that) they shared body fluids.

The enslaved people suffered pain and turmoil to come to this country, which was known then as Great Britains colonies in North America, El-Amin said.

The libation also honored enslaved people and freed Blacks who lived throughout the United States and the enslaved people who also were taken to South American countries such as Brazil, El-Amin said.

The slogan for this years event, Freedom and the will to be free, is appropriate for many reasons, Mayor Allen Joines said.

There is still a lot work to be done, Joines said, quoting former President Barack Obamas statement about Juneteenth in June 2020.

Freedom is a never-ending process, Joines said. Each generation must take up the mantle  take it to that next level and reaffirm those freedoms.

Joines asked about 300 attendees who gathered inside the Biotech Place for the festivals opening ceremony if they could imagine how the enslaved people felt in Galveston, Texas, when they learned that they were free.

I cant imagine what jubilation occurred that morning, Joines said. And so today, we are celebrating that.

Joines then announced that the city of Winston-Salem has made Monday, June 20, 2022, as the citys official Juneteenth holiday.

On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation establishing a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery; Juneteenth, or June 19, would be the 12th federal holiday.

Its a great testimony to this country in support of this event, Joines said.

Benny and Inez Fair, who live in the Midway community in Davidson County, said they attended the Juneteenth festival to celebrate their heritage.

Black peoples ancestors would have a marvelous reaction to the nationwide Juneteenth celebrations this year, Inez Fair said.

If our ancestors were here with us today, they would be celebrating our freedom, Inez Fair said.

George Gambrell, of Winston-Salem, also attended the citys Juneteenth festival to celebrate the event and how it got started, he said.

It was started for the freedom of Black people  who were freed from slavery, Gambrell said.

Takisha Fisher, who also lives in Winston-Salem, said she attended the festival to see how organizers staged the event in the Innovation Quarter.

This is so nice, Fisher said of the events venue. Im glad they built up this place.

Throughout the festival, many attendees stopped by many food vendors for beverages and items such as hot dogs, fried onions, French fries and shrimp and grits.

Taste of the Triad, a restaurant at 4320 Old Walkertown Road, was a vendor for the first time at the Juneteenth festival, said Christopher Smith, a chef at the business. Five employees worked at the restaurants venue on Fifth Street.

We have the best tasting soul food in the Triad, Smith said. We are the only ones out here selling oxtails, turkey legs and pork ribs.

Taste of the Triads tent had a steady flow of customers during the festival, Smith said.

The Winston-Salem State University School of Health Sciences brought a bus to provide health-care screenings in the parking lot of the Biotech Place off Fifth Street.

Cecil Holland, the associate dean for the WSSU Division of Nursing, said that its bus was at Saturdays festival to provide health care services to the local community.

The overall health of people who were screened by the WSSU health-care providers was pretty good, Holland said. But we have a few clients who we want to do some follow-up with.

The Winston-Salem Black Chamber of Commerce staged its first exhibit at the Juneteenth festival Saturday inside the Biotech Place.

Gloria Hairston, the chambers vice president, said that organization wanted to join the citywide celebration of Juneteenth this year.

We are celebrating Black history in June, Hairston said. We love celebrating African American history.

Kedrick Conerly, the chambers secretary, said, We want to make sure people know that we are out here.

We are here to help small businesses in our community to become successful, Conerly said.

On Friday night, Zuri Sweatt, a junior at West Forsyth High School, won the Queen Juneteenth title at the inaugural Queen Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant at Paisley IB Magnet School in Winston-Salem, said Cheryl Harry, the director of Triad Cultural Arts Inc. That organization staged the pageant.

Sweatt was awarded a four-year tuition scholarship to a historically black college or university, Harry said.

The pageants first runner-up was Kinley Copeland, who attends Reagan High School, Harry said. The events second runner up was Kianna Andrews, who attends Parkland High School.

The pageants third runner up was Teoni Ingram, who attends Glenn High School, Harry said. The events fourth runner up was Shaniyae Simmons, who attends Carter G. Woodson School of Challenge.

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Winston-Salem police said that they responded to a shooting Sunday morning after being told that a man had come to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg.

The victim, Israel Gustavo Franco-Gomez, 21, of Wilkes Drive in Winston-Salem, was in a car in the area of Thomasville Road and Waughtown Street when he was shot.

The preliminary investigation revealed an unknown suspect fired into the vehicle occupied by the victim, police said.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

Franco-Gomez is being treated for non-life threatening injuries. He arrived at the hospital about 4:45 a.m. on Sunday.

The Winston-Salem Police Department is asking for the publics assistance in this case.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident or similar crimes is asked to call the Winston-Salem Police Department at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800, or En Espanol 336-728-3904.

You can also view Crime Stoppers of Winston-Salem Forsyth County on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/crimestopperswsfc Crime Stoppers Tip Form can also be located online at https://www.cityofws.org/FormCenter/Police-Department-19/Crimestoppers-Tip-Form-100

336-727-7308

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By Trend

An F-14 fighter jet crashed at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday local time in Isfahan Province, southern Iran, after the pilots safely ejected, Trend reports citing IRNA.

The fighter was on mission when it encountered a technical failure in its engine that led to the crash, a spokesman for the Irans Army in Isfahan Province told IRNA.

The pilot and copilot managed to eject but were transferred to hospital due to injuries, according to Colonel Rasoul Mo'tamedi.

No one was killed in the crash, he said.
RALEIGH  Entrepreneur and civic leader Algenon Cash is the host of Locked In, a program on Greensboro radio station WTOB. I appeared on a recent episode along with former Gov. Pat McCrory, whod just lost the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

McCrory had much to say about that race, as you might expect. But what I found particularly striking were his reflections about the political label RINO.

Reportedly coined in 1992 by a writer for the New Hampshire Union Leader, its an acronym for Republican In Name Only. During McCrorys primary contest with U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker and several others, the former governor got called a RINO numerous times  and not just by supporters of the eventual winner, Budd.

It was hardly the first time McCrory had drawn criticism from fellow Republicans for positions hed taken. During his lengthy tenure as mayor of Charlotte, he supported a sales-tax increase to fund the construction of a light-rail system. That wasnt popular with local Republican activists and conservative writers, including yours truly.

McCrory got his tax hike, and the transit project, and believes to this day it was a good policy. Hes well-aware of the fact that other conservatives disagree. Moreover, when he was governor, McCrory occasionally took other positions with which prominent members of his party differed. Again, hes been in politics a long time. Hes never struck me as surprised at having to defend his views. Indeed, he appears to relish it.

What has left McCrory frustrated about the 2022 campaign, however, is that there was so little discussion of serious issues, including any substantive case made against his authenticity as a Republican. Asked whether hed support Budd in the fall campaign, McCrory replied that he was no longer sure of the definition of conservatism in North Carolina, because it may have changed and I need to get clarification of that.

For example, he noted that Senate leader Phil Berger and many of his colleagues endorsed Budd as the conservative choice in the GOP primary  and then voted overwhelmingly to expand Medicaid, which McCrory called the most damn liberal thing Ive seen.

The former governor has a point here. For more than a decade, Republican leaders and conservative activists have expressed stalwart opposition to Medicaid expansion. They argued it would make more North Carolinians into welfare recipients. They also argued it was fiscally irresponsible. I made those arguments many times myself.

Im still against Medicaid expansion, as is McCrory. But state senators, including Berger, now favor it. Does that make them RINOs?

No. It only means theyve changed their minds. When Phil Berger became Senate leader, the states Medicaid program was poorly administered and often ran deficits. Fortunately, over the past decade, Republican leadership in the General Assembly has turned Medicaid around in North Carolina, he told reporters.

Berger also observed, correctly, that the Affordable Care Act is not going to go away. Republicans held the White House and Congress in 2017 and 2018. That was the time to rewrite at least the ACAs Medicaid component (which was its most significant and expensive). Republicans did nothing. Berger argues their inaction left holdout states such as North Carolina with no practical alternative but to strike the best expansion deal possible. He thinks this is the year to do it.

Many conservatives, including members of the North Carolina House, remain unpersuaded. They point out another practical reality: Medicare and Medicaid are fiscally unsustainable in their current form. They consume nearly 30% of all federal revenues, a share that is rapidly growing (and will grow even faster if North Carolina and other holdouts expand Medicaid). From 1967 to 2020, the two programs cost a combined $17.8 trillion. During the same period, federal deficits totaled $17.9 trillion. You do the math.

Can Republicans can disagree about this pivotal issue without resorting to political excommunication? I think the answer is yes. But I can understand why McCrory finds that answer unsatisfying.

John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His latest books, Mountain Folk and Forest Folk, combine epic fantasy with early American history (FolkloreCycle.com). Follow Hood on Twitter @JohnHoodNC.
The Jan. 6 committee hearings continue to provide revelations that should be of interest to every American. Gas, food and housing prices are urgent concerns  but for patriotic Americans, keeping our democracy alive is, too.

The hearings have thus far been conducted in an orderly fashion with little distraction. Every witness has revealed pertinent information as the committee makes its case that former President Trump is largely responsible for the illegal, destructive and unconstitutional acts conducted on or around Jan. 6, 2021, at the nations Capitol.

Retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig, with a distinguished career serving under conservative presidents and justices, testified before the committee on Thursday.

He reaffirmed, as he told then-Vice President Mike Pence before the Jan. 6 ceremony to certify the Electoral College votes, that Pence had no leeway in the matter: His constitutionally defined job was to put the election to bed, not send it back to the states  despite the crazy scheme concocted by attorney John Eastman that caught then-President Trumps ambitious imagination.

After spending four years subservient to Trumps whims, Pence was still reluctant to rebel at the end  even though every reputable legal authority he consulted, as well as former Vice President Dan Quayle, told him that he had no choice.

Luttig reiterated that view under oath Thursday, adding that Trumps efforts to stop the certification process was a war on democracy.

I believe that had Vice President Pence obeyed the orders from (Trump)  that declaration of Donald Trump as the next president would have plunged America into what I believe would have been tantamount to a revolution within a constitutional crisis in America, which in my view  would have been the first constitutional crisis since the founding of the republic, Luttig said.

Luttig also testified that there was no legal justification for the fake electors scheme Eastman had pushed on Trump  the notion that once Pence sent the electors back to the states, under the phony claim that they were problematic because of presumed but never proved voter fraud, states with Trump-supporting legislatures could then submit alternate slates of electors, thus giving Trump the presidency.

We learned last week not only that Trump was told, repeatedly, that hed lost the election, but he was also repeatedly told by his own staff and legal advisers that Eastmans plot to overturn the election was illegal.

Greg Jacob, Pences top White House lawyer, told the committee that even Eastman believed his scheme was illegal and expected it would be rejected by all nine of the Supreme Court justices. In fact, Eastman asked Trump to be included on his pardon list.

Why Eastman would push such a cockamamie scheme, which he knew was doomed to fail, we may never know, especially since he largely pleaded the Fifth when giving his own deposition to the committee.

But nothing swayed Trump, who was bound and determined to remain in office. At this point, were surprised that he didnt have to be carried out, kicking and screaming.

Despite the committees ability to get to the truth, some claim this is all ancient history. They would prefer we look ahead.

For them, well let Judge Luttigs closing statement serve:

I have written that  today, almost two years after that fateful day in January of 2021, that still, Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy.

Thats not because of what happened on January 6th.

Thats because, to this very day, the former president, his allies, and supporters pledge that in the presidential election of 2024, if the former president or his anointed successor as the Republican Party presidential candidate were to lose that election, that they would attempt to overturn that 2024 election in the same way that they attempted to overturn the 2020 election, but succeed in 2024 where they failed in 2020.

I dont speak those words lightly. I would have never spoken those words ever in my life except that thats what the former president and his allies are telling us. The former president and his allies are executing that blueprint for 2024 in open and plain view of the American public.
In 2019, business leaders across Nebraska set an ambitious goal: Grow the states technology sector by adding 10,000 employees by 2025.

Halfway through that timeframe, theyre about 13% of the way there. Nebraska went from 49,500 tech jobs in 2019 to 50,800 in 2021.

Of course, there have been roadblocks along the way  the COVID-19 pandemic being chief among them.

The pandemic definitely just put a huge damper on everything for everyone. I feel like were still trying to climb out of that, said Jona Van Deun, president of Nebraska Tech Collaborative.

Though the pace of growth in tech jobs has been slow, the state does appear to be on track with meeting growth goals for tech companies. The state set a goal of adding 300 tech companies by 2025. Thus far, it has added 147, according to data presented last month at the Aksarben Foundations stakeholders meeting in La Vista. The foundation brings together business and community leaders with the goal of bolstering Nebraskas workforce and economy.

And the conversation on increasing the tech industrys presence within Nebraska is still humming  which Van Deun considers a success.

Three years ago, we werent talking about Nebraskas tech workforce, she said. The tech industry really rose to the occasion.

The increase in tech employees is not limited to startups. Mutual of Omaha, for example, has added about 300 tech employees since 2019 for a company total of over 1,300 employees in that sector.

Mike Lechtenberger, chief information officer at Mutual, said the Fortune 500 insurance and financial services company prefers to hire regionally in Nebraska and western Iowa, but there have been cases where the company went outside the region to secure talent.

Even among Mutuals employees who live in and around Omaha, the ability to work remotely or in a hybrid setting is a highly desired perk.

The question comes up almost every time during job interviews, Lechtenberger said.

For some areas in Nebraska, remote work has opened doors for people to live where they want without sacrificing career prospects.

Angie Stenger, executive director of Aksarben Foundations Northeast Nebraska Growing Together workforce initiative, said places like Norfolk, which is where the initiative is based, have fostered such arrangements by, among other things, emphasizing a tech- and entrepreneurial-friendly ecosystem.

Growing Together has also partnered with Wayne State College to offer a scholarship program that provides internship opportunities at Norfolk area businesses. The program is available to students who major in computer science, business or communications.

These kids are learning amazing things. We dont want them to have to go to the big city. We want to be their home, Stenger said.

Average tech salaries in Omaha are slightly above $80,000 while Lincolns average tech salaries fall just below that number, according to a graph presented to the Aksarben Foundation stakeholders last month. Lincoln saw slightly higher wage growth at about 3% while Omaha was more stagnant at just over 2%.

Compared with two dozen other metropolitan areas roughly similar in size, the average salaries and growth rate in Nebraskas two largest cities lag behind places such as Fayetteville, Arkansas, which Van Deun said leaped past many cities in offering higher average wages for tech employees and saw wage growth at nearly 4%.

Compared to our peers  we are not where we need to be, Van Deun said.

Broadband access remains an issue in some rural areas. While various efforts are being made to increase access, its not an issue that has a quick fix.

Some communities have gotten creative in bridging the gap. As an example, Stenger pointed to Invest Nebraskas plans to open a co-working space in Norfolk to provide high-speed internet to people who have otherwise limited or no broadband internet access.

While young people are a primary demographic to fill tech positions within Nebraska, some businesses including Mutual are also looking at experience in other fields.

Lechtenberger said one of Mutual of Omahas job training programs includes a partnership with Metropolitan Community College where Mutual identifies current employees who have the aptitude and qualifications to be trained for a technological job within Mutual.

They know our culture. They know our business so its really a win-win to be able to find candidates like that and partner with MCC (to) make a pathway for them into an IT career at Mutual, he said.

Business leaders are also encouraged by long-term demographic trends, particularly among Latinos. Latinos are projected to increase their share of the states population from the current levels of roughly 12% to around 38% by 2050.

For Nebraska, thats our greatest advantage, said Sandra Reding, president of Aksarben Foundation, adding the Latino population is very young and could eventually help buffer an aging trend in the states workforce.

Van Deun echoed those sentiments, saying the projected rise in the Latino population is something we really need to watch and lean into as it pertains to creating more opportunities for our students here in the state.

Thats the long game, she said.

That long game is something that Nebraska government leaders have taken stock of in an attempt to foster a more tech-friendly atmosphere in recent years.

This past legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill introduced by State Sens. Terrell McKinney of Omaha and Julie Slama of Dunbar that will require high school students to complete at least one computer science or technology course in order to graduate from high school beginning with the 2026-27 school year.

Its important to make sure that we prepare our kids for a future after school, McKinney said. If we dont emphasize the importance of tech, I feel as though students in Nebraska would get left behind.

Through the various initiatives, business and government leaders hope that the state one day gains a reputation as one of the nations top tech environments where its smaller size could be considered an advantage.

I would hope to see us at least in the top 25 places that people can go ... to build a company, Van Deun said. Because we are the size that we are, we have an incredible opportunity to connect people and connect them quickly.

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Churchills Great Escapes: Seven Incredible Escapes Made by WWII Heroes by Damien Lewis, Citadel Press, 352 pages, $ 27.

Disregard for our nations history is now acceptable to some segments of todays society. To ignore the sacrifices of those remembered on Memorial Day and D-Day diminishes each citizen. Damien Lewis is a British writer whose books will insure that the passing World War II generation will not fade from our memories.

His latest book, Churchills Great Escapes, describes the indefatigable determination of seven separate prisoners of war who survived nearly impossible circumstances and managed to escape their Italian and German captors. Their stories are so remarkable that many readers would deem them fictional.

Fortunately, author Lewis has access to the official records of the British Special Air Service, an elite unit of super-commandos which Winston Churchill formed to wreak havoc behind enemy lines. He has also interviewed living relatives of the men and reviewed their personal memoirs and papers.

Finally, he includes a four page insert of photos of the escapees, who are all now deceased, which authenticates the veracity of their narratives. Many readers will have similar World War II vintage pictures of fathers and grandfathers who were involved in in the conflict.

The subjects of the escapes include Canadian and Irish as well as English soldiers. Both enlisted men and officers who attended renowned British institutes of higher learning are represented. Most learned their survival skills during their rigorous training for the special services.

The thrilling details of each escape will be left for the reader but several of the involved soldiers escaped on multiple occasions after being recaptured. Their exploits involved plunging from a flaming bomber, navigating the Mediterranean Sea on a leaking boat, jumping from a moving hospital train while wounded, and avoiding enemy patrols by makeshift disguises and subterfuge. Physical hardships included the arid deserts of North Africa and the freezing peaks of the Italian Alps.

None of the escapees would have succeeded without the aid of Italian partisans, French maquis, the Greek resistance, or Bedouin nomads. Even a sympathetic German military doctor helped save one of the soldiers.

Readers who enjoyed Lewiss previous book, Churchills Band of Brothers, reviewed in this space May 2, 2021 or the American Civil War escape in I Held Lincoln, reviewed May 30, 2021, will find this book a compelling example of historys value for future generations.

J. Kemper Campbell, M.D., is a retired Lincoln ophthalmologist whose father experienced the Battle of the Bulge and whose father-in-law was seriously wounded in North Africa.

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It's official: In a few weeks, the Pershing mural is coming down  carefully.

A small group of people working furiously to raise enough money to remove, restore and reinstall the giant mural that has graced the Pershing Center for 65 years has decided to move ahead even though theyre still about $35,000 short of what is needed for the tile removal.

Mike McCullough, who owns MTZ Properties, agreed to remove the more than 760,000 tiles for $844,000, said Liz Shea-McCoy, who is leading the effort to save the mural. She said shes confident theyll raise the remaining money to pay for the removal.

Im pinching myself  we are so close, Shea-McCoy said. I think the enthusiasm is incredible for this thing.

The group began work March 1 to raise $3 million needed to safely remove the tiles, restore them and reinstall them somewhere else  an ambitious goal necessitated by the citys plans to demolish the building.

The groups first task was to raise $13,000 to pay for a feasibility study that determined there was no asbestos in the mural itself and that it could be saved.

The dilapidated auditorium, however, is full of asbestos and its demolition is part of a plan by Omaha-based White Lotus to redevelop the block bounded by Centennial Mall, 16th, N and M streets, where Pershing sits.

The $25 million to $30 million plan for the block includes affording housing, small retail, a wellness center, child care center, underground parking, community green space and  if voters eventually pass a bond issue  a three-level public library.

Library supporters have decided to hold off on bringing forward a bond issue this year to help pay for the new building.

The White Lotus project will go on with or without the library, but funding issues could affect when the project begins. In an agreement with the city, the developer has three years to purchase the site because of the uncertainty of getting limited and competitive affordable housing tax credits needed to help pay for the project.

Regardless of the timing, the city wants to begin asbestos removal and demolish Pershing as soon as possible, though the other issues appear to have given the mural supporters a bit of breathing room.

A May 1 deadline was extended to June 1 and supporters decided if they raised the first $1 million by then it would give them time to raise the remaining money, though the actual cost of the removal is slightly less than that.

The extension allowed supporters to take advantage of Give to Lincoln Day, which netted $81,800 in donations.

In total, the group has received more than 780 donations, including large pledges from several charitable foundations.

To all those who have supported saving the Pershing mural with donations, give yourself a pat on the back, Shea-McCoy said. The mural will be saved, but there is still a little bit of money left to raise.

Shea-McCoy said her group has been working closely with the city to begin removal of the tiles  a mural of 38 figures depicting an array of sporting, dance and circus events  in early July. The process is expected to take two months.

Once the tiles are down, the contractor has a warehouse where the tiles will be stored. The committee initially explored the idea of reinstalling the 38-foot-by-140-foot mural at the Lancaster Event Center, and while thats still a possibility, theyre exploring other options, Shea-McCoy said. Those include talks with the city about installing it at a well-trafficked public place, like a city park.

That means the fundraising effort  once they finish the first phase to take the tiles down  isnt over. The cost to restore the tiles and reinstall them will cost an additional $1.4 million, Shea-McCoy said, and theyd like to raise an additional $200,000 for an endowment to maintain the mural.

Tax deductible donations can be made at nshsf.org/projects/pershing-mural/ or by mailing a check to the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation, 128 N. 13th St., Suite 1010, Lincoln, NE 68508. Note "Pershing Mural in the memo line of the check.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSreist

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OMAHA  Police are investigating a pair of early morning shootings, including one that injured three people near a bar in Omaha's Old Market Saturday.

Officers initially responded to a report of shots fired at Gate 10 just before 1 a.m., according to a news release from the Omaha Police Department. Officers soon learned that a vehicle reportedly involved in the shooting was seen leaving the area.

Police pursued the vehicle to 42nd and Dodge streets, where they found two people with gunshot injuries, according to police. The two, 31-year-old George Thompson and 27-year-old Jordan Thompson, were taken to Nebraska Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

A third person, Detail Johnson, 28, arrived at Nebraska Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries and said he was also at Gate 10, according to police.

Officers later responded to a reported shooting near 12th and Castelar Streets around 4:20 a.m., according to police. The person injured in the shooting, Delray Bradshaw, 25, left the scene before officers arrived.

He arrived at Nebraska Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries shortly after the 911 call, according to police.

Both shootings remain under investigation. Police ask anyone with information regarding either incident to call Omaha Crime Stoppers at (402)444-7867. Tips also can be provided at www.omahacrimestoppers.org or on the P3 Tips mobile app.

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A Scottsbluff woman died late Saturday night after her vehicle was hit from behind by a semi-trailer truck.

The Dodge Caravan was traveling westbound on I-80 in Deuel County when it was hit, according to Nebraska State Patrol. Haroldene Rodriguez, 55, was ejected as the vehicle rolled and was pronounced dead on the scene.

Leopoldo Rodriguez, 43, and two children were also in the vehicle and were taken to Sidney Regional Medical Center with nonlife-threatening injuries.

The driver of the semi, Atinder Singh, 30, of Bellrose, New York, was arrested for motor vehicle homicide and careless driving. He was lodged in Cheyenne County Jail.

Singh was uninjured.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2657 or jebbers@journalstar.com

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OMAHA -- No flyer likes turbulence, so the Fasten Seat Belts light will be turned on for this recounting of the early history of Eppley Airfield.

The airport has made it through nearly 100 years at the same spot east of Carter Lake and with a $600 million update on the way, its not moving. Any obstacle now couldnt compare what was overcome before it was named for the late Omaha hotel magnate Eugene C. Eppley in 1960.

Be it the original swampy ground, the trees that couldnt be cut down, the birthing pains or the Missouri River floods of 1943 and 1952, the notion of somebody goofed in selecting the site resurfaced.

It was not the first location for a landing strip in the Omaha area. That distinction went to the Creighton pasture at 45th Street and Military Avenue, where Glenn Curtiss held an air show in 1910. Next, at the north end of Florence Boulevard on a dairy farm, was Omaha  or Pulitzer  Field. The latter name stemmed from the sponsor of the air races held there in 1921.

Ak-Sar-Ben Field at 63rd and Center streets served as the landing field for Omahas first transcontinental airmail service for three years  until a 1924 windstorm destroyed the hangar and seven planes. Operations were transferred to the Army field at Fort Crook west of Bellevue.

Early in 1925, the Greater Omaha Committee recommended acquiring at least 160 acres for an air terminal that would be municipally owned. Omaha is so situated as to become an important station in the development of commercial aviation, the report said. The early development of air service facilities will tend to draw commercial aviation lines here. As a military asset, an airport in Omaha would be extremely valuable. It was essential, the committee believed, for a municipal field lest a privately owned one could keep out commercial lines.

Rejected immediately was the Florence Boulevard airstrip as it was too close to the bluffs, the river and a railroad, and the 1921 air races had seen a parachute jumper drown in the Missouri River. The front-runner for a time was farmland around 168th Street and West Dodge Road, but the rumor of a possible conflict of interest killed the idea of a west Omaha airport. Imagine how that could have changed Omahas direction of growth.

That left the low land east of Carter Lake. Not convinced that the city should buy the nearly 200-acre tract was city parks commissioner Joe Hummel (the subject of last weeks column). He said the swampy land was unfit for an airfield. If you men had visited that tract twice a week like I have for the past 30 years, you would realize it, Hummel said. You would be having to pull your airplanes out of the mud all the time.

But buy it the city fathers did, for $189,000, and by dredging silt from Carter Lake, the ever-resourceful Hummel deepened the lake and filled in the low spots of the landing field tract. The first plane to land at the airstrip was on Oct. 5, 1925.

After a lawsuit unsuccessfully tried to prevent the parkland from being used as an airport, Boeing Air (the parent of United Air Lines) began transcontinental airmail service on July 1, 1927.

The turbulence that followed was on the ground. A Ford Reliability Tour plane had stopped in Omaha in June and the reviews were bad. A rough bumpy field covered with high grass greeted the Ford fliers. There was no water and no accommodations of any kind for them. This was Omahas greeting to the Ford tour, was from an editorial on July 16 in the Douglas County Legionnaire publication.

Unless immediate action was taken, the Legion was concerned that Omaha would be dropped from the exhibition tour by Charles Lindbergh  only months after he crossed the Atlantic  and Boeing would move its Nebraska operation to Lincoln. A hanger and other accommodations were needed.

The Legion backed up its words with action. It formed the Legion Airport corporation to raise $30,000 for the improvements. And they were lucky Lindy, in his Spirit of St. Louis, kept Omaha on his tour and landed at the airport on Aug. 30, 1927, in front of 4,000 spectators. He taxied his plane into a wire-enclosed hangar.

A permanent hangar, built of brick at Joe Hummels insistence, was large enough for six planes. Its first use was on March 31, 1928. Traffic that year averaged four planes a day. Two were tri-motor, with the pilot in an open cockpit, that could carry 14 passengers. There was no terminal yet. Passengers climbed aboard on their own after checking in at a desk in the hangar.

Hummels hangar was sold, at a loss, to the Rapid Airlines Corporation two years later. The next one built, by Mid-West Aviation, accommodated 22 planes.

Omahas first night landing in 1930 didnt come off as planned. While lights had been installed, the city commissioner in charge had the only key to the light switch and he wasnt at the airport that event. The pilot frantically radioed for assistance and landed safely, the runway lit by the headlights of a half-dozen cars.

The incident came at a time when Boeing (which had moved to Fort Crook) was reluctant to sign a 50-year lease to use the airfield because the Cornish family, which donated Carter Lake Park, was refusing to cut down cottonwoods that were obstructing takeoffs and landings. Once it was worked out, Boeing soon was operating mail and passenger service, with stewardesses aboard, out of a new $75,000 hangar.

On the 30th anniversary of the Wright brothers first flight, the airports first administration building, including passenger amenities, was dedicated in 1937. It was used, with small additions and repairs, until the Omaha Airport Authority opened a $3.75 million passenger terminal in September 1961.

Eppley had been a pioneer aviator in Ohio, known as Daredevil Eppley, who chills the crowd with the thrills of his air antics, and was active in airport affairs from the early days. He had sold his hotel chain for $30 million two years before his death in 1958, and his foundation donated $1 million, matched by federal money, for runway improvements.

The airport authority unanimously voted to designate the airport as Eppley Field. When it got to ratification by the City Council, that body tweaked Field to Airfield. And there it has stayed, just like the airport itself.

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In the early 1860s, Elder John M. Young purchased 80 acres of land in Lancaster County from Julian Metcalf on which he laid out the village of Lancaster, which became Lincoln, Nebraskas first state capital, in 1867.

The Capital Commission set aside three lots each for 10 religious denominations, including Lots 10, 11, 12 on Block 99 for the protestant Methodist Church. Young immediately began raising funds for what would be Lincolns first masonry church building. What few today realize is that the church, though completely altered, stood until it was razed in 1984.

Construction on Christ Methodist Protestant Church, usually simply called the Stone Church, began in July of 1868 on the northwest corner of 12th and K streets. Designed by a New York architect, the building utilized capitals, windowsills, lintels and door posts of brown sandstone quarried near Beatrice, termed the finest stone in the state.

The church was labeled Gothic, with buttresses, and other distinctive features in a newspaper story that also said it out-shown the temporary state capital.

The cornerstone, which contained an archive, was laid April 3, 1869, with a parade from the capitol. That June another newspaper column said the side walls were up and the front had been completed through the first story.

On Aug. 7, 1869, the Nebraska Statesman noted that four churches existed in Lincoln and though the Methodist Protestant building was not yet completed, it could be used in mild weather.

Presumably, in the fall of 1871, a 30-foot-by-50 foot room in the church basement was rented for use as Lincoln High School while Mr. Holmes' house on East O Street and Mr. Yearenshaws building on Market Square were rented at $20 a month, pending the completion of the purpose-built high school building in 1873.

The 1873 city directory stated the Protestant Methodist church is a large stone building at the corner of 12th and K streets. At present they have no pastor, though strangely, it showed services at 10:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.

On March 14, 1876, it was reported that the church had been sold even though as late as 1880 it was still listed as a church but with no denomination and no services.

Several Methodist publications suggest that, in fact, no actual church services were ever held in the building, though a program held in the basement in February of 1870 featured violin music adopted by younger members from which the Methodist founders never recovered.

In 1882, F.W. Baldwin arrived in Lincoln from Vermont and established a real estate/mortgage and loan company, living in the Windsor Hotel. Sometime around 1890, he purchased the church building with lots 11 and 12. By 1892, row houses of brick and stone, called either eight three-story houses or a nine-unit rowhouse with full basements and all furnished with electricity, had been built along 11th Street using some of the churchs marble columns and pillars and connected to the K Street apartments in the shape of an el.

The Baldwins and son Mattson lived in the corner, tower-topped unit. Some of the 11th Street units featured basement quarters for live-in staff, indicating these were upscale houses, not apartments.

Unfortunately, the nationwide depression of the 1890s intervened. Beginning in 1892, a series of liens, mortgages and other legal filings moved control of the terrace to Clark & Leonard Investment Co., First National Bank, the county sheriff, Mattson Baldwin and, ultimately, in 1902, to Annie L. McDonald. In 1895, while still operating the mortgage loan business, F.W. Baldwin also opened Baldwin Company Tailors at 134 S. 11th St.

By 1910, Baldwin Terrace had been renamed Baldwin Flats, with some of the units now occupied by two tenants rather than one. A year later, owner Mrs. E.J. Hardy divided the K Street property into three units as Virginia Flats, Kenwood Flats and Hardys Furnished Rooms. Then, in about 1915, the 11th Street elevation became Georgia Flats, Mansfield Flats, Normandie Flats and Wayzata Flats, while the Baldwin family was no longer listed as living in Lincoln.

In the 1960s, again called Baldwin Terrace, the entire property was converted to 44 one-bedroom and efficiency apartments. In 1979, while under the ownership of Pentico Investments, Baldwin Terrace was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but the following year, now termed the Laverty Apartments, all units were vacant.

The nonprofit Neighborhood Development Corp. studied the feasibility of converting the then-condemned property into 20 apartments costing $1.5 million to $1.8 million. Architect Foster Woods Haecker optioned the property and designed a $2.5 million conversion scheme that proved impossible to implement. Then in January of 1984, then owned by State Securities Co., a demolition permit was issued.

As much of the stonework as possible  mostly remnants of the Methodist Protestant Church  were salvaged by Max Scherer, who sold much of it to Bob Hilt, who planned to use it in a new house near Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The entire site was then razed for, and remains today, a parking lot.

Historian Jim McKee, who still writes with a fountain pen, invites comments or questions. Write to him in care of the Journal Star or at jim@leebooksellers.com.

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1872: The First Universalist Church of Lincoln was dedicated.

Lincoln residents were warned to keep cattle and swine penned lest they be impounded.

Difficulties in reaching Lincoln from the west were exemplified in accidents between Lincoln and the Middle Creek crossing. Teams of horses had drowned and lives of their owners were nearly lost.

1882: William McLaughlin bought the Donovan half-section two miles west of Lincoln for $18 an acre.

Conversations between Lincoln and Omaha were held on the new telephone.

1892: A large number of property owners were protesting the construction of the Rock Island through the Antelope Valley, but the City Council was determined to let it go through.

1902: Wet weather was the only obstacle in the way of harvesting the largest wheat crop the state had ever raised.

1912: The University of Nebraska added a Fine Arts School. Paul H. Grumann was director.

Some Lincolnites complained about a tarlike flavor in the city's drinking water. They said the water had been tainted since it was treated during a typhoid epidemic.

1922: A Lincoln-Grand Island bus went over an embankment near Emerald. One man was fatally injured and nine passengers were hurt.

1932: More than 20 square miles of urban and suburban Lincoln were covered by floodwaters 3 to 10 feet deep. It was said to be the worst flood since 1908.

Arthur F. Mullen of Omaha was designated to lead the floor fight for New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Roosevelt was to win nomination and the presidency.

1942: Only Utah outranked Nebraska in percentage of people 5-24 years of age who were attending schools in 1940, a Census Bureau report showed.

1952: Some 350 high school students from Nebraska and Iowa were attending the three-week All State High School Fine Arts Course at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

1962: Sabin oral vaccine against polio was given to 99,000 area residents. This represented 77 percent of Lincoln's population and 64 percent of Lancaster County's.

1972: A wave of showers swept the Midwest, and temperatures went to record lows for this time of year. An overnight reading in Lincoln was 48 degrees; Chadron had 36 a day or two earlier.

1982: Lincoln had the highest cost of living among six Nebraska cities included in a 214-city nationwide survey. Hastings had the lowest index of the other Nebraska cities sampled, followed by Holdrege, Scottsbluff, Omaha and Norfolk.

1992: A new $11.4 million Pioneer seed corn producing plant was scheduled to be built in York in time for the following year's corn crop.

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* As China is bringing its economy back onto a path of stable growth, global investors and international economists have adopted a more bullish outlook for the Chinese economy, casting a vote of confidence in the world's economic thruster.

* To cope with the challenges and shore up growth, China's policymakers have rolled out a package of targeted measures, while resolutely pushing forward its dynamic zero-COVID approach to containing the pandemic.

* As one of the few bright spots amid a gloomy global economic landscape, the Chinese economy has won a vote of confidence from global investors and economists with its extraordinary resilience and robust momentum.

BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- A series of recently-released economic barometers indicate that the Chinese economy has bounced back after having weathered shocks of the latest COVID-19 resurgence, revealing resilience and certainty in the still faltering global recovery.

"Overall, China's economy has gradually overcome the negative impact of the epidemic and showed a momentum of recovery," Fu Linghui, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, said when speaking of China's recent economic performance.

As China is bringing its economy back onto a path of stable growth, global investors and international economists have adopted a more bullish outlook for the Chinese economy, casting a vote of confidence in the world's economic thruster.

Aerial photo taken on Jan. 26, 2022 shows a cargo vessel at Rizhao Port in Rizhao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei)





TEMPORARY SHOCKWAVES & TARGETED MEASURES

Earlier this year, as the COVID-19 resurgence weighed on some cities like Shanghai, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues casting a shadow over the world economy, China has encountered some economic headwinds.

In April, China's surveyed urban unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from March. Retail sales of consumer goods went down 0.2 percent year on year in the January-April period. Its property market took a hit. Some small and medium-sized companies were confronted with difficulties.

Speaking of these temporary shockwaves, Liao Tianshu, chairman of BCG Greater China, told Xinhua that for all the challenges and risks, China's economic growth during this period of time was still in line with expectations.

"Although downward pressure has increased, the impacts are short-lived and external," she added.

A worker operates on the production line at a textile company in Nanmo Township of Hai'an City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 28, 2022. (Photo by Zhai Huiyong/Xinhua)

To cope with the challenges and shore up growth, China's policymakers have rolled out a package of targeted measures, while resolutely pushing forward its dynamic zero-COVID approach to containing the pandemic.

With multi-pronged fiscal measures in tax and fee cuts, public budget expenditure and bond issuance, China has managed to galvanize its economic activities and spur domestic demand.

Moreover, as part of its efforts to promote the dual circulation strategy and high-quality development, it has accelerated the establishment of a unified domestic market, deepened reform and opening-up across the board, and continued innovation-driven development.

Despite downside risks, China has the policy space and capacity to respond to economic shocks, World Bank East Asia and Pacific Chief Economist Aaditya Mattoo said in a recent interview with Xinhua.





ROBUST BOUNCEBACK & RIPPLE BENEFITS

All the efforts and costs have started to pay off. The recent data from the Chinese government showed that the Chinese economy is experiencing a robust bounceback after the country has once again brought the COVID-19 pandemic largely under control.

China's foreign trade rebounded in May. Its total imports and exports went up 9.6 percent year on year to 3.45 trillion yuan (510 billion U.S. dollars) last month on top of April's 0.1-percent expansion, official data showed.

In the first five months of 2022, the country's foreign trade volume gained 8.3 percent year on year to 16.04 trillion yuan (2.39 trillion dollars), outpacing the 7.9-percent growth in the January-April period, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

A container of China Railway Express is seen at the Csepel Freeport Logistics Park in Budapest, Hungary on April 12, 2022. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

Official data also showed that China's value-added industrial output rose 0.7 percent year on year in May, reversing the 2.9 percent decline in April, an encouraging sign that factory activity rebounded amid work resumption.

"China is the world's largest manufacturer with the most comprehensive and resilient supply chain system, which has helped China's economy recover rapidly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Jerry Zhang, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (China).

"This shows not only the incredible resilience of the Chinese economy, but also the wisdom of the Chinese leadership to open the way for the Chinese economy under difficult conditions," Mladen Vedris, a professor of economics at the University of Zagreb, told Xinhua.

China's growth has also injected a strong dose of vitality into global trade and growth in other parts of the world.

Once China succeeds in dealing with the "near-term headwinds in terms of COVID" and others, Gita Gopinath, the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said, "of course, it will remain as one of the important engines of growth."





VOTE OF CONFIDENCE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

As one of the few bright spots amid a gloomy global economic landscape, the Chinese economy has won a vote of confidence from global investors and economists with its extraordinary resilience and robust momentum.

"Global investors are returning to China's stock markets," the British newspaper Financial Times (FT) argued in a report earlier this month, adding that "now some international money managers are betting that the worst is over."

"It's a good time to come back to the market, on a relative and absolute basis," Vincent Mortier, chief investment officer at Amundi Asset Management, was quoted as saying in the FT report.

A ship is loaded with electric cars produced by U.S. automaker Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory, before leaving for Slovenia from a port in east China's Shanghai, May 11, 2022. (Xinhua)

Echoing such a bullish sentiment, Bloomberg recently reported that Chinese travel and spending have started to improve as China has gradually brought the COVID-19 resurgence under control, which suggests that a recovery of the Chinese economy "is underway."

Quoting economists at Citigroup Inc., the report said that analysts expect that progress of the recovery to accelerate from June onward.

Global investors are increasing their bets on the Chinese market.

"We are continuing to build our business in China," Noel Quinn, group chief executive of HSBC, told Xinhua, stressing that the Chinese economy shows resilience and long-term growth potential.

Between 2020 and 2025, HSBC, one of the world's leading financial institutions, expects to invest more than 3 billion yuan (447 million dollars) in China, Quinn told Xinhua.

"We have increased our allocation to Chinese equities," Stephane Monier, chief investment officer at private bank Lombard Odier, was quoted as saying by FT, noting that they have backed away from other emerging markets and reallocated to China.

These banks' vote of confidence in China is not uncommon. Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that foreign direct investment in the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 22.6 percent year on year to 87.77 billion dollars in the first five months of the year.

The worst period of the recent COVID-19 outbreak may have ended, Robin Xing, chief China economist with Morgan Stanley, said, adding that the following recovery trajectory will more likely be a U-shaped one. (Video editors: Liu Ruoshi, Yin Le, Zhu Cong) 
By Trend

An employee of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) Ali Shukurov (born in 1992) received various injuries following an anti-personnel mine explosion at 11:00 (GMT +4) on June 19, 2022, in Khudafarin village, Jabrayil district [liberated from Armenian occupation in the 2020 Second Karabakh War], Trend reports via the District Prosecutor's Office.

The personnel of the prosecutor's office inspected the scene of the incident, appointed a forensic medical examination, and performed other procedural actions.

Investigation of the fact is underway.
YORK -- Melvin and JoAnn Reetz of York have been gushing over one another for more than 75 years.

They met at York High School and JoAnn invited Melvin on their first date.

I played in the band and we were having a banquet, and of course we could invite a guest, so I invited him to go, she said.

After graduation the love birds got hitched at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in 1947.

From there they went on their honeymoon to Yellowstone, the start of many marriage adventures.

Melvin worked most of his life as a farmer and JoAnn worked at the Lincoln Telegraph and Telephone company. They raised two daughters, Sheri Beins and Patsy Haggadone.

She was a good mama. She took care of the family," Melvin said.

On their farm, they raised cows, chickens and turkeys.

He tried to teach me how to milk cows, but I put my foot down, JoAnn said. For the couple of times Melvin lost JoAnns turkeys, it only seemed right for Melvin to milk cows himself.

Melvin said he loves how great of a cook JoAnn is. Melvin loves her rice pudding and JoAnn loves his homemade Runzas.

Melvin also worked as the York County Assessor for 30 years. He worked part-time and took care of the girls while JoAnn worked.

Melvins idea of watching the girls was giving them a full day of play and letting them take care of themselves. JoAnn said she'd often come home to Sheri and Patsy climbing up and jumping off trees.

The pair have traveled all over the world. For their 50th wedding anniversary, they went on a cruise where Melvin was able to see the Panama Canal, which was on his bucket list.

From dancing to the song Tiny Bubbles on the sandy beaches of Hawaii to hiking the trails of Estes Park, Melvin and JoAnn have written their love story over 75 years.

Theres a lot of give and take. We tried to get along the best we could. We evidently did something right, JoAnn said.

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Nebraska. Honestly, its not for everyone. Not just a catchy tourism slogan, it appears to be the official opinion of Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson as it pertains to same-sex couples.

In 2016, a Colorado businesswoman sued the state of Colorado seeking to block enforcement of Colorados anti-discrimination laws because her conservative Christian beliefs would not allow her to provide her businesss services to same-sex couples. The U.S District Court and The Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against her. Now she, and the conservative Christian organizations supporting her, are taking it to the Supreme Court.

On June 2, ironically the second day of National Pride Month, Nebraskas Attorney General issued a press release announcing that he and the attorneys general of several other states had joined together in sending an amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting the businesswomans argument.

There was no requirement for him to take action of any kind. He voluntarily had his office provide legal support to a citizen from another state who wants to discriminate against same-sex couples. If she wins, it is reasonable to expect that similar discrimination against Nebraskas same-sex couples will be condoned.

The precedent that would be set if the overwhelmingly conservative and predominately Christian Supreme Court were to side with this businesswoman would be devastating. Conceivably, any owner of any business of any size could legally refuse to provide services to same-sex couples.

So yeah, Nebraska. Honestly, its not for everyone. Especially if you are a member of a same-sex couple.

Michael Carlin, Lincoln

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BURLINGTON  The Burlington municipal band is reviving its free summer concerts in the park, after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group of musicians of all ages has been entertaining audiences for more than 100 years with its repertoire of showtunes, marches and other popular favorites.

The COVID-19 public health crisis forced the group to cancel its usual performances and effectively shut down in 2020 and 2021, to avoid spreading the contagious and sometimes deadly virus.

But the ensemble, officially known as the Burlington Kiwanis Civic Band, has regrouped and is getting ready to resume its public performances starting June 24.

Were excited, band director Chris Peterson said. Were ready to go.

Storied history

Supported by the Burlington Kiwanis Club, the band has been around since 1894 under various names. It brings together men and women to perform The Star Spangled Banner and other favorites at public events.

The ensemble traditionally offers free outdoor concerts every Friday night at Echo Veterans Memorial Park.

Some members have been involved in the group for more than 50 years.

Ray Ziebell, who plays tuba and has been in the band since 1958, said many performers live outside the community, so some have not even seen one another during the two-year layoff.

Its been kind of sad, Ziebell said.

Band members said sitting idle has been difficult, both because the concerts have a popular following in the community and because the band members have grown close to one another.

Its been lonely, percussionist Margo Kurth said. It feels great to be back.

With the COVID pandemic slowing and many people now vaccinated, band officials decided to reorganize and get back to performing publicly with their trumpets, clarinets, tubas and other instruments.

Membership in the band has fluctuated between 40 and 60 musicians in recent years.

Although some have side gigs at churches or elsewhere, the Burlington civic band holds a special place in their hearts.

Mary Ellen Close, who has played flute and piccolo in the group for 30 years, said practicing at home alone is not the same as meeting her fellow performers in-person and playing together.

We really need the group to make it fun, Close said. Thats what weve been waiting for for two years.

Once organizers announced that the band would reunite and resume performing this summer, rehearsals have been taking place inside the band room at Burlington High School, 400 McCanna Pkwy.

The free public concerts return at 7 p.m. June 24 to Echo Veterans Memorial Park, 595 Milwaukee Ave. The concerts continue at 7 p.m. each Friday throughout the month of July.

Return of the Burlington Kiwanis Civic Band First concert back: 7 p.m. June 24 at Echo Veterans Memorial Park, 595 Milwaukee Ave. The concerts are scheduled to continue every Friday at 7 p.m. in the month of July.

To avoid parking congestion, a shuttle sponsored by Freds Burgers is available to transport concertgoers from the Burlington Jamboree festival grounds, 681 Maryland Ave.

The band also is scheduled to perform in the Fourth of July parade in Waterford.

Peterson, who has been band director since 1977, said the band members have been happy to reunite after a long two years apart.

Its kind of a class reunion, he said.

The group has planned different themes for its Friday night concerts, including a patriotic theme, television, traveling and celebrating.

Robin Lee, a saxophone player who has been in the band for about 25 years, said she plays in another band in New Berlin. But she is delighted to be back together with her Burlington band mates.

It feels good, Lee said. It just feels good to be playing again.

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WIND POINT  After the Village of Caledonia earlier this year loosened its chicken ordinance to allow hen keeping on residential property, the neighboring Village of Wind Point has decided to not set the same egg-spectations.

An item on the June 9 Village Board meeting agenda stated Discussion and possible action for a village chicken ordinance, however, after discussion, it was decided no action would be taken.

It was kind of determined that that probably wasnt the best, Village Administrator and Clerk-Treasurer Brian Graziano told The Journal Times. It just wasnt necessary to have an ordinance for chickens.

A faded interest

In Caledonia, people living on zoned residential property four acres or less in size may keep up to five hens. The approval came in March with a unanimous vote after much discussion between residents and the village throughout the past two decades or so. A push to get Caledonia to change its previous code in 2016 failed.

Hen keeping is allowed in Racine and Mount Pleasant as well.

However, in Wind Point, chicken keeping has not beaked much interest. Staff at the Wind Point Village Office, 215 E. Four Mile Road, reported three calls regarding chickens within the last few years.

Caledonia still has a lot of farmland. We dont. Were very much suburban, Graziano said. People havent been beating down our doors wanting to get any changes made.

In order to keep chickens or farm animals in Wind Point, acreage does not matter, but residents must have a zoned agricultural property. There are only three parcels in the 1.27-square-mile village zoned as such.

Village Trustee Marty Meissner brought the topic before the Village Board. He said he asked a few residents prior to the meeting about potentially having a chicken keeping ordinance.

Board members discovered that to have chickens in the village, it would involve the Wind Point Police Department, an initial $80 charge and a $30 charge every year after, plus the Architectural Review Board and the Plan Commission would have to review plans for chicken coops.

It would just take too many man hours to keep chickens out here, Meissner said, noting the $80 fee could buy a heck of a lot of eggs instead.

The interest faded away, he said. There would have to be all sorts of paperwork. I dont even know what that wouldve cost  Its too much for the village to do. Its something that would be a horrific problem instead of a fun ordeal.

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1. Yes. Roe was bad law and never should have been enacted. Last weeks ruling was just.

2. Yes. The court ruling correctly leaves the question of reproductive rights to the states.

3. No. Roe v. Wade was established law. The ruling will cause a womens health crisis.

4. No. The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was more about politics than the law.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether it was the right ruling; it depends on your perspective.

Vote

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Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Variable clouds with thunderstorms, especially during the afternoon hours. High 97F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 74F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC), a wholly-owned unit of Abu Dhabi-based National Marine Dredging Company, has secured contracts worth $673.2 million from Saudi oil giant Aramco for two of its key projects - Jafurah Development Programme and MNIF 14 Jackets project in the kingdom.

Jafurah is a key component of Aramcos unconventional gas programme, which will help contribute to greenhouse gas emissions avoidance in the domestic energy sector.

With an estimated 200 trillion standard cubic feet of gas in place, the Jafurah basin hosts the largest liquid-rich shale gas play in the Middle East.

Last year in November, Aramco had begun the development of the vast Jafurah unconventional gas field. It had even awarded subsurface and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts worth $10 billion for its development.

Aramco had awarded a $460.2 million contract for the Jafurah development project, while the MNIF 14 Jackets project deal is worth $213 million, stated NPCC in its filing to Abu Dhabi bourse ADX.

This is NPCC's second big contract win from Saudi Aramco after its snapping of the multi-billion Zuluf incremental project deal.

TradeArabia had in January reported that NPCC had secured two sizeable offshore contracts worth AED8.2 billion ($2.23 billion) from Aramco for the Zuluf project.

The contract award involves two packages for Zuluf, a giant offshore oil field located in the Arabian Gulf, approximately 240km north of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Owned and operated by Saudi Aramco, the Zuluf field is undergoing a major expansion to add 550,000 to 600,000 bpd of oil. The NPCC work is due for completion in 2025.-TradeArabia News Service
Count on it: When Wisconsins political districts get redrawn, an unusual number of state lawmakers head for the door.

This election cycle is no exception. Following the Wisconsin Supreme Courts decision in April to accept legislative maps drawn by Republican lawmakers, members of the state Senate and Assembly are retiring or seeking another office at the highest level since World War II.

At least 31 legislators have either filed noncandidacy paperwork with the Wisconsin Election Commission or did not submit paperwork to run again: 24 state Assembly members and seven state senators. Thats the highest percentage since Franklin D. Roosevelt was president.

In 1942, 32 lawmakers didnt run for reelection, according to statistics from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

In 1954, the first election under a new redistricting plan, 31 legislators also did not try to hold their seats, but the legislature was slightly larger then, with 100 seats in the Assembly instead of the 99 now.

In 2014, 30 state lawmakers chose not to seek re-election, following the Republican-led legislatures hyperpartisan redrawing of district maps in 2011 and the resolution of court challenges that affirmed them.

At one time, there was great turnover in the legislatures and (then) there was a big movement to make being a legislator more of a career, said Ed Miller, a retired political science professor with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. And thats what happened  the legislature became much more stable over the years.

But one pattern of lawmakers leaving has held in the modern era. Generally, the greatest turnover has occurred at those sessions following redistricting, reads a 2007 brief from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Of the outgoing legislators, 14 are Democrats and 17 are Republicans. Among them is Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna), the second-ranking legislator in the Assembly behind the Speaker, who is retiring after 10 years in the legislature to pursue work in the private sector.

Wisconsin state legislators receive an annual salary of $55,410 per year, plus per diem payments up to $115 per day.

Not all want to leave politics. State Sen. Timothy Ramthun (R-Campbellsport) is running for governor. State Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton) and state Rep. Sara Rodriguez (D-Brookfield) are vacating seats to run for lieutenant governor. State Rep. Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton) is running for secretary of state. State Reps. Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) and Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) have their eyes on the state Senate. And state Reps. Chuck Wichgers (R-Muskego) and Don Vruwink (D-Milton) are running to represent different districts on the newly-drawn Assembly map.

In a case likely influenced by redistricting, state Sen. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) is stepping down after a single term representing the 5th State Senate District, citing in his April announcement the politically tumultuous events of the past couple of months.

In response to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed district boundaries, which would have drawn him out of his district and into fellow Republican state Sen. Alberta Darlings, Kooyenga took to social media to protest quite possibly the most personal, creative, partisan and cynical gerrymander in Wisconsin history. He later announced he would retire. First, the Wisconsin Supreme Court accepted the governors legislative maps, which would have forced Kooyenga to run against another Republican incumbent to keep his seat. But when a right-wing challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court resulted in the maps being sent back down for reconsideration, the state Supreme Court reversed its decision and chose the Republican-drawn maps instead. Kooyenga then changed course, saying he would run for re-election, before finally deciding to retire a second time.

Despite the new maps appearing to give Republicans the advantage in the 5th State Senate District, some areas have been trending from dark red to lighter red and pink in recent elections, said Ryan Weichelt, a professor of geography with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

You can think of the Democratic support growing from the east and slowly moving westward from Milwaukee, he said. Wauwatosa is Democratic, and when you move towards the Village of Elm Grove and Brookfield, it starts changing Republican. While still red, its slowly trending towards Democrats in some areas.

This is troublesome for the GOP for statewide elections because its success is dependent on large turnout of rural votes and additional support in the suburban areas, Weichelt continued. Though theyre not going blue, the loss of a few thousand votes is difficult to overcome, especially if voter turnout remains so high in Dane County.

Kooyengas office did not respond to The Badger Projects requests for comment.

Its not fun anymore

Wisconsins once-famous moderate and civil politics has long since corroded into nasty hyperpartisanship. The legislature has become a hostile work environment, which could make the private sector more appealing to some lawmakers, Miller said.

Theres great conflict within the legislature, he said. In other words, its not fun anymore.

For Republican incumbents, theres also pressure from the national GOP to be sufficiently in favor of former President Donald Trump, Miller said, and a greater expectation to fall in line with party leadership under threat of a primary election challenge.

Theyre actually calling members of the state legislature and threatening to run people against them, Miller said. They didnt use to do that. If you dont follow the leader of the party, then youre in trouble  particularly in terms of financing.

There is some loss of institutional knowledge when so many lawmakers leave at once, Miller said, and there are benefits to stability in a political body.

That was the issue, years ago: Do you have a more stable, more professional legislature with staff? Or more of an amateur, citizens legislature? The professional legislatures have some institutional memory and history and know how things work. When you dont have that, youre operating somewhat in the dark and get greater pressure from outside interest groups, he said. There is a steep learning curve for freshman lawmakers, particularly regarding balancing the budget, said Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley, 70, who is among the highest-profile Democrats to retire. However, she noted the legislature is supported by a strong staff of non-elected and nonpartisan employees.

When youre elected and you come in as a freshman, if youre thoughtful youll acknowledge that theres a lot you have to learn and youll seek out people that can be trusted to give you good information, she said. It depends on the personal integrity of the person coming into office.

Bewley said that having a front-row seat to the rancor, discord and noncooperation that have come to define state politics over the past 12 years did not play into her decision to retire.

If I were to run again, that would be another four years and I would be in my mid-70s, she said. My husband and I decided that it just makes sense for someone of my age [to retire].

Bewley was elected to the State Assembly in 2010, serving a couple of two-year terms. Starting in 2014, she then served two four-year terms in the state Senate. She still has faith in compromise and democracy, but admits that the political climate in Wisconsin is an issue.

Gradually, its getting worse, she said. The unwillingness to cooperate is more severe than when I first started.

The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin. For more visit thebadgerproject.org.

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The La Crosse area recognized Juneteenth with celebrations, food and music Saturday in Riverside Park, with organizers of the event highlighting the importance of the Black community in La Crosse.

This is the second year that Juneteenth has been recognized as a federal holiday and the second time the event has been held in Riverside Park. Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the United States. Despite the Emancipation Proclamation going into effect in 1863, federal troops did not arrive to inform remaining enslaved African Americans in Texas of the proclamation until June 19, 1865.

More than 70 organizations and businesses from around La Crosse, including the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club and the Mayo Health Clinic, participated in the event by setting up booths or contributing to the planning effort.

We can talk about Juneteenth recognizing Black people and Black voices and celebrating Black identity and Black liberation, so for the folks to show up really means a lot, said Shaundel Spivey, executive director of Black Leaders Acquiring Creative Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K.), one of the events sponsoring organizations.

Other sponsoring organizations included the Enduring Families Project, Hope Restores and Black Student Leaders La Crosse.

In addition to food, music and activities, Juneteenth celebrations also included trolley tours around La Crosse, historic reenactments and the presentation of the Juneteenth Court. A common Southern tradition, members of the court will dance and eat dinner at the August Ball later this summer.

Several elected officials also spoke to the crowd Saturday, many speaking of the important role Black and African American people play in shaping the city of La Crosse. Mayor Mitch Reynolds drew attention to current legislation and efforts around the country that negatively impact Black and African American people, like laws that result in the mass incarceration of young Black men, and efforts to limit the teaching of Black history in schools and to suppress Black voters.

Reynolds also read a declaration recognizing Juneteenth 2022 in La Crosse, and reflected on the evolution and the expansion of Juneteenth celebrations over recent years.

Spivey echoed Reynolds sentiments, saying that moving Juneteenth celebrations to Riverside Park was an important step.

We kind of have small numbers and I think by bringing it here and putting it in the center of the community, it forces people to recognize us and see that we exist and that were here and were a part of this, Spivey said.

Spivey also said is important to celebrate all of the communitys Black residents on Juneteenth.

We might be small, but were mighty, Spivey said. We have a lot of Black folks in this area, biracial folks, folks that identify as Black, from all walks of life. We have the successful ones, we have those that need some assistance, and were here to support everybody.

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In the spring of 2013, just before she was confirmed as the next UW-Madison chancellor by the Board of Regents, Rebecca Blank was criticized by some Republican state legislators for her radical policies.

On her way out the door nine years later, she received a compliment of sorts from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who portrayed Blanks successor as a partisan Democrat and added: After all the work of Tommy Thompson and Rebecca Blank that attempted to strengthen relationships between the university and the Legislature, this is a step backwards.

Perhaps incoming Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin will hear similar praise for bipartisanship someday herself.

Here are highlights from a recent interview with Blank, who will become president of Northwestern University this fall. A previous column focused on Blanks belief that UW-Madison needs separate bonding authority for building projects.

On rising student application rates at Madison: I think many of the big flagships are up, Blank said, and applications to UW-Madison have nearly doubled in nine years. While some smaller liberal arts colleges are seeing a decline, major public universities are generally not.

In fact, out-of-state applications to Madison increased when tuition rates rose. We priced ourselves at a level that confirms we are of national quality, Blank said.

UW-Madisons switch to accepting the Common Application, which is a single online college form used by more than 900 colleges and universities, also provided at least a temporary boost.

On the 2019 creation of the School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences: The number of CDIS majors has grown by leaps and bounds since we created it, Blank said. Its now our biggest major by an order of magnitude. With a pledge to increase faculty and build a $225 million home for the school, she said, that has also helped to attract more students.

On successes and challenges during her tenure: While emphasizing it was a team effort, Blank singled out improving educational outcomes while addressing student debt; increasing access to scholarships for in-state students; sustaining the research enterprise; and re-integrating the UW-Extension and public broadcasting into UW-Madison after a 50-year absence.

The UW-Madison graduation on-time rate ranks in the top 10 among public universities, with 89% of students getting an undergraduate degree within six years and 73% within four years. The Buckys Tuition Promise program increased scholarships from $25 million in 2012 to about $100 million in the latest academic year. The All Ways Forward private fundraising campaign exceeded its $3.2 billion goal by $1 billon.

She described the universitys efforts to improve campus diversity as a process that you constantly engage in versus a task with a defined end point.

I can tell you we spent more time on that issue than any other, Blank said. We have accomplished a lot of things on that front, but there is also a lot of work to be done.

On the future of UW System campuses with enrollment problems: Three things have weighed on the UW System  the 10-year tuition freeze, the small increases in state funding, and demographics, Blank said. It means that a lot of the regional campuses are really struggling. I am worried that, given the magnitude of challenges facing many other campuses, there will be some political impetus to take money from the systems top performer and to give it to others. That would not be the approach in a private-sector organization.

On the value of tenure: I think it has been a very successful system for higher education in America. I did my best work after I received tenure, said Blank, who is a Ph.D. economist. She explained that tenure allows investment of time outside of the classroom in longer-term projects, particularly research. Tenure gives faculty time and space  it is one of the primary reasons why higher education in the United States is the research model for the rest of the world, she said.

On her first order of business at Northwestern: Figure out where to have lunch? she joked. Because I am president-elect for a period of time, it allows me to meet people, to listen and to build relationships. I will start there.

Tom Still is the president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. Email: tstill@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com.

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Judges have always faced threats because their decisions can send people to prison, overturn laws and settle enormous financial disputes.

Whats different and worse today is the obnoxious way politicians use judges as partisan punching bags.

It needs to stop.

President Barack Obama in 2010 broke tradition by scolding the U.S. Supreme Court for a ruling he disliked as the justices sat in front of him during a State of the Union address.

That was tame compared to President Donald Trumps aggressive and regular attacks on the judiciary. Trump called the courts a joke and laughingstock, demanded resignations when rulings didnt go his way, singled out jurors for scorn and claimed a judge was biased because of his Mexican heritage.

More recently, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., ominously warned Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh not to reverse Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion 50 years ago: You have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price, Schumer said at a rally in March outside the Supreme Court building in Washington, after a draft decision was leaked. You wont know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.

Even judges are setting bad examples. Former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman was belligerent and refused to answer questions as a defendant in an open records case last week. Gableman wildly claimed without evidence that a Dane County judge was biased and trying to railroad him.

Crowds of people have protested outside the private homes of U.S. Supreme Court justices in recent months, in apparent violation of federal law intended to prevent the obstruction of justice.

Is it any wonder that public trust in the judiciary is slipping when elected officials so obnoxiously bash our courts? Such fierce criticism, especially from elected officials, also increases the risk of violence.

A man saying he was upset about looming court decisions on abortion and guns was arrested this month outside Justice Kavanaughs private home with a gun and knife. The man is accused of plotting to kill Kavanaugh.

In Wisconsin, a man released from prison brazenly shot and killed retired Juneau County Judge John Roemer on June 3 near Mauston, about 75 miles northwest of Madison. Roemer had sentenced the man to six years behind bars.

President Joe Biden signed a law Thursday extending round-the-clock protection of U.S. Supreme Court justices to include their families. The bill earned swift bipartisan support, which was welcome.

State officials should similarly ensure judges in Wisconsin have adequate security. The state should consider creating a special unit to respond to serious threats. The team could include law enforcement with training in how to diffuse mental health crises.

Judges and jurors must be free to deliberate and make decisions without fear of violence. Thats the only way the third branch of our government can properly function as a neutral arbiter.

The politicians need to back off and respect the difficult decisions our court system must make. Judges are supposed to follow and interpret the law without favor. Judges have a responsibility to protect individual rights, rather than catering to public pressure.

Thats a very different role than the executive and legislative branches of our government play. Presidents, governors and lawmakers represent constituents and often act on the will of the majority.

Nothing is wrong with criticizing a judges decision. Judges disagree with one another in dissenting opinions all the time. Issues such as abortion and guns can be emotional and profoundly impact peoples lives. Our courts can and should improve in lots of ways to guard against political and financial influence as well as racial bias.

But intimidating judges with threats to their safety undermines the American system of impartial justice. Moreover, constantly tearing down the integrity of our courts  especially for political reasons  risks a breakdown in civil society. Without public trust, our courts will struggle to peacefully settle disputes, leading to more conflict and chaos.

Teaching civics in schools should be required so young Americans understand the difference between judges and lawmakers. Wisconsin should rethink judicial elections, which force nonpartisan judges to behave like partisan politicians, taking sides on controversial issues and raising millions of dollars from special interests.

Former state Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske, a citizen member of our Wisconsin State Journal Editorial Board, has given our board insight into the difficulties and risks judges face, especially at the county level where crime and punishment is closest to the people.

The judiciary deserves more support for the difficult job it does, and for the independence it requires to make fair decisions in a free society.

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As a very experienced but now retired former teacher educator and staunch supporter of teachers, I listened with great interest to a WEAU-TV story Monday about La Crosse teachers calling for greater than the 2% pay increase offered by the La Crosse School District.

In discussing the fewer dollars coming to schools from the state, no one was reported as mentioning the huge sums of dollars diverted from Wisconsin's public schools to private schools through Wisconsin's voucher programs.

La Crosse County alone has five private schools or school systems which received voucher funding in 2021-22. According to the Department of Public Instruction, these schools received payments totaling a hefty $4,311,756, diverted from public school funding, for just that year. But that's minor compared to the more than $3 billion that have been poured into Wisconsin's so-called "Parental Choice Programs" collectively since the first such program was enacted in 1989 for Milwaukee.

The 2021-22 state aid deduction for the La Crosse School District was $1,423,120 and the total for all five public school districts in La Crosse County was $3,357,090. Even districts in which there are no private voucher-receiving schools have deductions if there is any student from their district attending a voucher-receiving school elsewhere.

Property taxpayers deserve to know where and how their taxes are being used. A single line on property tax bills could easily indicate the amount of funds diverted from the public schools, but providing this information would require legislation.

Michael Lindsay

Eau Claire

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A new study from Germany calculating how many possible COVID germs could be excreted during exercise in a gym setting was published just recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Sixteen male and female healthy, non-infected subjects participated. Their breath was captured first at rest, then during increasingly intense exercise on stationary bikes to the point of exhaustion. Their exhaled aerosol particles were trapped and measured. The result was that, at rest, participants averaged about 580 exhaled particles per minute (ppm). But during maximal exercise, they exhaled 132 times more, topping out at 76,200 ppm.

In the last two and a half years the continually developing story of COVID has changed with the various variants that have emerged. All along the way, many, many reports were released of closed gym buildings, euphemistically known as health or fitness centers, being hot spots for COVID transmission. A March 2, 2021, JAMA Health Forum online article first documented in Chicago the chain of infecting individuals from instructor to class participants, to others in other classes prior to symptoms appearing. Most individuals were not wearing masks in these closed spaces where hot, sweaty, panting people filled the poorly ventilated space with germs.

The same pattern showed up in a succession of cases beginning in Honolulu from an instructor who passed the infection to almost all class members and many beyond. All 10 members of a spin class taught by an infected instructor tested positive afterward, as did another 11 who came into close contact with one of the class members.

Aerosols particles are the tiniest water droplets that float in air for hours in poorly ventilated areas, remaining available for inhalation. The initial early argument was whether the exhaled larger respiratory drops or droplets, which travel about six feet and fall to the ground (leading to social distancing), or the tinier aerosols droplets, bits of airborne matter, were the culprits as vectors for COID viruses. It was finally decided in favor of the aerosols.

Many news services published articles summarizing the German study. The New York Times writer cleverly noted, In general, packing hard-breathing bodies into enclosed spaces is a bad way to avoid transmission of COVID or other respiratory diseases. Researchers in that study had each rider use a stationary bike inside an airtight tent. They wore silicone masks and exhaled into plastic tubes to a machine that counted each particle as it passed into a bag. The baseline reading was taken as they sat still. Then they rode at an increasingly punishing pace to the point of exhaustion (ran out of exhaust?). The scientists were surprised at the exponential increase of particles.

The New York Times writer quoted a professor from Virginia Tech and expert on airborne transmission of viruses, The study provides mechanistic data to back up the assumption that exercising indoors is a higher-risk activity when it comes to transmission of COVID-19, than taking your exercise outside. It certainly provides numerical clarity to the idea of the ease of viral particles expelled by an infected individual hanging on microscopic mist specks floating around the confined room where sweaty hot bodies are taking big breaths. This helps the infection go viral even more.

What is there to do to avoid this scenario? Exercise outside may be the wrong answer for the avowed gym rats, who seem to enjoy that environment and maybe the odiferous sweat bouquets exuded by moist, glistening torsos. Another engineer of civil and environmental engineering and expert in airflow dynamics from the University of California, Davis, suggests these risks can be mitigated/lessened. Good ventilation and air exchange (in the buildings construction, or HVAC system) are a great way to reduce transmission risk.

There is nothing wrong with trying to be healthy as long as you can. But moderation in all things may apply to the respiratory gymnastics of intense exercise as well. Sure, this study could have quantified many more subjects doing many other activities. But the 132 times increase in expelling potentially virally contagious, infective particles is compelling evidence. And the virus is not done with us yet.

Someone sent me a question that could be pertinent (impertinent) to the Hawaiian situation. Should they allow loud laughing in Hawaii, or just a low ha? (Aloha in Hawaiian, get it?)

Dr. Bures, a semi-retired dermatologist, since 1978 has worked Winona, La Crosse, Viroqua and Red Wing. He also plays clarinet in the Winona Municipal Band and a couple dixieland groups. And he does enjoy a good pun.

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At 10 pounds and seven ounces, six-month-old Anya Aguilar may be tiny, but she is mighty.

In mid-December, Anyas then-expectant mother, Maria Aguilar, started to feel severe back pain at 23 weeks, approaching 24 weeks, along in her pregnancy.

Maria, a resident of Arcadia, originally planned to head to La Crosse for an appointment to get the pain checked out, but realized she was unable to sit for that long due to the pain which was worsening greatly.

She wasnt able to make it to Whitehalls hospital, the nearest emergency room to Arcadia, either due to the pain.

Instead, Maria ended up heading to the Mayo clinic in Arcadia, which normally is not a place where women deliver their children.

But family medicine and prenatal care provider Dr. Jodi Breska and midwife Kaitlin Earley, along with a team of nurses, were there to help the expectant mother.

With some experience in emergency care, Breska and Earley shared that they didnt have the opportunity to feel fear while caring for Maria, because they were too busy working in the situation and figuring out what needed to be done to help with a safe as possible delivery.

Breska was able to connect with a high-risk obstetrician via telemedicine to help with Marias delivery.

A med flight helicopter with a neonatal care team was called to the clinic, where it landed in the parking lot.

Once the neonatal team was able to set up their supplies in the clinic, Maria was able to give birth to Anya. Breska and Earley had worked to delay the birth until this moment by trying to keep Maria as calm as possible in the stressful situation.

Through a translator, Maria explained that Anyas was a breech delivery, meaning her body was delivered first and her head last, a position that can pose risks to the baby. The tiny infant, weighing only 700 grams, or just over 1.5 pounds, was whisked away via the helicopter to the Rochester Mayo Clinic hospital. Maria followed in an ambulance.

Breska shared that it was the first time at the clinic in Arcadia that a non-full term baby was born there, with only a few babies having been born there in total since the current clinic opened in 2016.

Anya stayed in a newborn intensive care unit for a total of 4 months before she was able to head home to Arcadia to be with her mother, Maria, and father, Nelson.

Six months after her birth, Anya and her parents returned to the Mayo clinic in Arcadia on Tuesday to celebrate Anya and to connect once again with the team that helped back in December with the delivery.

Maria, via translator, said she and Nelson felt very excited, very emotional, happy about the return visit. Because at times I thought (Anya) wouldnt make it.

We are very grateful for the help of everybody, Maria said through the translator.

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Saudi Water Partnerships Company (SWPC) has announced that request for proposals (RFP) has been issued to all prequalified bidders to participate in a competitive tender for the Rabigh-4 Independent Water Project (IWP).

A total of 39 utility project developer consortiums, including 21 local firms, had expressed their interests in developing the key reverse osmosis (RO) seawater desalination plant, which on completion, will boast a potable water capacity of 600,000 cu m/day.

The project, to be located in Rabigh, 180 km northwest of Makkah, on the Red Sea coast in the kingdom's western province, will include the desalination plant and all associated infrastructure and facilities.

The top global industry players in the race include Spanish infrastructure majors - GS Inima Environment, Acciona Agua, and Cobra; French utility expert Veolia and Italian group Fisia Italimpianti in addition to Hydro Industries (UK); Aquatech International (US); Marubeni (Japan); J&P (Cyprus) and VA Tech Wabag (India), said a statement from SWPC.

Of these EoIs, 21 are from Saudi companies including regional utility giant Acwa Power, Al Bawani Water & Power as well as Marafiq, Sajco, Alfanar, Nesma, AlKawther Industries, Mowah, Haaco and National Water Works.

Also some GCC players such as Metito Utilities and Utico (UAE); Elsewedy (Egypt) and Bahrain-based Lamar Holding are vying for the project, it added.

According to SWPC, a private sector developer/developer consortium will be selected for the project following a competitive tender process which will be responsible for its development, financing, procurement, implementation and operation and maintenance.

The successful bidder, through a special purpose vehicle, will develop the project and sell the entire capacity and output to SWPC under a 25-year concession pursuant to a Water Purchase Agreement. The project is due for completion in Q4 2025.

For the Rabigh-4 IWP, SWPCs professional advisors are KPMG Professional Services (lead and financial advisor); Eversheds Sutherland (International) as legal advisor and WSP as technical advisor.-TradeArabia News Service
The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) today (June 19) signed an agreement with DP World, a world leader in global supply chain solutions, for the establishment of a new fully-integrated smart logistics park in Jeddah Islamic Port at an investment of over SR500 million ($133 million).

This is Mawani's fifth such deal following a series of agreements signed with local and global leading companies in maritime transport and logistics including Maersk, CMA CGM, LogiPoint and Bahri.

The agreement was signed by President of the Saudi Ports Authority Omar bin Talal Hariri and Group Chairman and CEO of DP World and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, in the presence of Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Chairman of Mawani Engineer Saleh Al Jasser and several other leaders from the transport and logistics entity.

Eng Al Jasser emphasized that this agreement aligns with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) objectives of positioning Saudi Arabia as a global logistics hub, and supports the growth of the logistic services industry on the Red Sea coast.

"With the support from Saudi King Salman and HRH the Crown Prince, the transport and logistics services entity continues to achieve the development objectives in line with Saudi Vision 2030, by establishing logistics parks that enable the transport and supply chains, following a thorough developmental plan, and strengthening the strategic partnership with the private sector, aiming to increase the attractiveness of investment opportunities in Saudi ports and the maritime transport sector," stated the minister.

He also commended the remarkable achievement by Saudi ports in the Container Port Performance Index 2021.

The minister pointed out how the Saudi ports have become a prominent location on the global maritime transport map, as they have accomplished a lot of operational and developmental achievements, which contribute to reaching developmental and economic sustainability, enabling trade and investment, along with strengthening the economic growth.

Mawani had recently signed a number of strategic agreements with local and international partners to set up integrated logistics parks, with over SR2 billion ($532 million) worth of investments, in bid to turn Saudi ports into a preferred destination for global investments and trade, as well as achieving the economic ambitions.

This move will also help in supporting the GDP and inter-trade between Saudi Arabia and countries around world, he stated.

"All of this will help achieve the strategic objectives and the integration with transport entity, in order to position the Kingdom as an eminent logistics hub internationally," noted Al Jasser.

Hariri said the agreement was aimed at building a logistics park over a total area of 415,000 sq m, with a capacity of 250,000 TEU in addition to 100,000 sq m of warehouses area, as it will provide advanced and eco-friendly e-services, and integrate the operations of the south container terminal with the logistics park.

This, he stated, comes as part of the authoritys continuous efforts of providing integrated logistics parks to enhance the competitiveness of Jeddah Islamic Port, and increase the volumes of transshipment cargoes, in line with the objectives of NTLS.

According to Hariri, this partnership will connect the Saudi ports operations with the logistics park, which will allow for providing integrated logistics services with high level of operational efficiency, as well as expanding cooperation with the largest logistic services providers, and strengthen the reexports operations, in order to deliver the best services for customers and investors.

On the deal, Bin Sulayem said: "We are proud and honoured to contribute effectively towards the achievement of Saudi Vision 2030, which includes the development of a prosperous and sustainable maritime transportation ecosystem that supports the kingdoms socio-economic ambitions and consolidate its status as a global logistics hub."

"We reiterate our commitment to invest in the modernisation of this facility by providing highest standards of logistics services and technology-enabled trade solutions. We are confident that todays milestone will contribute to increasing efficiency and productivity levels and creating new jobs," he stated.

"We are committed to enhancing the role and the status of Jeddahs Islamic port, which is strategically located on the Red Sea and has historically played a pivotal role in facilitating the movement of trade between the East and the West," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Last month, a city in Pakistan became the hottest city on Earth. On May 14 in Jacobabad, temperatures hit 51 degrees Celsius. About 200,000 people live there. They understand well that they live in one of the hottest places on the planet.

Pregnant women living there are especially likely to suffer under the extreme heat.

Sonari, who is pregnant and in her 20s, works under the burning sun in a field of yellow melons. "When the heat is coming and we're pregnant, we feel stressed," said Sonari.

Sonaris 17-year-old neighbor, Waderi, gave birth a few weeks ago. She is already back working in extreme heat. She places her newborn baby on a nearby blanket so she can feed him when he cries. Waderi makes sure her baby is out of the hot sun.

Sonari, Waderi and other pregnant women in southern Pakistan are living through the effects of climate change.

Complications from heat exposure

Pregnant women living in extreme heat for long periods of time have a higher risk of suffering complications. That was the finding of an examination of 70 studies done on the issue in the past 25 years.

For every 1 degree Celsius the temperature rises, the examination found, the number of stillbirths and premature deliveries increases by about 5 percent.

The findings of the study analysis were published in the British Medical Journal in September 2020. The analysis was carried out by several research organizations worldwide.

Cecilia Sorensen is director of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education at Columbia University in New York. She said the effects of climate change on the health of women are not fully examined or known.

The heat, she added, "is a super big deal for pregnant women."

Experts say that women in poor countries are especially at risk to rising temperatures. Many have little choice but to work through their pregnancies and return to work soon after giving birth.

Women in places like socially conservative Pakistan usually cook food for the family over hot stoves or open fires. They often do the cooking in small rooms with no fresh air or cooling devices. This adds to the heat risk.

Extreme humid heat events

South Asia has suffered unseasonably hot temperatures in recent months. An extreme heatwave that hit Pakistan and India in April was 30 times more likely to happen due to climate change. That estimate is from scientists at World Weather Attribution, an international research organization.

Experts there also say that worldwide temperatures have risen by about 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. As temperatures continue to rise, extreme heatwaves are only expected to increase.

Humid weather brings more difficulties. Humid means having a lot of moisture in the air. The more humid it is, the harder it is for people to cool down by sweating.

On May 14, when the temperature in Jacobabad hit 51 degrees Celsius, a young mother named Nazia fell to the ground while making lunch for visiting cousins. Nazia was taken to a nearby hospital, but she did not survive. Doctors said her death was caused by a suspected heat stroke. Her kitchen had no cooling devices.

In the melon fields about 10 kilometers from the center of Jacobabad, Sonari and Waderi work alongside other women. Several of them are also pregnant.

They begin each work day at 6 in the morning. They have a short mid-day break before returning to the field to work until sundown.

"It feels like no one sees them  no one cares about them," aid worker Liza Khan said about the problems facing many women in Jacobabad.

Khan's phone rings often as she drives to one of three heatstroke response centers. She helped set up the centers in recent weeks as part of her work with a non-profit group called the Community Development Foundation.

She returned to her hometown because she wanted to be a voice for women in the conservative area.

"Nowadays, I'm working 24/7," said the 22-year-old. She added that her organization is finding the impact of extreme heat mixes more and more with other social and health issues affecting women.

No water, no power, we pray

In one neighborhood in Jacobabad, a donkey-drawn cart brings water containers to peoples homes. Most residents there depend on such water deliveries. They can cost between a fifth and an eighth of a familys total earnings. Still, the water deliveries often are not enough. Some families are forced to ration their water.

Local officials said water shortages were partly due to electricity cuts. This means water cannot be cleaned and sent through pipes throughout the city. There are also severe water shortages across the Sindh area of Pakistan.

A woman named Rubina cooks over an open fire. She said when she feels sick from the heat, she wants to use water to prevent herself from fainting. However, there is not always enough water to do so.

Rubina said most of the time the water runs out before it's time to buy more. So, she and her family must wait, she said. She closely watches as her children and grandchildren share a cup of water.

"On the hot days with no water, no electricity, we wake up and the only thing we do is pray to God."

Im Anna Matteo.

Charlotte Greenfield and Gloria Dickie reported this story for Reuters news agency. Anna Matteo adapted the story for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

stressed  adj. subjected to or affected by strain or pressure

complication  n. a secondary disease or condition that develops in the course of a primary disease or condition and arises either as a result of it or from independent causes

premature  adj. happening, arriving, existing, or performed before the proper, usual, or intended time

analysis  n. a detailed examination of anything complex in order to understand its nature or to determine its essential features : a thorough study

level  n. position in a scale or rank (as of achievement, significance, or value)

kitchen  n. a place (such as a room) with cooking facilities

response  v. something constituting a reply or a reaction: such as

resident  n. living in a place for some length of time

ration  v. o control the amount an individual can use of a resource such as food, water, or fuel
Off-grid or off-the-grid is a term for living away from public power and water supplies.

In the past, that often meant trying to survive or live on land far away from others. Some old television programs made that kind of life look fun to some people. Today, however, only a very small number of people who live off-grid do that. In fact, many live less than an hour from any town.

Gary Collins has mostly lived off-grid for the last 10 years. He has written books about it and leads classes on the internet.

Collins told The Associated Press: Living off-grid doesnt mean you dont buy your groceries at a store or take your waste to the local dump. It just means you are not connected to utility grids.

Utility grid describes the network that produces and supplies electricity, energy and water to people in a large area.

Collins estimates that only 1 percent of those living off-grid live far away from people and supplies. Overall, the off-grid population is very small.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, people from the city started to think about changing their way of life and living in distant areas. These days, the move is easier because of gains in renewable power and energy storage.

Sheri Koones also writes about off-grid living. Her book is called Prefabulous and Almost Off the Grid.

Theres a lot more interest in living off the grid now because energy is costing so much and there are so many problems with grids, Koones said.

She mentioned that some people are connected to the grid but try to power their homes with solar panels. When the sun produces more power than they can use, people send it to the power company in return for a small payment.

Off-grid living

Today, off-grid living comes in many forms.

One example is called dry camping in large vehicles with room for sleeping. These recreational vehicles, or RVs, do not have connections to electricity or water. Others live off-grid in costly homes in California cities like Santa Barbara. And some live in small cabins far away from other people.

Jon Bang works for Anacapa Architecture which builds off-grid homes in Santa Barbara and in Portland, Oregon. He said more people are interested in off-grid living in the last two years. Theres a desire to get more in tune with nature, Bang said.

The Anacapa homes are costly to build. They use new technology to take the suns energy, store power in batteries and use very little water for bathing or treating human waste. The materials need to be transported far away from usual home building areas. Some are built into the sides of hills with tops that can be used to grow food.

Bang says for people with money, off-grid living means a quieter kind of life, grounded in nature without neighbors nearby.

For those who do not have much money, Collins warns off-grid life may not be easy. If you learned everything you know on YouTube, you are never going to survive.

Collins said growing up poor in a rural part of the U.S. helped him succeed at living off-grid today. He knows how to hunt, grow some of his own food and get water from a well.

He said people who want to live far away from others must be prepared to do some work. Your wood wont cut itself. Youll have to haul water, Collins said.

He also warned that living off-grid means being far away from help in case of a medical emergency. People die off-grid all the time, he said, because of accidents from activities like cutting wood.

Collins noted that life off-grid may not be as good for the environment as people think. People use a lot of fuel driving a truck or running a gas-powered generator.

But, experts say, modern technology makes off-grid living easier for people who do not want to read books by candlelight or haul water from a well like those who did it hundreds of years ago.

Im Dan Friedell.

Katherine Roth reported this story for The Associated Press. Dan Friedell adapted the story for VOA Learning English.

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

Words in This Story

grocery n. a food store

dump n. a place where waste is taken and left

solar panel n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the suns light or heat to create electricity

camp v. to live outside and away from home in a place usually far away from cities, sometimes using a moveable shelter called a tent

cabin n. a small house or living space

in tune phrase a state in which two things are in harmony or agree with each other

haul v. to carry something heavy

generator n. something, usually an engine, that runs on gas and crates power
In 2007, scientists at West Virginia University first identified an unusual intense burst of radio waves from space. Since then, these fast radio bursts, or FRBs, have been a mystery to astronomers.

They only knew that FRBs are pulses of radio waves and that FRBs come from places within our galaxy, the Milky Way, and other galaxies.

Recently though, researchers identified an FRB that was first found in 2019 with the worlds largest single-dish radio telescope, called FAST. It is in the Guizhou Province in China. The FRB was studied more using the VLA telescope in the state of New Mexico in the U.S. The FRB is in a very small galaxy, which is almost 3 billion light-years from Earth. A light year is the distance light travels in one year.

Scientists believe that extreme objects may release these fast radio bursts. These objects could include unusual kinds of stars such as a neutron star. A neutron star is the center of a large star at the end of its life cycle that explodes as a supernova. Another is a magnetar, which is a neutron star with a very strong magnetic field. And another possible cause of an FRB is a black hole eating a nearby star.

Casey Law is an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology. He was co-writer of a recent study of the 2019 FRB that was published in Nature. He said FRBs are quick flashes of radio energy that turn on and off for only a millisecond. They can be observed across the universe. Some objects produce a storm of repeated FRBs, and some only burst once.

The 2019 FRB repeats. Weaker radio signals continue between the bursts, so it appears to be always on. Most known FRBs, nearly 500 of them, do not repeat.

Astronomers think that the FRB described in the Nature study is only in the beginning of its life. It is still surrounded by thick material from the supernova explosion that created a neutron star. The scientists suspect that the repeating bursts come from younger FRBs.

Di Li is the chief FAST telescope scientist and with the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. He co-wrote the Nature study. He said, We still call fast radio bursts a cosmic mystery and rightfully so.

Although FRBs are still not completely understood, the new repeating FRB may help scientist discover the cause of radio bursts. Years ago, scientists faced a similar mystery with gamma-ray bursts. These events are now believed to result from the death of very large stars, or from neutron stars or magnetars joining to form a black hole.

But researchers have a lot more to learn about FRBs.

"We know more and more about the phenomenon, where the sources live, how often they burstHowever, we are still chasing for that golden measurement that will give us a definitive answer to what causes them, Law said.

Im Faith Pirlo.

Will Dunham wrote this article for Reuters. Faith Pirlo adapted it for Learning English.

Quiz - Scientist Consider Cause of Fast Radio Bursts in Space Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

astronomer n. a scientist who studies stars, planets and objects in outer space

pulse  n. a short increase in an amount of electricity, light or sound

light year  n. the distance light travels in a year, about 9.5 trillion kilometers

supernova  n. a star that has exploded, strongly increasing its brightness for a period of time

black hole  n. a very dense area in space where the gravitational pull is so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape

cosmic  adj. of or relating to the universe or outer space

phenomenon  n. an event or interesting happening that can be observed and studied and that is not easy to explain or understand

definitive  adj. clear, sure and not likely to change

What do you think of fast radio bursts? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
Saudi Arabias first NFT marketplace, NuqtahNFT, has signed a strategic partnership with New Yorks Consensys, a leading Ethereum blockchain company worldwide.

The agreement aims to transfer the knowledge and expertise of Consensys to empower Web 3 startups in Saudi Arabia in line with Nuqtahs goal of accelerating Web 3 adoption, and in clear alignment with the Kingdoms vision to become a hub for technology.

ConsenSys is known for its ownership of Metamask and infura.

According to ConsenSys Partnership Lead Ian Wallis: With Nuqtahs existing Infura and Ethereum infrastructure, the potential in the Saudi market is huge and we are very excited to be launching this strategic partnership with NuqtahNFT, Saudis leading NFT marketplace to provide even more functionality and empowerment of creatives in the MENA region.

Salwa Radawi, CEO of Nuqtah, commented: Our mission is to spearhead the adoption of Web 3 in MENA, by tirelessly developing and enabling a complete and robust infrastructure, tailored specifically to the MENA region originators.

Salwa also added: This partnership is only the beginning of our opening. It not only opens a great deal of opportunities for us and fellow Web 3 startups within the industry but also ensures that we are able to transfer this knowledge and localise it for the region. - TradeArabia News Service
Four people, the youngest of whom is 15, were arrested in connection to at least one of the rash of attacks that took place Downtown and on the UW-Madison campus during the past two weeks, Madison police said.

Four suspects were arrested on Saturday, Madison police Lt. Jennifer Hannah said in an update to a statement detailing the most recent attack on Tuesday night. The other three suspects are 17, 18 and 20.

Police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer had previously said police believe the same group of people were responsible for other attacks that took place Downtown and on UW-Madison campus.

Police say the attacks, at least two of which involved Asian UW-Madison students as victims, do not appear to be racially motivated, despite a continuing outcry from Asian student groups who marched down State Street Friday afternoon to protest racist violence.

At least four people of various backgrounds have been attacked by the same group in the past two weeks, Madison and UW police have said. Most recently, the group attacked a man Tuesday night in the 400 block of West Gilman Street, with the assailants punching and kicking him while he was on the ground, Fryer said Friday.

Pictures circulating on social media of the student, who is Asian, show him with wounds on his face, chin and ears.

Earlier that night, the same group threw a banana at an Asian student on Library Mall, said UW-Madison Police spokesperson Marc Lovicott. Lovicott said the incident didnt appear to be racially motivated because the suspects didnt say anything explicitly racist to the victim.

Fryer said the attacks appear to be random and detectives have no information that leads them to believe the assaults are racially motivated.

Madison police had released photos of four suspects allegedly involved in the attacks. In the images, two of the men appear to be holding bananas. In a statement, the university said one of the victims was a UW-Madison doctoral student.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to note that one of the victims was a UW-Madison doctoral student.

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BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia Democrats tapped two members of the House of Delegates as their new leaders Saturday, electing Mike Pushkin to a four-year term as chairman and Danielle Walker as vice chair.

Pushkin, a member of the House from Kanawha County since 2015, will replace Belinda Biafore, who has served as chair since 2015 and decided not to seek re-election. Pushkin, who is Jewish and is a 52-year-old taxi driver and musician from Charleston, has served as the partys vice chairman since January.

Meeting in Bridgeport, party leaders also elected as vice chair the 45-year-old Walker, who is West Virginia's only Black female lawmaker and has served in the House from Monongalia County since 2019.

During his acceptance speech, Pushkin said he had car problems on the way to the meeting, and a man on his way home from work went out of his way to drive Pushkin to Bridgeport. He said his conversation with the man renewed his hope for the state.

He didnt want to leave somebody on the side of the road, Pushkin said. Thats West Virginia values. Thats what were about. Im tired of hearing that the Democratic Party doesnt represent West Virginia values, because were the party that doesnt leave anybody behind.

Weve got to get our message out and work hand-in-hand with our candidates up and down the ballot, to get that message out to the people: Were the party of West Virginia values. Were only going to be able to do that if we work together.

Theyll have their work cut out for them. Republicans control the governors office and have supermajorities in the state Senate and House of Delegates. There are 33 Democrats combined in the 134-member Legislature. The GOP has held a majority in both chambers since after the 2014 election.

Democratic voter registration numbers in West Virginia have been dropping over the past decade, buoyed by criticism of former two-term President Barack Obamas energy policies in coal-rich West Virginia. In 2014, registered Democrats in West Virginia fell below 50% for the first time since 1932. In February 2021, registered Republicans overtook Democrats.

GOP state chairwoman Melody Potter resigned in January 2021. Mark Harris of Raleigh County was picked in March 2021 to serve the remainder of her term.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has announced that its onshore unit has awarded a three-year engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract worth $173 million to Greek construction major Archirodon to unlock further production capacity at one of its largest oil fields - Asab.

The scope of work for Archirodon Construction (Overseas) Company includes boosting the handling capacity of the Asab Central Degassing Station, which serves as the central processing hub for Adnoc Onshores South East and Haliba fields while allowing Adnoc Onshore to support the production evaluation of nearby exploration blocks.

Announcing the contract award, Adnoc said this three-year project, awarded by Adnoc Onshore will return nearly 70% of the value of the award to the UAEs economy under its flagship In-Country Value programme.

This work further supports the advantage of providing some of the worlds most cost-efficient, lower-carbon crude, as Adnoc continues to accelerate towards an oil production capacity of 5 million barrels per day by 2030, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Idaho schools are in the middle of a systemwide, unprecedented teacher hiring crisis, State Board of Education member Linda Clark said Wednesday.

Clark, a retired West Ada School District superintendent, said the problem goes beyond anything the K-12 system has faced in the past. Historically, public schools have struggled to find math, science and special education teachers. Those jobs remain hard to fill  but now schools are struggling to find elementary school teachers too.

Thats a big harbinger , Clark said during a State Board meeting Wednesday morning.

Clarks assessment came during a brief but grim discussion of a recent State Board survey, which pinpointed at least 700 public school teacher vacancies.

The vacancy rate itself isnt that unusual, Clark said. But in past summers, schools have been able to take advantage of Idahos growth, hiring new arrivals who come to the state with teaching certificates. That isnt happening this year, she said.

According to the survey, many school administrators reported they have received only a handful of applications  or none at all. And that means schools will probably be forced to hire more teachers who have not graduated from a traditional college of education, instead choosing applicants who have gone through an alternative teacher certification route.

On Wednesday, board members seemed to want to understand the root cause of the problem.

Lauding the Legislatures 2022 investments  more than $100 million in teacher pay raises, and $180 million to improve school employee health benefits  board President Kurt Liebich noted that schools remain at a disadvantage.

Were not keeping up with the private sector, in this market, he said.

The pay gap is a big factor, Clark said, especially as schools struggle to find bus drivers, cafeteria staff and other classified workers. But she said the teacher shortage is more complicated  with stress and political pressures driving some educators out of the classroom.

Some of the superintendents report that teachers just walked off their contracts, without concern about what that meant for teacher certification or anything, Clark said.

Meeting Tuesday and Wednesday at Idaho State University, the State Board worked through several other items. Here are some other items from Wednesday.

Legislative ideas

The board gave its initial go-ahead to 16 legislative proposals  including one possible approach to the teacher shortage.

This proposal would create a teacher apprenticeship program. Apprentices could receive a teaching certificate without getting a four-year degree or going through an alternative certification program after college. And unlike student-teachers, apprentices could be paid while they work in the classroom.

The apprenticeship program isnt unique. Tennessee has had some really good results from a similar approach, said Tracie Bent, the State Boards chief planning and policy officer.

Many of the 16 legislative ideas were minor and procedural  but one was familiar and far-reaching.

This proposal would permanently change Idahos arcane school funding formula, from a complex calculation based on average student attendance to a formula based on enrollment. Advocates say an enrollment-based model allows money to follow students who take a menu of in-person or online classes from more than one school.

The state began using an enrollment-based formula during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Gov. Brad Little vetoed a bill to keep this formula intact through 2023-24. Weeks later, the State Board approved a temporary rule to continue enrollment-based funding through the 2023 legislative session.

The State Boards legislative ideas now go to Little for review. If he signs on, the State Board will take up the ideas again during its August meeting.

Virtual charter shutdown

The troubled Another Choice Virtual Charter School will close its doors  a process that now will begin later this month.

Siding with the Idaho Public Charter School Commission and an independent hearing officer, the State Board ordered the Nampa-based virtual charter to shut down.

Another Choice serves around 400 at-risk students.

But in February, the charter commission voted unanimously to order the schools shutdown, citing poor academic performance and oversight issues. The school appealed. Instead of hearing the appeal itself, the State Board turned the matter over to an independent hearing officer, who held an appeal hearing in May and later recommended the closure.

Its just the second time in two decades that the state has ordered a charter school to close. Noting the rarity of the event, Liebich emphasized that the board believes in school choice.

But we also believe in public school accountability, Liebich said.

Administrative salaries

Without discussion, the State Board approved a series of administrative pay raises, effective July 1:

Scott Green, president, University of Idaho: $440,993 (up from $419,994).

Marlene Tromp, president, Boise State University: $437,757 (up from $425,006).

Kevin Satterlee, president, Idaho State University: $420,000 (up from $400,000).

Cynthia Pemberton, president, Lewis-Clark State College: $275,000 (up from $240,000).

Matt Freeman, executive director, State Board: $173,306 (up from ($170,601).

Clay Long, administrator, Division of Career-Technical Education: $137,540 (up from $133,910).

Jane Donnellan, administrator, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation: $130,963 (up from $127,317).

Jeff Tucker, general manager of Idaho Public Television, elected not to take a pay raise. His salary will remain at $130,000.

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Idahos congressional delegation has received hundreds of thousands of dollars of support from gun rights organizations  and has stayed mostly quiet on the topic of new gun safety and gun control proposals now making their way through the U.S. Congress.

The four men who represent Idahoans in the U.S. House and Senate have yet to comment on new firearms policies in the wake of an elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. They have received more than $609,000 in financial support from gun rights groups, according to campaign finance data compiled by the nonprofit Open Secrets. Most of that is from the National Rifle Association, or NRA.

The shooter in Uvalde  an 18-year-old who legally purchased semi-automatic rifles days before entering the school  killed 19 children, ages 9 to 11, and two teachers and wounded others, including his grandmother. The husband of slain teacher Irma Garcia also died two days later of a heart attack his family attributed to grief, and an 11-year-old survivor was hospitalized with heart problems her mother attributed to trauma.

There have been no fatal school shootings in Idaho to date. However, a 12-year-old student at Rigby Middle School fired a semi-automatic pistol and injured students and a janitor in May 2021, before a teacher persuaded the student to hand over the gun and accept a hug, according to reports.

But hundreds of Idahoans die each year from gunshot wounds. In October, a 27-year-old man killed two people and injured four at the Boise Towne Square mall. The Idaho Statesman reported that police had flagged the shooter months earlier, after an encounter at the Idaho Capitol building.

The Gem State currently ranks 16th in the U.S. for firearms deaths per capita.

There were 1,854 firearm deaths in Idaho between the years 2014 and 2020, according to the Idaho Violent Death Reporting System. That included 190 children.

The overwhelming majority of firearm deaths in Idaho are suicides, but guns are used in homicides as well. The reporting system shows 35 children killed in firearm homicides between 2014 and 2020.

Guns are big business in Idaho, and big money in politics

The firearms and ammunition industries are strong in Idaho.

Manufacturing and exporting data from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shows that Idahos gun industry created more than 36,000 firearms in 2020.

There were 1,298 dealer and manufacturer licenses active as of last month, according to ATF records. That was a 13% increase in the past five years.

Rep. Mike Simpson, a longtime Republican member of the U.S. House, represents eastern and south-central Idaho and roughly half of the Treasure Valley. The NRA has provided Simpson at least $389,209 of direct and indirect support since his first race in 1998, according to the data. He ranks 24th among all 535 members of Congress, the data show.

As a whole, Simpson has received a total of $84,583 in campaign contributions and $343,226 of independent spending support from gun rights groups, according to another set of data compiled by Open Secrets. Gun control groups have spent $861 in opposition to him, the data show.

Simpson released a statement about the Uvalde shooting in a tweet on May 26.

This is not an acceptable status quo and we must do better for our children. Kathy and I are praying for our country and especially for the families who are living the unimaginable, it said. Hate and division are too present in our country, and elected leaders must set an example by coming together to find meaningful solutions that (address) the clear mental health crisis in this country.

Simpsons press secretary did not respond to four emails and a voicemail requesting comment from the congressman about the NRA support and his positions on specific gun-control proposals.

Sen. Mike Crapo, a Republican who has spent nearly three decades in Congress, received at least $57,539 in direct and indirect support from the NRA since his first race in 1992, the Open Secrets data show. He ranks 61st among all members of the House and Senate, according to the data.

As a whole, Crapo has received a total of $92,665 in campaign contributions and $6,389 of independent spending support from gun rights groups, according to data compiled by Open Secrets. Gun control groups have spent $861 in opposition to him, the data show.

Crapos press secretary did not respond to two emails from the Sun.

Sen. Jim Risch, a Republican who previously served as Idahos lieutenant governor and governor, has received $24,338 in direct and indirect support from the NRA since his first campaign for Congress in 2008.

As a whole, Risch has received a total of $70,160 in campaign contributions and $2,494 of independent spending support from gun rights groups, according to data compiled by Open Secrets. Gun control groups have spent $861 to oppose him, the data show.

Rischs deputy press secretary responded immediately to an email from the Sun, but wrote, I dont have a statement to share at the moment and we likely wont be (able) to put an interview on the Senators calendar.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, a Republican who represents the northern and north-central regions of Idaho and roughly half of the Treasure Valley, has received at least $2,000 in direct support from the NRA since his first race in 2018, the Open Secrets data show.

Most of Fulchers contributions come from gun rights groups besides the NRA. He has received a total of $9,500 in direct contributions from all gun rights supporters, the Open Secrets data show.

Fulchers press office did not provide a comment.

The Open Secrets compilation includes direct campaign contribution data released by the Federal Elections Commission on April 18, and independent expenditures data released by the FEC on May 16. The direct support is based on contributions from the NRA political action committee and from NRA employees to candidates, Open Secrets said.

The amounts are career totals for current officeholders.

What do Idahos federal lawmakers believe about gun control?

The U.S. Senate is expected soon to take up gun safety legislation. National media reported in the past week that a bipartisan group of 20 senators reached a deal on the package, which would include:

Enhanced background checks of gun purchases by people under 21.

Support for states to pass red flag laws, creating a legal process under which a court can temporarily restrict a persons access to firearms under certain criteria  for example, if a person makes a credible threat to carry out a school shooting.

Funding for school security and mental health treatment.

The group of senators who reached the deal, as reported by Politico and CNN, did not include Crapo or Risch.

Fulcher is the only member of Idahos delegation so far to speak at length about the issue of gun violence following the Uvalde massacre.

The most junior member of Idahos delegation, and with the least amount of career-total NRA support, Fulcher said on KBOI talk radio that he has the same frustration that everyone else does about repeated mass shootings. But restricting gun ownership is entirely missing the mark, he said, suggesting that strengthening families and moral teaching are solutions, as Boise State Public Radio reported.

Signs and speeches at the Capitol; long guns across the street

A crowd gathered Saturday at the Idaho Capitol for a March For Our Lives rally, demanding stricter gun control measures to prevent mass shootings.

Alison Henken, who works in education and has two children in the Boise school system, said that every time a mass shooting happens, I just keep saying, I dont want to take everyones guns away, but we have to do something different. It cant be OK for a person to go and get a gun that they can (use to) shoot 300 people within minutes, and take that to a school.

Her 7-year-old daughter, Elianne, said she doesnt want to have an active-shooter lockdown at her school. So far, she said, weve only had practices at her school, and to some kids, it feels real.

Heather Etcheverry, from Kimberly, said she drove to Boise for the demonstration because she teaches kindergarten, and her daughter just finished second grade.

I dont understand why were still circling this, over and over again, she said. I believe in a persons right to bear arms, but I also believe that our Founding Fathers had no idea what it was going to look like in the year 2022, and things have just gotten to the point where its easier to buy a gun than it is to buy medication, and Im not OK with that.

Across the street, in a grassy area overlooked by a statue of assassinated former Gov. Frank Steunenberg, gun rights activists formed a smaller crowd. Several of the counter-protesters held firearms and wore tactical gear.

Alex Shelton, a 21-year-old Meridian resident, said he came to the Capitol to exercise his right to carry firearms.

I used to be on one side, Shelton said. It took a while for me to finally go in and educate myself, and truly understand what this country was founded on.

Shelton said that, in addition to supporting firearms as a tool to defend against an evil, he points to the Second Amendment as a reason to oppose gun licenses, waiting periods and other restrictions on firearms ownership. Shelton said he believes such limitations would be a step backward for constitutional rights.

I believe no one should have to have a license, he said. Here in this state, I can carry wherever, whenever, however I want, you know, and I think thats a fair right to give  the right to carry.

Asked if he wears tactical gear or guns to work, Shelton said he does: He works in a gun store.

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The nearly two dozen books the Nampa school board voted last month to remove from its libraries will continue to be stored until the board comes up with a more formal process for challenged books.

The board on Thursday voted to keep the banned books in the districts warehouse and revisit them once a process is in place.

Trustee Brook Taylor, who made the motion, also said board members would be provided with a copy of the books to read upon their request.

A handful of people during the meeting testified during public comment, most of them against the decision to ban books. Opponents asked that the board not dispose of the books, and called for the board to reconsider or reverse its decision to remove the books from shelves.

Teachers, parents and community members also talked about the importance of providing library books that reflect the experiences of all students in the district, including LGBTQ students and students of color.

They encouraged board members to read the books that they voted to remove.

Trustee Tracey Pearson said she felt the board needed to make the decision to remove the books for safety reasons, but she said shed like to read them and be able to go through a more formal process.

Right now, we want to work on a new process and procedure because I felt like the past one was failing, she said.

Earlier this month, the board discussed implementing clearer policies and procedures relating to challenged library books. The board made its decision to remove the titles before the district could complete a review of each of the books.

Board chair Jeff Kirkman has said hed like to see a policy in place before the start of the school year.

Dozens gather outside to read banned books

While the school board debated what to do with the challenged titles, dozens of students, parents, teachers and community members gathered outside the district building for a banned books read-in.

People brought chairs and blankets, sat in the grass and read  many choosing one of the titles the school board removed from their libraries.

Some attendees brought their own copies of books to read, while Rediscovered Books also distributed books during the event. The bookstore has distributed more than 1,000 copies of the challenged books, said Laura DeLaney, the co-owner of Rediscovered Books.

People read books including The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Looking for Alaska by John Green, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Lance McGrath, a librarian and associate professor at the College of Idaho who created the Nampa Banned Books Fan Club, said the idea stemmed from other protest movements in the past, such as sit-ins during the civil rights movement. McGrath said it made sense to have a read-in to respond to an attempt to censor reading materials.

McGrath also collected signatures on a petition that demanded the district reverse the decision and return the challenged books to school libraries. More than 200 people had signed the petition as of Thursday night, he said.

Students dont leave their First Amendment rights at the schoolhouse door, he told the Statesman. The school board needs to be very careful in making decisions that adversely impact students First Amendment rights.

Several students attended the event, and raised concerns about the school boards decision. Scarlet Neubauer, an incoming freshman who attends a charter school in Nampa, was reading Looking for Alaska at the read-in. She said she attended the event because she doesnt support censorship  whether it is for books or music. She said banning books could harm the schools.

DeLaney helped event attendees choose a book they wanted to read. As students, parents and community members came up to the table filled with copies of the challenged titles, she explained what the books were about and tried to find a good fit for every person.

She said students should be given varieties in titles and be able to see themselves in books. She said the books that were banned from schools are incredibly powerful, and can be a light in the darkness for kids.

These books matter, she told the Statesman. There are books here that are genuinely life saving because they are able to see themselves in these books and know that theyre OK, that they are seen and their voices are heard.

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SANDPOINT  A judge has dropped a cannibalism charge against a northern Idaho man after finding that there wasnt enough evidence to move forward to a trial, but said the man will still face a first-degree murder charge.

James David Russell, 40, was arrested Sept. 10, 2021, and charged with killing David Milton Flaget, 70, on the Russell family property in Bonner County, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported. Prosecutors later added the cannibalism charge, writing in court documents that Russell believed he could cure his brain by eating some of the victim.

During a preliminary hearing on Monday, First District Magistrate Judge Tera Harden said she didnt find sufficient evidence to send Russell to district court on the cannibalism charge. However, Harden said the first-degree murder charge would move forward, and that there was evidence to support a charge of mayhem. Idaho law defines mayhem as depriving someone of part of their body or rendering part of the body useless.

Autopsy results showed Flaget died from blunt force trauma to his head. Bonner County Sheriffs Office Detective Phillip Stella told the court that there was blood dripping out of the vehicle where Flagets body was found, and that his body had been mutilated with parts of his thigh and genital region removed.

One of Russells defense attorneys, Randy Michael Grossman, asked the detective if he was aware that Russell was under the care of a psychiatrist, prescribed medication and that he heard imaginary voices. Stella said he was unaware of Russells medical history.

Russells other defense attorney, Sean Walsh, did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment on Wednesday.

Russell is scheduled to be arraigned in district court on June 21.

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BOISE  A few weeks before 31 members of a white supremacist group were arrested for allegedly planning to riot at a northern Idaho LGBTQ pride event, a fundamentalist Idaho pastor told his Boise congregation that gay, lesbian and transgender people should be executed by the government.

Around the same time, a lawmaker from the northernmost region of the state, Republican Rep. Heather Scott, told an audience that drag queens and other LGBTQ supporters are waging a war of perversion against our children.

A toxic brew of hateful rhetoric has been percolating in Idaho and elsewhere around the U.S., well ahead of the arrests of the Patriot Front members at the pride event Saturday in Coeur dAlene.

Police say dozens of men from the white supremacist group piled into a U-Haul truck wearing balaclavas and bearing riot gear, with plans to instigate a riot at the park where families, children and supporters were gathered to celebrate the LGBTQ community.

Those arrested came from at least 11 states, including Illinois, Arkansas and Virginia. The defendants were booked on misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot and released on bail. As of Monday afternoon, online court records did not show if the men had retained defense attorneys.

Thomas Rousseau, a 23-year-old from Grapevine, Texas, who has been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as the Patriot Front founder and was among those arrested, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Jon Lewis, a George Washington University researcher who specializes in homegrown violent extremism, said outrage directed at LGBTQ people had been growing for months online, often in chat rooms frequented by members of groups like the Patriot Front.

In the same way that it mobilized against Black Lives Matter in the nations capital in December, the Patriot Front harnesses whats in the news cycle  in this case, drag queen story hours, disputes about transgender people in schools, and LGBTQ visibility more broadly.

A massive right-wing media ecosystem has been promoting the notion that there are people who are trying to take your kids to drag shows, there are trans people trying to groom your children, Lewis said.

The rhetoric has been amplified by right-wing social media accounts that use photos and videos of LGBTQ individuals to drive outrage among their followers.

Several posts have falsely sought to label teachers and librarians who accept the LGBTQ community as abusers or groomers of children. Others have lambasted pride events or drag performances as depraved.

One photo shared widely on social media this week falsely claimed a Drag Queen Story Hour performer flashed their genitals to children while reading aloud. But the photograph, from a suburban Minneapolis library in 2019, clearly shows the performer was wearing tan undergarments.

A spokesman for Hennepin County Library confirmed to The Associated Press that the performer did not expose themselves to children.

Northern Idaho has long been associated with extremist groups, most prominently the Aryan Nations, which was often in the news in the 1990s. The area drew disaffected people after white supremacist Richard Butler moved there in 1973 from California.

After the Aryan Nations heyday, many local officials tried to disassociate the region from extremism. But in recent years, some politicians, civic leaders and real estate agents have boasted about northern Idahos conservatism to draw like-minded people.

At a news conference Monday, Coeur dAlene Mayor Jim Hammond said the city is no longer a locus of hate.

We are not going back to the days of the Aryan Nations. We are past that, he declared.

Scott, the northern Idaho lawmaker, did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.

At her public appearance weeks ago, she introduced two members of the Panhandle Patriots motorcycle club, who urged watchers to join them in the fight against LGBTQ people at the Coeur dAlene pride celebration. They dubbed their counter-protest Gun dAlene.

Stand up, take it to the head, go to the fight. ... We say, Damn the repercussions, the motorcycle club members said. They are trying to take your children.

The Panhandle Patriots later changed their event to a prayer rally, saying they are a Christian group that stands against violence in all its forms.

Elsewhere around the country, authorities in the San Francisco Bay Area are investigating a possible hate crime after a group of men allegedly shouted anti-LGBTQ slurs during Drag Queen Story Hour at the San Lorenzo Library over the weekend.

Associated Press journalists Ali Swenson in New York City and Sam Metz in Salt Lake City contributed.

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For the past two years, the Lava Ridge Wind project has gathered fans and skeptics.

Proposed by Magic Valley Energy, a subsidiary of LS Power, the up to 400-turbine project is projected to generate 1,000 megawatts, enough energy to power 300,000 homes.

On the other hand, the project has raised concerns from stakeholders regarding cultural resources, wildlife safety, grazing rights and more.

The public attendance and questions only go to improve the process in my mind, said Luke Papez, MVE project manager. They make the analysis more thorough and they ensure the breadth and range of issues are appropriately addressed and they make the outcome of this even better.

The draft Environmental Impact Statement, a document required by environmental law, is expected to be released in late summer or early fall. It will contain research on each potential impact and be available for a minimum of 45 days for public comment and review.

Here is a recap of the Times-News reporting on the project, including recent events, prior to the release of the Environmental Impact Statement.

Touring the desert

A resource council of the Bureau of Land Management, Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project subcommittee members and community members on Wednesday toured the proposed project site.

Made up of 15 members, the advisory council provides a forum that brings together stakeholders with diverse interests to provide advice and recommendations to the BLM on issues and challenges associated with the Bureaus multiple-use mission, according to a press release. The job of the subcommittee is to conduct research and compile information about the proposed project.

The Idaho Resource Advisory Council and the Subcommittee provide an important avenue for the BLM to gain public input on the proposed Lava Ridge Wind Energy project in addition to the public involvement opportunities that the National Environmental Policy Act process offers, Karen Kelleher, Idaho BLM director, said in a press release.

The tour started at the BLMs district office in Twin Falls with an overview by Papez, then continued with stops at Minidoka National Historic Site, Wilson Cave, and Sid Butte. The tour concluded with a public comment period back at the district office.

Although the event was open to the public  and more than 150 people attended  the presentation was aimed toward the council and subcommittee members.

Attendees learned about the importance of the Minidoka National Historic Site from Anna Tamura, a program manager with the National Park Service.

The site commemorates Japanese Americans imprisoned at the Minidoka Internment Camp  known locally as the Hunt Camp  during World War II.

The original plans had the closest turbine placed 1.8 miles from the historic site. Survivors and their descendants, however, argued the project will still be on top of the historic footprint of the camp, which included nearby agricultural areas.

Paul Tomita previously told the Times-News he was 3 years old when he was imprisoned at the camp because of his physical appearance.

Some 13,000 Japanese Americans lived within those prison gates before the camp closed on on Oct. 23, 1945.

First of all, I want to say that you are standing in a place of national significance, Tamura told attendees.

Minidoka was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, became an Idaho Centennial Site in 1990, was designated a unit of the National Park System in 2001, and became a National Historic Site in 2008, she said.

This year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed Minidoka among the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America for 2022.

If constructed as currently planned, the project could irrevocably change Minidokas landscape, potentially creating a visual wall of hundreds of wind towers, each taller than the Seattle Space Needle, with blades exceeding the wingspan of a Boeing 747, the National Trust for Historic Preservation wrote in the announcement.

Erin Shigaki, whose father was born at the Minidoka site, told the Times-News that if this was a beloved national park, a project of this size in the vision line wouldnt be considered.

Weve had to fight and fight to have this history recognized and I think this is one more battle, unfortunately, Shigaki previously told the Times-News.

Minidoka National Historic Site is 3 miles from one end to the other, Tamura said.

The turbines would appear about four times the size of the tallest trees and a string of them, 18 turbines going this way, and then all along the viewshed, she said.

During the preservation of Minidoka, survivors wanted to convey the remote nature of the site.

They wanted for people to understand that this was intentionally a remote location, I think you all get that by driving out here, Tamura told the audience. This was intentionally placed in a very remote and isolated setting.

Shigaki and Tomita are among the group of people who are concerned the feeling of isolation could be lost if the turbines are placed within the viewshed.

It would absolutely ruin the atmosphere of desolation and despair, Mary Abo, another Minidoka survivor told the Times-News. Thats part of the lesson.

Papez said they understand the site is well-recognized and important. He is confident the BLM will find a solution during the EIS process.

Part of the EIS is a range of alternatives, which could include moving the turbines away from the site.

I am glad people have expressed their concerns so they can be addressed in the EIS process, Papez said.

Minidoka County Commissioner Wayne Schenk asked how far the turbines would need to be before they were no longer visible.

Lara Rozzell, with the Pacific West region external energy and minerals program, said it depends on the curvature of the earth and landscape.

Rozzell said there are not currently any turbines of this size on land in the U.S., meaning the BLM has been unable to analyze the potential visual impacts. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, however, has analyzed several projects with 840-feet-tall turbines. Magic Valley Energy proposed turbines up to 740 feet.

The Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, is 605 feet tall.

The report found adverse effects to visual and cultural properties at 16 and 18 miles and 22 miles for taller turbines.

The definition of adverse effects is basically if you are here and if those turbines are what draws your attention, if your attention is drawn away from the honor roll or the atmosphere here, then that is called an adverse affect, Rozzell said.

So far Lincoln County Commissioner Roy Hubert is the only commissioner to come out in full opposition of the project.

During a Lincoln County Commission meeting in early June, Hubert said he has received phone calls from the public about his position.

I want you to know that Im 100% against the Lava Ridge project, Hubert said during the meeting. I want that as part of the minutes today, that I am opposed to it in every way.

Ive done my research.

Hubert wanted the group to present a resolution on whether the commission supported or opposed the project.

As a whole, the commissioners elected to wait until the EIS and mitigation plans are released later this summer or early fall.

If they look good for our citizens thats one thing, and if they look bad, I would be totally against them, Commissioner Rebecca Wood said. But I would really like the science and all the information that we have helped to provide, and see whats coming out of it.

Wood said she heard commissioners in other counties are also waiting to form an opinion until the report is released.

I think that is a very reasonable position to take, Papez said. I am hopeful that the members of the public and the community will also recognize that this is not being rushed and these questions are being addressed. This is a long process that has not been concluded yet, lets wait till we get concrete answers before judgment is rendered.

In terms of benefits, MVE is estimating the project will provide more than 1,000 jobs during the construction period and bring in more than $7.5 million in tax revenue annually after the construction.

The Lava Ridge Wind Project will create approximately 20 permanent jobs.

Lincoln County Commissioner Joann Rutler previously told the Times-News she was excited about the tax revenue for her community.

There is a stigma in Idaho about green power but education is key, Rutler said, and listening to people.

Connie Stopher, past executive director of Southern Idaho Economic Development, last year told the Times-News that the tax revenue could be used for a variety of projects.

For example, communities could decide to reinvest in infrastructure upgrades, such as water or wastewater, which are typically expensive projects jurisdictions dont have the money to complete. Upgrading these sorts of facilities could attract developers to build new homes in the area, something Idaho is in desperate need of.

When we do economic development improvement projects, most of those companies want there to be infrastructure at the site and ready to go, Stopher said. If (communities) have new tax revenue and can make those investments, then they can be ready for the next project that comes along.

Another benefit could be drawing students into the College of Southern Idahos Renewable Energy Systems Technology program and possibly providing jobs for graduates.

Students who complete the two-year program earn an associates degree and can go straight into working on projects such as the one proposed by MVE.

Lava Ridge would be phenomenal for us, said CSI professor Eli Bowles. Not only for the area but for the college as well. It could create a lot of up flow, and it already has.

Be honest

After stopping at Minidoka, participants Wednesday visited Wilson Cave and Sid Butte.

An archaeologist, recreation planner, wildlife biologist, and realty specialist discussed the potential impacts on grazing, archeological sites, outdoor recreation and wildlife.

Previously, questions about the protection of the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer have been raised.

Papez said the wind farm shouldnt affect the aquifer, because the supports for the wind turbines go down only 12 to 15 feet and are wider than they are deep, while the water table is 200 feet below ground level. This concern will be addressed in greater detail as part of the EIS.

Grazing rights are another point of friction.

The Times-News previously interviewed John Arkoosh, whose family has grazed sheep and cattle on the Star Lake Grazing Allotment for nearly a century.

Located on the border of Jerome and Lincoln counties, the allotment is more than 98,000 acres, managed by the BLM.

The land is used by numerous multigenerational ranchers whose operations employ close to 100 people, Arkoosh said. The allotment has 12 permits in total.

During the construction phase over half of the allotment could be unavailable.

I dont think this is the place to build this project. It just doesnt make sense to me, Arkoosh told the Times-News. Weve spent years developing this and taking care of it and I dont understand how they can just turn these guys lose to completely change the face of the earth.

Members of the Star Lake Grazing Allotment participated in the public scoping period by submitting a letter about their concerns.

Arkoosh said they are worried about grazing losses, difficulties with fire suppression, the impact of road building, damage to prior range improvements and more.

Papez said he believes wind energy and grazing can be achieved simultaneously.

Its definitely our opinion, and well established across many other wind energy developments, that wind energy and grazing co-exist very well, Papez said. There are literally thousands of wind turbines between Texas and North Dakota that are on operating cattle ranches.

Magic Valley Energy also hired a rangeland consultant to help them determine the best course of action moving forward. The company could provide financial assistance if ranchers are forced to relocate during the construction period.

During the public scoping period, the Lava Ridge Wind Project received more than 1,400 comments. Of those comments, more than 97% were from individuals. The other 3% were from organizations and agencies.

Almost two-thirds of the comments were form letters. This category covers letters with the same comment that were forwarded to different people to submit.

Southern Idaho Regional Communications Center and Project Mutual Telephone both expressed concerns that the project could interfere with their operations.

The Idaho Military Division, which contains the Idaho Office of Emergency Management, also submitted a public comment regarding microwave radio transmission paths.

The services carried on these paths are vital as they service statewide emergency services, law enforcement, federal/state/county agency customers, the division wrote. Any interruption or degradation of signal would be detrimental and will not be allowed to happen.

In February, the BLM presented four alternative plans during an Idaho Resource Advisory Council meeting, addressing concerns about communications.

The public had another opportunity to voice their concerns during the tour Wednesday.

Some commenters voiced outright opposition while others wanted more research done during the EIS period.

One individual brought up the extensive network of roads that will be built to support the project.

If you get on your phone and GPS from here to Price, Utah, thats 337 miles, thats four hours away, the public member said. Thats how many roads they are going to put out there. So that is just a good perspective.

Regardless of the outcome, everyone wanted the BLM to thoroughly consider the potential impacts and listen to lifelong Idaho residents.

All I ask from the BLM is just to be honest, one participant said. Because no honest man on earth could stand up and say, That is something we can live with. It would be impossible.

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It is easy to understand the bipartisan appeal of a policy that promises to reduce gun violence by targeting dangerous individuals instead of imposing broad limits that affect millions of law-abiding Americans. So its not surprising that the Senate gun control deal announced on Sunday includes federal grants aimed at encouraging states to pass and enforce red flag laws, which authorize courts to prohibit people from possessing firearms when they are deemed a threat to themselves or others.

However sensible that policy may seem, it suffers from two basic limitations that cannot be wished away by consensus-building rhetoric: Predicting violence is much harder than advocates of this approach are usually willing to admit, and trying to overcome that challenge by erring on the side of issuing red flag orders inevitably means that many innocent people will lose their Second Amendment rights, typically for a year and sometimes longer, even though they never would have used a gun to harm anyone.

The very concept of red flags assumes that experts can reliably distinguish between harmless oddballs and future murderers. But there is little basis for that assumption.

The notion that we can identify mass killers before they act is, as yet, an epidemiologic fiction, psychiatrist Richard Friedman noted in a 2019 New York Times essay. Experienced psychiatrists fare no better than a roll of the dice at predicting violence.

Even if certain red flags are common among mass shooters, almost none of the people who display those signs are bent on murderous violence. While there may be pre-existing behavior markers that are specifiable, a 2012 Defense Department study noted, those markers are of low specificity and thus carry the baggage of an unavoidable false alarm rate.

RAND Corporation researchers Rosanna Smart and Terry Schell made the same point in a 2021 essay. Policies targeting individuals based on risk factors would result in an extremely high rate of false positives, they wrote. Even the best available risk factors can identify only a subpopulation in which the risk of committing a mass shooting is on the order of one in a million.

In the face of all this uncertainty, it is vitally important that red flag laws include robust safeguards to minimize false positives. But the 19 states that have already passed such laws typically have weak due process protections, which means people can be stripped of their constitutional rights based on little more than unvalidated allegations.

Temporary red flag orders, which are issued without a hearing and sometimes without evidence that a threat is imminent, can last for weeks. For final orders, which usually last a year and can be renewed, some states require nothing more than showing that the respondent is more likely than not to pose an unspecified level of risk  meaning that orders are issued even when the target is highly unlikely to hurt someone.

The red flag legislation that emerges from negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate could help rectify this situation by setting minimum standards for grant eligibility. The criteria should include prompt hearings, demanding standards of proof, a right to court-appointed counsel and time limits on orders.

Senators should not copy the approach that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) took in 2019, when he sponsored a bill that seemed to have been crafted so that every jurisdiction with a red flag law could qualify for grants. That would have lowered the bar to the level of the jurisdictions with the weakest due process protections.

The senators who are working on a red flag bill say they want states to create and administer laws that help ensure deadly weapons are kept out of the hands of individuals whom a court has determined to be a significant danger to themselves or others, consistent with state and federal due process and constitutional protections. The details of their legislation will tell us whether they are serious about that last part.

Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason magazine. Syndicated by Creators.com.

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If communist Chinas recent words and deeds reflect a calculated design and totalitarian intent, soon we will hear Beijing declare the entire western Pacific Ocean a sovereign Chinese sea, where Beijing rules  so-called international laws, treaties and U.N. resolutions be damned.

Defining terms helps expose Beijings strategic gamble, because its a gamble: It is unresolved and not a guaranteed outcome, though communist China would love to see frightened kowtows.

Terminology: Among diplomats, words translates as political rhetoric, propaganda, narrative warfare and other coercive verbal and psychological theatrics. Deeds for generals and admirals are physical military actions or the threat of military actions made by physically demonstrating military capabilities (posturing forces is a jargon term).

Since February Beijing has upped the temperature of its violent verbal threats (hot words) and increased the number of risky military encounters along its east Asian coast (threatening deeds).

In late February Russia invaded Ukraine. Coincidence? Maybe.

However, Chinas bullying statements and intimations during the recent Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore (June 10-12) were particularly troubling.

The annual conference bills itself as Asias premier defense summit. Its a diplo-show, but its one that usually matters.

2022s convocation mattered: It helped define choices  either communist Chinese lawlessness or a rules-based international order.

Beijings most troubling propaganda claim, made in recent months to American diplomats and in the conferences various diplomatic exchanges: the Taiwan Strait isnt international water, it is a sovereign Chinese territorial water and international shipping can only pass through the strait with Beijings permission.

This represents a dangerous change. Beijing consistently protests U.S. Navy freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait. However, according to U.S. diplomats, until now Beijing never specifically contested the legality of free international shipping transiting the Taiwan Strait.

China has also indicated it is prepared to enforce its sovereign claim  presumably using its ever-growing navy and ever more powerful air force.

In classic terminology Beijing has issued a casus belli  an act that could provoke war  for nations dependent on free and secure ocean trade.

Chinas political rhetoric and military actions vis-a-vis the Taiwan Strait follow its South China Sea (SCS) invasion script.

In the 1990s, China began expanding its bases in the Paracel Islands and constructing artificial islands, especially in the Spratly Islands (near the Philippines). Eventually it topped these islands with runways capable of handling combat aircraft.

In 2012, Beijing attempted to diplomatically and legally project power when it claimed control of 85% of the SCS nearly 2.2 million square miles. Chinese diplomats produced the Nine-Dash Line. The Line dips south hundreds of miles from Chinas coast to near the island of Borneo, encroaching on territory belonging to the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. In 2016, The Hagues arbitration tribunal supported the Philippines accusation that China had intruded on Filipino territory by seizing islets and conducting illegal fishing operations.

The U.N. declared communist China lawless. China ignored the verdict.

So far China has paid no price for lawlessness.

Chinas artificial island goal circa 2020: deny the U.S. Navy access to the South China Sea and project power toward Singapore and the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Its 2022. Beijing didnt make the 2020 goal but the boys in Beijing havent given up.

China sees the Biden administration as weak and feckless. Given Hunter Bidens corruption, it is not conspiracy theory to think Beijing has blackmail material on the Biden family.

That noted, give Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin credit for his frank comments in Singapore.

Were seeing growing coercion from Beijing, Austin said. Weve witnessed a steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan. The provocative actions include air intercepts of American and Canadian flights monitoring North Korea. Taiwan has suffered increasing Chinese violations of its air defense zone.

Moreover, China has announced increasing its nuclear arsenal. U.S. intelligence estimates China may have around 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2029.

Austin Bay is an author, syndicated columnist, professor, developmental aid advocate, radio commentator, retired reserve soldier, war game designer.

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President Joe Biden recently flew off to Taiwan to assure our allies there that he will fight for them. And a couple of weeks later he was winging off to Saudi Arabia, intending to repair ties with that repressive monarchy.

In terms of international realpolitik, this flurry of foreign travel might be strategically important, but theres a strategic political reality right here at home that calls for a different presidential itinerary: Our countrys midterm congressional elections are less than five months away! Taiwan and Saudi Arabia dont get to vote, but Texas and South Carolina do. So, how about spending a bit more time flying, driving or even whistle-stopping to such places, where many hard-hit working-class families are feeling ignored by the national Democratic Party? Theyd like to see President Joe fight for and repair ties with them.

In fairness, Biden came through for such families early in his tenure, and his proposals to do more have been deliberately gummed up by such congressional blobs of do-nothingism as Sens. Mitch McConnell and Joe Manchin. But blaming them isnt winning any points for him  or helping the families now struggling with baby formula shortages, $5 gasoline, continuing farm and factory depression, housing evictions, etc.

Instead of blame or surrender, more of former President Harry Trumans feisty, can-do spirit is called for, going straight to the people with an urgent program of Big Actions that people need and want. To hell with placating McConnell and Manchin  come on, Joe; youre president, not them. And youre not powerless to help people! Want to DO something about corporate price spikes on food and fuel? Rep. Ro Khanna points out that you can and should use the governments emergency authority to do preemptive buying on the open market. This would quickly and dramatically cut what consumers now pay, plus the authority is already on the books, so no need to kiss McConnells butt  just take direct presidential action for ordinary Americans.

This is the difference between giving speeches telling voters youre on their side... and actually being there, so they can see it for themselves. Its honest politics. And it would do a lot to mitigate the cries of Its over and Biden numbers are in the ditch and Democrats are doomed.

And these are Democrats talking! Even before Novembers congressional elections are run, too many conventional-thinking Democratic operatives are surrendering to a presumed Republican sweep. You dont need a political science degree to know that if you start out announcing that youll lose, chances are you will. After all, who wants to vote for a party that shows no fighting spirit, no confidence in the appeal of its own ideas?

A major reason for pessimism about the partys November chances is that its top leaders have decided their candidates cant win in rural areas and smaller factory cities  so theyve quit trying. Worse, they blame the voters, claiming that Trumpism, Fox News BS and culture war conspiracy nonsense have poisoned the minds of people out there. Thus, theyve abandoned the countryside to go all out in big urban areas. Democratic congressional leaders even killed their rural outreach programs, and the former Party chairman officially abandoned the turf in 2018, meekly declaring: You cant door-knock in rural America.

Actually, sir, you can. And if you choose to abandon this whole working-class constituency  surprise!  it will abandon you. And the cold fact is that national Democrats didnt just quit going down the dirt roads and factory streets, theyve actively been working for several years against families living there  the trade scams that sucked out union jobs; the shameful bailout of Wall Street bankers who crashed our real economy, while ignoring millions of devastated workaday people; protecting drug profiteers who caused the brutal opioid epidemic; doing nothing about the corporate-caused farm depression still ripping across our land; and so many other vivid examples of top Democrats not hearing, seeing or responding to this vital, FDR-ish constituency of millions that they now blithely dismiss as irredeemable.

Did party poobahs think voters wouldnt notice or care how theyre being treated? If we want them back on our side, then go to them... and get back on their side!

Populist author, public speaker and radio commentator Jim Hightower writes The Hightower Lowdown, a monthly newsletter chronicling the ongoing fights by Americas ordinary people against rule by plutocratic elites. Sign up at HightowerLowdown.org.

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This past week I covered a Planning Commission meeting in Henry County where one fella had built a metal garage on his property only to find out his property wasnt zoned for it. He needed to get the property rezoned or the garage would have to come down.

Another fella had bought over 100 acres in Henry County and planned on putting a house on it when he found out the property wasnt zoned for residential housing. He needed to get his property rezoned or go somewhere else.

In both cases, Lee Clark, director of the planning department, recommended that the rezoning requests be approved, and both were, unanimously, by the Commission.

The request still must go before the Board of Supervisors and receive its blessing before the changes can be made, but its my experience that Supervisors rarely go against the recommendation of the Commission, especially if there is no objection to the request, and in both of these cases there is none.

Its not uncommon for the average person out there to be of the belief that the ownership of a piece of property conveys with it the right of the owner to do whatever he or she pleases with it.

But zoning laws provide a purpose in a civilized society and are for the general purpose of promoting the health, safety or general welfare of the public, according to the Code of Virginia.

Otherwise we would have erotic dance clubs next door to elementary schools and other absurd and incompatible combinations.

People who purchase a property for its tranquility have a reasonable expectation that a law would exist to prevent a nuisance next door from ruining it.

So as much as the laws might come at the inconvenience of a property owner with all good intentions, those laws also protect the same owner from others.

And I might add, Clark and the members of the Henry County Planning Commission are impeccable at what they do. They are conscientious and committed to doing their job in the best interests of everyone concerned.

I must admit, I too was once in the crosshairs of a building inspector caught in the middle of a project that required approval.

I had hired two guys to enclose my front porch and then I was going to paint it myself to help cut costs, but before the project was finished I came home from work one day and found a notice on the door.

Just as a police officer tells the suspect to put his hands up, the notice ordered me to put my tools down.

I called the office the next day and the person in charge told me I couldnt just go off enclosing my porch without getting permission first.

I failed to understand his logic. Im improving the property, I said. Why on earth would someone need to get permission to do that?

Realizing my little construction project might not rise to the concern that the onsite inspector apparently conveyed, the person in charge said: How far is your porch from the street? he asked.

I have no idea, I answered.

Well, go walk it off and Ill hold on, he said. If its 30 feet or more then Ill sign off on the permit and you can finish your porch.

Ok, I said, so I laid the receiver down on the kitchen counter and walked outside and down the front porch steps. Then I backed up to the front of the porch and walked it off with a wide three-foot step my father had taught me years ago.

I couldnt quite get that tenth step in before I stepped into the street and with a 3-foot step, that meant I was just under 30 feet.

I thought for a minute and decided to walk it off again from the street with slightly shorter steps. This time I got 11 steps in with no problem.

I walked back inside and picked up the phone.

Its 29 feet from the porch to the street and 33 feet from the street to the porch, I said.

The man laughed and replied: The ordinance says from the street to the porch, so well go with the second number. Youre in luck; you can proceed with your porch.

Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 2360. Follow him @billdwyatt.

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The first batch of pilgrims, comprising 290 pilgrims from yesterday (June 13) arrived in Makkah for this years Hajj season, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA).



Turkish Consul General in Jeddah Mete Zaimoglu praised the level of services presented to pilgrims from the government of Saudi Arabia, which allow them to perform Hajj easily, referring to the qualitative services and projects that Makkah, Madinah and holy sites witness year after year, the report said.
SUNDAY, June 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The record-breaking heat that's scorching much of the United States this week poses significant heart dangers, and you need to take steps to protect yourself, the American Heart Association (AHA) says.

That's especially true for older adults and people with high blood pressure, obesity or a history of heart disease or stroke.

Heat and dehydration force the heart to work harder to cool itself by pumping more blood and shifting it from major organs to underneath the skin.

Research shows that when temperatures reach extremes of an average daily temperature of 109 degrees Fahrenheit (as it has this week in the Southwest), the number of deaths from heart disease may double or triple, and that the more temperatures fluctuate during the summer, the more severe strokes may become.

"While heat-related deaths and illnesses are preventable, more than 600 people in the United States are killed by extreme heat every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you have heart disease or have had a stroke or you're older than 50 or overweight, it's extremely important to take special precautions in the heat to protect your health," said AHA President Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones.

"Some medications like angiotensin receptor blockers [ARBs], angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and diuretics, which affect blood pressure responses or deplete the body of sodium, can exaggerate the body's response to heat and cause you to feel ill in extreme heat," said Lloyd-Jones, a professor of heart research, preventive medicine, medicine and pediatrics at Northwestern University in Chicago.

"But dont stop taking your medicines. Learn how to keep cool and talk to your doctor about any concerns," he said in an AHA news release.

Even if you're not taking heart medications, you should take precautions in the heat.

"Staying hydrated is key. It is easy to get dehydrated even if you don't think you're thirsty," Lloyd-Jones said. "Drink water before, during and after going outside in hot weather. Don't wait until you feel thirsty. And the best way to know if you are getting enough fluid is to monitor your urine output and make sure the urine color is pale, not dark or concentrated."

The AHA provided the following hot weather safety tips:

Don't go outdoors in the early afternoon (about noon to 3 p.m.) when the sun is usually at its strongest.

Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing in breathable fabrics such as cotton, or a fabric that repels sweat. Wear a hat and sunglasses. Apply a water-resistant sunscreen with at least SPF 15 before going out, and reapply it every two hours.

Drink a few cups of water before, during and after going outside or exercising. Avoid caffeinated or alcoholic drinks.

Take regular breaks. Stop for a few minutes in a shady or cool place and hydrate.

Continue to take all medications as prescribed.

More information

For more on heat wave safety, see the American Red Cross.

SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, June 14, 2022

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Kevin Costner was pictured this week perusing Scheels, a sporting goods store in Missoula, while lawmakers in Helena debated whether or not to extend and increase a tax credit designed to attract film moguls like him back to the state in the future.

On Friday, the Montana Legislatures Revenue Interim Committee heard a presentation about the economic impact of Montanas MEDIA Act tax credits. The law, enacted in 2019, has essentially broken even as far as the revenue it has brought in to the state government. Thats because while the state has doled out about $20.3 million in tax credits to film production companies, the state tax revenue generated by all film production companies and their spending has been about $20.3 million.

The Montana MEDIA Act tax credit was established by the state Legislature in 2019 with a cap of $10 million and later expanded to a total cap of $12 million beginning in tax year 2022. Because it's an incentive for production companies to film in Montana, eligible companies can get a 20% transferable income tax credit for both production and compensation expenses while in the state. Companies can also get an additional credit for meeting various other thresholds.

An economic impact consultant gave a presentation showing how 195 different productions have filmed in Montana since the law was created, and they spent $192 million in the state. Film industry advocates strongly urged the committee to explore raising the cap to between $50 million and $150 million to allow Montana to compete with other states. They claim that's necessary to encourage further growth of the industry, which they say supports Montana businesses, creates local jobs and doesnt pollute the states treasured outdoor areas.

Two Republican members of the committee, Sen. Greg Hertz and Sen. Mike Lang, both expressed support for the idea of at least maybe introducing a bill next session to raise the cap.

This is a difficult industry, Hertz said. Its got a lot of competition across the United States. Its a good clean industry. It helps Montana, it helps a lot of rural communities. The question here is how do we continue to nurture this industry without getting too excessive and having a big impact on our treasury?

Hertz said, in his view, that lawmakers need to look at the issue and the cap may deserve some further increases.

Sen. Brian Hoven, also a Republican, said he is opposed to the tax credit because the amount of tax revenue generated to the state by only the film companies that utilized the tax credit was just $7.8 million. Therefore, in his view, the state is losing money because the tax credit cost the state $20.3 million.

I think the film industry is very glamorous, he said. The film stars are here, they show up, they bring people to rural communities, theres a lot of money. Its exciting, its great. But unfortunately, it doesnt bring money into the state treasury.

Hoven said hes read articles in the Wall Street Journal that provide evidence that film tax credits dont pay for themselves. Hoven said the states director of the Department of Revenue under the administration of former Gov. Steve Bullock insisted on having a cap on the credit because he "knew it would be a drain on the treasury."

To invest in this, were picking winners and losers, Hoven said. When we start giving to the film industry, were picking them to win.

However, the impact to the state's coffers is not the full picture for the impact that film production has on Montana's economy. A report by the University of Montana found that a single season of Costner's hit show "Yellowstone" brought in an extra $70 million to the state's economy in one year.

Gina Lavery, a consultant hired by the state to analyze the impact of the film tax credit, said the film industry has a big trickle down effect on rural communities and small business in Montana. Thats because the highly paid staff members for production companies like the Paramount Network, which is filming Yellowstone in Missoula and Ravalli counties, spend money even on their off-days.

Lavery also said that not increasing the cap on the credit has hampered economic growth in Montana and may continue to do so in the future.

She noted that a film production company was all set to build a $20 million studio in Missoula, but backed out when the Legislature only increased the cap by $2 million last session.

That type of investment, just the up-front construction alone would have generated $34 million for the state and $1.3 million in tax revenue to local jurisdictions and the state, Lavery explained.

Allison Whitmer of the Montana Film Office said that Yellowstone is currently filming its fifth season here and will probably film most of its sixth season in Montana. Combined with Paramounts filming of a new show called 1932 in Butte next year, Whitmer said those two shows alone will spend about $50 to $100 million in Montana over the next two years.

Hertz concluded that he thinks the Legislature should look at increasing the cap incrementally, and he also noted that there might be ways to ensure it benefits rural communities in Montana. Utah, for example, has a film tax credit that only applies if companies film in small, rural towns.

The full presentation and discussion can be found by fast-forwarding to the 10:25 mark online at bit.ly/3y0V1qc.

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When a pack of alt-right wing whackadoos decide to load up into a U-haul in Couer D Alene, Idaho, to interfere with a Pride Celebration, the gasp heard around the Mountain West should ring as loud as my voice when I belt out George Strait tunes. Its shocking that in 2022, there are people who still harbor disdain for the fact that gay folk exist and desire the same freedoms as straight folks. Ironically, the same folks that wear Dont tread on me T-shirts seek to tread on others who dont share their viewpoints. In a state where Oro y Plata is as representative of Montanans as the phrase live and let live, and where women had their right to vote recognized before the federal government came around, the behavior of the U-haul bandits makes as much sense as renting a U-haul when an Uber or carpool to the event would suffice.

Shock should pulse through our veins when we see cancel-culture leftists protesting Supreme Court justices at their homes  versus the courthouse steps  based upon perception of a forthcoming legal decision. They seek to bully (or kill off) conservative justices, and they are inspired to do so by high-ranking government officials. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer carelessly stated at a courthouse protest that conservative justices will pay the priceyou wont know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions. There can be only one price Schumer desires the Justices to pay since their jobs are lifetime appointments for which no impeachment can occur related to legal decision-making. Schumer takes zero personal accountability for these inciting statements, and instead of holding Schumer accountable, his supporters run towards equivalency, downplaying Schumers statements as not as bad as statements made by former President Trump.

But we arent shocked; these antics have come to be an expected response. Both the far left and far right are bullies, seeking to cancel anyone with an alternate view. Voters used to keep these bullies out of government. When voters began to embrace and elect those with low emotional intelligence over statesmen and women with a modicum of self-control, we normalized what should otherwise be shocking and deviant behavior. We have a State Superintendent of Public Instruction who violates the laws she advocates for and expects all of us to be pacified by the her admonition to observe the law that she herself failed to observe. By pleading no contest to the charge of failing to stop for a school bus, Superintendent Arntzen follows a burgeoning line of elected officials who carelessly violate Montana law, take no accountability and expect the voting public to condone their behavior. And the truth is, we do condone their behavior, trashing the Republican platform and its principles every time we vote for self-proclaimed Republicans who knowingly and recently violate Montana law. Greg Gianforte assaults a reporter, lies to the public about it, then pleads guilty because he was caught on tape and is rewarded with a both a congressional and a gubernatorial seat. Troy Downing condemns our Montana heritage by violating multiple hunting laws, blames FWP law enforcement for his own admitted-to violations and obtains a seat as State Auditor. Senator Jason Ellsworth uses his position to bully a cop, lies about a meeting with Gianforte to violate Montana speed laws in construction zones, and obtains re-election. The Montana Legislature violated Montana law by selling historical chairs to themselves versus a public auction with zero consequence despite multiple complaints filed with the supposed watchdogs of Montana government. Make no mistake, when the crime statistics for Montana are released, these Republicans will blame leftist policies rather than the fact that as leaders they exemplify and thereby promote the behavior they condemn.

When deviant behavior is normalized, deviance increases. Increases in crime are expected results from a society whose leadership embraces deviant behavior. No one in Montana should be surprised that criminals now feel empowered to seek elected office in Montana, as they did in multiple legislative primaries. Leaders dont exist without followers, and our leaders have normalized deviant behavior. None of us should be surprised at the disappointment or consequences that follow.

Tammi Fisher is an attorney, former mayor of Kalispell and the host of the Montana Values Podcast.

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OKEMOS  When customers visit the first Nothing Bundt Cakes location in Greater Lansing, Jerry Yurgo wants them to have the same experience he had during his first visit to the company's original location in Las Vegas.

Balloons outside the new Nothing Bundt Cakes location in Okemos photographed on Thursday, June 16, 2022.

"This is phenomenal," he remembers saying after he tried the bundt cake and got a look at the bakery's unique design.

The company's founders, Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwet, opened their first bakery in 1997.

Yurgo, a retired battalion fire chief and his wife Kelly, a former social worker, live in Macomb and had never heard of the franchise. But the couple knew they wanted to open their own business in Michigan, and a visit to a Nothing Bundt Cakes with Wendy Kinney, Jerry Yurgo's sister, convinced him they should go with the brand.

"I thought it was like a mom and pop shop, just this beautiful mom and pop shop," he said. "Awesome employees and you were greeted when you walked in."

Kinney, who lives in Las Vegas, remembers her brother's expression when he tried a piece of cake.

A selection of cakes for sale at Nothing Bundt Cakes on Thursday, June 16, 2022, at the new location in Okemos.

"He was like, 'Lets do it,'" she said.

The Yurgos, along with Kinney and her husband, opened their first Nothing Bundt Cakes five years ago in Rochester Hills. Now they're bringing the franchise to the Lansing area.

The new 2,800-square-foot bakery at 2090 W. Grand River Ave., which will feature 11 different bundt cake flavors made on-site, opened Thursday.

"There's nothing that beats real scratch-made cake," Jerry Yurgo said.

Brand built on scratch-made baking

Before the Yurgos decided to become franchise owners, both their careers put them in a position to meet people "on the worst days of their lives," he said.

Jerry Yurgo, an owner of Nothing Bundt Cakes, helps customers at the new location on Thursday, June 16, 2022, in Okemos.

A social worker and firefighter, "we both knew we didn't want to retire into our golden years, so to speak, living that way," Jerry Yurgo said. "We wanted at some point to stop that and do something for us."

Running a bakery was an opportunity to "bring joy" to peoples' lives, he said.

Story continues

Kinney, who knew the company's founders, said the brand stands out.

"It's so unique and so delicious," she said.

Nothing Bundt Cakes employees help a customer at the new Okemos location on Thursday, June 16, 2022.

"This was something that was just a great business," Jerry Yurgo said. "People were happy there and that's what we wanted. We'd had enough of the bad days."

Nothing Bundt Cakes offers bundt cakes in a variety of sizes and flavors, making everything, from the cakes to the frosting, from scratch at each location every day, he said.

"That's what we're known for," Jerry Yurgo said.

READ MORE:

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Red Haven, farm-to-table restaurant in Okemos to close, move to change concept

New location will be Michigan's seventh

The Okemos bakery will be the company's seventh location in Michigan. It joins more than 400 across the country.

The ownership team picked the location, formerly home to a Payless Shoes store, because they wanted to open a bakery close to East Lansing.

Customers shop at Nothing Bundt Cakes on Thursday, June 16, 2022, at the new location in Okemos.

Kinney graduated from Michigan State University and attended Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.

"She knows the area really well and knew it could support our brand, and that people would love our brand here," Jerry Yurgo said.

Kinney credits MSU with sending her life in the right direction. An entrepreneur, she's the founder of Metrics Global, a payments and fintech company.

The Okemos store is "like a dream come true," Kinney said. "Its my way of staying connected to the place I love so much."

Renovations to the space started in January.

"We completely gutted and rebuilt it," Jerry Yurgo said.

Ownership plans to hire a total of 25 to 30 employees. At least half of those positions have been filled, but the location is still hiring.

Customers will be able to order cakes online, in person or over the phone. Visit the company website at www.nothingbundtcakes.com .

Contact Rachel Greco at rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ .

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Nothing Bundt Cakes opens first Greater Lansing location in Okemos
Daddy died at age 78 when I was 47. I think of him often and especially on Fathers Day, and wish I remembered more of his stories. Heres one I wont forget.

In 1942, my father, Ernie Chappell, enlisted in the military, as did many others after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He served in the Navy as Seaman Second Class on the USS Izard.

He worked as radioman aboard ship and knew Morse Code for communications. I remember him chanting, dit-dah-dah-dah-dit-dah-dah, around the house years later.

In 1943, he was 23, single, and had attended several years of college at a Bible Institute in Tennessee. He grew up poor with a mother who worked as a live-in housekeeper and nursemaid for well-to-do families in the Hendersonville area. She left her abusive husband when Daddy was a baby. I dont know if my father had ever seen the ocean until his Navy years.

Ernie was assigned to a newly constructed Fletcher-class destroyer. The USS Izard had sailed from Charleston in pursuit of a German U-boat, an enemy submarine that had torpedoed a commercial ship off the Carolinas coast.

During the war, Germans actively patrolled along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. attempting to attack and block shipping. By the end of World War II, more than 2,800 Allied merchant ships and 175 warships had been torpedoed and sunk by U-boats.

The Izard searched the Caribbean for seven days looking for the German sub. Ernies ship and crew were still in the testing stages of a new vessel, and I wonder how he felt out in the vast ocean knowing his ship could be torpedoed and sunk. He was not a swimmer, but he had been able to pass the swim test to enter the Navy.

The destroyer returned to Charleston without finding the sub and eventually set out further south on its shakedown cruise, checking out the final performance of ship and crew. The ship and crew were still looking for the enemy submarine.

One day, while in waters south of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the destroyer, using its scanning sonar, finally detected an underwater object matching the submarine. The crew knew what to do. They rolled barrel-like depth charges into the ocean at the site of the disturbance.

A few nervous seconds passed as they wondered if theyd hit their target. The charges exploded fathoms below, shooting debris to the surface.

But no metal parts of a submarine appeared on the water, only bloody hunks of whale. They had mistaken a sea creature for a U-boat. They never found the sub.

I remember my dad telling this story with a chuckle and a smile. It didnt seem funny to me, but to a nervous young sailor, the outcome must have been relief.

Ernie left the Navy early due to his high blood pressure, but he was always proud of the time he served. Later, at Wake Forest University, he was a charter member of The Veterans Club, the first veterans club at any college/university in North Carolina. My dad served as the first co-president of this club, and graduated from Wake Forest in 1946.

I regret my younger self-absorption that kept me from learning more about my parents history when they were alive. Like a ship wandering on its own course, I missed the very things that would have been important to me today.

Im proud of you, Daddy, and the others in your self-sacrificing generation. Happy Fathers Day in heaven.

Gwen Veazey is a member of the Morganton Writers Group.
Butte Citizens for Preservation and Revitalizations annual tour of historic Butte homes and buildings returns from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 25.

The Dust to Dazzle event features completed and ongoing restoration projects in Buttes historic district. Tour-goers can browse at their own pace and visit the six featured properties in whatever order they choose.

The annual tour is Butte CPRs primary fundraiser, but the events main purpose is to inspire people to purchase and restore historic buildings by showing what great results can be achieved while bringing historic buildings back from the brink.

Proceeds benefit the non-profits many projects, most notably its Historic Improvement Program grant fund. For more details visit www.buttecpr.org.

Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased at all locations on tour day. Advance tickets may be purchased at Isle of Books, 43 E. Broadway, The Corner Bookstore, 1877 Harrison Ave., and the Butte CPR Office, 27 W. Park.

This years dazzle properties are homes at 15 S. Excelsior, 410 W. Granite, and 403 W. Mercury, plus a vacation rental in the lower level of the First Baptist Church, 201 W. Broadway, and an apartment in the warehouse at 701 S. Arizona.

The two upper floors of the warehouse are featured dust spaces this year, as is the Salvation Army Building, 121 E. Broadway  also the site of this years silent auction.

Heres a little backstory on each property:

15 S. Excelsior

This elegant residence is a showcase of Queen Anne style, with its complex roof shape, hexagonal rooms, and carved and scrolled decoration.

It was built in 1899 for attorney Charles Mattison, who died twenty years later in the Spanish flu epidemic. In 1923, the newspaper reported that this home has been rebuilt and the interior decorated so that it is one of the most attractive homes on the west side. Presumably this is when the house, originally brick on the first floor and wood frame on the second, was stuccoed.

In the 1930s and 1940s, several prominent families made their home here. In 1952, James Hannifin and his wife Mary became the new owners. Mary remained there for over 45 years until her death in 1999.

410 W. Granite

This historic residence is another fine example of Queen Anne style, but it was nearly a demolition project after a devastating fire in April 2015. Several years of restoration have brought this elegant home back to life.

Built around 1890, it features multiple bays, a turret, roof cutaways, and an eyebrow dormer. Its varied construction materials and asymmetric plan characterize the Queen Anne style.

Charles H. Palmer, general manager of the Butte & Boston Mining Company and president of Aetna Savings & Loan, occupied the house shortly after its construction. His wife and daughter were apparently not fond of Butte  they left to tour Europe, and Palmer moved back to Boston. Subsequent occupants included attorneys, the owner of the famed Walkers saloon, an insurance agency, and various renters. The longest owners were Paul Holbrook and his wife Beverly, who lived there from 1970 until her death in 2002.

403 W. Mercury

In 1889, German immigrants Louis Lee and Christina Freudenstein invested part of their silver fortune from the Germania Mine to build this new home, just across from St. Patrick Church. Several years later, they erected the duplex next door at 405-407 West Mercury.

The Freudensteins prosperous years abruptly ended after the federal government ceased the purchase and use of silver to back the nations currency in 1893. They returned to Germany to wait out the silver depression but after conditions failed to improve, they came back to Butte and their West Mercury home in 1895.

From 1910 to 1941, the Daniel and Sarah Thomas family owned both properties, but in the ensuing decades, 403 West Mercury suffered from neglect. Around 2010 it was featured as a dust property with new owners starting their labor of love to restore it. Current owners agreed to open the dazzling first floor for this years tour.

First Baptist Church, 201 W. Broadway

By 1906, the First Baptist congregation of Butte had outgrown its frame church at the corner of Montana and Broadway streets, and construction began on a much more substantial church building at the same location. The new church was dedicated in 1908, and for 110 years it faithfully served its parishioners until a dwindling congregation resulted in its closure in 2019 and subsequent sale.

Under new ownership, the lower-level fellowship hall and meeting rooms have been reimagined as a vacation rental space while maintaining much of the historic flavor of the original structure. The upper auditorium space, which had a seating capacity of 450 at the time of its construction, will be left intact for future use as an event rental space. Both levels will be open for the tour.

701 S. Arizona

This industrial building was constructed in 1909 for Central Iron Works. Apparently that business was not financially successful, because within three years the building had become the Fairmont Creamery Company, a wholesale distributor of butter, eggs, cheese, and poultry. From that time until around 1960, the building was used as a warehouse and distribution center for various dairy and/or produce companies, and also offered cold storage services. From 1965 to 1978 it was used solely as a warehouse space. In 1981 the building suffered significant fire damage, and it remained largely vacant for nearly 40 years.

New owners purchased it in 2017 and have converted the first floor into a living space for themselves with plans for loft apartments on the upper floors as well.

Salvation Army Building, 121 E. Broadway

This three-story brick building was erected in 1923 at a cost of $48,000 and built specially to meet Army needs, with commodious quarters for the divisional officers and facilities for the different corps activities, according to a newspaper report at the time of the buildings dedication.

In addition to worship services, many Christmas parties and other events for children were held in its large hall and hot meals were served to the needy in its basement dining area. Salvation Army officers lived with their families on the top floor.

The building was closed for good in 2009, with the Salvation Army moving its thrift store and social services to its current Harrison Avenue location. It stood vacant until September 2020, when the new owners purchased it. Restoration plans include a coffeehouse and event venue in the sanctuary, and several conveniently located Uptown apartments.

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MUSCATINE  When students are taught lessons that will help them in pursuing their dream trade or in gaining some life skills, having the proper tools for the job becomes all the more important. Knowing this, the team at Toyota of Muscatine wanted to help make sure Muscatines students had the tools they need.

Earlier this month, Toyota of Muscatine made a donation of $9,419.19 to the Muscatine High School Industrial Technology Program. Using these funds, the program will have the opportunity to purchase a brand-new Hunter tire changer, which will then be used to teach and train students on how to properly change a tire.

In reaction to the donation, Jim Adams, one of the programs instructors, said, With the addition of this new tire changer, students will learn how a tire changing shop uses this type of equipment with the hope they can use this skill to work in a shop changing and fixing tires safely.

Tony Loconsole, director of communications for the school district, added: Having the support from businesses like Toyota of Muscatine helps set up our students for success. The district is extremely grateful for this donation.

Jeff Weber, Toyota of Muscatines dealer principal, said through a statement published by the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine that he considered the donation to be just another way of supporting both the community and its children through educational means, something he says his family has been doing for nearly two decades.

Supporting the Muskies' automotive program is another way for our Toyota of Muscatine team to promote local interest in our industry and encourage young women in men to consider a career in the automotive sector, he said.

The funds needed to purchase the tire changer were received from Toyota of Muscatines own Donor Advised Fund, which was established through the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine. Using the Community Foundation as a collaborator, Toyota of Muscatine has been able to provide several other generous donations and support throughout the years. This has included offering a scholarship to graduating seniors who plan on pursuing a career in either the automotive or business-related field.

In reference to this extensive collaboration, Weber stated, We are grateful for our partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine to help make this and other important community projects a reality.

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MANILA, Philippines (AP)  Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing populist president of the Philippines, took her oath Sunday as vice president following a landslide electoral victory she clinched despite her fathers human rights record that saw thousands of drug suspects gunned down.

The inauguration in their southern hometown of Davao, where shes the outgoing mayor, comes two weeks before she assumes office on June 30 as specified in the Philippine Constitution. President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Dutertes running mate, will take his oath in Manila on June 30.

Im not the best or the most intelligent person in the Philippines and the world but nobody can beat the toughness of my heart as a Filipino, Duterte, who wore a green traditional gown, said in a speech after she took her oath before a Supreme Court associate justice, her hand resting on a Bible held by her mother.

The voice of 32.2 million Filipinos was loud and clear  with the message to serve our motherland, Duterte said, referring to the votes she got, to an applause from thousands of supporters.

Fondly called by supporters as Inday Sara, the mother of three called for national unity and devotion to God and asked Filipinos to emulate the patriotism of the countrys national hero Jose Rizal. She cited longstanding social ills facing Filipino children, including poverty, broken families, illegal drugs, bullying and online misinformation and asked parents to ingrain in them the values of integrity, discipline, respect for others and compassion.

President Rodrigo Duterte, 77, led the VIPs in the heavily guarded ceremony at a public square near city hall in the port city of Davao, where he had also served as a mayor starting in the late 1980s. His family, hailing from a modest middle-class background, built a formidable political dynasty in the restive southern region long troubled by communist and Muslim insurgencies and violent political rivalries.

Dutertes presidency has been marked by a brutal anti-drugs campaign that has left thousands of mostly petty suspects shot dead by police or vigilantes. The drug killings are being investigated by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity.

The electoral triumphs of Sara Duterte and Marcos Jr. have alarmed left-wing and human rights groups because of their failure to acknowledge the massive human rights atrocities that took place under their fathers, including late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte campaigned on a vague platform of national unity without clearly addressing activists calls for them to take steps to prosecute the elder Duterte when he retires from politics.

One of the presidents sons, Sebastian Duterte, will succeed his sister as Davao mayor, and another son, Paolo Duterte, won a seat in the House of Representatives in the May 9 elections. The outgoing presidents late father was a former Davao governor.

Philippine elections have long been dominated by politicians belonging to the same bloodlines. At least 250 political families have monopolized power across the country, although such dynasties are prohibited under the constitution. Congress  long controlled by members of powerful clans targeted by the constitutional ban  has failed to pass the law needed to define and enforce the provision.

While Sara Duterte, 44, refused calls by her father and supporters to seek the presidency, she has not ruled out a future run. She topped pre-elections surveys for the president last year and won with a huge margin like Marcos Jr.

Aside from the vice president, she has agreed to serve as education secretary, although there were talks that her initial preference was to head the Department of National Defense, a traditional springboard to the presidency.

Still, the education portfolio would provide her first national political platform, especially with plans to resume physical classes soon after the country was hit hard by two years of coronavirus pandemic outbreaks and lockdowns.

She thanked her Davao supporters on Saturday and said she decided to hold her inauguration in one of the countrys most developed cities to show her pride as a southern provincial politician who rose to a top national post.

Duterte finished a medical course and originally wanted to become a doctor but later took up law and was prevailed upon to enter politics starting in 2007, when she was elected as Davao vice mayor and mayor three years later.

In 2011, she drew national attention when she was caught on video punching and assaulting a court sheriff who was helping lead a police demolition of a shanty community despite her plea for a brief deferment. The court official sustained a black eye and face injuries and was taken by her bodyguards to a hospital.

Despite her public feuds with her father, Sara Duterte had her hair shaved a year before the 2016 elections as a show of support for his candidacy.

He won the single six-year mandate by a huge margin on an audacious but failed promise to eradicate illegal drugs and corruption in three to six months and constant public threats to kill drug dealers.

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

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Vodacom has hiked its iPhone contract prices due to significant cost increases caused by the foreign exchange rate.

A MyBroadband reader noticed the price increase while signing up for an iPhone 13 128GB contract on the Red Core 1GB top-up package.

The 24-month contract price had increased from R899 to R999 per month.

There was a significant price increase on Apple devices due to the foreign exchange rate, a Vodacom spokesperson told MyBroadband.

As a result, we adjusted pricing on certain packages bundled with Apple devices to align with the exchange rate.

It should be noted that Vodacom added 1GB of Night Owl data to the package as part of the increase, having previously only included 1GB of anytime data.

The other features of the package  voice minutes and SMSes  remained unchanged.

Vodacoms price increases in 2022

Vodacoms spokesperson told MyBroadband that the price hikes it implemented in April 2022 were its first in three years.

This was the first such increase in three years following a regular review of our products and services to ensure our portfolio remains relevant and competitive, they said.

Given economic pressures brought about by the global health crisis over the past two years, Vodacom has actively sought to buffer price increases to ease the financial burden for customers.

They added that the increases implemented in April had seen Red package prices rise by between 3.1% and 5.3%.

Vodacom announced the price increases in March 2022, saying they would take effect from 1 April and that device instalments wouldnt be affected.

The Covid19 landscape has led to an increased digital demand as we take much of our personal and professional lives online, Vodacom stated.

As a result, weve been working hard behind the scenes to continue to provide you with a quality service.

The mobile operator announced another set of price increases in May  this time for its Red Flexi and mobile broadband packages. The hikes took effect on 1 June 2022.

As we move forward with 2022 and continue to provide a quality service, we are updating our Flexi price plans to ensure that our customers get the best airtime value possible, Vodacom said.

The changes meant Red Flexi subscribers would receive R5 to R30 more airtime with their package, but they would also have to pay more.

Vodacoms mobile broadband postpaid and top-up subscribers were also informed their fees would increase.

The company explained that price increases were unavoidable across all industries, adding that from 1 June, all mobile broadband plans would increase by 3%.

Now read: Millions worth of data disappearing from two operators in South Africa
Nearly six years on from a Durban community protesting against cellphone tower installations in their neighbourhood, resistance against these masts has greatly diminished, reports the Sunday Times.

This was evident from the relative silence over a new tower proposed to be erected on private property within the area.

Ward 36 Residents Association chair Vanessa Knight said a notice about the towers construction had been posted in all relevant groups, and she had not received any objections.

Ward councillor Shontel de Boer added that she had only received two objections.

Upon receipt of the notification of intent to install a new cellphone tower in the area, I immediately shared it with the community on all social media platforms, said De Boer.

I received two direct responses informing me I must do something about it. Since then, there has been no comment either for or against this proposed installation.

De Boer speculated that given the negative effect of load-shedding and poor data reception, residents had likely become more aware that the towers are necessary for good connectivity.

I believe there are still some who believe in the threat of radiation and other health-related problems possibly associated with cellphone towers, said De Boer.

However, the need for better services has increased as more and more people are working from home. The idea of running businesses and working from home has become the norm and with this comes improved cellphone and internet services.

Original protests

The original protests began in 2017 against MTN.

They revolved around claims by the Durban Anti-Cell Mast Alliance that the network operator had illegally rolled out cellphone masts in the city.

The alliance claimed the MTN masts did not receive planning permission, as required by the national Spatial and Land Use Act.

It also claimed the masts presented a health hazard, and argued that the contract did not include an end date on the contract, nor did it detail how many masts could be posted, or where they could be installed.

In March 2018, the eThekwini Municipality confirmed there were MTN sites which were not compliant with the citys by-laws.

MTN said later that year that it was making its best effort to align with the process the municipality had laid out for it to follow.

We reiterate that towards the end of February 2018, the municipality defined the ex post facto process that MTN, along with all other mobile operators making use of the camera poles, would be required to follow, an MTN spokesperson said at the time.

We immediately began preparing to meet these requirements and have made significant progress since then.

In 2020, as it faced a court battle with the Durban Anti-Cell Mast Alliance, MTN provided an update on the situation, saying it complied with all appropriate processes.

All necessary processes have been met in order to obtain the approvals and permits for the placement of the required infrastructure, said MTN.

To this end, 41 camera poles have been fully approved by the eThekwini Land Use Management Department.

MTN continues to engage with the municipality regarding the fulfilment of the remaining sites.
UAE's national airline Etihad Airways has confirmed it will return to London Heathrows Terminal 4 starting from June 22.

The move comes following the setting up of a temporary home at Terminals 2 & 3 during the pandemic. Transport connections including the London Underground and Heathrow Express will also reopen.

The Etihad Lounge will also re-open for Etihads First and Business class guests, as well as Etihad Guest Platinum and Gold members. The lounge has separate areas for relaxing and dining, as well as a childrens playroom to entertain Etihads Little VIPs.

Etihad has also confirmed that during the July to September 2022 period, it will be increasing its current four daily flights from London Heathrow to five daily flights.

Also from July, Etihad will boost its services into Dublin to offer a daily flight, and continue to operate daily to and from Manchester.

Following the official opening of Terminal 4 on 22 June, London Heathrow is expecting a large number of guests for travel.-TradeArabia News Service
A sweeping assault of humidity in Florida sent me packing in a sweat to resume my road trip from California to Boston. On my drive to the Carolinas, I passed through nine rolling bands of thunderstorms and arrived, white-knuckled, at Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

My four-legged travel buddy and I were ready for serious downtime. Nothing seemed more relaxing than gazing out at the harbor to watch passing sailboats while we sat perched on Adirondack chairs on the balcony of our room at The Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina.

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This luxurious coastal sanctuary is a bridge away from downtown Charleston. Its 90-plus rooms are designed with an assortment of nautical touches and equipped with a ceiling fan, a fireplace, and that balcony with a grand view of the harbor.

The only reason I tore myself from this room was to fuel my craving for a fantastic grouper dinner at the resorts Charleston Harbor Fish House. The dining room offered its own up-close, stunning stage of waterfront with its viewpoint of the USS Laffey (DD-724), the most decorated World War II once-sunken U.S. destroyer nicknamed The Ship That Would Not Die. Next to this ship is Yorktown, an aircraft carrier built during World War II for the U.S. Navy.

On the resorts pier is the J. Seward Walker, Jr. Sailing Center Complex, an annex of College of Charleston Sailing, where guests may sign up for lessons. Off-pier is a spa, a secluded beach next to Beach Club Tiki Bar, a bocce ball court, and life-sized chess pieces to assume your role in Queens Gambit. For guests who want to visit downtown Charleston, the pier is where one can hail a water taxi.

Next, I drove to downtown Charleston for a stay at one of the newest hotels on the block, Hotel Bennett. I was clueless to its former status as the Charleston County Library as I entered its 18th-century-designed Roman rotunda. I stopped in my tracks to take in its walls draped in hand-painted murals, the chandelier in all its Lowcountry glamour that loomed above, and its grand staircase that led to the ballroom space upstairs.

Several gasps later, a departing guest approached me and asked if I were checking in. Youre in for a treat, she said. She was oh so right.

To the left of the lobby was a gilded entrance to Camellias, a Champagne bar intentionally designed to look like a jewelry box from the outside, and from the inside, a decadent Faberge egg. The bar was designed in homage to Mr. Bennetts mother, Virginia, who would frequent the Woolworth ladies' counter during the old days when a woman couldnt enter a bar. The name is a nod to a popular Charleston flower, the camellia.

In my fully automated room, my first act was to grab the remote to lower the privacy blinds and then to fill the soaking tub in the bathroom suite. Post-bath and upon further inspection of my room, I found my first clue to the hotels former library status  books were shelved in bindings to match the color decor of the room.

Refreshed and ready to explore more of this fantastic find in Charleston, I headed to the busy rooftop bar, Fiat Lux, where a glass of Flowers rose paired well with the stunning sunset view. Prior to my dinner reservation at Gabrielle, I stopped at Camellias for a Champagne-inspired cocktail with a plate of charcuterie and felt like I had been transported into a fairytale.

And this is where I unearthed my next clue to the hotels former status as a library. Within this Modern Baroque design are a pale pink marble bar and tabletops repurposed from the librarys facade.

An hour later, I strolled to the right of the lobby, serenaded by music from a grand piano on autopilot. I entered the open concept space and took my seat at Gabrielle Restaurant, where I happily devoured my crispy duck confit.

Dessert would have to wait until my next visit, as the restaurant ran out of its signature Camellia Cake.

The next morning, I took a seat on the outdoor patio to enjoy a memorable filet-layered Eggs Bennett, served with a view of the park. It wasnt easy to depart from this five-star experience, but my road trip recommenced.

A rainy stop in Wilmington, North Carolina restricted my exploration of the Wilmington Riverwalk and its restaurants and shops. Dinner plans, scheduled on the patio, were relocated inside for a pub-style dinner at Marina Grill.

By the time I had finished dinner, the rain stopped long enough for me to take a short walk for an after-dinner glass of Tempranillo at The Fortunate Glass wine bar.

Before I departed the next morning, I strolled Old Wilmingtons pier on Cape Fear River and passed a replica of the Nao Santa Maria sailed by Christopher Columbus in 1492, and I observed the Battleship North Carolina across the river. Monument-sized dedication plaques stopped me in my tracks during my tour of the Riverwalk; I stood grateful for the militarys preservation of peace, freedom, and liberty for all.

Breakfast on Carolina Beach allowed me time for a stop at Malama Cafe, where a thick slice of toast slathered with luscious berries and cream took my taste buds to an all-new height.

A few steps away, the beach entrance of an arcade boardwalk led me past carnival rides to a white-sand beach dotted with the bright colors of beach umbrellas. I made one final stop to grab a fried fish to-go lunch at Stoked Restaurant, and then I hit the road for Pennsylvania.

Stay tuned for more cross-country road trip stories, as shared by Charlene Peters, author of Travel Makes Me Hungry: Tales of tastes & indigenous recipes to share. To reach Charlene, email siptripper@gmail.com
Digital transformation, cyber security and modern financial technologies: every day these spheres are becoming more and more important all over the world, and Armenia is no exception. It is no coincidence that it was decided to hold the SILICON MOUNTAINS 2022 technological summit around these topics, which was held in Yerevan on Friday (photo report).

According to Armen Baldryan, Chairman of UEICT, which organized the summit with the support of the Central Bank of Armenia, it is fundamentally wrong to consider the three above-mentioned areas apart from each other. It is impossible to speak about digital transformation ignoring cybersecurity problems. It is hard to imagine modern financial technologies without digital transformation of at least the banking sphere, if not the country and society in general. In addition, the security of transactions taking place in the digital world cannot be forgotten either. That is why it was so important to present all three spheres at the summit at once.

Silicon Mountains summits are a new challenge for Armenia

Talking to Armenian news website NEWS.am, Baldryan said that the third SILICON MOUNTAINS summit was different from the first two: if earlier the participants would present the most interesting things that were taking place in the world, in the developed countries, and from which we, as a rule, were still far away, now they speak about our realities, about todays challenges and what we will have to do in the near future.

But the main goal of the summit, of course, remains the same: to promote technological development of Armenia. This goal is reflected in the title of the summit.

"Silicon Mountains are a challenge for Armenia, this is where we aspire to, what we look up to. Our ambitions should be big, our threshold is very high. Our threshold is to compete or cooperate with Silicon Valley!" Armen Baldryan said.

This year's guest speakers of the summit were Andres Kutt (Estonia), an expert on digitalization, and Ramses Gallego (Spain), an expert on cyber security and cyber resilience. And not only IT specialists, but also businessmen, bankers and many others came to hear about their experience and ask them questions. After all, digital transformation will eventually affect everyone - or almost all spheres.

Digital society 2.0

Estonia is one of the most advanced countries in the field of digital transformation, and Armenia - and not only Armenia - definitely has something to learn from it. Today many services in Estonia, which in the past required bureaucratic red tape and a huge amount of time, are already available online: in a matter of minutes you can open a large company, declare taxes, even take part in elections! Marriage, divorce, and real estate transfers are not allowed - these processes must still be attended in person.

Digital transformation expert Andres Kutt told Armenian news website NEWS.am that today Estonians are used to doing everything online. Moreover, they no longer have to do many things a lot ofprocesses take place online without their participation.

"For example, a person has lost his job. In the past, he had to apply for unemployment benefits. Later it became possible to do it online. Now he doesn't even have to do that anymore. The databases are interconnected, and the social services immediately know what happened, and the person is notified that he or she is eligible for unemployment benefits."

Thus, digital transformation is making life much easier for Estonian citizens. In Armenia, digital technologies are not yet so widespread, and few services are available online today. But Andres Kutt believes that our country has good engineers and a stable base in order to move forward confidently.

However, we still lack something important: no, not some specific technological capabilities or even political will, but... the ability to cooperate, to cooperate across differences. And that skill, according to him, is very important, because digital transformation is a collective game, and you can't play it alone.

Attackers won't stop, neither will we

Digital transformation sooner or later raises the issue of digital security and integrity of digital data to prevent hackers from making a mess of things. That is where cybersecurity specialists come into play. At the SILICON MOUNTAINS summit, guest speaker from Spain, Ramses Gallego, spoke about it.

Cyber security, as Ramses Gallego told Armenian news website NEWS.am, is about protecting confidentiality, integrity and availability of data. It is the ability to correctly identify threats and competently defend against them.

The notion of cyber resilience, i.e., the ability to face the threats, foresee them and be ready for them, is also very relevant today.

According to Gallego, there will always be cyber attacks, and it is impossible to prevent them. But it is possible to be as prepared for them as possible. You can "build" a "castle" that will be inaccessible to almost any attack by the enemy. There are many ways to "build" such a "castle" - and every now and then there are new ones, because the enemies do not sleep and sometimes amaze by their ingenuity.

"Intruders and criminals will not stop. We're the good guys here, and we're not going to stop either," Gallego said.

The financial cart in a digital world

Today, the banking sector is one of the most "digitized" in Armenia. Although most of the public services are still available offline, many services in the financial sphere can already be received online, without leaving your computer or without letting go of your smartphone, and more and more people use such services today. However, if you stop developing and stop growing, there is a risk of losing a lot, at least a significant number of clients, who will be stolen by international competitors.

Komitas Stepanyan, Deputy Director of the Corporate Services Development Department at the Central Bank of Armenia, told Armenian news website NEWS.am that if you don't continue the digital transformation of the financial system, you may wake up one day and realize that the country's citizens have been "absorbed" by the giant international players.

"For example, Google, Apple, Facebook, then maybe some other digital giant will provide services, and our citizens will just join them. We will lose our citizens who live and work in our country and create value for our country. So digital transformation is an inevitable and mandatory requirement for the financial system. Moreover, starting the digital transformation specifically with the financial sector is, I think, the right decision, and the Central Bank is doing its best to move the cart and make a step forward," Stepanyan said.

How exactly to deepen digital transformation in Armenia's banking sector and where to find resources and funding for that is another question. The Central Bank of Armenia may hardly be able to do it alone, but Stepanyan said that many international organizations are interested in providing assistance and financial support, and many of their colleagues, including foreign guests of the Summit, are eager to share their experience and knowledge. So, our specialists will most probably not be left without assistance.

Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank Nerses Yeritsyan noted during the SILICON MOUNTAINS that open and high-quality data is an asset vital for national wealth. He considers such data even a much more valuable resource than those that come from nature.

"Open access to high-quality data will create a well-developed and secure environment for businesses so that people can provide and develop their services and improve the well-being of citizens. As a result of all this, we should have smooth, proactive, personalized services. The most fundamental issue that needs to be addressed is that data should be owned by the people themselves, and we should have control over our data," said Yeritsyan.

Next summits

The next SILICON MOUNTAINS summit is scheduled to take place at the end of this year. According to Armen Baldryan, it was also decided to hold two forums in Armenian regions during the year in order to attract specialists from there to pressing problems in the sphere of information technologies.
White House announces conversation between Biden and Jinping in coming weeks

Georgia confirms: Traffic restored at 136th km of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars road

EU countries agree to fill all gas storage facilities to at least 80% by next winter

Traffic restored at Lars, road is open

Erdogan promises to document 'hypocrisy' of Sweden and Finland

Armenia Economy Minister: Transport communication with Russia will be restored within two hours

EU energy ministers agree on energy conservation laws

Increased imports force Armenian producers out of domestic market

Scholz says return to pre-war relations with Russia is impossible

Armenia FM: Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian POWs and civilians hostage

Israel to work with world powers to influence any deal with Iran

Azerbaijanis moving cross-stone on road of Berdzor

NATO to increase size of its rapid reaction force by almost eight times

'Armenian Genocide: Evidence from the German Foreign Office Archives, 1915-1916' published in Persian

Mohammad Bagheri says Iran will respond to Israeli intervention in region

Representatives of ICRC office in Baku visit Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan

Robert Habeck: Gas shortage this winter could lead to 'serious economic crisis in Europe'

Armenia FM: OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs play key role in Karabakh conflict settlement

US, European officials look forward to NATO summit to make progress on Finnish and Swedish accession

Leaders of NATO, Turkey, Sweden and Finland meet in Madrid

Zelenskyy tells G7 leaders he wants war in Ukraine to end by the end of 2022

Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia to hold joint military exercises

G7 leaders to support Ukraine for as long as it takes

EEU to provide duty-free import quotas for cheese, alcohol infusions to Serbia in 2023

Turkey announces creation of grain operations center

Dollar, euro go up after long decline in Armenia

Armenia premier: Reforming education sector is one of governments absolute priorities

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg promises to protect Baltic countries from external threats

Upper Lars checkpoint on Georgia-Russia border to be closed for 1 week?

Armenia ruling force lawmaker submits resignation from parliamentary seat

Artsakh FM pays working visit to Russia

Armenian FM meets Greek President

Azerbaijan-Turkey-Kazakhstan transport working group to be set up

Armenia legislature secret ballot for electing new judges to cassation court to kick off at 3pm

Welt: Putin is preparing a new raw material trap for the West through lithium mining in Bolivia

CNN: US intends to supply Ukraine with medium and long-range missile defense systems

Armenian FM's visit to Greece begins

Armenia economy ministry does not say when Lars motorway will reopen

Birmingham explosion leaves 5 people injured

Armenia Supreme Judicial Council member presents Court of Cassation candidate judges biographies

Israel may allow Iran to export oil under US supervision

Armenia appellate court considering appeal against PM Pashinyan

Ibrahim Kalin says Turkey has no enmity with Armenia

Heavy rain hits northern Turkey

Turkey doesn't impose sanctions on Russia because of its energy dependence

Cavusoglu says they are waiting to open Zangezur corridor as soon as possible

Process kicks off aimed at building new nuclear power unit in Armenia

European Commission head doesn't support G20 summit boycott if Putin attends

139 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia past 1 week

Aliyev: New weapons, most modern equipment have been, are being brought to Azerbaijan

Peskov rules out Russia's disconnection from global Internet

World oil prices dropping

Drug smuggling by Iranians is prevented in Armenia

Armenia parliament to convene special session

Copper rises in price

Armenia finance minister meets with Asian Development Bank representatives

Yerevan mayor to pay 12-day official visit to France

Earthquake hits Armenia-Georgia border zone

At least 4 dead after stand collapses during bullfight in Colombia

Microsoft to end support for Windows 8.1 in January 2023

95% blind Japan skateboarder breaks 2 Guinness World Records

NASA to launch Capstone satellite for future creation of habitats on Moon

US intends to raise $200 billion as part of G7 program, competing with China's Belt and Road project

Egypt signs contract with India to buy 180,000 tons of wheat

US Treasury Secretary discusses sanctions against Russia in Turkey

20 people die in mysterious circumstances in nightclub

Cavusoglu: Turkey is facing serious economic crisis

Armenian PM's spouse to hold official meetings and discussions in Nice, Monaco and Cannes

Media: Ukraine once again purchases weapons in Germany directly from manufacturer

European Council head cautious about G7 plan to ban imports of Russian gold

Iran launches second Zoljanah rocket into space

Britain and France agree to increase support for Ukraine

Armenian FM to leave on working visit to Athens

NATO to discuss largest military deployment since the Cold War

Artsakh Internal Affairs Ministry: Special measures in Stepanakert carried out in intensified mode

Biden thanks Scholz for leadership on Ukraine crisis at G7 summit

Iraqi PM arrives in Tehran

UN fears disease outbreak in Afghanistan due to earthquake

Johnson: Cost of Russian victory in Ukraine is too high

New Colombian president pledges to protect rainforest

Young man throws himself down from territory of Armenian Genocide Museum

G7 countries to impose a ban on imports of Russian gold

SADA CEO: Armenian startups are not yet well known on international market, they need to be strengthened

Turkey FM and Blinken discuss NATO expansion and grain supplies from Ukraine

Shoigu inspects grouping of Russian troops involved in Ukraine

Indonesian President to travel Ukraine, Russia on peace-building mission

Turkey intelligence agency captures alleged Greek spy

Armenia PM to answer questions from media and public organizations tomorrow

Ecuador's president lifts state of emergency declared due to strikes

Concrete placement starts at Unit 2 of Bushehr NPP in Iran

Eight corpses found at famous Mexican resort

US Army private admits plotting attack on military unit

Archaeologists discover remains of ancient tortoise with laid egg in Pompeii

Lithuanian president on sanctions against Kaliningrad transit: concessions to Russia are out of question

Founder of hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg puts Toyota's GR Yaris up for sale

President Vucic says Serbia will seek replacement for Russia oil

China to provide $7.5M in humanitarian aid to quake-stricken Afghanistan

Chicken meat production drops in Armenia

MFA spokesman: Armenia reaffirms its readiness to establish peace, stability in the region

Putin announces, at meeting with Lukashenko, decision to transfer Iskander-M missile systems to Minsk
In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Finland and Sweden's applications for membership in the alliance are a historic moment that NATO must take advantage of.

Accession would not only strengthen Finland and Sweden, but all of us. Turkey is an important NATO country with strategic importance between Europe, Russia, Iraq and Syria. NATO countries Sweden, Finland and the EU classify the PKK as a terrorist group. No NATO country has suffered as much from terror as Turkey. Thats why we take Turkeys concerns very seriously and are doing everything we can to address them, Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg responded also the question about Ukraine, and noted: NATO will continue to support Ukraine in its self-defense, but it is not part of the conflict. We are helping the country, but we will not send NATO troops to Ukraine. We have strengthened our own defenses, with 40,000 troops under NATO command. We have secured the territory of the alliance on land, at sea and in the air. This is a clear message to Moscow so that there are no misunderstandings about our preparation.

The NATO Secretary General stated that they must prepare for the fact that the Russian-Ukrainian war may take years.

We must not give up on supporting Ukraine. Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, but also for rising energy and food prices, Jens Stoltenberg added.
The world is now in crisis, the risk of using nuclear weapons is very high, and what is happening in Ukraine and mutual threats are prompting a ban and elimination of nuclear warheads. This statement by Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi was published on the ministrys official Telegram channel on the eve of the first meeting of states parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which will be held next week in Vienna, BB-CNTV reported.

The current military conflict on the territory of Ukraine, talk about the return of nuclear weapons and mutual threats to use nuclear weapons make us, more than ever before, think about the collective vulnerability of humanity and the urgent need to ban and eliminate these deadly weapons, the minister said.

He called on all countries of the world to develop a phased plan that would allow the complete elimination of nuclear weapons by the UN centenaryby 2045. According to Tleuberdi, the corresponding agreements could be reflected in the final documents of the first conference of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Minister referred to the data of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who earlier said that about 13,400 nuclear warheads are now dispersed around the world, and the threat of their use has become more real than in the darkest days of the Cold War.

Kazakhstans practical contribution to nuclear disarmament gives the moral right to continue calling on peoples and governments to redouble their efforts to rid our planet of the threat of nuclear self-destruction, Tleuberdi stressed.

Having inherited a significant part of its nuclear arsenal after the collapse of the USSR, Kazakhstan voluntarily renounced the position of a nuclear power and in 1993 joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) with the status of a state that does not possess nuclear weapons.

The NPT was developed in support of the NPT and fully complements its current importance in strengthening the nuclear nonproliferation regime, the peaceful use of atomic energy and, in general, ensuring international security, the press service of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry specified.

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force in January 2021.
Sri Lanka's military opened fire to contain rioting at a fuel station, officials said Sunday as unprecedented queues for gasoline and diesel were seen across the bankrupt country, AFP reported.

Troops fired in Visuvamadu, 365 kilometers north of the capital Colombo, on Saturday night as their guard point was pelted with stones, army spokesman Nilantha Premaratne said.

Police said four civilians and three soldiers were wounded when the army opened fire for the first time to quell unrest.

As the pump ran out of gasoline, motorists began to protest, and the situation escalated into a clash with troops, police said.

Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence.

The nation's 22 million population has been enduring acute shortages and long queues for scarce supplies while President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has for months resisted calls to step down over mismanagement.
Amadeus, a leading travel technology firm, is set to partner with ATS Travel, an award-winning travel management company in the Middle East, to launch its sustainable drive under the brand 'ATS Go Green' in collaboration with Olive Gaea, a Dubai-based start-up providing Net Zero solutions across the Mena region.

Amadeus said it was committed to working towards environmental sustainability, encouraging industry-wide progress to help achieve its net zero targets and securing long-term growth and prosperity for the travel industry. The company has set a target of zero emissions by 2050, with the ambition to achieve this by 2030.

The 'ATS Go Green' initiative reiterates the commitment by all parties to reach their environmental sustainability goals and be the front runners in the travel industry providing tailor-made reports on Co2 emissions for corporates.

Saleem Sharif, Deputy Managing Director at ATS Travel, said: "The partnership will allow Amadeus, ATS Travel and Olive Gaea to work closely together and offer clients offsetting opportunities and inspire sustainable living."

"The collaboration saw all parties pledging to develop a more sustainable future with participants planting mangroves at the local Al Zohra mangrove ecosystem. Participants were briefed on the sustainability project and taken on a Kayak tour to the mangrove plantation area with reusable water bottles and eco-friendly utilities. We invited our corporate clients and UAE National airlines representatives to join the event and support the cause," he stated.

According to Sharif, the increase of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere today is a growing concern within the travel and tourism sector.

"We aim to be the front runners in the travel sector providing custom carbon footprint reports for Air, Land, and hotels to our travel corporates. Our collaboration will enable us to go beyond just greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reports in the future, and provide cost effective offsetting options," he added.

Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing Director, Amadeus Gulf said: "This partnership supports our approach to transforming business operations, helping customers and driving the industry toward a more sustainable future. Enabling our customers to engage in green initiatives, such as this one from ATS Travel and Olive Gaea, and working with the global travel community on sustainability reflects our commitment to being at the forefront of change."

"The UAE Government has given a lot of emphasis to sustainability, Go Green drives and eco-tourism. It is hence critical to understand the direct impact of travel choices on carbon footprint," added Ernesto.

Vivek Tripathi, the Founder and CEO of Olive Gaea, expressed delight at partnering with ATS Travels sustainability initiative "ATS GO GREEN" supported by Amadeus.

"With local and global organizations racing against time to address climate change and reach Net Zero Carbon targets, we are pleased to play our part and help them take climate action. Not only will they minimize their environmental impact and support new plantation activities, they will also empower their clients with innovative and sound sustainability tools," remarked Tripathi.

"Change starts with awareness; that's why we trust our reporting and carbon offsetting initiatives will go a long way in fostering a greener travel industry in the UAE. The initiative will help both corporate and individual travellers assess their environmental impact and take positive climate action amid rising concerns over global warming," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Russia has promised to continue natural gas shipments to Hungary and that Gazprom will fulfill its contractual obligations to the country, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview on public service radio on Sunday, Reuters reported.

Szijjarto said that Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller and Russia's deputy prime minister Alexander Novak had both assured him in a phone call that the company would fulfill its obligations towards Hungary set out in its contract.

Under a deal with Gazprom signed last year, Hungary receives 3.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year via Bulgaria and Serbia under its long-term deal with Russia, and a further one bcm via a pipeline from Austria.

The agreement is valid for 15 years, with an option to modify purchased quantities after 10 years.

Szijjarto also said on Sunday that Hungary's energy security, including its natural gas supply, is stable and that natural gas shipments have been arriving daily as per the contract, on schedule, and without any disruptions.


With the government going after protestors in several states following protests against the remarks against Prophet Muhammad made by the now-suspended BJP spokesperson, the question facing the Muslim community in India is whether they are paying a heavy price for protesting over the issues concerning them.

Zafar Aafaq | TwoCircles.net

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NEW DELHI  The strong police response to the protests by members of the minority Muslim community over insulting remarks against Prophet Muhammad has sprung up a debate among the community about whether public protests are an effective way to express displeasure and build pressure on the government.

Two teenagers have been killed and dozens injured in Ranchi, Jharkhand while in Uttar Pradesh the administration has resorted to mass arrests and bulldozing of homes of the alleged protesters. The government action against the family of student leader Afreen Fatima has left many shocked and angry.

This question that arises in this situation is whether Indian Muslims paying a heavy price for protesting over the issues concerning them? Experts within the community overwhelmingly argue that silence never helps.

It can not be put in black and white. There are grey areas too, Maulana Mahmood Madani, the president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) told TwoCirlces.net in response to the question of whether public demonstrations are the right strategy.

Peaceful protests are a right of the citizens and if some people want to protest then others should not stop them. Nor should the government stop them. But if the protest is not peaceful or there is apprehension that it wont stay peaceful then in such a situation it should be avoided, he said.

He said that the protests should be held to make demands from the government and not directed at common citizens or any community.

Our religion teaches us to show patience. Any move that we take has to have a strategy and proper thinking behind it. We should not take abrupt action, he said.

In May when the Gyanvapi mosque issue was making headlines after a court-ordered survey claimed to have found Shivling in the mosque premises, Maulana Madani issued a statement appealing to Muslims not to hit the streets and refrain from public demonstrations. He also urged other Muslim groups to avoid interfering in the matter. The appeal did not go well with some sections of the community who argued that removing the option of protests from the table was not the right move.

Anas Tanweer, a Supreme Court lawyer, said that protesting is a right of the citizen and must be exercised, however, we must not lose sight of our senses.

We must understand where we stand and that there are people to get us and kill us. We must avoid falling for the bait. It may not be idle but at the end of the day we must save our lives.

Tanwir said that the community should learn how and when to declare and cherish the victories and how and when to call off protests. When we are weak we can not go full throttle. We must know how to survive this long-drawn battle.

No prominent leader or an organisation had given a call for protests yet people hit roads just after prayers in different cities last Friday. While it is seen as a spontaneous outburst of anger, there is also concern that such reactions give cause to the adversaries to target the Muslim community.

Saleem Engineer, the general secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, told TwoCircles.net that public demonstration is an effective way to express discontentment against the government in democracies.

He, however, added that the nature and strategy of the protests should be decided at the local level in cities and towns by responsible people with proper consultation. The protests should be conducted under the watch of such people to keep a check on anti-social elements, he said.

For Hussain Haidry, film writer and activist, the question of whether to protest or not is a tricky one. There is no central leadership that can make calls or decisions on when to protest and when not to.

At the same time, if in a town or city some people protest on some issue that concerns the community one cannot possibly distance oneself or say they are wrong, he said, citing the example of protests over remarks against Prophet Muhammad. This is essentially yet another Hindutva attack on Muslim identity. Some use the religious argument of blasphemy but it can also be framed with the socio-political argument of hate speech by a state representative. The difference of opinion, so to say, does not exist on the wrongness of the issue at hand here, but perhaps only in the way it could be presented for protestingand even those are not strictly mutually exclusive of each other as the hurt of the whole society remains the same nevertheless, he said.

Shams Tabraiz Qasmi, a journalist who runs the news portal Millat Times said the leadership has to do more and can not wash off its hands.

A large chunk of the Muslim community, especially the youth, are in favour of protest and they want leadership to come forward and give direction. It is the responsibility of the leadership to take reins into its hands otherwise we might see a repeat of what happened last Friday when people came out on the streets on their own and then things went out of control at some places, he said.

Ladeeda Farzana, a Muslim student activist who emerged as one of the icons of the anti-CAA movement, however, believes that the fight has to be always there on the streets. Silence is not the solution, fight is the solution. The street is for the people. She cites examples of black people in the United States and Palestinians to back her view. If we do not raise our voice then no one will know what is happening with us. The attack on Muslims will not cease if we stay silent. So it is better to fight.

A similar view was shared by Khalida Parveen, a social activist based in Hyderabad. If we do not protest what option do we have, she asked. Even in silence, they will not let us live peacefully so it is better to fight.

We can not fail our people who are losing everything for the rest of us, said activist and writer Sara Ather who thinks that the adversary intends psychological subjugation by not just attacking the body of Indian Muslims but importantly their dignity. They break down homes and make it a spectacle so that the tremors of horror reverberate for years to come.

Zafar Aafaq is a journalist based in New Delhi covering politics and human rights. He tweets @zafaraafaq
The about 300 sheep which Azerbaijanis had make off with six months ago from Surik Matevosyan, a shepherd from Tegh village of Armenias Syunik Province, have not yet been returned, and the Armenian government will compensate 70% of the damage. Tegh prefect Davit Ghulunts told about this to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

"Seventy percent of the damage will be compensated, it will be about 10 million drams; that is, they will give money for 280 sheep," he said.

The aforementioned shepherd is still engaged in cattle breeding. According to the village head, if there is compensation, the shepherd will increase the number of small cattle again.

Ghulunts noted that the situation in Tegh is calm, the villagers continue to do their agricultural work, are engaged in cattle breeding, and there is no emigration from the village at the moment.

Surik Matevosyan, a 53-year-old shepherd from Tegh village, and his about 300 sheep were abducted by Azerbaijanis on January 13. A day laterand as a result of negotiationsMatevosyan was returned to Russian peacekeepers. But his sheep still remain with the Azerbaijanis.
Shots were fired and a murder took place Sunday in Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, shamshyan.com reports.

At around 8:30pm, the police received a call from the Aparan city medical center that the latter had admitted seven people with bodily injuries, including gunshot wounds.

Doctors at the hospital told police and investigators that one of the wounded had died without regaining consciousness, and the six others were transferred to two medical centers in the capital Yerevan.

Police and investigators found out that the aforesaid shots were fired near the landfills in Nigavan village.

Exploration work is underway.

Press secretary of the Investigative Committee of Armenia, Vardan Tadevosyan, informed that a criminal case has been initiated on the incident.

The police and the investigation department are trying to find out the identities of the dead and the wounded.
Outgoing Duterte's daughter sworn as Philippines' VP

Sara Duterte, left centre, takes her oath as vice-president, flanked by her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman, second right, and father Rodrigo Duterte, right. Photo: AFP

Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of the outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, was sworn in as the country's 15th vice president on Sunday, calling for national unity following a divisive election campaign.



"The days ahead may be full of challenges that call for us to be more united as a nation," she said in an inauguration address in her hometown Davao, where she took the oath of office with her parents standing next to her.



Duterte-Carpio, 44, was the running mate of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also won in the May 9 elections and will be sworn in as the country's president on June 30, when their six-year term begins.



Marcos, the son and namesake of the disgraced dictator driven from power in a 1986 uprising, also took part in the inauguration ceremony attended by Duterte-Carpio's relatives, allies and supporters.



They both scored landslide victories, with overwhelming margins not seen in decades, forging a crucial alliance and running on a message of unity that also helped many allies win seats in the legislature and local government positions.



Like her father, Duterte-Carpio trained as a lawyer before entering politics in 2007 when she was voted in as her father's vice mayor in Davao, 1,000 kilometres from the capital Manila.



She had initially wanted to be a doctor but instead pursued a political career and in 2010 succeeded her father to become the first female mayor of Davao.



"If we all take a moment to listen to the call to serve and decide to heed the call ... I believe the country will be heading toward a future of hope, security, strength, stability, and progress," said Duterte-Carpio, who will also serve as Marcos' education secretary. (Reuters)
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the crash happened on June 16, and the van flipped after running off the road in a desert area. At the time, the crew was apparently working in the nearby Santa Rosalia area.

The crash did not happen on set and the van was on its way from Santa Rosalia to the local airport when it happened.

Raymundo Garduo Cruz and Juan Francisco Gonzalez Aguilar died on Friday, according to the Baja California Department of Culture.

As per a source familiar with the situation, the six injured and unnamed production members include two other actors and four members of the crew, all of whom are currently stable, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

The production company behind 'The Chosen One', Redrum, has temporarily halted production.

'The Chosen One' is described by Netflix as: "A 12-year-old boy learns he's the returned Jesus Christ, destined to save humankind. Based on the comic book series by Mark Millar and Peter Gross." (ANI)
Actor Rajkummar Rao has become the talk of the town ever since the teaser for his upcoming movie 'HIT: The First Case was released'. Amidst hectic promotions, the 'Badhai Do' actor decided to take a break and fly to Italy with his wife Patralekhaa. Patralekhaa and Rajkummar tied the knot last year and both the actors often give their fans a glimpse of their lives on social media. The couple that is currently in Rome, took to their Instagram to share an adorable video of themselves chilling in the Italian capital. Patralekhaa captioned the video "Roman Holiday". On the work front, Rajkumar Rao will soon be seen in the action thriller film 'Hit: the First Case' opposite Sanya Malhotra. In the film, Rajkummar will be seen playing the role of a cop, while Sanya Malhotra will essay the role of the female lead. Directed by Sailesh Kolanu, the upcoming thriller is the Hindi remake of the Telugu film of the same name. The film is set to hit the theatres on July 15. Apart from 'Hit-the first case', Rajkumar will be seen in a bunch of movies. He is shooting for 'Mr And Mrs Mahi' opposite Janhvi Kapoor. The film is helmed by 'Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl' director Sharan Sharma. Rajkumar is also a part of Anubhav Sinha's 'Bheed', the sequel to his hit film 'Stree', Abhishek Jain's 'Second Innings', Shrikanth Bolla Biopic, Hansal Mehta's 'Swagat Hai,' and Anurag Basu's 'Life in a metro' sequel. (ANI)
Priyanka Chopra has finally wrapped the shoot for her upcoming web series 'Citadel'. The actor, who was busy shooting for the project in Atlanta, has shared a video on her Instagram account that shows some fun moments from the set. She wrote, "And it's finally a wrap! Thank you to everyone who made this mammoth task possible and fun. Thx Atlanta. See you next time." In the short clip, Priyanka can be seen driving her customised car on the set. Priyanka had earlier shared on Instagram a picture of the same car that her husband Nick Jonas gifted her! Her pet dog Diana is also a part of the video as she is seen touring the set with the actor. The video also shows Priyanka getting a warm welcome on her first day of the shoot. She is seen in a red dress, receiving a bouquet of flowers. She also a glimpse of her Vanity Van which had her character's name 'Nadia' written on it. Produced by Russo Brothers, 'Citadel' will hit the OTT Platform Amazon Prime Video. The upcoming sci-fi drama series is being directed by Patrick Morgan and stars Richard Madden alongside Priyanka. Apart from 'Citadel', Priyanka also has a few other Hollywood Projects in her kitty. She will be seen in 'Ending Things' opposite Marvel star Anthony Mackie and an adaptation of Shilpi Somaya Gowda's novel 'Secret Daughter', which will be adapted by Shruti Ganguly. (ANI)
Riddhima took to her Instagram handle and shared pictures of veteran actor Rishi Kapoor and her family members on her Instagram stories.

Sharing the old picture of her father, Riddhima wrote a heart touching message, "Happy Father's Day Papa- Always in our heart. I miss you love you".

In another picture she posted, it can be seen grandfather-granddaughter bond of Rishi Kapoor and Riddhima's daughter Samara Sahni.

Rishi Kapoor's daughter also shared a family picture and she wrote, "Love you". In the picture, they wore an Indian attires and posed happily for shutterbugs.

On the other hand, Riddhima also wished her husband on this occasion with an adorable picture of businessman Bharat Sahni with Samara. She expressed, "Happy Father's Day to you @brat.man Best Daddy".

Legendary actor Rishi Kapoor passed away on April 30, 2020, after battling cancer. Prior to his demise, he was in New York for his treatment with his wife.

It's been almost two years since actor Rishi Kapoor left for his heavenly abode. Many of his family members, friends, and fans recall his memories on certain occasions. (ANI)
British actor Joe Quinn, whose performance in 'Stranger Things' was praised, has revealed a couple of tantalising insights about the highly-anticipated season four finale. According to Deadline, Quinn's character Eddie Munson, who first appeared at the beginning of the fourth season as the big-haired metalhead who runs the Hellfire Club and plays in a band called Corroded Coffin. Munson is also suspected of murder and accused of satanic worship, naturally. Though not revealing much, the actor told a news outlet that the climactic final two-and-a-half-hour episode: "I can say there's a guitar scene and that the scale and ambition are astonishing." In response to the question about his return for the fifth and final season, he said, "I'll be furious if they don't bring me back. I'd love to if they'll have me." Prior to 'Stranger Things', Quinn was best known for appearing in a list of British period dramas such as 'Dickensian', 'Howard's End' and 'Les Miserables'. He also featured alongside Helen Mirren as her son in 'Catherine the Great'. He will next appear in a British independent film called 'Hoard', directed by Luna Carmoon, and remains overwhelmed by the success of 'Stranger Things', which has seen Kate Bush topping the music charts for the first time in over four decades, with her song 'Running Up that Hill' after featuring in this season's debut episode. Season 4 volume 2 of 'Stranger Things' will stream on Netflix from Friday, July 1, as per Deadline. (ANI)
With just 48 hours to go before a thriller contest for the Maharashtra Legislative Council biennial elections, the main contest will be between Congress' Mumbai President Bhai Jagtap and BJP's Prasad Lad for the 10th seat. A total of 11 candidates are vying for the 10 MLC seats vide the electoral college comprising 288 MLAs, though effectively 285 shall vote in the elections on Monday (June 20). Jagtap, 66, is a trade unionist heading the Bharatiya Kamgar Karmachari Mahasangh (BKKM) and President of Mumbai Congress, while Lad, 51, is a former MLC and ex-chairman of Mumbai Buildings Repair and Reconstruction Board. Both considered good pals on a personal level, Lad is considered a confidante of Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis and has been a trouble-shooter for the BJP on various occasions. Of the 288-member lower house, one Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke died recently, while two NCP MLAs Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik - currently in jail - were denied permission by Bombay High Court to vote for the MLC polls. The quota for winning - depending on the actual votes cast - would be 26 or 27 per candidate, and the 29 MLAs of smaller parties or independents will play a crucial role in the elections. The MVA has fielded Sachin Ahit and Amasha Padvi (Shiv Sena), Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar and Eknath Khadse (Nationalist Congress Party), Chandrakant Handore and Bhai Jagtap (Congress). The BJP has nominated Pravin Darekar, Prof Ram Shinde, Shrikant Bhartiya, Uma Khapre and Prasad Lad. With a strength of 106, the BJP can comfortably bag four of the five seats it is contesting and the battle will be for Lad's candidature vis-a-vis Jagtap. The Sena with 55 legislators and NCP with 51 MLAs can easily win their two seats respectively, while the Congress with 44 legislators would require around a dozen votes from the independents, smaller parties or its allies. Both MVA and BJP are desperately wooing the independents and smaller parties though the Samajwadi Party, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi have yet to indicate which side they will vote for. --IANS qn/skp/ ( 360 Words) 2022-06-18-20:12:02 (IANS)
After China launched a "double reduction" policy to ease students' burden, positive changes have taken place. Visit a middle school in China's Shaanxi, to find out how students enjoy their extracurricular activities. #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
As Congress leader Rahul Gandhi turned 52 on Sunday, he urged his party workers and well wishers to refrain from any kind of celebrations, saying that crores of youths are anguished as protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme intensify in several states. "We are concerned with the situation in the country. Crores of youths are anguished. We should share the pain of the youth and their families and stand with them," Rahul Gandhi said in a statement which was tweeted by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday. The Wayanad MP's statement comes at a time when the country is witnessing protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme approved on June 14 for the recruitment of Indian youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a four-year period. Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to withdraw the farm laws, he will have to accept the demand of the youth and roll back the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme. The former Congress chief also said that for eight consecutive years, the BJP government has "insulted" the values of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'. "I had said earlier also that the prime minister will have to withdraw the black farm laws. In the same manner, he will have to accept the demand of the youth of the country by becoming 'maafiveer' and take back the 'Agnipath' scheme," Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers. Agnipath allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. The Agnipath Scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces. According to the latest announcement by the Ministry, the upper age limit for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) - inclusive of Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), National Security Guard (NSG) and Special Protection Group (SPG) - will stand at 26 years. Meanwhile, the first batch of Agniveers will avail a further relaxation of 5 years beyond the upper age limit of 23, taking it to 28 years. (ANI)
Amid protests over the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme in several parts of the country including BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha on Saturday alleged that the scheme would wash out the dreams of young aspirants of defence services. He said that youths prepare for years and when they were told that they will get to serve only for four years and not 16 years, they got agitated. "Why you resorted to such a step which got them agitated," Tankha said, pushing his party's demand to get this contentious scheme rolled back. "Hold debates in parliament, speak to former generals and consult experts whether this policy is good for the country or not," he added. Tankha alleged that a policy prepared in a single ministry doesn't make it good if stakeholders and the country don't approve it, it's a faulty policy. "Same thing happened with farm laws," he added. He also appealed to the aspirants to do a peaceful protest instead of resorting to violence, and not vandalise public properties. He said the assets belong to the nation. Youths staged violent protests in Gwalior and Indore. They damaged railway properties, set ablaze vehicles, created mayhem in public places in Gwalior, Indore and some other places in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday and Friday. In Madhya Pradesh, the protest was held despite Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announcing that 'Agniveers' (those who would be selected and trained by Indian forces) would be given preference in state police services. As per the state police, around 70 youths have been arrested so far in Madhya Pradesh in connection with violence in Gwalior and Indore. Three cops, including an SI and two constables were also injured in the incident. Earlier on Saturday, in the wake of growing tension over Agnipath scheme, the Centre sent a caution note to all states and Union Territories (UTs) regarding tackling the continued agitations. --IANS pd/skp/ ( 330 Words) 2022-06-18-20:30:04 (IANS)
Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Saturday wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urging him to rollback the Agnipath recruitment scheme. This recent modification to the basic structure of the Army has justifiably caused great anguish among potential recruits from across the country, the AAP leader said in the letter. "The hopes and dreams of many young aspirants have been stifled by the controversial 'contractualization' of the armed forces. Within the past two days, we have witnessed with great despair insufficient attempts at last-minute tinkering by the Union government such as increasing the age limit," the letter reads. Demanding the immediate rollback of 'Agnipath' and the resumption of the regular recruitment process for the current year, the Rajya Sabha MP has highlighted five issues in the letter. Firstly, we need jawans with peace of mind and job security. The Union government has failed to comprehend that a jawan supports not only himself but his family, he said in the letter. Secondly, the scheme has overlooked issues of inadequate skilling, he added. Thirdly, Chadha said that the Union government's financial obligations towards the defence pension bill should not be offset by sacrificing the job security of our jawans. Fourthly, the scheme negates regimental honour and erodes the quality of our troops. Fifth, such experiments should not be imposed en masse. This scheme has been implemented without running any pilot schemes, Chadha said in the letter. --IANS avr/skp/ ( 252 Words) 2022-06-18-20:34:04 (IANS)
The Centre's move came after Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal blamed the state police for allegedly remaining silent even when properties of BJP leaders were vandalised by the protesters.

Those who have been provided 'Y' category security include Jaiswal, Deputy CM Renu Devi, Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad, Sanjiv Chaurasia, Haribhushan Thakur, Araria MP Pradeep Singh, Darbhanga MP Gopal Ji Thakur, MLC Ashok Agrawal, MLC Dilip Jaiswal, Sanjay Sarawgi and Vijay Khemka.

Under 'Y' category security, CRPF personnel will be deployed with these leaders. The BJP's central leadership believes that Bihar police are not capable of providing security to these leaders.

Earlier, Jaiswal had blamed the Nitish Kumar government for allowing arson to take place in Bihar.

"It was not the agitation by the youth that led to the violence in Bihar. The violence happened due to the police of Nitish Kumar. The state police, which come under the CM, did not act against the agitators leading to large-scale violence in the state. Such an incident did not happen anywhere else in the country, even in non-BJP-ruled states like West Bengal and Jharkhand," Jaiswal said.

--IANS ajk/arm

( 240 Words)

2022-06-18-20:58:05 (IANS)
A Delhi court has granted bail to a 77-year-old man, who was accused of sexual harassment, after finding that there is 'no valid reason to impose any restrictions upon the liberty of the accused at his advance age'. A vacation bench of Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana also noted that there was a delay of about one month in registration of the FIR by the investigating officer (IO). The judge also observed that neither in the FIR nor in the recorded statements, there is any mention of commission of offence under Section 354B of the IPC (assault or use of criminal force with any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty). "From the complaint itself, it appears that there was also some money dispute between the parties. Be that as it may, no palpable explanation has been furnished by the IO as to why she seeks custodial interrogation of the applicant/accused," the bench said. The applicant, Madan Lal, argued that he is about 77 years old and the police is trying to implicate him in a false and frivolous case. He submitted that the IO was constantly harassing him and was threatening that he will be implicated in a rape case. It was submitted that the accused is not a flight risk and subjecting him to custodial interrogation at this advance age shall tantamount to an unlawful inference with the sacrosanct principle of presumption of innocence. "It is thus prayed that the accused deserves anticipatory bail," the plea noted. On the other hand, the public prosecutor vehemently opposed the bail application, arguing that the allegations against the applicant were serious in nature. It was submitted that the applicant not only molested the victim, but even sexually assaulted her daughter. It was also submitted that the applicant extorted money from the victim and her daughter on the pretext of medically treating them. The accused does not deserve anticipatory bail in wake of the seriousness of the allegations against him, the public prosecutor noted. Considering the totality of circumstances, the court said it do not find any valid reason to impose any restrictions on the septuagenarian and allowed him bail on Rs 20,000 with one surety in the like amount. --IANS jw/arm ( 395 Words) 2022-06-18-21:52:03 (IANS)
After the large-scale violence witnessed in Bihar for the last four days in connection with the statewide protests against the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme for short-term recruitment into the armed forces, ADGP (law and order) Sanjay Singh said on Saturday that the police have registered 138 FIRs against the agitators while 716 persons involved in the arson have been arrested so far. On Saturday, violence erupted in Patna's suburban town of Masaudhi and neighbouring Jahanabad district, leading to the arrest 61 and 50 agitators from the two places, respectively. "We arrested 140 persons on Saturday from across the state, including 61 from Masaudhi and 50 from Jahanabad," Singh said. "There were 30 police personnel deployed in Masaudhi where more than 400 youth arrived and started pelting stones on the police party. The police initially tried to disperse them, but as they were present in large numbers, they managed to create a ruckus in the area and even set some vehicles on fire. The situation was brought under control only after the SSP and the DM went there with a large force," Singh said. "Some anti-social elements are mixing with the student groups and creating problems. The officials of the Special Branch and Intelligence Bureau are on the job to identify them," Singh said. Compared to the violence witnessed on Thursday and Friday, the state police managed to control the situation to a large extent during 'Bihar Bandh' on Saturday. "We have appealed to the people of Bihar to not pay heed to rumours and stay calm," Singh said. --IANS ajk/arm ( 272 Words) 2022-06-18-22:22:04 (IANS)
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday arrested four fake army aspirants including a district president of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), for allegedly trying to provoke Army aspirants to agitate against the Centre's Agnipath scheme. Saharanpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Akash Tomar said that one of the accused arrested is identified as Parag Panwar, who is the district president of the NSUI. "Rampur Maniharan police has arrested four fake army candidates who are office-bearers of different political parties. They were trying to provoke army aspirants to agitate. One of the accused Parag Panwar is the district president of NSUI," said the Saharanpur SSP. Protests are taking place in parts of the country against the recruitment policy, some of them had turned violent with trains being set on fire. Meanwhile, the Centre government has stepped up their efforts to appeal to the protestors not to protest and understand the new recruitment programme of the military. In a bid to provide supportive measures to the Agniveers after their 4-year service ends in the Armed Forces, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the Ministry of Defence for Agniveers meeting requisite eligibility criteria. Soon after the launch of the scheme, the government also announced that it has decided to increase the upper age limit for the recruitment of Agniveers from 21 years to 23 years for the recruitment cycle of 2022. Earlier today, the Home Ministry decided to reserve 10 per cent vacancies for recruitment in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles for Agniveers. Home Ministry has further announced that it will give three years of age relaxation to Agniveers beyond the prescribed upper age limit to recruitments in CAPFs and Assam Rifles. For the first batch of Agniveers, the age relaxation will be of 5 years. Moreover, there are several state governments like Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka that have come out and announced various supportive measures for the Agniveers who would return to the civil life after their 4-year service in the Defence Forces. Several state governments have announced that Agniveers, after serving the armed forces for 4 years, will be given preference in filling vacancies in state police forces. (ANI)
Telangana Minister for IT and Industries KT Rama Rao on Saturday said lashed out at Congress and said that it had ruined the state and the entire country. He also said that Congress is left with only history but no future. Speaking at a public meeting in Kollapur, Mahabubnagar on Saturday, KTR mentioned that recently, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi urged the people to give one more chance to the party and said people had given the Congress party 10 chances and in turn, it ruined the state and the entire country. "Recently, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi when he came to Warangal asked for one chance to the party and he will change the farmer's life. But the Congress MP should bear in mind that people had given the Congress party 10 chances and in turn, it ruined the state and the entire country," the Minister said. "Congress party is left with history but there is no future to it. There are no chances of a congress party winning in the country. Here the Congress party is the party with the caste madness," KTR said. Further targeting the BJP, KTR said, "The BJP, which is in power at the Centre, has turned the country into a Ravanakashtam with its ill-considered decisions. BJP leaders are spewing poison whenever they speak. Hindu-Muslim religion is used to provoke the people." He further questioned the Central government for promising the people of the country that they will be depositing Rs 15 lakhs of money in the banks. He recalled the BJP criticised the UPA government for collecting Rs 400 for domestic cooking gas cylinders. "The price of a gas cylinder in the country was Rs 400 and now it crossed Rs 1,050. So, I am saying to all the people that we don't want these two parties but we need welfare and development, we want a government that supports the poor," he added. (ANI)
Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to ensure due and legitimate space for the Opposition. In the letter to PM Modi, Chowdhury referred to the recent protests held by Congress workers against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogation of party leader Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. He said that Delhi Police has been resorting to excessive and disproportionate forces to thwart the purpose of agitation being carried out by Congress. "I am writing this letter with a lot of anguish and pain. The Congress party has been organizing a peaceful political demonstration to raise our voice against the politics of vendetta. But the Delhi Police has been resorting to excessive and disproportionate forces to thwart the purpose of agitation," the Congress leader said in a letter. The Lok Sabha MP said Congress workers including people's representatives of parliament and state assemblies were beaten up mercilessly without any provocation that caused much humiliation of and a direct affront to the democratic ethos of our country. Citing an example of Tamil Nadu MP S Jothi Mani, Chowdhury said, "It is much abominable to note that Our colleague, S Jothi Mani, Member of Parliament from Tamil Nadu, was brutally assaulted by the Delhi Police during this agitation. Her clothes were torn down let alone physical and mental torture. She was detained in the Police Station till late evening." He further alleged that on her way to the police station, the Tamil Nadu MP was not provided drinking water on the way to the police station and was also not allowed to purchase a water bottle. The Congress leader also claimed that she was not provided with medical aid. "Is this how a lady Member of Parliament is treated? Not providing drinking water and medical aid to an MP is extremely shameful and a clear case of human rights violation. As a result of the police beating, her health has deteriorated further and now she has been hospitalized in the Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital, New Delhi," he said. Chowdhury also accused the BJP government of not giving due respect to the Opposition's opinion. "The core essence of democracy means freedom of speech and expression. However, this government is not giving due respect to opposition opinion. There is no opposition space worth it is name in India," he said. He further said that it is a matter of serious concern that the law enforcement agencies forcefully entered the Congress Party office which is known as the headquarter of AICC and unleashed violence upon the party workers, raining lathi charges and dragging out our workers from the party office and thrown them into a police van in the full glare of the public. "AICC is not far away from Parliament - the temple of democracy, and not far away from the residences of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister," he said. Chowdhury also raised the point of India's slipping position in the democracy index's global ranking. He also raised concern over India's position in the global ranking of the democracy index. "It is concerning that we as a nation have already gone down in the global ranking of democracy index," the Congress MP said. "Sir, in this 75th year of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, do not take away the opposition space. For a healthy democracy, you should ensure due and legitimate space for the opposition viewpoint as well. This will bring the necessary social cohesion in the society and will make democracy in India strong and vibrant," he added. Congress leaders and MPs have been protesting in several states against their former president's questioning by the ED in a money-laundering case pertaining to the National Herald newspaper. A delegation of Congress leaders is likely to meet President Ram Nath Kovind on June 20 and submit a memorandum on the issue of entry of Delhi Police into their party headquarters and the alleged misbehaviour with party MPs during protests. Rahul Gandhi appeared before the ED for three days, sparking protests by Congress leaders across the country. The party, however, alleged that there was nothing in the case and it is a political vendetta. Congress on Wednesday filed a complaint against the Delhi Police for entering and attacking party workers, without provocation, at 24 Akbar Road. The complaint was registered at Tughlak Road Police Station, New Delhi. Congress has alleged that its leaders have been manhandled during protests. Rahul Gandhi was questioned in detail about the ownership of Young Indian Private Limited (YIL) by the Gandhi family and its shareholding pattern in Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that runs the National Herald newspaper, said sources. Investigators in the ED, sources said, had also asked Rahul Gandhi to describe the circumstances under which AJL was acquired by YIL in 2010, making it the owner of all assets owned by the National Herald newspaper. The National Herald, started by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, was published by the AJL. In 2010, the AJL, which faced financial difficulties, was taken over by a newly-floated YIL with Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda as directors, both of them Gandhi loyalists. In a complaint in the Delhi High Court, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy accused Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul Gandhi, and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds. Officials familiar with the probe said Rahul Gandhi is being asked questions about the takeover of the AJL by YIL since the Gandhis have stakes in the latter. The Congress leader is being questioned under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). (ANI)
Six fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire brigade rescued 14 people trapped in two apartments.

No casualties were reported in the incident and the fire has been brought under control.

The cause of the fire is yet to ascertain

Further details are awaited. (ANI)
A man and his year-old niece died after the roof of their house collapsed in Ludhiana on Saturday following heavy rainfall. The incident took place in Bhora village under Salem Tabri police station. Two members of the family died while four others were injured. The incident took place in the early hours when the family was sleeping. They got trapped under the debris. While two died on the spot, the four injured were rushed to hospital. "A man and his niece died and four others were injured after the roof of their house collapsed yesterday in Bhora village, Salem Tabri in Ludhiana following heavy rainfall. The injured have been admitted to the hospital," said Harmesh Singh, Investigation Officer, Salem Tabri police station. (ANI)
Kathariya was shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment after he received bullet injuries yesterday.

"Two unidentified persons shot at him. He received bullet injuries near his shoulder, referred to Agra for medical treatment," Police told media persons.

Earlier, in March this year, former secretary of BJP's youth wing Gaurav Jaiswal was allegedly shot dead by unknown assailants in Maharajganj district.

According to the police, the assailants shot Jaiswal in the head and fled from the spot after committing the crime.

An FIR was lodged against the unknown assailants in connection with the crime.

Jaiswal, who was a nephew of Maharajganj municipality (Nagar Palika) chairman Krishna Gopal Jaiswal, was an active BJP worker and co-convenor of the party's cleanliness campaign. (ANI)
Rajya Sabha MP and Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Raghav Chadha on Saturday wrote a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh demanding the withdrawal of the Agnipath scheme. In the letter, Chadha said the scheme had "justifiably caused great anguish among potential recruits from across the country". He said that jawans need peace of mind and job security. "The Union Government has failed to comprehend that a jawan supports not only himself but his family. Only individuals with courage and peace of mind can serve in the Armed Forces. A jawan that is busy contemplating career moves or wondering how his family will survive after his tenure of four years is over, will find it harder to serve our country. An ill-motivated soldier is certainly an avoidable proposition," read his letter. The Rajya Sabha MP further in his letter said, "The scheme has overlooked issues of inadequate skilling. The Agnipath scheme allows for Agniveers to undergo a crash course in training of six months. An abnormally short period of training will have adverse consequences on the quality of service discharged." The AAP spokesperson said that the scheme allows for 'greenhorns to face the nation's greatest security challenges. Resultantly, we will be saddled without sufficient leadership and experience amongst the troops.' He said that the Union Government's financial obligations towards the defence pension bill should not be offset by sacrificing the job security of our jawans. "We cannot shy away from our collective responsibility to give those who protect our borders a life of dignity. It is the least we can do for our jawans. This cannot be our solution to budgetary woes. Lives cannot be put at stake to balance the budget," he said in his letter. Chadha alleged that the scheme negates regimental honour and erodes the quality of our troops. "Unity and coordination amongst troops is what drives our Armed Forces towards excellence, and with a shorter duration spent with their peers, we are sacrificing the spirit of the forces. It is the ethos of the regiment that keeps jawans united and determined. Any recruitment scheme must respect the regimental honour and ethos built into the system which has been bringing laurels to the country," said the Rajya Sabha MP in his letter to Rajnath Singh. The AAP leader said that such 'experiments' should not be imposed en masse. "This scheme has been implemented without running any pilot schemes. Such pilot schemes, preferably outside of the Armed Forces would have provided an opportunity to deliberate before deciding. A consultative exercise could have followed thereafter to avoid national embarrassment and despair amongst the youth," he wrote. For the reasons highlighted above, the AAP spokesperson said that the Union Government should start with an immediate roll-back and a resumption of the regular recruitment process for the current year. "We are experiencing a great deficit in new recruits, and shortcuts that put our jawans at risk cannot be the solution. We cannot take the opportunity to serve the country in the Armed Forces as a secondary option for anyone," he said in his letter. "With all the humility at my command, I implore you to roll back the Agnipath scheme, to stop this 'trial by fire' of the youth of the country. The National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, has also urged the Union Government to immediately roll back the scheme and to allow the youth to serve this country in a permanent and not a temporary manner. The roll-back should give the Union Government sufficient time to re-think and consult the aspirants who are affected the most by this sudden decision affecting their fate," he added. COVID-19 halted the Army's recruitment for over two years. In 2019-2020, the Army recruited jawans and there has been no entry since then. On the other hand, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force had both recruited in the last two years respectively. The Ministry of Defence, in its statement on Tuesday, said that the Agnipath scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces. It will provide an opportunity to the youth who may be keen to don the uniform by attracting young talent from the society who are more in tune with contemporary technological trends and plough back skilled, disciplined and motivated manpower into the society. This is a major defence policy reform introduced by the Government to usher in a new era in the Human Resource policy of the three Services. The policy, which comes into immediate effect, will hereafter govern the enrolment for the three services. (ANI)
A staunch advocate of the Swachh Bharat campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday picked up litter at the newly launched ITPO tunnel built under Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor in the national capital. PM Modi was seen inspecting the newly inaugurated tunnel and picking up an empty water bottle and other pieces of trash as he walked along. The Prime Minister inaugurated the main tunnel and five underpasses of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project in New Delhi today. The Prime Minister has always stressed on keeping the surroundings clean. In October 2019, in a video shared on Twitter, PM Modi can be seen picking up plastic bottles, plates and other garbage from a beach in Mamallapuram while jogging. PM Modi has always given the top priority to cleanliness be it Swachh Bharat Mission or Namami Gange. The Centre launched the Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2, 2014, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The key components of the initiative include the construction of toilets in every household, community and public toilets and solid waste management. Coming back to the Integrated Transit Corridor project, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), it is an integral part of the Pragati Maidan Redevelopment Project. The Integrated Transit Corridor project has been built at a cost of more than Rs 920 crore, entirely funded by the central government. It is aimed to provide hassle-free and smooth access to the new world-class exhibition and convention centre being developed at Pragati Maidan, thereby facilitating easy participation of exhibitors and visitors in the programmes being held at Pragati Maidan, said the PMO release. Further, it will ensure hassle-free vehicular movement, helping save time and cost of commuters in a big way. It is part of the overarching vision of the government to ensure ease of living for people through transforming urban infrastructure. The main tunnel connects Ring Road with India Gate via Purana Qila Road passing through Pragati Maidan. The six-lane divided tunnel has multiple purposes, including access to the huge basement parking of Pragati Maidan. A unique component of the Tunnel is that two cross tunnels below the main tunnel road have been constructed in order to facilitate the movement of the traffic from either side of the parking lot. It is equipped with the latest global standard facilities for smooth movement of traffic such as smart fire management, modern ventilation and automated drainage, digitally controlled CCTV and a public announcement system inside the tunnel. This long-awaited Tunnel will serve as an alternative route to Bhairon Marg, which is running much beyond its carrying capacity and is expected to take more than half of the traffic load of Bhairon Marg. Along with the tunnel, there will be six underpasses - four on Mathura Road, one on Bhairon Marg and one at the intersection of Ring Road and Bhairon Marg. (ANI)
Besides safeguarding the public and maintaining law and order in Jammu and Kashmir, the CRPF personnel now and again have come forward to help the deprived. Deputy Commandant of 187 Bn Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) provided financial help of Rs 31,000 to the parents of children suffering from rare eye disease in Chenani Tehsil of District Udhampur. Kewal Kumar's son Sanjit Kumar, a resident of Nagulta, Gharian Kalan, belongs to an extremely poor family and is suffering from a rare eye disease. Kumar's father is a labourer and was unable to bear expenses for the treatment of his son. He went to Jammu for treatment of his son but all his efforts resulted in vain. His father appealed to help him and his son financially so, the Battalion contributed Rs 31,000 for the treatment of son. Om Parkash Singh, Deputy Commandant of CRPF 187th Bn said, "he got information from Sarpanch Panchayat Halqa Basht that a parent of six years old child needs financial help for the treatment of his son who is suffering from a rare eye disease." He added that "I informed same to the Battalion, so that if anyone wants to help the child so, they can help him so we collected 31,000 and in the presence of Sarpanch of Panchayat Halqa Basht, Surinder Singh, we handover Cheque of the same Amount to the family of the Kid so that they Provide treatment to his son." (ANI)
The use of information and communications technology (ICT), under a comprehensive initiative called PM eVIDYA by the Department of School Education, Ministry of Education, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, won UNESCO's recognition. The PM eVIDYA was initiated as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan by the Ministry of Education on May 17, 2020, which unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access for imparting education by using technology to minimise learning losses. Education Ministry in a statement said that the Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), a constituent unit of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) under the Department of School Education and Literacy (DOSEL), Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India has been awarded the UNESCO's King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for the Use of ICT in Education for the year 2021. This award recognizes innovative approaches to leveraging new technologies to expand educational and lifelong learning opportunities for all, in line with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and its goal 4 on Education. Established in 2005 with the support of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Prize rewards individuals and organizations that are implementing outstanding projects and promoting the creative use of technologies to enhance learning, teaching and overall educational performance in the digital age. An international Jury selects the two best projects annually. Each prize winner receives USD 25,000, a medal and a diploma during a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris", which this year will be held on June 24, 2022, the Ministry said. With a mandate to deploy affordable technology to enhance the educational opportunities for all, augment the quality of education and bring equity into the educational system in the country and keeping in view the recommendations of NEP-2020, the Ministry of Education through CIET, NCERT has been working tirelessly and meticulously in designing, developing and disseminating a large number of eBooks, eContent - audios, videos, interactives, augmented reality contents, Indian Sign Language (ISL) videos, audiobooks, talking books, etc.; a variety of eCourses for school and teacher education; organizing digital events like online quizzes primarily for students and teachers through leveraging Online/Offline, On-Air technology One Class-One Channel, DIKSHA, ePathshala, NISHTHA, school MOOCs on SWAYAM, etc. To further the objectives of NEP and Samagra Shiksha and address the aforementioned pillars, PM eVidya- a comprehensive initiative which unifies all efforts and provides multi-mode access to digital/online/on-air education was launched in May 2020. The CIET was proactive in taking learning to the doorsteps of the children through the extensive, resilient, ethical, and coherent use of 12 PM eVidya DTH TV channels and nearly 397 radio stations, including community radio stations under the PM eVidya programme. These efforts were especially helpful in pandemic situations, when schools were closed, in reaching out to students. These efforts helped in arresting the learning hiatus to a large extent. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party Tamil Nadu co in-charge P Sudhakar Reddy on Sunday cleared his stance on the recently launched 'Agnipath scheme' and warned the youngsters against the opposition's foul play. "Agnipath is a very good scheme. But unfortunately the Congress party, left parties and other opposition parties especially TRS are jealous and with vested interest with a political gain to tarnish the image of PM Modi led NDA Government," Reddy told ANI. He also highlighted that the opposition was spreading misinformation about the schemeand said that the agitations against the scheme are nothing but diversions for public to put the national herald case under the sheets. "They are planting misinformation which is very unfortunate. Even during the Telangana movement, rails were not burnt. The opposition is unable to digest the image of Narendra Modi and to divert the National herald case of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, they are resorting to these politics," he added. He also jibed at Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS) and demanded for a detailed enquiry on violent incidents around the scheme. "TRS failed at all fronts in Telangana and they want to divert the attention of public. We demand the central government and state government police to have a detailed enquiry with sitting judge on secunderabad incident of firing and to know who is the conspirator. His remarks came in wake of the protests that erupted in various parts of the country against the new recruitment scheme in the Armed Forces. The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers. Agnipath allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. The Agnipath Scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces. According to the latest announcement by the Ministry, the upper age limit for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) - inclusive of Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), National Security Guard (NSG) and Special Protection Group (SPG) - will stand at 26 years.Meanwhile, the first batch of Agniveers will avail a further relaxation of 5 years beyond the upper age limit of 23, taking it to 28 years. (ANI)
An encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in the DH Pora area of Kulgam district following which two terrorists were killed.

The terrorists have been identified as Haris Sharief of Srinagar (LeT C category) and Zakir Padder of Kulgam (JeM C cat).

"#KulgamEncounterUpdate: Sofar, 02 killed #terrorists identified as Haris Sharief of #Srinagar (LeT C category) & Zakir Padder of #Kulgam (JeM C cat). #Operation in progress: IGP Kashmir @JmuKmrPolice," the Kashmir Zone Police tweeted.

Earlier in the day, two terrorists were killed in an encounter in the Lolab area of Kupwara.

The police informed that one of the two neutralised terrorists was linked with the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). (ANI)
Faridabad police have tightened security in view of the call for a possible Bharat Bandh tomorrow against the newly launched Agnipath Scheme for recruitment in the military, and appealed to the people not to pay heed to rumours, as per a police official. Various parts of the country witnessed protests against the scheme of the government while some states reported violent incidents. "All preparations related to security arrangements have been completed by the Faridabad Police in terms of law and order on the call for Bharat Bandh. Law and order in Faridabad is completely tight. For this, elaborate security arrangements were made by putting up various police checkpoints in Faridabad," said the police on Sunday. Police Spokesperson Sube Singh said that the main objective of the police duties imposed during Bharat Bandh is to avert any untoward incident in the city and no law and order situation arises. "For this, along with the police blocks already put up by the Faridabad Police, 11 other police blocks have been put up including Badarpur Border, Durga Builders, Prahladpur, Shooting Range, Mangar, Sikri border, Ballabhgarh bus stand, Railway Station, metro station, toll taxes etc. have been marked. Tomorrow, more than 2,000 policemen from Faridabad will be fielded to ensure that law and order is maintained in the city," the police said. "All the ACPs will keep an eye on the situation in their area under the guidelines of the Commissioner of Police, Vikas Arora," he added. The police official informed that videography will be done to keep an eye on the "activities of anti-social elements" during the bandh. "Videography will be done in view of the possibility of activities of anti-social elements during the bandh. If the road is jammed or blocked at any place, then in coordination with the concerned supervising officer/station manager, or duty magistrate, the obstacle will be removed by talking to the people involved in the strike. No one will be allowed to take the law in hand," he said. (ANI)
A Jabalpur-bound SpiceJet flight landed back at the Delhi Airport after it failed to regain the cabin pressure differential even after attaining a height of 6,000 ft. on Sunday. According to a statement by the spokesperson of the airline, the cabin pressure differential was unable to be built up as the altitude of the cabin rose from the ground. "On June 19, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft was operating SG-2962 (Delhi-Jabalpur). During the initial climb, the crew observed cabin pressure differential was not building up along with rising in cabin altitude. The aircraft was levelled off at 6000 ft. Pressurization was not regained," said the spokesperson. Following the incident, the pilot in command decided to return to the source of the flight, Delhi. "The aircraft landed safely at Delhi," said the airline. Earlier today, in another incident concerning the airline, a SpiceJet Boeing 737 with about 185 people on board passengers returned safely to Patna soon after an emergency landing on Sunday afternoon following the reports of a fire in one of the engines. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials said that the plane (VT-SYZ), prima facie, was involved in air turnback as the cabin crew informed PIC about sparks coming out of the engine. During the rotation, the cockpit crew suspected a bird hit on the engine. Later, the crew did not observe any abnormality and the flight resumed further climb. "The flight returned back after a bird hit and due to one engine shut in the air, all on-board passengers safe," the officials added. On Sunday afternoon, a Delhi-bound Spice Jet aircraft made an emergency landing at Patna airport after there were reports of a technical glitch which prompted fire inside the plane. All the passengers were safely rescued. "The Delhi-bound flight had returned to Patna airport after locals noticed a fire in the aircraft and informed district and airport officials. All 185 passengers were safely deboarded. The reason is a technical glitch, engineering team analysing further," said Chandrashekhar Singh, Patna District Magistrate told media persons. (ANI)
Secretary of Education Department, Rajesh Sharma, said the decision has been taken as a precautionary measure.

"In the wake of the Bharat Bandh called by certain organizations, all schools in Jharkhand will remain closed tomorrow, June 20. The decision has been taken as a precautionary measure," Sharma, said.

The protest against the Centre's scheme took place in 11 states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Assam on Friday, 17 June.

In a few states, the protests turned violent, which included setting trains on fire and stone-pelting incidents, and arrests were made. In Uttar Pradesh, at least 250 people have been arrested and six FIRs lodged until Friday.

Owing to the violence, the train services of the East Coast Railway zone were also affected.

The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers.

Due to ongoing students' agitation against the Centre's Agnipath scheme across the nation, eight trains were cancelled and six trains have been rescheduled in the east zone, said East Central Railway on Sunday. (ANI)
The Minister will lead the International Day of Yoga from the Konark Temple heritage site where all Central Government institutions will participate along with the general public, students and experts.

The Program at Konark Temple will be commencing from about 6.00 am in the early morning to about 8.30 am on Yoga Day.

About 2,000 participants are expected to join in the International Day of Yoga event at Konark Temple.

The International Day of Yoga is celebrated on June 21 every year worldwide.

This year, the theme of celebration of the 8th edition of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2022 across the globe is 'Yoga for Humanity, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 'Mann ki Baat' address.

Focusing on Yoga for Humanity, special programmes have been designed this year for specially-abled people, the transgender population, women and children. Human values that are an integral part of yoga education in schools are also in focus.

Meanwhile, a total of 75 ministers of the Central Government will perform Yoga at 75 historical and cultural sites in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the International Yoga Day celebrations from the Mysuru Palace Grounds while Home Minister Amit Shah will participate in Yoga programs at the famous Jyotirlinga Trimbakeshwar temple complex in Nashik, Maharashtra and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will participate in a Yoga program in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu on Yoga Day.

The main event of the International Day of Yoga 2022 will be held in Mysuru, Karnataka. (ANI)
The incident was reported in the Shyam Nagar area under Chakeri police station.

"The name of the person who fired bullets at police is Rajkumar Dubey. He is mentally disturbed due to his family dispute and other reasons," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) East Pramod Kumar.

Later, it came to light that Dubey had a running dispute with his daughter-in-law and son. As the situation was spiralling out of control, Dubey's son informed the police and when the police reached the spot, he (the accused) started firing with his licensed gun at the police team. Three policemen were injured in the accident.

The accused has been taken into custody and further investigation is on. (ANI)
A day after protestors gathered at the War Memorial in Chennai protesting against the Agnipath recruitment scheme for the Defence Forces, the police on Sunday blocked the road near the Memorial to avoid any untoward situation arising at the place. Earlier on Saturday, hundreds of youth gathered at Chennai War Memorial near TN Secretariat and staged a protest raising slogans against Agnipath Defence Scheme. Following the incident, the police detained all the protesters yesterday and took steps by blocking roads towards War Memorial from today. Chennai Police security deployed by placing barricades on all roads leading to War Memorial, Secretariat. Where the roads are also closed, vehicles are being diverted to other routes. Earlier today, a top army official urged the youth to "start preparing" instead of "wasting their time" by taking to the streets. Earlier today, the top officials of the Indian Army, Navy and Airforce held a joint press briefing here wherein they explained the benefits of the Agnipath Scheme and clarified that the programme would not be rolled back. Speaking to ANI, Lt Gen Anil Puri, Addt'l Secy, Dept of Military Affairs, said, "By going to the streets, they are only wasting their time, they should spend this time to get themselves physically ready. The worst issue is that today we are not what we were 10 years back. Everything is interconnected. Why roger your future? It's not worth it. I appeal to them to start preparing." The officer, while explaining the motive of the scheme, said that it was designed keeping the youth in mind. "We have thought through the scheme which has been designed keeping the youth of the country in mind. We know that in the coming days that the youth of the country will be less than 25 years, 50 per cent of them. And the Indian Army has to be reflective of this," Lt Gen Puri said. Mentioning the protests that turned violent in various parts of the country, the officer said that they never thought that the "youth will damage the government property" though they knew that there may be some anger because of the change in the recruitment procedure. "We know that all these problems (protests) may happen. Anger comes when change happens but we never thought youth will damage govt property... Anger and arson are two different things," he said. When asked about the appropriate place where the youth can express their opinion and anger against the scheme, the Army officer said that there are various recruitment centres across the country where they can be informed about the new procedure of recruitment properly. "There are 112 recruitment centres, 84 of the Army. All they have to do is knock the door and ask about the scheme. They are stopping themselves because somebody is stopping them," he said. (ANI)
Days after the Opposition's meeting to mull strategy for the presidential poll, Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday held a key meet to brainstorm on the upcoming election slated to be held on July 18. The meeting was chaired by the party's national president JP Nadda at his residence and was attended by senior leaders like Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Ashwini Vaishnaw, G Kishan Reddy, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Vinod Tawde, CT Ravi, Sambit Patra and others. According to the sources, in the meeting that went on for almost an hour, the elections were discussed in detail. A big announcement is likely to be made soon. "The management team will hold discussions with the party leaders in the BJP-ruled states and also get in touch with the other parties to seek votes for the NDA candidate for the poll," said the sources. Notably, Nadda and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh were entrusted with the responsibility of holding talks with all political parties. However, no major development has taken place in connection with the matter. Both the leaders have held an interaction with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other Opposition leaders. However, the party is expecting the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD and Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP to vote for the NDA candidate. Opposition leaders, who met in the national capital on Wednesday announced that they have decided to field one consensus candidate for the Presidential poll scheduled to be held on July 18. "Several parties were here today. We've decided we will choose only one consensus candidate. Everybody will give this candidate our support. We will consult with others. This is a good beginning. We sat together after several months, and we will do it again," TMC leader Mamata Banerjee said after the meeting. CPI MP Binoy Viswam who participated in the meeting said that Mamta Banarjee had proposed NCP's Sharad Pawar's name as the Presidential candidate of the Opposition. Pawar did not accept that proposal. Leaders of 17 political parties joined a crucial meeting of opposition parties convened by Mamata Banerjee to build consensus on fielding a joint candidate against the NDA in the presidential election here. TMC, Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPIML, RSP, Shiv Sena, NCP, RJD, SP, National Conference, PDP, JD(S), DMK, RLD, IUML and JMM - participated in the meeting held at the Constitution Club of India here. The presidential election is slated to be held on July 18 and votes will be counted on July 21. (ANI)
The train services of the Western Railway zone were affected amid the protests in various parts of the country against the new recruitment scheme in the Armed Forces, informed railway officials on Sunday. The train services had cancellations, partial cancellations and a few diversions of trains. According to a press release issued by the railways the details of the affected trains of WR are as under 1. Train No.22913 Bandra Terminus - Saharsa Express of 19.06.22. 2. Train No.22914 Saharsa - Bandra Terminus Express of 21.06.22. 3. Train No.19421 Ahmedabad - Patna Express of 19.06.2022. 4. Train No.19422 Patna - Ahmedabad Express of 21.06.2022. 5. Train No.19165 Ahmedabad - Darbhanga Express of 19.06.2022. 6. Train No.19483 Ahmedabad - Barauni Express of 20.06.22 7. Train No.19484 Barauni - Ahmedabad Express of 22.06.22 A few trains also had short terminations and short origination of trains. Train No. 19037 Bandra Terminus - Barauni Avadh Express of 19.06.22 short terminated at Gorakhpur hence Train No. 19038 Barauni - Bandra Terminus Avadh Express of 22.06.22 will short originate from Gorakhpur. The move comes in wake of the agitations in Bihar, as protestors on Friday disrupted the movement of trains in various districts of Bihar. In the Begusarai district, the agitated youth blocked the Rajbara Gumti road. Students created a huge ruckus at Sahebpurkamal railway station in the district as well as arson and stone-pelting. (ANI)
The BJP on Sunday hit back at the opposition parties, especially Congress, for politicising the new Agnipath scheme for recruitment in armed forces. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the opposition parties are politicising the armed forces reform. "Agnipath is a scheme that shouldn't be politicised. It is sad to see the politicisation of issues concerning the nation and armed forces, but some people play their dirty politics by keeping aside national security. Today, after the way Lieutenant General Puri explained the scheme, all apprehensions have been cleared. Reform in armed forces goes back to 1989 and it was also recommended by Kargil Review Committee after Kargil war," Patra said. Patra added that "it's very sad to see youth being misled by some who don't want the Prime Minister's vision of 'Reform, Perform and Transform' to become successful." Referring to Congress' 'Satyagrah' at Jantar Mantar, Patra said that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi should have sought reforms earlier, "She (Priyanka) did not say anything then but is now doing Satyagrah. What type of Satyagraha is this? She did nothing when our Air Force was working with depleting strength for 10 years. We brought Rafale, they politicised it and now, again, they are politicising Agnipath." The Central government has said that 75 per cent of the youths who will come out after completing their four-year term will be accommodated in police and Central Armed Police Forces. "Congress leaders are making brazen statements, Priyanka Gandhi saying her objective is to topple the government. Earlier, they politicised surgical and air strikes, and now they are politicising the Agnipath scheme," he said. --IANS ssb/kvd ( 292 Words) 2022-06-19-19:02:02 (IANS)
The differences between West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and other opposition parties over selection of a unanimous opposition candidate for the Presidential polls, seem to be widening, as she, in all probability, will skip the meeting called by NCP chief Sharad Pawar on June 21. Instead, she is likely to depute her nephew and Trinamool national General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee to attend. Officially, the Trinamool leadership is stating that her most likely absence in the meeting convened by Pawar will be because of her pre-scheduled appointment on that day. However, party insiders said that the actual reasons might be the growing grievances in the mind of the Chief Minister over certain developments since she convened a similar meeting on this count at New Delhi's Constitution Club on June 15. The first reason is that in the invitation to opposition parties to attend the meeting convened by Pawar, there is absolutely no reference to the previous meeting on June 15. "In the meeting at Constitution Club on June 15, 2022, it was unanimously decided that Pawar would convene the next meeting of the opposition parties on the issue of Presidential polls. However, surprisingly the invitation for the meeting on June 21 does not have any reference of the decision taken on this count in the meeting on June 15. This is somewhat belittling the efforts of the Chief Minister who took the first initiative to call an opposition meeting on this count," a senior West Bengal cabinet minister said. Secondly, Banerjee is reportedly unhappy with the manner in which the National Conference chief Farooq Abdulla withdrew name as a probable opposition candidate in the Presidential polls by making a public statement later and without saying anything about his reluctance on this count at the June 15 meeting. However, another section in the Trinamool does not look at the issue in that way. They feel that the Chief Minister wants Abhishek Banerjee to play a major role on behalf of the party in national politics and hence, his presence at the June 21 meeting was the right opportunity to project him on this count. --IANS ssb/vd ( 372 Words) 2022-06-19-19:02:03 (IANS)
A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday (June 19) at 12:27 a.m. EDT, carrying a communications satellite for the Louisiana-based company Globalstar to orbit, Space.com reported.

"Congrats to SpaceX Falcon team for executing 3 flawless launches in 2 days!" CEO and Founder Elon Musk shared in a tweet.

The satellite wasdeployed into orbit about 1 hour and 50 minutes after launch.

"Deployment of Globalstar FM15 confirmed," SpaceX said in a tweet.

On June 17, the company launched 53 of its Starlink internet satellites from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and lofted a radar satellite for the German military from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on June 18.

The Friday mission set a new rocket-reuse record for SpaceX; the Falcon 9 that flew it featured a first stage that already had 12 launches under its belt. The launch on Sunday was the ninth for this particular Falcon 9 first stage, according to a SpaceX mission description.

The triple-launch is the second this year, after the company flew three missions between January 31 and February 3.

--IANS rvt/vd

( 215 Words)

2022-06-19-19:52:04 (IANS)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda on Monday will meet senior leaders of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Van Nen (Member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and Secretary, Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee) at BJP Head Office in the national capital. The meeting is scheduled for 12 noon on Monday. This meeting is the continuation of the BJP's outreach program "Know BJP" through which the BJP President is interacting with foreign dignitaries. The "Know BJP" campaign was started on the party's 42nd Foundation Day on April 6, 2022. Its second phase was held on May 16, 2022, while the third meeting took place on June 4 2022. "Know BJP" campaign is the BJP's initiative to introduce the party's vision, mission and work culture to different countries of the world. Under this program, Nadda has so far interacted with Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Minister for Foreign Relations of Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan and also envoys of 47 countries. General Secretary (Organization) BL Santhosh, BJP National Secretary Rituraj Sinha and Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, the party's in-charge of the Foreign Affairs Department will join Nadda in this meeting. The Foreign Affairs Department, in its newest avatar, was launched by the then BJP President Amit Shah in November 2014 with Chauthaiwala as its Chairman. Earlier on June 11, Nadda met the envoys of 13 foreign countries and said that is a need for better communication between the political systems and political parties of different countries to understand the vision of each other. Nadda interacted with "Head of Missions" from 13 countries at the party's central office in the fourth phase of the "Know BJP" campaign. Addressing the visiting diplomats, Nadda said, "It is our belief that there should be better communication between the political system and political parties of different countries so that we can understand the vision of each other." The BJP firmly believes in a healthy democracy and shared cultural ties, he said. (ANI)
Nearly 70 per cent of over 17 lakh voters in Haryana turned out on Sunday to cast their ballots in polls for 18 municipal councils and 28 municipalities amidst minor skirmishes and snags in electronic voting machines (EVMs), officials said. Counting will take place on June 22. The main contest is the between the state's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) alliance and the Congress, while the Aam Adam Party, in its maiden contest in the civic body poll, is testing the waters ahead of the 2024 Assembly polls in Haryana. Unlike the main opposition Congress, the BJP-JJP alliance and the AAP were fighting the polls on their party symbol. Many Congress members had entered the fray as Independents. In the 2019 polls, the AAP contested on 46 seats of the 90-member Assembly, but faced humiliating defeat with a vote share of just 0.48 per cent. State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh said for 456 wards of 18 municipal councils, 185 candidates were in the fray for the post of President. Of these, 100 were men and 85 women. A total of 15 councillors have been elected unanimously out of 456 wards, while 1,797 candidates were contesting in the remaining 441 wards. According to Singh, there were 12.6 lakh voters in 18 municipal councils, out of which 663,870 were men, 596,095 women, and 35 transgenders. A total of 1,290 polling booths were set up for the municipal elections, out of which 289 were sensitive and 235 hyper-sensitive. In 432 wards in 28 municipalities, 221 candidates were contesting as President, of which 128 were men and 93 women. Out of 432 councillors, 33 have been elected unanimously. In the remaining 399 wards, 1,301 candidates were in the fray, including 783 men and 518 women. The electorate comprises 570,208 voters, out of which 301,677 were men, 268,517 women, and 14 transgenders. A total of 671 polling booths were set up for the municipality elections, out of which 144 were sensitive and 92 vulnerable. --IANS vg/vd ( 345 Words) 2022-06-19-20:02:01 (IANS)
Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "Tomorrow lakhs of Congress workers across the country will continue peaceful protest against the anti-youth Agnipath scheme & against Modi Govt's vendetta politics targeting its leader Shri Rahul Gandhi, MP."

He also said that Congress delegation will meet President Ram Nath Kovind in the evening.

The Congress will start its day with party General Secretary Ajay Maken addressing a press conference at 9 a.m. on Monday.

Earlier on Sunday, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the Congress protest at Jantar Mantar against the central government's new scheme of recruitment in defence forces, 'Agnipath'. Several Congress leaders also joined the protest.

Several top leaders of the Congress participated in what the party called 'satyagrah' and demanded the government to withdraw the Agnipath scheme. The Congress leaders said the government should immediately withdraw this scheme as it is not good for the youth.

--IANS. miz/skp/

( 201 Words)

2022-06-19-20:44:03 (IANS)
The accused were identified as Shyam alias Situ, 33, and his associate Sahil, 22.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Rajiv Ranjan Singh said an information was received that the accused would come to meet their associate in Kanjhawala area in a Wagon R Car.

Subsequently, a police team was constituted which laid a trap and at about 2.45 p.m. on Sunday a white Wagon R was spotted along with accused persons on Bawana-Kanjhawala red light which was going towards Ghevra Mor.

"They were apprehended after a brief chase when the wheel of a Wagon R car got stuck in a ditch and got damaged," the DCP said.

During sustained interrogation accused Shyam disclosed that he is a resident of Bawana area in Outer Delhi, working for Ashok Pradhan Gang and the gang members are wanted in murder, extortion, attempt to murder and other cases in Delhi, Haryana and UP.

It was also revealed that in 2021 accused Shyam along with his associates Ajay Joon and Yogesh Kalu had opened fire on a Dhaba owner when he refused to provide service in their car.

--IANS uj/skp/

( 221 Words)

2022-06-19-21:22:03 (IANS)
US President Joe Biden fell off his bike as he was trying to get off it near his beach home in Delaware, media reports said on Saturday. The 79-year-old got back to his feet and proceeded to talk with the members of the public following the incident near his home in Rehoboth Beach, saying he fell as his foot got caught in the pedal strap and that he was not hurt. President Biden is "fine" after his fall and won't require medical attention, CNN quoted a White House official as saying. "As the President said, his foot got caught on the pedal while dismounting and he is fine now. No medical attention is needed. The President looks forward to spending the rest of the day with his family," the official said. Biden took a tumble when he was finishing a bike ride alongside First Lady Jill Biden as he pedalled over to a crowd that had gathered nearby. As he stopped, he seemed to get his foot caught on the pedal while trying to get off. --IANS vd/arm ( 191 Words) 2022-06-18-23:20:06 (IANS)
The capital province of Pakistan, Lahore reported a large number of cases of sexual assault in the previous week. The alarming frequency of the cases prompted the Pakistan police to review the overall performance of the Gender-Based Violence Cell, a local media reported. In a recent case, a pregnant woman was recently gang-raped by five men in the Punjab province. In another such case, a 25-year-old Karachi woman was gang-raped by three men on a moving train. Such incidents put the spotlight on Pakistan's poor record with women's rights. Capital City Police Officer Lahore (CCPO) DIG Bilal Siddique Kamyana chaired a meeting at City Police headquarters to review the overall performance of the Gender-Based Violence Cell and directed the cell officers to improve their performance, the Express Tribune reported. DIG Kamyana also warned them of strict actions to be taken if no significant improvement was observed. He directed the officers to complete investigating gang-rape cases immediately and said that incidents of rape, harassment, violence and abuse against women are a disgrace to society and unacceptable, the Express Tribune reported. A recent research report by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) and the Centre for Research, Development, and Communication (CRDC) stated Pakistan reported a maximum number of cases of women assault in the previous month. It included cases of kidnapping of women, rape, and violence against women. As per the report, a total of 57 cases of rape were reported in the media out of which Punjab reported the highest of 38 cases, while Sindh reported 13 cases followed by 3 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2 cases from Islamabad. Meanwhile, it was earlier reported that Pakistan's Global Gender Gap Index has worsened over time. In 2017, Pakistan ranked 143, slipping to 148 in 2018. According to the last year's 'Global Gender Gap Report 2021', Pakistan ranked 153 out of 156 countries on the gender parity index, that is, among the last four. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)'s recent report said that in Pakistan, at least 11 rape cases are reported daily with over 22,000 such incidents reported to police in the last six years (2015-21). (ANI)
"It has been confirmed that Ukrainian security forces shot videos that purportedly showed damage caused by Russian armed forces to private households, as well as homeless civilians. The video production used more than 40 actors who were paid USD 25 each," Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said.

Mizintsev said this and similar propaganda stunts were being directed by Western spin-doctors.

"The Russian armed forces treat civilians in an extremely humane way and do not attack civilian infrastructure," he added.

The official accused Ukrainian troops in control of Mykolaiv of moving military hardware to populated areas. A multiple rocket launcher has been installed atop a multistory residential building downtown, with firing nests set up on the upper and ground floors. (ANI/Sputnik)
The report said citing the doctors that one person was discharged from the hospital while the other seven injured are stable, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The incident took place on Thursday at 6:58 pm (local time) in a sludge drying plant of a chemical factory namely, Binnong Tech Limited located in the industrial park in Lanzhou. At least 430 rescue personnel and more than 70 rescue vehicles were on the spot for the rescue work.

The media reported that after the explosion there was a power outage in the residential area nearby.

The report said that the cause of the explosion at the chemical factory which covers pesticide production and sales, as well as the production of hazardous chemicals is not yet known. (ANI)
Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) on Sunday claimed the responsibility for the Karte Parwan Gurdwara attack in Kabul. ISKP released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. According to ISKP, 'Abu Mohammed al Tajiki' carried out the attack which lasted for three hours. The group claimed that besides submachine guns and hand grenades, four IEDs and a car bomb were also used in the attack. It further claimed that about 50 Hindu Sikhs and Taliban members were killed in the attack and the attack was conducted as revenge for the insult of Prophet Mohammed by an Indian politician. However, in the attack, only two people were killed and seven others were wounded. Strong action has already been taken against those who made derogatory remarks. A statement was also issued by concerned quarters emphasizing respect for all religions, denouncing insult to any religious personality or demeaning any religion or sect. Vested interests that are against India-Kuwait relations have been inciting the people using these derogatory comments. The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma from the party's primary membership and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their alleged inflammatory remarks against minorities. At least two civilians, including a Sikh man and a Muslim security guard, died after an attack by ISKP in Afghanistan's Kabul city on Saturday. Initial inputs suggested that an explosion took place outside the gate of the Gurdwara killing at least two people. Another explosion was later heard from inside the complex and some shops attached to the Gurdwara caught fire. The holy Guru Granth Sahib from Gurudwara in Afghanistan's capital city Kabul was retrieved from the complex, from which plumes of smoke were seen billowing out after the attack early this morning, according to visuals posted on social media. Visuals posted by locals on social media show a barefoot man carrying the Guru Granth Sahib on his head. The visuals show two or three more people, all walking without footwear accompanying him. According to Sikh religious belief, the Saroop, a physical copy of the Guru Granth Sahib is considered a living guru. The transportation of Guru Granth Sahib is governed by a strict code of conduct and as a mark of respect, the Guru Granth Sahib is carried on the head, and the person walks barefoot. According to reports, the Holy Book was taken to the residence of Gurnam Singh, president, of Gurdwara Karte Parwan. Religious minorities in Afghanistan, including the Sikh community, have been targets of violence in Afghanistan. In October, last year 15 to 20 terrorists entered a Gurdwara in the Kart-e-Parwan District of Kabul and tied up the guards. In March 2020, a deadly attack took place at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul's Short Bazaar area in which 27 Sikhs were killed and several were injured. Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack. (ANI)
Canadian MP Tom Kmiec recognized the rights of Sindhis to struggle against Pakistan for human rights abuses they commit on them. Kmiec on Friday supported the solidarity of the Canadian public for the Ottawa-Freedom Walk for Sindh's human rights, climate change, environmental justice, and love for nature reached, reported the EIN Newswires. "This walk brings awareness of minority issues in Pakistan. It was an honour to address, meet and greet with them and give my support to their cause," said Kmiec. Sindhi Foundation, a Sindhi rights group organized a protest rally in front of the Pakistani high commission and delivered a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the human rights of the people from Sindh province of present Pakistan. The participants of Freedom Walk for Sindh thronged the Pakistani High Commission to register their protest and to hand over a memorandum against human rights abuses of Sindhis to a High Commission senior official, but no one showed up to respond to the grave concerns and protest on the human rights situation in their own country. The Freedom Walk for Sindh began in Toronto and culminated at the Capital Ottawa covering 424 miles from May 28th to June 15th. Kmiec who has been demonstrating his solidarity with the Sindhi community in Canada and the people of Sindh for their human rights in Sindh visited the site of the rally of the walkers for Sindh and said he recognized the agonies of Sindhi people whose minority, girls, are forcibly converted in this case to Islam, and political dissident youths have enforcedly disappeared. MP Tom Kmiec extended his support to the Sindhi communities in Canada and the people of Sindh. At the culmination of the Freedom Walk for Sindh, Sufi Munawar Laghari, the Chief Executive of the Sindhi Foundation said, "the Walk for Sindh has now global significance and their next destination will be the walk from British Parliament, the Parliament of the United Kingdom in London to the French Parliament- Parliament France at Paris, next year." He urged the public, politicians, and parliaments of the democracies in the world, especially the European Union, North America, to come forward to persuade Pakistan's government to stop human rights abuses against the people of Sindh. Chalking out his next plans of action for Sindh's human rights, Sufi Laghari, declared that he was going to sit on a hunger strike in front of the United Nations Head Quarters Building on the 77th General Assembly session commencing from September 13, 2022, in New York, reported EIN Newswires. "We are here to spread the message of love for nature, concerns for climate change, and gross human rights violation of Sindhi people. So we have artists, intellectuals, musicians and human rights activists marching along 424 miles on foot," said Sufi Munawar Laghari. "I have written and delivered a letter to the PM Justin Trudeau apprising him of our sons and daughters and waters of the river Indus taken away by the Pakistani government and military establishment. Our best minds as Professor Notan Lal are languishing in jails on Blasphemy charges". Canadian Sindhi Association (CANSA) also supported Sindh Long Walk with sincerity and honesty, said Sindhi Foundation. (ANI)
Although the Commemorating of the Tiananmen Square massacre was banned in China, the people in London are still keeping the memory alive with their protest. Marking the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, thousands of people joined the London rallies on June 4. 'The Unite for Demicracy' rally started off in Whitehall, opposite 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister from 4 pm and ended at 5:30 pm, reported Global Alliance for Tibet and Persecuted Minorities. Following this, another rally kicked off in Piccadilly Circus where hundreds joined in to mark the poignant chapter in the history of the democracy movement in China. Meanwhile, outside the Chinese Embassy, a vigil rally was held where thousands of protesters joined the rally. It was first started by Dr Stephen Ng and his colleagues soon after the Tiananmen Square Massacre. This year's vigil rally saw the biggest turnout ever since it was started 33 years ago, reported Global Alliance for Tibet and Persecuted Minorities. Upon this rally, two young international journalists from Cardiff University made a documentary where they shot the rally and said that these protests demand the same thing as they did 33 years ago which is democracy and accountability. The documentary also noted that these rallies throw light on the atrocities against the Uyghur community and Tibetan people. It also states that the Hong Kong people were deprived of their basic rights. In the video, Tsering Passang, who has been advocating for the rise of Tibetans in the Chinese world said, "Back in 1989, some liberal-minded Chinese people tried to reform so that people can have more freedom and democracy but unfortunately, the hardliners really crushed down on young students subsequently the regime sent tanks and troops to crush them and thousands of Chinese students ad young people died." He further said that China invaded Tibet in the 1950s and so "We know the pain what our Chinese friends are experiencing whether they are main in China or in Hong Kong elsewhere. So it is our duty to show our moral obligation and our moral responsibility and support and sovereignty to our Chinese friends." 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. In that massacre, 10 to 15 thousand people were killed by the army of the Chinese government.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 June 4, 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. (ANI)
Two People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 fighter jets and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane were tracked in the southwest corner of Taiwan's ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), reported Taiwan News.

An ADIZ is an area that extends beyond a country's airspace where air traffic controllers ask incoming aircraft to identify themselves.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, broadcasted radio warnings, and deployed air defense missile systems to track the PLAAF planes.

This marks the seventh day of intrusions this month. So far this month, China has sent 11 aircraft into Taiwan's identification zone, including seven fighter jets and four spotter planes, reported Taiwan News.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ, with most occurrences taking place in the southwest corner.

In 2021, Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's ADIZ on 961 instances over 239 days, according to the MND.

Gray zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force." (ANI)
China has been consistently increasing its inroads in the Pacific Islands, however its agenda to increase its sphere of influence in the region is in the doldrums. Di Valerio Fabbri, writing in Geopolitica.info said that Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, started his multi-country journey to the Pacific Island countries (PICs) on May 26th, 2022 and wrapped up his visits on June 3rd, 2022. His itinerary covered several island countries in the Pacific region including the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and East Timur. The Global Times quoted observers hailing the visit as a "miraculous trip" that provided a timely answer to each PICs' individual needs, increased the scope of cooperation and ushered in a broader future for both bilateral and multilateral relations for China in the region". Wang Yi carried out "cloud visits" and virtual connections with 17 leaders of PICs and more than 30 ministerial officials and co-chaired the second China-Pacific Island countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Suva, Fiji. However, China's agenda and grand design to increase its sphere of influence among the small pacific islands were fulfilled only partially as its proposed comprehensive, multilateral security and economic cooperation agreement fell through, reported Fabbri. The Pacific Islands Forum in a meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister Yi declined to sign up for the sweeping regional economic and security deal proposed by China. As purported by the Chinese Foreign Minister's spokesperson, the visit was aimed to deepen the friendship and cooperative relationship between China and regional countries and contribute to peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region. However, it could not generate enough trust. Of late, Beijing has been actively pursuing its engagements with those countries, efforts that are part of its aspiration to be a global power by using its deep pockets with an aim to showcase China as a development partner among the developing and least-developed PICs, reported Geopolitica.info. Nevertheless, the PICs are aware that their enhanced engagement with China could spark a local confrontation between China and the West, which perceives Chinese incursions in the region as a threat to regional peace and stability, said Fabbri. The United States, meanwhile, alerted the South Pacific nations to be wary of "shadowy" agreements with China, which has put forth a package to expand cooperation dramatically. Earlier, the US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, noted that "we are concerned that these reported agreements may be negotiated in a rushed, non-transparent process". While the Chinese Foreign Minister was mid-way in his PICs visit, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also stated that China posed an even more devious, long-term threat than Russia does. According to him, "China is the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do it." The scope of China's failed proposed agreement with Pacific Island countries was very comprehensive and described as a potential 'game changer'. Some observers have attributed China's failure to steer ahead of its comprehensive multilateral agreement with the Pacific Island countries to Australia's new Foreign Minister Penny Wong's intervention in Fiji just before Wang's stopover. However, many analysts opine that the rejection of the Chinese deal signals a "collective and unequivocal approach" of the Pacific Island countries not allowing themselves to be "used as pawns" in a "geopolitical contest". (ANI)
A member of the Taliban forces was killed in the attack on Karte Parwan Gurdwara by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) on Saturday. Taliban's Ministry of Interior Affairs on Saturday informed that multiple blasts took place in the vicinity of a Dharmashala in the Karta-e-Parwan area of PD 2 in the capital Kabul. At least one member of the Taliban forces and a Hindu was killed in the incident, said Abdul Nafay Takor, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Affairs, adding that seven people were wounded, reported Tolo News. The attackers were killed, he said, without giving the exact details about the number of the attackers. The Ministry of Interior (MoI) in an earlier statement said that a number of unknown armed individuals in the early morning entered a Dharamshala. The attackers used a grenade that resulted in injuring two people. The wounded have been evacuated to the hospital, the statement said. According to the statement, an explosive-laden vehicle aiming to target the Dharamshala was thwarted before reaching its goal. Residents said they heard several blasts and gunfire in the area. On Saturday, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) attacked Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul. On Sunday, they owned the attack. According to ISKP, 'Abu Mohammed al Tajiki' carried out the attack which lasted for three hours. The group claimed that besides submachine guns and hand grenades, four IEDs and a car bomb were also used in the attack. It further claimed that about 50 Hindu Sikhs and Taliban members were killed in the attack and the attack was conducted as revenge for the insult of Prophet Mohammed by an Indian politician. However, in the attack, only two people were killed and seven others were wounded. Strong action has already been taken against those who made derogatory remarks. A statement was also issued by concerned quarters emphasizing respect for all religions, denouncing insult to any religious personality or demeaning any religion or sect. Vested interests that are against India-Kuwait relations have been inciting the people using these derogatory comments. The Bharatiya Janata Party suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma from the party's primary membership and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their alleged inflammatory remarks against minorities. The holy Guru Granth Sahib from Gurudwara in Afghanistan's capital city Kabul was retrieved from the complex, from which plumes of smoke were seen billowing out after the attack early this morning, according to visuals posted on social media. Visuals posted by locals on social media show a barefoot man carrying the Guru Granth Sahib on his head. The visuals show two or three more people, all walking without footwear accompanying him. According to Sikh religious belief, the Saroop, a physical copy of the Guru Granth Sahib is considered a living guru. The transportation of Guru Granth Sahib is governed by a strict code of conduct and as a mark of respect, the Guru Granth Sahib is carried on the head, and the person walks barefoot. According to reports, the Holy Book was taken to the residence of Gurnam Singh, president, of Gurdwara Karte Parwan. Religious minorities in Afghanistan, including the Sikh community, have been targets of violence in Afghanistan. In October, last year 15 to 20 terrorists entered a Gurdwara in the Karta-e-Parwan District of Kabul and tied up the guards. In March 2020, a deadly attack took place at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul's Short Bazaar area in which 27 Sikhs were killed and several were injured. Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack. (ANI)
Last rites for Swinder Singh, a Sikh man who was killed after ISKP attacked Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Afghanistan's Kabul city, will be performed at Gurdwara Sri Guru Arjan Dev in Delhi on Monday. "Bhog and Antim Ardas" will be held in Tilak Vihar, West Delhi tomorrow. Meanwhile, the son of Late Swinder Singh arrived from Birmingham, England on Sunday. ISKP released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. According to ISKP, 'Abu Mohammed al Tajiki' carried out the attack which lasted for three hours. The group claimed that besides submachine guns and hand grenades, four IEDs and a car bomb were also used in the attack. It further claimed that about 50 Hindu Sikhs and Taliban members were killed in the attack and the attack was conducted as revenge for the insult of Prophet Mohammed by an Indian politician. However, in the attack, at least two civilians, including a Sikh man and a Muslim security guard, died and seven others were wounded. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday condemned the terrorist attack at Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Afghanistan's capital. "Shocked by the cowardly terrorist attack against the Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul. I condemn this barbaric attack, and pray for the safety and well-being of the devotees," tweeted PM Modi. Strong action has already been taken against those who made derogatory remarks. A statement was also issued by concerned quarters emphasizing respect for all religions, denouncing insult to any religious personality or demeaning any religion or sect. Vested interests that are against India-Kuwait relations have been inciting the people using these derogatory comments. The Bharatiya Janata Party suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma from the party's primary membership and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their alleged inflammatory remarks against minorities. Religious minorities in Afghanistan, including the Sikh community, have been targets of violence in Afghanistan. In October, last year 15 to 20 terrorists entered a Gurdwara in the Kart-e-Parwan District of Kabul and tied up the guards. In March 2020, a deadly attack took place at Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib Gurudwara in Kabul's Short Bazaar area in which 27 Sikhs were killed and several were injured. Islamic State terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack. (ANI)
Ex-President of Maldives, Abdulla Yameen was involved in influencing the trials of his political opponents by bribing judges. Maldives Voice reported that there is a dossier of evidence available on the internet that would date us back to events where he is found guilty of influencing trials of his political opponents, changing new amendments in the existing laws to fit his liking, which allows the president to declare groups as terrorist organizations. The ability of the press in image-making is so powerful that it can make the criminal look like he's a victim and the victim look like he's a criminal. The publicity stunt being pulled off by ex-President Abdulla Yameen can fit into the context, seeing how he is doing numerous interviews and talk shows lately. In one of his recent interviews, former President Yameen claimed that when he was head of the state he did not centralized and did not interfere with or influence any state institutions. He claimed that the bodies were regulated independently. "No judges can claim that Pres Yameen ordered to do something in a specific way," he said. The people of Maldives would agree that the statements he made are quite inaccurate, reported Maldives Voice. The curious case of Criminal Court Judge Abdul Bari Yoosuf amply negates the claims made by Yameen. He was the proceeding judge in all the key political opponents jailed by Yameen. Also, the judge who stood witness for Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed was ordered to arrest by then-President and Parliament Speaker Mohammed Nasheed, reported Maldives Voice. The government failed to explain how the arrest of Judge Abdulla Mohamed, carried out by the Maldivian National Defence Forces under an order by a third party, could constitute terrorism. The judicial proceedings in which Nasheed was convicted were based on vague legislation, contained serious flaws and violated his right to a fair trial under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Judge Bari also barred journalists from attending hearings in March, during former President Mohamed Nasheed's terrorism trial. Under Yameen's government, Judge Bari was awarded a luxury flat at a discounted price. The housing ministry offered him the semi-finished apartments for MVR 1.6 million (USD 103,761), much lower than the market price. According to the local media, the flats were awarded to Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed, Supreme Court judges Ahmed Abdulla Didi, Adam Mohamed Abdulla, Abdulla Areef and Ali Hameed, Criminal Court Judge Abdul Bari Yoosuf and Prosecutor General Muhthaz Muhsin. Can this be a coincidence that the Judge who gets favoured by the then Government who is headed by Yameen, is the same judge who is benched in almost all the high-profile cases in the Maldives?, questioned Maldives Voice. (ANI)
Six policemen and two prisoners were injured on Saturday in a clash after the administration launched a search operation in Central Jail on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). According to Divisional Commissioner Masoodur Rehman, the operation was launched after reports that some inmates were operating narcotics rackets and masterminding other criminal activities from the prison by using mobile phones and personal contacts, reported Dawn. "It's the legal authority of the district magistrate to conduct such a search in any prison without any notice," he told Dawn, adding that the raiding team reached the prison in the Rara neighbourhood unarmed, even without sticks, in accordance with the jail manual at about 6 am. On seeing the raiding team inmates started creating a fuss in a bid to disrupt and disallow the operation. He said the administration halted the process for some time and asked the inmates to restore order but to no avail. The commissioner said the turmoil continued till 9 am and as the rioting prisoners demanded to hold negotiations with senior officials. The prisoners came out of the broken gates and windows of barracks onto the main compound where they started thrashing the police and unarmed jail personnel, leaving six of them wounded, reported Dawn. "It was only after that batons and tear gas wielding police personnel were sent inside who managed to push the rioters back into the barracks by charging them with sticks and using tear gas shells." As many as 29 mobile phones, a large number of wooden and steel rods, 40 LPG cylinders and other contraband items that the inmates could not burn were recovered from the barracks. (ANI)
Days after the Pakistani government tasked the country's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with conducting verification and screening of the government officers, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has now appointed the Intelligence Bureau (IB) with the same job of screening of government officers before their induction, appointments, and postings as well as promotions. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday appointed the IB as a "Special Vetting Agency (SVA)" for officers category for initial appointments and postings. The notification issued by the Establishment Division read, "The Prime Minister is pleased to notify IB as SVA for officers category for initial appointment, induction, certain postings abroad and specific promotions," reported The News International. Fears have already been voiced about the curtailment of the executive's and in effect, the legislature's role. There are also apprehensions that more and more military personnel, serving and retired, being already vetted, may be preferred to the civilians. The action of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government has been subjected to speculation. In a similar move, earlier, ISI, the Pakistan military's powerful intelligence wing, was officially named the Special Vetting Agency (SVA). This curtails the powers of the executive that ought to have the prerogative, and the last word, in all appointments, including that of the Army Chief. The promotions and appointments of the senior government officers will be approved on the condition of clearing the special screening and verification process of the country's top spy agency, ISI. In doing so, the government has given legal cover to a practice that had already been in place but had not been formalized as part of the protocol. According to the Establishment Division notification: "In exercise of powers conferred by sub-section 1 of section 25 of the Civil Servants Act 1973 read with notification No. SRO 120 (1)/1998 dated Feb. 27, 1998, the Prime Minister is pleased to notify Directorate General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as [the] Special Vetting Agency (SVA) for verification and screening of all Public Office Holders (Officers Category) for induction, important postings/appointments, and promotions." Beleaguered by the unprecedented economic crisis and mounting opposition from former Prime Minister Imran Khan who was voted out in April, the government is seen as resorting to this as a desperate measure to bring in the Referee, officially, to calm a heated situation wherein every institution of the state is fighting everyone else, to protect own turf, while making forays into those of others, analysts say. In the free-for-all that is on, the army itself has been the target of much criticism, wherein its Chief, General Qaisar Javed Bajwa is harangued in public on a daily basis by Imran Khan who feels the army that originally propped him up in 2018 should have protected him, yet again, from the opposition onslaught. The situation is grim even on the diplomatic front. As Sharif seeks to placate the United States and seek an economic bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Imran Khan continues to accuse the latter of hatching a conspiracy to oust him and impose an "imported government" on Pakistan.Sharif is having to succumb to IMF stipulations on raising prices of fuels that have a cascading effect on all essential commodities. His introduction of subsidies to lessen the impact on the prices is being disapproved by the IMF that is perceived as delaying the sum Pakistan sorely needs. (ANI)
China's rise is changing the world. Much attention has been given to how China's geo-economic vision is playing out in the global economy, or how its technology is reshaping the planet, yet it is over its western borders, in Central Asia, that China's influence has been quietly expanding in a more pervasive way. It is here that you can find the first strand of Xi Jinping's grand Belt and Road Initiative, China's new Silk Road to the West. It is to the Eurasian heartland that we can look for an understanding of China's new foreign policy vision and its consequences. In "Sinostan: China's Inadvertent Empire," Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen take readers into the heart of Eurasia for insight into Beijing's rise. Over a decade of travel, research, and writing went into the book, which charts the growth of Chinese power and presence in Central Asia, reported The Diplomat. Pantucci is a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore and a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. Petersen was an academic, writer, and geopolitical energy expert; he was tragically killed in a 2014 restaurant bombing and attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. In Sinostan, two acclaimed foreign policy experts recount their travels across Central Asia to keep their fingers on the pulse and tell the story of China's growing influence. They interview Chinese traders in latter-day Silk Road bazaars; climb remote mountain passes threatened by construction; commiserate with Afghan archaeologists charged with saving centuries-old Buddhist ruins before they are swept away by mining projects; meet with eager young Central Asians learning Mandarin; and sit with officials in all five Central Asian capitals, bearing witness to a region increasingly transformed by Beijing's presence. Their stories and experiences illustrate how China's foreign policy initiative has expressed itself on the ground, and what it means for those living both within and beyond the boundaries of its 'inadvertent empire'. Central Asia sits at the heart of China's foreign policy, not because of any expansionist ambitions but because it is an extension of domestic challenges in Xinjiang. To build a strong economic environment to support Xinjiang, Beijing has been transforming Central Asia through infrastructure projects. The book begins and ends in Xinjiang, and offers deep insight into recent turbulence across the region. What Pantucci and Petersen saw in their research was a clumsily executed aim to staunch rising Islamic radicalism and hostility by driving economic development, reported The Diplomat. It has a far clearer strategy for Xinjiang, and in some ways, Central Asia plays out as an extension of that, but this is incidental to the core aim of the vision which is to stabilize Xinjiang, said Pantucci and Petersen. Beijing has long worried about stability and security in Xinjiang. Remote from the capital (two hours' time difference, if China used regional time zones, and about five or six hours by plane), China has struggled to maintain control. At times this has spilled over into violence and even in much earlier years, instances of separatism. The most recent turning point came in July 2009 when rioting in Urumqi led to at least a couple of hundred deaths and the embarrassing spectre of the leader of the country having to leave a G8 Summit in Italy to come home and stabilize the situation. China's push to change things along two axes: first, a heavy security presence, something that was imposed through "strike hard" campaigns - which had extensions into Central Asia from the reality that there have been attacks on Chinese interests and individuals there, as well as the fear that groups of dissident Uyghurs might use the region as a base to attack China. Second, was a heavy economic investment into the region which is the long-term answer from Beijing's perspective to make Xinjiang stable, reported The Diplomat. But to make the region prosperous, you need to encourage prosperity and connectivity in its neighbouring region. Xinjiang is in many ways the sixth or seventh Central Asian country (depending on if you also include Afghanistan). Xinjiang is deeply intertwined with the region - there are large ethnically Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Kazakh populations in Xinjiang, in much the same way there are Uyghur, Han, and Dungan (ethnic Hui) populations living in Central Asia. This highlights the fact that the region is tied to its neighbourhood, but also that Xinjiang is as far from the coasts and global maritime trade routes as any of the Central Asian countries. So any economic development in Xinjiang is only going to come when you open up routes across Central Asia to Europe, Russia, and elsewhere, as well as trying to get into the opportunities and markets in Central Asia itself, said Pantucci and Petersen. And of course, finally, Central Asia's mineral wealth is something that the insatiable Chinese economic machine will constantly need. All of this highlights the importance of the region to China, but critically to Xinjiang (in China's conception). (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, "A warm welcome to FM Dr. AK Abdul Momen for the 7th India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission meeting. Our regular meetings reflect our unique friendship."

The first physical JCC Meeting between India and Bangladesh is being held in New Delhi today and EAM S Jaishankar is the co-chair of the meeting along with his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen.

The JCC is to review the bilateral ties including cooperation in the wake of COVID-19, border management and security, trade and investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership and regional and multilateral issues, the MEA said.

This is the first physical meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The previous meeting was held in 2020 virtually.Both countries actively engage in cooperation projects to boost bilateral relations.As part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defense cooperation, the armies of India and Bangladesh recently conducted the 10th edition of the joint military exercise -- SAMPRITI X -- from June 5 to June 16 in Bangladesh. (ANI)
Terming the proposals "regressive", Pakistani President Arif Alvi on Sunday returned a bill seeking to reverse the controversial changes made in election laws by the previous PTI government regarding the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and i-voting for overseas Pakistanis. Notably, the National Assembly passed bills suggesting that overseas Pakistanis can only vote physically rather than electronically. Last month, Pakistan National Assembly and Senate passed this electoral reforms bill along with with the one on National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments. Both the houses passed the bills however, it needed the president's assent to become a law, reported Dawn. Alvi sent back the bills and following this, the bills are presented to the president once again. It was set that if the president does not give his approval within 10 days, it will be deemed to have been given. Despite that, Alvi sent back the elections reform bill today, unsigned. President Alvi said that he had not signed the bill "despite the fact, that the Constitution that he upholds, will make it into law," as per a statement issued by the President's Secretariat. Alvi said he had been pursuing the issues of EVMs and voting for overseas Pakistanis with all governments, in parliament, and with the Supreme Court for over a decade. He referred to Article 75 (2) of the Constitution of Pakistan which states: "When the President has returned a Bill to the Majlis-e Shoora (Parliament), it shall be reconsidered by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) in joint sitting and, if it is again passed, with or without amendment, by the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), by the votes of the majority of the members of both Houses present and voting, it shall be deemed for the purposes of the Constitution to have been passed by both Houses and shall be presented to the President, and the President shall give his assent within ten days, failing which such assent shall be deemed to have been given." "The President said that besides the proposed laws' regressive nature that he pointed out in detail when he referred the bill back to Parliament, he strongly believes that technology today, especially with EVMs when used judiciously contains many solutions that reduce the impact of confusion, discord and accusations in our 'ever-marred' and challenged election processes," President's Secretariat stated, as per the media portal. "Technology can also improve transparency, make elections inclusive with the vote of our Overseas Pakistanis, build confidence and reduce polarisation to finally achieve our elusive dream of free and fair elections," it highlighted. Despite the reservations of the then opposition over the "electoral reforms", former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been supporting the holding of the next general elections through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) however the current government has reversed the controversial changes. (ANI)
Addressing BYJU'S Embracing Education's AI-driven Revolution Conference, Dr. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairperson of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) said that India has a lot of interest in boosting its semiconductor industry. Global Dialogue Forum in partnership with the Indian Association for The Club of Rome organized a conference - BYJU'S Embracing Education's AI-driven Revolution on June 18 and 19 where experts from across the world discussed the latest technological advancements in education and their implications. Byju's Co-founder and Director Divya Gokulnath delivered a special address at the conference. While delivering his remarks, Fillon-Ashida Pierrick, a European Commission official, said that AI is a varied tool but it is important to know the limits of such tools. He also said one must look at the past to predict the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Furthermore, Shreyas Jayasimha, co-founder of Aarna Law spoke on the development of 5G and AI. "AI driven revolution is for societal and individual good. Responsibility lies with us as technology is means to an end, not an end in itself. The seminar and proceedings by the Global Dialogue Forum in association with The Club of Rome India are timely and meaningful," he said. He also spoke on India's world-class potential in education. Meanwhile, clarifying the National Education Policy (NEP), AICTE chairperson Sahasrabudhe, said that no language has been left aside. "In schools and colleges, students are free to learn any language. Mandarin, German, French, Japanese.. one of the languages to be learned by students. They are all like open electives. We are not forcing any language on anyone. All languages are equal including Indian languages. There is no overemphasis." "All Indian languages are also equally important like Tamil, Punjabi, Assamese, Marathi, Kannada, Bengali or Telugu. In a similar way, all foreign languages are also equal," he added. "There is a lot of interest in starting the semiconductor industry in India. These industries are located in Taiwan, in South Korea. Although technology comes from the US ..most of the manufacturing happens here and therefore we are building a database of all the languages that are spoken this side to be learned by our students so that they can go there and do internships as well," he said. (ANI)
On the sidelines of the 7th Round of India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal discussed ways to boost trade and investment ties with the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday. Taking to Twitter, Goyal wrote, "Discussions focussed on exploring ways to enhance bilateral trade & investment giving a further boost to economic ties between the two countries." External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar on Sunday expressed confidence in India-Bangladesh ties and said that the countries look forward to cooperating in new domains including cyber security and the upgradation of the railway system. Jaishankar also spoke at length on the landmark achievements in the partnership between both nations. Speaking on the trade connection between both the nations, Jaishankar noted, "Today Bangladesh is our largest development partner, it is our largest trade partner in the region; it is our largest visa operation overseas. And that really underlines every aspect of our cooperation. And we, in turn, are your largest export destination in Asia. I am glad to see that your exports have doubled to USD 2 billion this year." The EAM also said that India looks forward in boosting bilateral cooperation in new domains. "So, we now look forward to working with you to take our ties to new domains- Artificial Intelligence, cyber security, startups, Fintech. We were pleased to receive your ICT Minister. We had a very good visit by your Railway Minister recently and I am glad to expand our cooperation on upgradation of our railway system," Jaishankar noted. Meanwhile, at the India-Bangladesh JCC meeting, AK Abdul Momen, Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh, said that the relationship between both countries is based on mutual trust. FM Momen called India the "most important neighbor". "India is the most important neighbor of Bangladesh. Initiatives taken by both nations have helped us achieve stability & development across the region. Bangladesh-India relations are based on mutual trust & respect," the Bangladeshi FM said. The JCC was held to review the bilateral ties including cooperation in the wake of COVID-19, border management and security, trade and investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership, and regional and multilateral issues, the MEA said earlier in a statement. This is the first physical meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The previous meeting was held in 2020 virtually. (ANI)
The 8th round of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) meeting will be held in Bangladesh in 2023, said the Ministry of External Affairs. The seventh round of the India-Bangladesh JCC was held in New Delhi on June 19, 2022. The JCC was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh. The Ministers recalled the warmth shared by both sides, borne out of the shared sacrifices of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, that have forged close historical and friendly relations that transcend the traditional notion of a strategic partnership. They also welcomed the further strengthening of bilateral ties with the unprecedented visits by both the President and the Prime Minister of India to Bangladesh in 2021 to jointly commemorate three epochal events - the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; the fiftieth anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh and the golden anniversary of India-Bangladesh diplomatic ties. A role model for bilateral and regional cooperation, the Ministers appreciated that the trust and mutual respect shared between the two countries has only strengthened in the last decade. A recent testimony of this was the launch of the trailer of 'Mujib - making of a nation', the jointly produced biopic on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022. Noting that this was the first in-person JCC meeting convened since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the previous edition held virtually in 2020, the two Ministers appreciated the efforts undertaken by both countries to jointly fight Covid-19, said the MEA press release. The Ministers comprehensively reviewed all areas of ongoing cooperation, including the implementation of decisions taken during the visits of President Ram Nath Kovind in December 2021 and of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2021, the Virtual Summit between the Prime Ministers of the two countries in December 2020, as well as the last virtual meeting of JCC in September 2020. Both sides expressed satisfaction that despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, both countries have worked closer than ever before in every sector, from security and border management to mutually beneficial trade and investment flows, as well as enhanced bilateral and sub-regional multimodal connectivity, greater power and energy cooperation, developmental assistance and capacity building exchanges, cultural and closer people-to-people ties. The two ministers agreed to work closely together to further deepen and strengthen cooperation in the areas of common rivers and water resources management, IT and cybersecurity, renewable energy, agriculture and food security, sustainable trade, climate change and disaster management. Both Ministers appreciated that in addition to the high-level visits, there have been intensive engagements through various bilateral mechanisms and agreed to further enhance partnership-building efforts with renewed vigour and regularity. In this regard, both Ministers tasked their officials to accelerate cooperation, with further attention paid to addressing issues and finding durable solutions for the mutual benefit of both the peoples. They reiterated the importance of the safe, speedy and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced persons from the Rakhine State of Myanmar, currently being sheltered by Bangladesh. Acknowledging the excellent bilateral ties shared between the two countries, both Ministers reiterated the importance of closer cooperation to expeditiously implement the Leaders' decisions and to further deepen and strengthen mutual engagement across all sectors of bilateral cooperation. During his visit to New Delhi, Foreign Minister Momen will also pay a courtesy call on Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu and other dignitaries of the Government of India. (ANI)
A Palestinian was killed on Sunday by Israeli soldiers when he tried to cross the security fence between the northern West Bank city of Qaliqlya and Israel, according to Palestinian health authorities. The Palestinian liaison office reported that Nabil Ghanim was killed after Israeli soldiers shot him near the security fence close to the city, according to a press statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. An Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that a Palestinian tried to sabotage the security fence between the city of Qalqilya and Israel, adding that Israeli soldiers had first opened warning gunshots, and then hit him when he didn't respond, Xinhua news agency reported. The spokesman clarified that the Palestinian man was critically wounded and was transferred to an Israeli hospital, but succumbed to his wounds. Palestinian local sources said that Ghanim is a Palestinian worker from the West Bank city of Nablus and was trying to enter Israel for work there. Shaher Saad, secretary-general of the Palestine Trade Union Federation, accused the Israeli army of adopting a new approach of targeting Palestinian workers near the separation wall in the West Bank. The Israeli government practices "murder and violence against the Palestinians, including workers, to win votes in any upcoming elections," he condemned, adding that the union will follow up all attacks against workers in all international forums. The worker's killing came two days after three Palestinian men were killed by Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin. Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been flaring recently, as the Israeli army launched repeated incursions into the West Bank in response to attacks carried out by Palestinians in Israel. On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets bombed military facilities belonging to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, in response to a rocket firing at southern Israel, according to Hamas security sources. --IANS int/skp/ ( 325 Words) 2022-06-19-20:50:04 (IANS)
The security forces launched an operation after receiving a tip-off regarding the presence of terrorists in a mountainous range of the province, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in the statement.

When the troops started a clearance operation in the area, terrorists tried to escape from their hideout and opened fire on security forces, the statement added.

In retaliatory fire, six terrorists belonging to the banned outfit Balochistan Liberation Front were killed, said the statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The terrorists were involved in attacks on security forces posts besides recent planting of improvised explosive devices on security forces convoys," the ISPR said.

Arms and ammunition were seized from the hideout of the terrorists, who intended to use them for disrupting peace and security in the area, the statement said.

--IANS int/skp/

( 165 Words)

2022-06-19-22:12:01 (IANS)
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As of March, the average monthly Social Security benefit is $1,618.29 for an individual, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Doubling up for a couple, that's $3,236.58.

Not a bad haul, if it's supplementing other income or padding a nice, big nest egg. If Social Security is all you're living on, however, you're going to have to pick your retirement city very carefully to stretch those dollars to their absolute limit -- particularly on the notoriously expensive West Coast, which, for the purposes of this study, includes Alaska.

See: How Biden Is Impacting Social Security in 2022

Learn: 10 Reasons You Should Claim Social Security Early

To determine the best places for couples to live on the West Coast on only their combined Social Security checks, GOBankingRates used cost-of-living data from Sperling's Best Places. The ranking also includes ApartmentList data on the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment, as well as each city's livability score, sourced from AreaVibes.

Each city was then given a combined score -- which represents a summation of all those factors -- with lower scores being better. The list is ranked in order of the worst score to the best.

Read on to learn about the West Coast spots that are most welcoming to retirees living on Social Security.

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Vallejo, California

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,607

Vallejo has a lousy livability score of 56 -- livability scores are calculated by algorithms that factor in dozens of variables like proximity to amenities, crime and schools. The cost-of-living index is a high 131.3, with 100 representing the national average. The average one-bedroom apartment will run you $1,607 per month, the highest on this list.

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Riverside, California

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,508

At 133.1, Riverside's cost-of-living index is even higher than even Vallejo's -- a full one-third more than the national average. The town's livability score is an unimpressive 59, mostly because of its relatively high crime rate. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,508, one of the three highest on the list.

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Seattle

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,596

Moving up the coast to Washington is Seattle, a pricey city where the average one-bedroom costs $1,596. That contributes to a bruising 172.3 cost-of-living index -- the highest on this list, by far -- which means that daily living in Seattle is 72.3% more expensive than the national average. All in all, its livability score is an underwhelming 65 thanks to high crime rates, high housing costs and, of course, a high cost of living.

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Sacramento, California

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,432

The capital city of California, Sacramento has a below-average livability score of 62, mostly because of its crime statistics and relatively high prices. The cost-of-living index there is 118.2, making the city nearly 20% costlier to live in than the national average. The typical renter will shell out $1,432 for a one-bedroom.

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Anchorage, Alaska

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,176

In Anchorage, crime and real estate prices are high even by Alaska standards, both of which contribute to the city's drab livability score of 60. Although the average one-bedroom there costs $1,176 per month, one of the least expensive on this list, Anchorage residents still struggle with a rough cost-of-living index of 123.5.

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Napa, California

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,522

Known for its legendary vineyards, daily life in Napa is nearly as pricey as its wine -- the cost-of-living index is 162.1, second only to Seattle. With an average monthly rent of $1,522, it's one of only four cities on this list where the typical one-bedroom costs more than $1,500. Overall, its livability score is a middling 70.

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Portland, Oregon

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,344

The cost of living in Portland is 30.8% higher than the national average. Although its $1,344 average rent makes it one of just five cities on this list where a one-bedroom goes for less than $1,400, its very high crime rate contributes to a dreary livability score of 65.

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Fresno, California

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,025

Just two cities on this list are less expensive than Fresno, which boasts a forgiving cost-of-living index of 102.6. With an average monthly rent of $1,025.00, a one-bedroom is cheaper in just thee other cities. Unfortunately, high crime contributes to a subpar livability score of 58.

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Bremerton, Washington

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,440

Bremerton comes up with an average livability score of 70. With a cost-of-living index of 108.9 and an average rent of $1,440 for a one-bedroom, it's certainly one of the more affordable cities to make the cut.

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Eugene, Oregon

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $928

With a cost-of-living index of 105.3, Eugene is even more affordable than Bremerton. A lot of that has to do with the fact that it's one of only three cities on the list with a three-figure monthly rent -- $928 per month, to be exact, which makes it the cheapest on the entire list. Thanks to its high crime rate, however, Eugene earns a meh livability score of 65.

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Olympia, Washington

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $1,436

The capital city of Washington has a cost-of-living index of 106.1, which puts it on the lower side of this list. Olympia's livability score is 74 -- the highest of any city profiled here -- and a $1,436 average monthly rent.

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Spokane, Washington

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $947

Just one city on this list is cheaper to live in than the national average -- Spokane, whose cost-of-living index is an impressive 92.3. Although the city's paltry livability score of 67 leaves plenty to be desired, its $947 monthly rent makes it the No. 2 least expensive place to rent an apartment.

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Salem, Oregon

2022 average 1-bedroom rent: $979

With a cost-of-living index of 101.8, Salem is less expensive to live in than any city on this list except for Spokane. One of just three cities with a sub-$1,000 average rent, a one-bedroom goes for just $979 per month. That's all good news, despite Salem's low livability score of 69.

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Methodology: GOBankingRates determined the best places for a couple to live on the West Coast on only their combined Social Security checks based on the (1) average monthly benefit for retired workers, $1,618.29, sourced from the Social Security Administration, and doubled ($3,236.58); (2) the overall cost of living in each city, sourced from Sperling's Best Places; (3) average 2022 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 the best. Factor (4) was weighted double in final calculations. All data was collected and is up to date as of April 22, 2022.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 13 Best Places on the West Coast for Couples To Live on Only a Social Security Check
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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 More: 15 Worst States To Live on Just a Social Security Check

Learn: 6 Signs You Can't Afford To Retire

However, with an average monthly benefit of just over $1,600, 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 177 largest cities in the U.S. -- combined the scores to determine where you really can get by on just your Social Security benefit. Read on to find out which cities made the list.

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20. Evansville, Indiana

Cost of Living Score: 78.5

Livability Score: 58

Average Rent: $786.75

Evansville is one of three Indiana 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 $780 per month prevented it from moving up on the list.

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19. Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Cost of Living Score: 82.7

Livability Score: 62

Average Rent: $798.25

Hattiesburg's cost of living indicates that you can expect to spend almost 18% less on your basic expenses than you would in the rest of the country, on average.

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18. Wichita, Kansas

Cost of Living Score: 82.1

Livability Score: 60

Average Rent: $719

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 Wichita -- 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. South Bend, Indiana

Cost of Living Score: 68.4

Livability Score: 57

Average Rent: $754.50

In South Bend, you'll pay nearly 30% less in your cost of living expenses than the rest of the United States, which means your Social Security check can go a lot further here.

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16. Beaumont, Texas

Cost of Living Score: 78.3

Livability Score: 63

Average Rent: $786.25

Beaumont's livability score is higher than many other cities on this list, which might account for its slightly higher rent, too. However, you're still paying more than 20% less in cost of living than other cities in the U.S.

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15. Greenville, North Carolina

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. Topeka, Kansas

Cost of Living Score: 79

Livability Score: 61

Average Rent: $708

With an affordable rent, a decent livability score, and a cost of living score that means you'll pay less than the national average, this midwestern city is positioned to be a great place to live on only a Social Security check.

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13. Williston, North Dakota

Cost of Living Score: 97.8

Livability Score: 72

Average Rent: $749.50

Williston is one of three cities on this list in North Dakota. At $749.50, rent in Williston is on the higher side of cities on this list, but it's still less expensive to live here than elsewhere.

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12. Shreveport, Louisiana

Cost of Living Score: 77.5

Livability Score: 65

Average Rent: $772

The Southern city of Shreveport, Louisiana is one of two cities based on the state. While this one is a little high on the rent, keeping it lower on the list, you're paying about 22% less in cost of living here, making your check stretch.

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11. Fayetteville, Arkansas

Cost of Living Score: 92.9

Livability Score: 72

Average Rent: $770

Fayetteville is another solid Southern city to call home if you're living on a fixed income. With a high livability score, and moderate rent, anyone on Social Security should be able to make a good life here.

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10. Toledo, Ohio

Cost of Living Score: 72.7

Livability Score: 62

Average Rent: $710.50

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.

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9. Lubbock, Texas

Cost of Living Score: 79.9

Livability Score: 68

Average Rent: $746.50

Lubbock is one of four Texas cities identified in the study as a good place to live just on Social Security. With a decent livability score and cost of living score, even rent of more than $740 per month can't keep this from being a great place to live on a fixed income.

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8. Davenport, Iowa

Cost of Living Score: 81.7

Livability Score: 69

Average Rent: $731.25

It costs about 19% less to live in Davenport than the average American city. Its relatively high (for this list) average rent of $731.25 per month and its livability score of just 69, pull it down from the top spot on the list.

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7. Akron, Ohio

Cost of Living Score: 69.5

Livability Score: 62

Average Rent: $679.50

The city of Akron has a lot to offer, not only in a low cost of living, that is more than 30% less than the rest of the country, a decent rent under $700 per month, but lots of natural and cultural attractions.

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6. Odessa, Texas

Cost of Living Score: 88

Livability Score: 63

Average Rent: $510.50

The primary appeal of Odessa to retirees is the low cost of rent. At $510.50 per month, it's the cheapest in the study - and by a wide margin. A low cost of living makes up for it's relatively low livability score, as well.

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5. Fargo, North Dakota

Cost of Living Score: 91.9

Livability Score: 76

Average Rent: $782

Despite one of the higher average monthly rents on this list, Fargo is one of the best cities to live in on a fixed income, according to another GOBankingRates study. That should appeal to those relying on Social Security.

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4. Grand Forks, North Dakota

Cost of Living Score: 88.2

Livability Score: 74

Average Rent: $682

Grand Forks is the northernmost city on the list, and one of three in North Dakota. At $682, rent in Grand Forks is at the midpoint, but it's still 11% less expensive to live here than elsewhere.

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3. Fort Wayne, Indiana

Cost of Living Score: 78.9

Livability Score: 75

Average Rent: $792.75

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 a Social Security check, found a separate GOBankingRates study.

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2. Lake Charles, Louisiana

Cost of Living Score: 83.4

Livability Score: 70

Average Rent: $608

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.

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1. McAllen, Texas

Cost of Living Score: 78.6

Livability Score: 81

Average Rent: $592.75

McAllen Texas holds the number one spot on this list for retiring on a Social Security check because it has a high livability score, the second lowest rent on this list and a cost of living score that's still nearly 12% lower than the rest of the U.S.

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Jordan Rosenfeld and 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, $1,619.67, sourced from Social Security Administration; (2) the overall cost of living in each city, sourced from Sperling's Best Places; (3) average 2022 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 May 23, 2022.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 20 Best Places To Live on Only a Social Security Check
Tanvi Shah has 70,000 followers on TikTok and more than 38,000 on Instagram. Tanvi Shah

Tanvi Shah increased her Instagram following from 5,000 to more than 38,000 in about three years.

The 26-year-old decided to leave her Big Four firm job after realizing she could earn just as much.

Shah said the corporate world affected her mental health and her job satisfaction is now higher.

When Tanvi Shah left her corporate job at a Big Four accounting firm she knew she was taking a huge risk by giving up her monthly salary to become an influencer full-time.

"It was terrifying and I'm still very scared," she told Insider. At first her parents didn't understand the potential of social media. "It was a huge relief for them knowing that I have a foundation to fall back on and the worst case scenario is I can get another job."



Shah said when she started posting regularly on social media she hadn't considered it becoming her main source of income.



Then when the pandemic started she began putting more time into creating videos that offer career advice for social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.



"I started to invest more time in increasing the quality of images and videos and in the process worked with lots of businesses," she said.



"My following grew rapidly as I was talking about things that were not typically discussed like mental health when working in the corporate space and being South Asian."



Shah content found an audience and within a year she considered how she could monetize her following.



Before Shah started creating higher-quality content she had 5,000 followers on Instagram, which then doubled to 10,000 early on in the pandemic. She now has more than 38,000 followers on Instagram and about 70,000 on TikTok.

The social media influencer says her earnings per post depends on how much work she gets a month or what brand she works with.

"The goal has been to match my salary of 3,000 ($3,600) a month. Fees for a post starts from 200 ($242) but sometimes a large brand will opt for a content package, such as an Instagram reel and a TikTok video. The biggest deal has been 1,500 ($1819) for one brand that wanted three pieces of content."





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Tanvi Shah often shares her make-up and fashion looks on her social media accounts. Tanvi Shah





Creating social media content started as a side hustle for Shah but within a year opportunities came knocking, from modeling jobs to radio presenting gigs. The London-born influencer then found she was struggling to manage her time being a content creator alongside her corporate job.



"I was waking up at 6am to edit videos and realized there was not as much job satisfaction in the corporate space and my passion shifted to social media, so I had to weigh up the decision," Shah said.

"If I don't try to do it full-time I never will. I wanted to give myself the freedom of time so I decided to resign from my Big Four job."



Shah said that before giving up her corporate job, managing a side hustle felt like having a double life. She became aware that past managers were viewing her posts and that made her cautious. "It felt like I was Hannah Montana coming back from working and doing something completely opposite but I am multifaceted."

In the finance world there was a clear career path and progression timeline for Shah. However, she felt it would take its toll on her mental health.

"When I am working for myself as a creator I can manage my mental health by setting boundaries," she said. "If I decide for a week that I can't work I won't be out of pocket because of last month's earnings."

Having a background in accounting and consulting as well as knowing how to manage her money helped Shah when becoming self-employed.

"What people don't see is all the work that goes on behind the scenes. I feel strongly about self-management and have at least five different apps and tools for scheduling and organizing," she said.



"It helps that I know basic tax and accounting rules and a way to track profit and loss and expenses. I'm a finance girl and nerd so it was second nature to look at how much profit I was making."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Juneteenth has finally arrived. Along with the many ways you can celebrate the holiday, supporting Black-owned businesses goes hand in hand with the holiday! While youre out looking for something festive to wear this holiday, check out these Black-owned boutiques across the nation. You may love what you find!

Sincerely, Tommy

View this post on Instagram A post shared by A Lifestyle Concept Store (@sincerelytommy_)

Based in Brooklyn, the concept boutique Sincerely, Tommy keeps emerging brands at the forefront. Founded by Kai Avent-deLeon, the shop keeps the clothing at accessible prices. Shoppers can stay up to date with new drops by signing up for the brands newsletter. Whats even more cool about the store, it has an in house vegan coffee bar!

BrownMill Company

View this post on Instagram A post shared by BrownMill Company (@brownmillcompany)

BrownMill Company recently opened their doors in Newark, NJ after being founded almost a decade ago. Not only should you take a trip because its Black owned, but environmentally friendly. all of their products are custom made from recycled material.

Atlanta Influences Everything

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Foot Locker Atlanta (@footlockeratlanta)

When we talk about hometown pride, we cant leave Atlanta out of that conversation. Thats why Atlanta Influences Everything is a perfect brand to shop. Celebrities like Keri Hilson, Kandi Burrus and Jermain Dupri have been out in the streets rocking their gear!

Kloset Envy

View this post on Instagram A post shared by kloset envy (@klosetenvy)

The trendsetter girls who just KNOW they look good, this is for you! Bring out the sexy side of you with pieces from Kloset Envy. From casual wear, to business attire, the brand is sure to not disappoint.

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Nubian Hueman

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nubian Hueman (@nubianhueman)

D.C. based, Nubian Hueman highlights Black artists, vendors, and entrepreneurs from around country and parts of Africa. The brand recently opened up a second location in Baltimore to continue to push the exposure of Black owned brands from around the continent.
The EU has not imposed a ban on Russian fossil fuels yet. iznashih/Getty Images

Germany, Italy, and France are among European countries that have been snapping up cheap Russian fuel.

Their purchases made up almost half of the to $97 billion in revenue Russia got from fuel exports.

The EU plans to phase out Russian oil imports this year  but not natural gas yet.

Six European buyers accounted for almost half of the revenues Russia banked from its fossil fuel exports in the first 100 days of the war in Ukraine, even as the European Union was outlining a plan to ban imports from the country, according to recent analysis by a Finnish thinktank.

France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, and Belgium were the top European buyers of Russian fossil fuel exports, including coal, crude oil, natural gas and oil products on the spot market between March and May, according to according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)

The spot market is where traders buy and sell physical cargoes of oil, for example, for immediate delivery, as opposed to the futures market, where they seal a price for delivery at some point further ahead.

"These purchases take place outside of pre-existing contracts, therefore always representing an active purchase decision," CREA wrote in its analysis.

European commodity traders have actively shunned Russian cargoes of crude oil and refined products, while most natural gas imports arrive via pipeline and are more difficult to avoid.

In total, those countries shelled out a combined total of $40 billion of the roughly $97 billion Russia pocketed for its fossil fuel exports in that time, CREA said.

Record discounts

Russian oil is cheaper than other grades right now, as Western sanctions and traders avoiding those exports have cut the value of its flagship Urals crude.

A barrel of Urals crude currently trades at a record $30 discount to the global Brent crude benchmark, which stood at about $120 a barrel on Friday, near its highest in a decade.

To that end, sales of cheap Russian oil and gas are expected to hit $285 billion in 2022  a 20% increase from its profits from oil and gas in 2021, according to Bloomberg Economics. It's down to Chinese and Indian purchases of Russian oil, which now account for half of Russia's seaborne oil exports.

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And while demand from China has remained consistent, India has ramped up its buying, to the tune of around 800,000 barrels a day, compared to next to nothing as recently as January.

In response, Russian oil production, which many expected to decline in line with demand, has jumped 5% so far in June in response. Average daily oil production, including condensate, reached 1.46 million tonnes through the first 13 days of June, up 68,000 from May, according to Reuters, which cited data from Interfax.

Meanwhile, European countries continued to buy Russian fuel even after EU leaders reached an agreement to cut around 90% of oil imports from Russia by 2022. But it has no plans as yet to stop imports of natural gas.

The EU has typically relied on Russia for about a third of its oil needs and as much as 40% of its natural gas.

CREA's report showed Germany was the second-largest importer of Russian fuel after China, buying $12.6 billion's worth, while other major EU importers were the Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium and Poland. Those six paid a combined $40 billion for a combination of coal, natural gas, crude oil and refined products from February 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine, to early June.

Against this backdrop, it points to show the EU's continued reliance on Russian fuel despite efforts to reduce its independence on its energy resources. That was only reinforced by Russian President Vladimir Putin who said that the West won't be able to cut off Russian energy resources over the next couple of years.

Read the original article on Business Insider
House Minority Leader McCarthy and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming appeared together at a 2020 press conference, prior to landing on opposite sides of the congressional investigation into the January 6, 2021 siege at the US Capitol. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The January 6 committee has interviewed nearly 1,000 witnesses about what its members say was an effort to overturn the US election.

Seven House Republicans have, so far, elected not to answer the committee's questions.

Defying this investigation could empower Democrats to do the same when Republicans return to power.

While some Trump administration officials have been indicted for refusing to cooperate with the January 6 select committee's investigation into the deadly siege at the US Capitol, a half-dozen House Republicans (and counting) have, so far, sidestepped testifying before the congressional panel.

The holdouts, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio, have offered varying reasons for not participating  ranging from complaining about the committee's public outreach to assailing the "baseless witch hunt."

The committee and its witnesses, meanwhile, are presenting accounts that Trump and his advisors were informed their efforts to overturn the election possibly illegal but pressed on, with some of them seeking pardons in the Trump administration's final days.

Their arguments could come back to haunt them if they win back control of the House this fall, and Jordan or House Committee on Administration ranking member Rodney Davis of Illinois try to flex the new majority party's powers next year only to have House Democrats recycle the precedent-setting rejections.

Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona speaks during the Freedom Caucus press conference on immigration outside the Capitol on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The select committee in a May 2, 2022 letter asked Biggs to testify about any communications he'd had with former President Donald Trump, Trump administration officials, and Stop the Steal rally organizers about challenging the 2020 election results.

Biggs accused the committee of leaking subpoenas to the press before notifying the actual members involved, and railed against the "pure political theater."

"The January 6 Committee's ongoing, baseless witch hunt is nothing more than an effort to distract the American people from the Democrats' and Biden's disastrous leadership," Biggs said May 12 in a press release.

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Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama

Republican Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama conducts a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on the Fire Fauci Act on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The select committee in a May 2, 2022 letter asked Brooks to testify about public statements he made in March about Trump repeatedly lobbying him to "rescind" the 2020 election and reinstall him as president. Brooks aired those particular grievances after Trump pulled his endorsement from Brooks' bid to replace retiring Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.

Brooks began laying out stipulations for testifying before the "partisan Witch Hunt Committee" in an undated statement, but then declared "that time has long passed."

"If they want to talk, they're gonna have to send me a subpoena, which I will fight," Brooks said in a campaign press release.

Brooks told Insider that he considers himself an outlier among the investigation's targets because everything he knows is already in the public domain, including testimony he gave in 2021 after being sued by Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California about the insurrection at the US Capitol.

"I am quite different from all other persons the Committee seeks to interview in that I have already given numerous, lengthy written, sworn statements (Swalwell lawsuit) and written, unsworn public statements that detail my knowledge and conduct concerning January 6 events," Brooks wrote in an email. "The Committee thus already has a fairly full accounting of all knowledge I have."

Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas

Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas is a former White House physician who has declared Trump in "excellent health." Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The select committee in a May 2, 2022 letter asked Jackson to testify about any communications he had with members of the pro-Trump Oath Keepers or participants in the "Stop the Steal" rally that immediately preceded the attack on the US Capitol.

Jackson fired back the same day, disavowing any text messaging with Oath Keepers and bashing the committee and press for their "ruthless crusade against President Trump and his allies."

"Yet again, the illegitimate January 6 Committee proves its agenda is malicious and not substantive," Jackson said in a press release. "Their attempt to drag out a manufactured narrative illustrates why the American people are sick of the media and this partisan Committee's use of January 6 as a political tool against conservatives they do not like."

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio at a Capitol Hill press conference. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Jordan's got the longest-running paper trail with the committee to date.

The select committee got things rolling on December 22, 2021 by asking Jordan to testify about his communications with Trump before, during, and after January 6, 2021 regarding challenging the election results.

In his initial response on January 9, 2022, Jordan said he had "no relevant information" to offer the committee, and took investigators to task for even asking.

"This request is far outside the bounds of any legitimate inquiry, violates core Constitutional principles, and would serve to further erode legislative norms," Jordan wrote in his first letter back to the committee.

After he'd been subpoenaed, Jordan noted that he was still waiting to hear back about questions he posed to the committee in January and bristled at the "dangerous escalation" of compelling him to testify.

"You have not substantively addressed any of the points in the letter or alleviated any of the concerns I raised," Jordan wrote on May 25 adding, that the same concerns "still exist today and have only grown as the Select Committee has continued to leak nonpublic information in a misleading manner in the intervening period."

A federal judge, however, dismissed Republican contentions that the committee is improperly constituted and doesn't serve a legislative purpose, and recently a judge swept aside similar arguments made by one-time Trump advisor Steve Bannon in his failed attempt to get his contempt of Congress trial dismissed.

Jordan delved even deeper into why he's unlikely to ever testify before the committee in the 11-page, heavily-footnoted letter he sent the panel on June 9. In that third missive, Jordan contests the panel's formation, membership, subpoena powers, and "legislative purpose," among other things.

"You seem to believe that you have the authority to arbitrate the scope of a colleague's official activities," Jordan wrote on June 9. "Respectfully, I do not answer to you or the other members of the Select Committee. I am accountable to the voters of Ohio's Fourth Congressional District."

Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia

Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia has faced scrutiny for leading a tour group through the Capitol complex on January 5, 2021. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The select committee has repeatedly asked Loudermilk to testify about a tour group he led through the US Capitol complex on January 5, 2021 that included at least one person who returned the following day during the riot.

The committee's first letter on May 19, 2022 mentioned that it had reviewed security footage of said tour and that investigators had questions about where they had been.

House Committee on Administration ranking member Rodney Davis defended Loudermilk a day later on social media, calling reports of GOP-led reconnaissance tours "demonstrably false" and urging the Capitol Police to release all security footage from January 5 to clear the air.

House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmnGOP) May 20, 2022

The committee released clips of the Loudermilk-led tour on June 15 and followed up with another letter asking him to explain why one of the photo-snapping group members appeared to be documenting areas "not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints."

Loudermilk responded on Twitter, lambasting the committee for "undermining the Capitol Police and doubling down on their smear campaign."

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (@RepLoudermilk) June 15, 2022

Loudermilk's account of who was on the tour and what they were interested in has shifted over the past 18 months.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, DC on April 6, 2022. Scott J. Applewhite/AP

The select committee in a January 12, 2022 letter asked McCarthy to testify about his communications with Trump before, during, and after January 6, 2021 regarding challenging the election results. McCarthy has acknowledged having at least one conversation with Trump while MAGA supporters were swarming the Capitol, but has, so far, declined to discuss it with the committee.

The committee subpoenaed him about it on May 25.

McCarthy told reporters that he's sent the committee two official responses through his attorney, Elliot S. Berke, and said he's considering releasing said letters to the press. McCarthy aides did not respond to Insider's request for copies of the letters.

CNN reports that in one letter, Berke accused the committee of playing partisan politics.

"Its only objective appears to be to attempt to score political points or damage its political opponents  acting like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee one day and the Department of Justice the next," Berke wrote.

When asked why Democrats should comply with any congressional investigations House Republicans choose to pursue if they claim the majority next year given the defiance he and others have shown about January 6, McCarthy said the difference is "we won't be illegitimate."

"We won't issue subpoenas going after our political opponents," McCarthy told reporters at a June 9 press conference. "We'll do exactly what Congress is supposed to do. We'll uphold the Constitution."

Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania

Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania photographed outside the US Capitol on December 3, 2020. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

The select committee in a December 20, 2021 letter asked Perry to testify about his communications with Trump administration officials about installing Department of Justice attorney Jeffrey Clark as acting US attorney general to help overturn the 2020 election results.

Perry accused the "political witch hunt" of "fabricating headlines" in a May 12 press release, but didn't specify whether he'd testify.

Perry's attorney John P. Rowley III closed the door on that in the response he sent the committee on May 24.

Rowley wrote that Perry declined to testify before a committee "that is operating in contravention of its own rules" and "committed to scoring political points, rather than focusing on the troublemakers who broke into the Capitol."

Perry has also denied that he sought a presidential pardon for anything related to the 2020 election tampering. January 6 committee cochair Liz Cheney said during the June 9 hearing that investigators had uncovered evidence that Perry and other GOP lawmakers had angled for pardons after the Capitol was attacked.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Andy Garcia is explaining why, despite a desire to go back to Cuba, he would never return to the country.

In an interview with The New York Times promoting his work on Father of the Bride, Garcia spoke about how the film represents the generational divide in Spanish-speaking among Latin families, his own daughters getting married around the films release and where he drew inspiration from for his character, an architect and father of the bride named Billy.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

While discussing the way Billy is an amalgamation of everybody Ive ever known, Garcia began to speak about how being a Cuban immigrant and in our case  political exiles has shaped his sense of work ethic and identity as an American. When asked whether he longs to return to Cuba, the answer is every day, but the actor says he wont go back.

Its like asking a Jewish person if theyd go back to Nazi Germany, he says. Everybody has their own personal reason to go, and I dont pass judgment. But Ive been critical of that regime; if I went, they would use it to say, See, he believes were doing the right thing. Hes here vacationing.'

Garcia goes on to note that its not a place where they will let us in there to do a concert and speak my mind. He does, however, recount visiting the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base with Gloria and Emilio Estefan for a concert in 1995 for around 16,000 Cuban refugees in an interim camp.

One time the U.S. interests section in Havana invited us  at the time there wasnt an embassy there  to show my movie The Lost City, Garcia said, revealing his 2006 film set in Cuba. I said, Can you guarantee my safety? They said, We cannot. And I said, Thanks for the invite.'

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The threat of surveillance, according to the Father of the Bride star, is what will also keep him away. I know many people who have gone to Cuba who are in the public eye. The Cuban ones who have gone, theyre watched. They have government people following them around.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter

Click here to read the full article.
The Daily Beast

Paramount+According to everyone featured in Secrets of the Oligarch Wives, Vladimir Putin is a ruthless, greedy, sociopathic monster who cares only about his own power, wealth, and legacy as a titan who united and restored the glory of Mother Russia. The ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as the continued imprisonment and mistreatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, corroborates those claims, although the true hook of the Paramount+ documentary about the Russian president is its insider commen
OLENA ROSHCHINA  SUNDAY, 19 JUNE 2022, 14:35

Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, said that the Ukrainian military was approaching the borders of Kherson and could move the front line 10 km south on the Zaporizhzhia front.

Source: Ivan Fedorov on Telegram

Quote from Fedorov: "Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have made significant progress and are already on the borders of Kherson. I am confident that in the near future, in the coming weeks, the city of Kherson will be liberated [from Russian occupiers] by our heroic military.

The situation is the same in the area of Melitopol. Our Armed Forces have already advanced more than 10 kilometres from Zaporizhzhia toward Melitopol".

Details: Fedorov hopes that Western weapons will help Ukraine liberate the territories occupied by the Russians.

The mayor of Melitopol also said that Russians continue to abduct people, including pastors and activists, not realising that "99.9% of people do not support them."
DENYS KARLOVKYI  SATURDAY, 18 JUNE 2022, 22:36

Denys Prokopenko, Commander of the Azov Regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine, has handed over his duties to Major Mykyta Nadtochii.

Source: Major Nadtochii in a comment for Radio Svoboda

Quote from Nadtochii: "It was just a Telegram message [from Denys Prokopenko - ed.], which said whenever you are ready to assume the position, contact such and such people, and then go and assume command until I return."

Details: Prokopenko is currently a prisoner of war in Russia.

During the siege of Mariupol, Nadtochii commanded the second battalion of the Azov Regiment.

Nadtochii said that he was wounded in fighting at Azovstal in March, during the early days of the siege of Mariupol. While attempting to transport the deceased and wounded to the hospital on the territory of Azovstal, a rocket launched from a Russian assault aircraft exploded right next to him. Fragments from the rocket hit Nadtochiis head, both legs, stomach, and left arm.

On 21 March, Ukrainian helicopters evacuated Nadtochii alongside other severely wounded soldiers. He was among the first people to be evacuated by helicopter from Azovstal.

According to Nadtochii, the helicopters first delivered food, and then began to evacuate the severely wounded, including himself.

Read also: An Island of Hope: How the Azovstal defenders got out and where they are now

Earlier:
Recently, as I've been watching televised hearings of the January 6th Committee I was reminded by a friend of Anais Nins observation that "We see things not as they are, but as we are ...

During her live testimony Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards described:

When I fell behind that line and I saw, I can just remember my breath catching in my throat, because what I saw was just a war scene. It was something like I had seen out of the movies. I couldnt believe my eyes. There were officers on the ground. They were bleeding, they were throwing up. I mean, I saw friends with blood all over their faces. I was slipping in peoples blood.

More from Azzi: The patriarchy's worst fear  women who think and compete

Robert Azzi

While Edwards' description illustrates the reality of the January 6th insurrection  a treasonous uprising instigated by then-President Donald Trump to overturn, for the first time in American history, the results of a legitimate presidential election in order to keep himself in power  such realities are not embraced by all Americans.

There are two facts that should not be in dispute:

The presidential election of November 2020 was not stolen. It was, by all legitimate and fact-based accounts and data, the most secure election in American history, and;

The attack on the Capitol on January 6th, 2020 was a well-organized, pre-planned attempted coup against the United States of America, driven by a malign assortment of conspirators, criminals, profiteers, and corrupt politicians.

More from Azzi: I, too, am tired of prayers and moments of silence

Those truths of that reality - whether as documented by eye-witness accounts, news-reporting, or the House Committee investigating the uprising  are unseen by over a third of Americans.

That frightens me.

Such denial doesn't happen by accident. It happens, in part, because people who think they are privileged  often because of the color of their skin - are deluded into believing that not only are they superior to other peoples but that that superiority must be sustained by any means necessary  even if it means overthrowing our government.

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That denial happens, in part, because for over a decade forces have been deployed by anti-democratic conservatives who have not only been trying to whitewash the oppression and racism of our past but who are today telling their followers that they are being victimized by Woke, Marxist, Socialist, Communist, Soros-embracing, LGBTQIA-loving peoples and pedophiles who want to groom and traffic the children of true patriots.

It frightens me, in part, because there are American citizens - often rooted in white Christian nationalist impulses  who not only believe those calumnies but who - from OathKeepers and Proud Boys to lone wolves  are organizing themselves in violent antigovernmental activity and act on those impulses from Charlottesville to Pittsburgh, from our nation's Capital to Buffalo.

More from Azzi: Called to embrace the invisible, the shrouded, the non-being

It frightens me because they are attacking our history and educational institutions; schools, universities, libraries  all under assault.

Founding Father James Madison, who struggled with the contradictions of owning enslaved humans against the aspirations he helped weave into our foundational documents that all people "are created equal" was an early advocate for a fully-educated citizenry.

Indeed, Madison  pre-dating Horace Mann  so believed that an educated citizenry was essential to protecting the nation against authoritarian impulses and "dangerous encroachments on the public liberty that he felt that the rich should subsidize the education of the poor, a prelude to America's embrace of public education being necessary for the common good.

Madison certainly did not propose that silencing discussions about discrimination, racism, and racial violence was a way to ensure national harmony.

Contrary to Madison and Mann, contrary to the Enlightenment values that informed the founding of this nation, deniers of truth are today organizing on the basis of ignorance, on myths and delusions, on lies and promises; on the fear of their followers that what were once obscure footnotes in American history  like the Los Angeles Chinese Massacre, Tulsa, Stonewall, and Sandy Hook  could today become part of the text taught to our children.

More from Azzi: Who's grooming whom?

Organizing inspired by the fact that for over a decade right-wing national organizations, supported by white supremacists and Christian nationalists, have been attacking our Public Square with dishonest assaults on Critical Race Theory and the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1619 Project, with assaults on Toni Morrison, Ibram X. Kendi, with assaults on Maus, All Boy's Aren't Blue and Gender Queer.

One of my favorite books is The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu. It tells the inspiring story of how librarians in Timbuktu, Mali, conspired to rescue over 350,000 priceless Islamic and secular manuscripts, some dating back to the 13th century, from destruction by terrorists loyal to Al Qaeda in the 1980s.

Today, which librarians will step up to save us, who will conspire to preserve our intellectual heritage?

Who will protect our children from the philistines?

Today, the fate of our democracy depends upon an educated citizenry rising to defend America against anti-democratic, anti-intellectual authoritarianism.

Then, perhaps, we can save America from slipping away in the people's blood.

Robert Azzi, a photographer and writer who lives in Exeter, can be reached at theother.azzi@gmail.com. His columns are archived at theotherazzi.wordpress.com.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: American Democracy is slipping away in the people's blood
Baltimore police were investigating several incidents of gun violence this weekend, including a quadruple shooting in West Baltimore on Friday.

Police said that at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, they found three people  a 50-year-old woman and two men, ages 33 and 46  shot in the 1800 block of West Lafayette Avenue. About 20 minutes later, a 21-year-old woman walked into a hospital with a gunshot wound.

The 21-year-old woman had been driving when she was shot, police said. All the victims injuries were non-life-threatening.

In an incident Friday afternoon, a 20-year-old man walked into a hospital, where he talked to Baltimore County officers. According to police, the man told them he was shot on Monument Street in the city, but did not give an exact location. City detectives are now investigating, police said.

Police said they also were investigating the death of a 35-year-old man who was found in a Charles Village home Saturday morning.

Officers went to the home in the 2700 block of Maryland Avenue just after 7 a.m. for a shooting report, they said. The man, whose name was not released, had suffered an apparent gunshot wound and was pronounced dead.

Later Saturday, a man was injured in a shooting shortly before 3 p.m. in the 2500 block of Washington Boulevard, police said. They did not provide his age.

Then, at about 5 p.m., officers found a male victim who had been shot in the 1900 block of Ramsay Street, police said. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. Police have not released his name or age.
As a young woman straps on her vest and headset and becomes immersed in a virtual world, Mainak Chaudhuri talks excitedly about the potential of the technology.

"This is the first step towards the metaverse," Chaudhuri of French start-up Actronika told AFP at this week's VivaTech trade show in Paris.

The vest can give users the sensation of being buffeted by the wind or even feel a monster's breath on their back, and it can be used to enhance movie watching, education or gaming.

It is a family-friendly vision of the 3D immersive internet, now widely known as the metaverse, and sits well with some interactive experiences already widely available for children -- like virtual trips to museums.

But campaigners and experts are increasingly warning that the wider ecosystem needs to start acting on child safety to ensure the benign vision is realised.

"The biggest challenge is kids are getting exposed to content that is not intended for them," said Kavya Pearlman, whose NGO XR Safety Initiative campaigns to ensure immersive technology will be safe for everyone.

The problems she envisages range from children being exposed to sexual and violent material, to worries over young people being used as content creators or having inappropriate contact with adults.

Even though the metaverse has not yet been widely adopted and the technology is still in development, early users have already brought to light serious issues.

One woman's allegation that her avatar was sexually assaulted in the metaverse sparked global outrage.

Worries about the future of the technology have only grown as the economic opportunities have become clearer.

- 'Colossal' money -

Metaverse-linked investments topped $50 billion last year, according to research firm McKinsey, which predicts the figure could more than double this year.

"We're talking about absolutely colossal amounts of money, that's three times more than the investment in artificial intelligence in 2017," McKinsey partner Eric Hazan told AFP.

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Chief among the investors is tech giant Meta, which owns the likes of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

The firm has already rolled out measures to give parents more control over the content their children interact with while using VR headsets.

Meta and many of its competitors market immersive products with a lower age limit of 13 -- though it is widely accepted that younger children will use the tech.

Pearlman raises a broader concern that very little is known about the possible effects on young people's development.

"Organisations have not yet validated these experiences from a scientific perspective," she said.

"Yet they are allowing kids to be exposed to these new technologies, practically experimenting on children's developing brains."

The metaverse has shifted the paradigm, according to Valentino Megale, a neuropharmacologist who researches the issue.

While the public has so far merely consumed what others have created, in the metaverse "we are going to be part of the digital content", he said.

"This makes everything that we experience in that world more compelling," he told the RightsCon digital rights conference last week, adding that it was particularly true for children.

Experts worry that the industry needs scrutiny before the rot sets in.

- 'Ethical basis' -

The solution, they argue, is to make sure the builders of these new virtual worlds instil child protection measures into the ethos of their work.

In other words, each piece of software and hardware should be constructed on the understanding that children might use it and will need safeguarding.

"We are potentially going to have a huge impact on their behaviour, their identity, their emotions, their psychology in the exact moment when they are forming their personality," said Megale.

"You need to provide an ethical basis and safety by design from the beginning."

One of the most controversial areas of product design is the kind of suit that will allow users to feel all sorts of sensations -- even pain.

Such suits are already being manufactured, simulating pain through electric shocks.

The products are intended for military or other professional training.

Chaudhuri said the products developed by his firm Actronika use vibrations rather than electric shocks and were perfectly safe for anyone to use.

"We're about engaging the audience and not necessarily doing a real-time firefighting scenario or a battlefield scenario," he said.

"We don't cause pain."

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It would be poetic that Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges only surviving opera is called LAmant anonyme (The Anonymous Lover) if it werent so tragic.

In life, Bologne was nothing short of a Parisian celebrity, an 18th-century Renaissance man equally accomplished in the fields of music, fencing and war. After his death in 1799, however, Bologne himself was scrubbed into anonymity, an omission not only racist  Bologne was the son of a Senegalese woman and her enslaver, a white French nobleman  but politically calculated. Despite his own egalitarian politics, Bologne was an aristocrat with the misfortune of living through the French Revolution. He was eventually imprisoned, exiled and barred from rejoining the French military.

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Luckily, Bolognes legacy has always been made of tougher stuff. His music has been recorded in fits and starts for decades, but its recent resurgence is on another level entirely.

Take Haymarket Opera Companys LAmant anonyme as a local data point. Despite the overtures seeming ubiquity this past season, Bolognes 1780 opera had never been heard in Chicago in its entirety until Haymarkets Juneteenth weekend run at DePauls handsome new Jarvis Opera Hall. (South Shore Opera Company had intended to present the Chicago premiere in 2020; we need not say what happened next.)

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LAmant anonymes addition to the Haymarket repertoire may be overdue, but its no less apt. Occasionally cutesy and nearly always goofy, Bolognes opera comique taps the confectionary spirit of other obscure light operas given Chicago premieres by the period company over the years, musical and dramatic performance conventions of the period, as always, dutifully observed by music director Craig Trompeter and director and choreographer Sarah Edgar.

Bolognes plot is the stuff of rom-coms: Valcour (tenor Geoffrey Agpalo) pines for his friend Leontine (soprano Nicole Cabell), who has been single since the death of her good-for-nothing, philandering husband. Politesse keeps Valcour from formally petitioning for Leontines affections, so instead, he writes her flaming, unsigned love letters to gauge her interest in taking a new beau. The ruse reveals, both to their mutual friends and to Leontine herself, that she can only stomach getting married again if its to Valcour.

Think She Loves Me or Youve Got Mail, but instead of a business rival your reluctant crush is your attractive, aloof best friend.

Like Bolognes surviving instrumental music, LAmant anonyme sparkles with virtuosic flair, here and there flouting Classical conventions in structure and phrasing. But as a stage work, LAmant anonyme tells us little about the kind of dramatist Bologne was, because the half-dozen or so other points of comparison he wrote are lost to time. We cant say for certain whether LAmant anonyme is his strongest work, and its certainly flawed: The opera flags noticeably in its second act, burdened by undue redundancies and an anticlimactic minor-key love confession scored, inexplicably, for the central lovers and Valcours wingman, Ophemon (bass-baritone David Govertsen).

But Haymarket gave as delightful a production of this neglected bonbon as one could imagine. It helped that the small-but-mighty company landed another impressive casting get in Cabell, a head-and-shoulders standout as the conflicted Leontine. Cabell expertly, convincingly shaded her radiant soprano so that we never forgot that Leontine, unlike many of 18th century operas leading ingenues, has already loved and lost. She also elucidated Bolognes sometimes vexing vocal writing for the role, her voice thrilling to the high Cs rolled into unexpected moments with the easy panache of an improvisation.

Its not easy to stand shoulder to shoulder with a star like Cabell, but Chicago native Agpalo was more than suited for the task. He brought a hall-filling, bel canto sensibility to the ardent Valcour, his tenor plush, fluid, and lip-smackingly sweet.

A Haymarket regular, Govertsen lent depth and dapperness to Ophemon, portrayed here as a good-natured provincial noble and jovial conspirator in Valcours scheme. Govertsens voice is commanding by default, but in LAmant anonyme he especially shone as a simpatico duo and trio partner, his bass-baritone shifting through an impressive palette of hues and opacities.

As one-half of the peasant couple, other company stalwart Erica Schuller didnt quite take that cue, her effervescent soprano well-suited for Jeannettes coloratura spotlights but overpowering in ensemble settings. Called upon to participate in some of the productions ballet interludes, Schuller and tenor Michael St. Peter  endearingly earnest as Jeannettes fiance Colin  impressively took on Edgars lively, charming choreography with grace and poise.

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But if Haymarket is guilty of any casting misstep here, its giving luminous soprano Nathalie Colas seldom opportunities to shine. Dorothee, Leontines confidant, was originally conceived as a non-singing role; at the very least, Haymarkets original edition of the score, compiled by Gregg Sewell, tacks her to choruses at beginning and end.

Trompeters direction in the pit gave a fresh face to Bolognes two-and-a-half-century-old opera, especially his richly textured, tenuto-embracing take on the overture. Only a few moments called out for more variety in tempo and transitions, like the transition from the final ballet into the concluding chorus. The Haymarket orchestra sounded especially Technicolor in the Jarvis Hall pit, with feather-down woodwinds and zestily shapeshifting strings. But some of the operas most triumphal moments were seriously pockmarked by the orchestras valveless natural horns, stubbornly untunable on Saturday.

Commitment to period-appropriate details  like those shaky yet era-specific natural horns  is an unalienable Haymarket signature. Its also behind some of the more mouth-wateringly sumptuous details in this LAmant anonyme, like Wendy Waszut-Barretts awe-inspiring hand-painted sets and Stephanie Cluggishs intricate costuming, perched at the intersection of historical fidelity and whimsy.

But its fair to question whether the creative teams decision to place the action in Bolognes own milieu, 1780-ish France, was inspired or simply convenient. We can only assume that in Haymarkets LAmant anonyme, the French Revolution that would end Bolognes fortunes, and by extension his life, is just a decade away. That makes the operas denouement  in which the peasant Colin and Jeannette not only extend nuptial blessings to Leontine and Valcour but gladly share a double-wedding with the feudal couple  brow-quirkingly conspicuous.

Maybe its naive. Maybe its quaint. Maybe its even aspirational. In some ways, LAmant anonymes final contredanse brokers a class truce Bologne never lived to see.

But I suspect Haymarkets Lamant anonyme didnt set out to levy poignant sociopolitical commentary. Quite the opposite. This was pure, frothy escapism, a divertissement in the truest sense for those lucky attendees of Haymarkets sold-out run. And thats a declaration Ill gladly sign my name to.

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Through June 19 at Jarvis Opera Hall, Holtschneider Performance Center at DePaul University; www.haymarketopera.org

Hannah Edgar is a freelance writer.

The Rubin Institute for Music Criticism helps fund our classical music coverage. The Chicago Tribune maintains complete editorial control over assignments and content.
Before his trip to Ukraine Ben Stiller met Ukrainian refugees in Poland

Read also: James Bond director Fukunaga does volunteer work in Ukraine

Earlier reports said Stiller met with Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

Angelina Jolie, who also is one of the UNs goodwill ambassadors, visited Lviv back in April.

Jolie arrived in Lviv on April 30 and was spotted in one of the citys cafes. She visited Ukrainian children, who were injured in the Russian missile strike at the Kramatorsk train station, and spoke with internally displaced Ukrainians at Lvivs railway station.

Read also: Metallica raises $1 million to help Ukrainian refugees

In her official statement, Jolie said she was deeply impressed by the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people.
No matter your schedule this summer, if you're hoping to get farm-fresh eggs and produce, locally made desserts and Iowa handcrafted goods, there are plenty of places to find farmers markets around the metro. Here is the ultimate guide to this summer's markets.

In the historic Olde Town area of Altoona, producers and other vendors gather for this Thursday night market.

When: Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. from June through September

Where: Olde Town, Second Street N.E., Altoona

More than 40 vendors are selling at the Beaverdale Farmers Market this season. Stop by on Tuesdays to find vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, soap, baked goods, jams, coffee, candles and more. Vendors like Pie Bird Pies, Mactopia and Sook's Korean Kitchen also serve prepared foods.

The market participates in the Double Up Food Bucks program; bring your SNAP EBT card to the market information booth to participate. WIC and SNAP benefits are also accepted at some vendors.

When: Tuesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. from June 7 through Sept. 13

Where: Franklin Junior High School west parking lot, 4801 Franklin Ave., Des Moines

Rain or shine, Bondurant's market is open every Wednesday. It's a great place to find local producers and makers such as The Eggroll Ladies, sip sangria from The Whimsical Wine Trailer and listen to live music.

When: Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m., May through October

Where: 201 Main St. S.E, Bondurant

On Tuesday afternoons all summer, soak in the beautiful State Capitol view while browsing local vendors for produce, eggs and more. SNAP, EBT and Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers are accepted by some vendors.

When: Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 14 through Sept. 27

Where: Capitol Complex, Des Moines Street, Des Moines

Running since 2008, the Dallas Center Farmers Market spotlights area produce growers and arts and crafts vendors. If you have interest in being a vendor, reach out to Nadine Stille at 515-468-5720.

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When: Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m., from the first Friday of June through September

Where: Mound Park, 601 Percival Ave., Dallas Center

Juggler Luther Bangert of Iowa City performs a juggling routine as market goers make their way along Court Avenue during the opening day of the 2022 Downtown Farmers' Market in Des Moines.

Des Moines' largest farmers market runs every Saturday morning with rotating live performers and 275 vendors spanning Second Avenue through Fifth Street along the historic Court Avenue District. Many vendors participate in the Farmers Market Nutrition Program for seniors and WIC recipients and SNAP EBT sales.

When: Saturdays 7 a.m. to noon from May through September, then 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays in October

Where: Court Avenue between Second Avenue and Fifth Street, Des Moines

Global Greens, run by Lutheran Services in Iowa, supports former refugees building their farming businesses in central Iowa. The Global Greens Farmers Market is a great place to find produce less commonly grown around Iowa. SNAP EBT, WIC and Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program checks are all acceptable forms of payment across the market.

When: Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from May 14 through October

Where: 3200 University Ave., Des Moines

Grimes Farmers Market

Kick off the weekend with the Grimes Farmers Market. This market has more than 20 vendors and live musicians with a mix of crafts, produce, ready-to-eat foods and other local goods.

When: Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. July through August

Where: Grimes Public Library parking lot, 200 N. James St., Grimes

The River Bend community's Heart of Des Moines Farmers Market is woman- and farmer-run. On the first day of the market, organizers have planned a bike giveaway for children (registration required online. Find produce grown right in the community as well as eggs, bread and ready-to-eat treats.

When: Second Saturday of the month from 4 to 7 p.m. from June through October

Where: Sixth Street and Washington Avenue, Des Moines

Berries by the pound at the Indianola Farmers Market

The Indianola Farmers Market touts plenty of seasonal fruits and vegetables, eggs, baked goods, homemade jams, dog toys and more.

When: Saturdays 8 a.m. to noon from June 4 through Oct. 29 and Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. from June 6 through Sept. 14

Where: Warren County Fairgrounds, Highway 92, Indianola

Etta Perisho, of Ankeny, purchases goods at the Johnston Farmers Market.

The Johnston Farmers Market is an afternoon celebration with food trucks and live music each Tuesday. Vendors sell produce, baked goods and more, and proceeds from the market benefit the Johnston Residential Tree Program.

When: Tuesdays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., May 31 through Oct. 11

Where: Johnston Town Center, 6245 Merle Hay Road, Johnston

You'll find everything you need for a great meal at the Norwalk. Farmers Market. Local vendors sell produce, honey, chicken and duck eggs, homemade dips and dressings, wood furniture, fresh flowers, goat milk soap, coffee and more.

When: Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. from May through October

Where: Norwalk Christian Church parking lot, 701 Main St., Norwalk

The Uptown Farmers' Market is host to vendors of seasonal produce, baked goods, specialty food item, perennial plants and crafts.

When: Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon from May 21 through Sept. 24, closed July 9

Where: Ankeny Market & Pavilion Park, 715 W. First St., Ankeny

Stroll through historical Valley Junction on Thursdays for street performances and plenty of delicious treats and produce. Shoppers using the SNAP program can purchase tokens that can be used to purchase eligible products at participating vendors, and this market participates in the Double Up Food Bucks program.

When: Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. through Sept. 29

Where: 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Fifth Street, West Des Moines

Hosted by VegLife Des Moines, the Vegan Summer Market Series is completely free of animal products and showcases local vegan growers and businesses. The VegLife booth is planning to bring back its popular rummage sale, so if you have vegan-related clothes or household items you'd like to get rid of, consider donating them.

When: May 22, June 26, July 17, Aug. 14 and Sept. 18 from noon to 3 p.m.

Where: Cowles Commons, 221 Walnut St., Des Moines

Waukee lights up every Wednesday afternoon with live music, food and local vendors at this market. New and returning vendors include Marissa Kay Apothecary, Happy Life Greens and B's Dough Co. Gourmet Mini Donuts.

When: Wednesdays from 4 to 7 p.m. from June 1 through Sept. 28

Where: Triangle Park, Ashworth Drive and Sixth Street, Waukee

Elle Wignall covers dining for the Register. Reach her at ewignall@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ElleWignallDMR.

Correction: This list inadvertently included a farmers market from outside the Des Moines area. It has been removed.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Where to find farmers markets in the Des Moines metropolitan area
Black business owners gathered in Roseland on Saturday to celebrate Juneteenth with a pop-up event that included food, music and a raffle.

Racquel J. Bradley, owner of Bradley Urban Solutions, planned the event at Ten3, an event space at 619 E 103rd St.

She wanted to plan an event to celebrate Juneteenth and said a business pop-up made sense as a way to promote generational wealth and entrepreneurship in the Black community.

Weve always spent our money outside of our community and we need to start spending more money inside (our communities), she said. The things that we are spending our money on we can make. We have talented people.

Bradleys business offers a wide range of services, from selling food to planning events and themed parties and travel planning.

After working for 17 years at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago, Bradley decided all of her hard work that was going toward building and maintaining someone elses business should go toward building her own. She left the hospital to focus on her own ventures, which until then had been side jobs.

Becoming a business owner has brought her freedom, Bradley said.

If youre gonna put that much work into somebody else and helping them succeed and go further and making sure everything is done for them, why cant you do that for yourself? Bradley said. Its wonderful.

Saturdays event was Bradleys first time planning a business pop-up. And while she doesnt think its something shell do again, she said it was good to see what other Black entrepreneurs, most from Chicagos South Side, are doing and to be able to support one another.

Bradley also said its important for Black families to build generational wealth and for business owners to show and teach their kids that they can own their own business someday.

At the pop-up, children sat alongside their parents at booths and some played basketball or tossed a football around outside.

Business owners sold mixed drinks, cigars, detox teas and other natural products, candles, clothes and waist beads.

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Tameka Short, went to the event to support Bradley, but she walked out with several other products, including sangria and waist beads. It was nice to see everybody out celebrating Juneteenth, she said.

I just came to support, Short said, adding that she often tried to support Black-owned businesses.

Feyi Sangoleyle is Nigerian, and waist beads are part of her culture, she said. About four years ago, she learned how to make the beads.

After she saw how the beads helped her feel more confident while on a weight loss journey, she decided to start selling them to help other women feel that same confidence, she said.

She tried using a scale to measure her weight loss, but it fluctuated a lot, leaving her discouraged. The beads helped her fall in love with her body no matter what it looked like and helped her track changes by noting the tightness of the strand of beads around her waist.

You really cant take care of yourself if you dont love yourself, she said.

The beads take about 30 minutes to make after she decides what colors and how intricate the patterns will be.

At the event, several other entrepreneurs wore the waist beads as they shopped around buying products from one another and networking.

Sangoleye said a business pop-up is a great way to celebrate Juneteenth because it showcases Black culture.

Weve always been entrepreneurs. Its just a part of us. Weve got the hustle culture down. Weve got the wanting to build our communities, build ourselves, build generational wealth just ingrained, she said. I think Juneteenth is just a way to celebrate the people that we already are.

Katrina Thacker, owner of Nzuri Kulture, makes soy candles, oils and other natural wellness products, many tied to balancing chakras. Shes also a Reiki Master who does energy healing, she said.

Thacker started selling her products when the pandemic started, after her business that sold sweet treats for parties slowed down when people stopped hosting parties.

She said celebrating entrepreneurship is a great way to celebrate Juneteenth because at one point, Black people werent allowed to own anything.

It is definitely liberating to be able to have your own brand, she said. And be able to, for myself, create my own product and be able to stand behind the product that I offer.
Bryce Dallas Howard, and Seth Gabel attend the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Cocktail Reception at The Shrine Expo Hall on 29 January 2017 (Getty Images)

Bryce Dallas Howard is marking her 16thwedding anniversary with a sweet tribute to her husband, Seth Gabel.

TheJurassic World star gushed about Gabel in the Instagram post, which she shared with her 2.4 million followers.

Howard, 41, posted a photograph of herself wearing a patterned belted maxi dress with long sleeves as she gazed lovingly at Gabel, 40, who smiled at the camera while wearing a beige jacket over a blue shirt and dark blue jeans.

She wrote in the caption: Seth Gabel, we celebrate 16 years of marriage today and I am more in love with you now than ever. Happy Anniversary. Love, Your Wife.

Although Gabel, who stars in the TV series Fringe, did not post an anniversary tribute, he is no stranger to making sweet posts about his wife.

On her birthday in March, he shared a photograph of the red-headed actor and said: Look at this angel. Mother of my children. Light of my life. Its her birthday today. Happy birthday baby girl.

The couple met at New York University and began dating in 2001. They married on 17 June 2006 and share two children, 15-year-old son Theodore Normal Howard-Gabel, and 10-year-old daughter Beatrice Jean Howard-Gabel.

Howard, who is the daughter of film director Ron Howard, opened up about falling in love with Gabel in a 2011 interview with The Guardian.

She said: The second I saw him on campus at New York University I broke into hives. That night I wrote in my journal: Today I met the man that Im going to marry.

But although it was love at first sight for Howard, Gabel took some time to become interested romantically in her.

I pursued him for months and months, and there was no interest, she said. Then I called him at an insane hour of the night and asked him out for coffee.

He agreed, we went out and he called one of our friends afterwards and said: The tables have turned. I am so nervous she doesnt like me anymore and I really like her!

Howard has also spoken candidly about experiencing postnatal depression following the birth of her first child in 2007.

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She wrote in Goop about feeling nothing when her son was handed to her after the birth.

Postpartum depression is hard to describe  the way the body and mind and spirit fracture and crumble in the wake of what most believe should be a celebratory time, she said.

The danger of being silent means only that others will suffer in silence and may never be able to feel whole because of it.
A memorial for the 22 people that died in a mass shooting in Portapique, Nova Scotia. Tim Krochak/Getty Images

In April 2020, 22 people were killed in Portapique, Nova Scotia.

The Mass Casualty Commission determined police made crucial errors that cost numerous lives.

The commission was created after criticism from victims' family members about how police handled the event.

A public inquiry into Canada's worst mass shooting has revealed fatal mistakes by police.

In April 2020, amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns, 22 people were killed in Portapique, Nova Scotia, by 51-year-old denturist Gabriel Wortman. An investigation led by an independent public inquiry, also known as the Mass Casualty Commission determined Canada's national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, made errors that cost people's lives.

The shootings took place in the rural community of Portapique, and the communities of Wentworth, Debert, and Enfield, Nova Scotia.

Mistakes ranged from officers accidentally shooting at a fire station in their attempts to stop Wortman, to the RCMP notifying the public on Twitter and Facebook that there was a mass shooting instead of issuing a province-wide alert.

According to Vice News, police initially thought Wortman had died or was hiding in the immediate area after he killed multiple people. During this time he drove hundreds of miles to an area an hour outside the province's capital.

The only reason Wortman was eventually shot and killed was due to a chance encounter with police while filling up the gas tank of a stolen car.

Saltwire reported that at one of the commission testimonies, Dave MacNeil, chief of the Truro Police Service said "there had to be a lot of catastrophic failures for this guy to be on the loose for 13 hours, driving through Nova Scotia."

The commission was created in response to public criticism from victims' family members about the RCMP's response. It is expected to continue its investigation in the coming months and have a final report ready by November.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A judge has dismissed cannibalism charges against an Idaho man who was accused of killing, mutilating and microwaving the remains of an elderly man.

James David Russell, 40, will no longer face cannibalism charges in the suspected killing of David Milton Flaget last year, according to newly filed court documents, Spokane news outlet KXLY reported.

First District Magistrate Judge Tera Harden ruled at a preliminary hearing on Monday that there wasnt enough evidence to proceed with said charges against Russell.

Russell will still face first-degree murder charges and mayhem charges in Flagets death, according to prosecutors. He was first arrested in September 2021.

Flaglets mutilated body was discovered inside his vehicle at his family property in Clark, Idaho on Sept. 10, 2021. He was completely nude from his waist down, apart from a pair of black socks, and wrapped in plastic, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Oxygen.com.

His body showed postmortem removal of the penis, scrotum, both testicles and flesh of the outer right thigh, charging documents stated.

The next day, a search warrant was executed at Russells second-story apartment, where additional tissue, consistent with the flesh was allegedly found in and around the apartment  including in a bloody microwave  during authorities' search.

An autopsy revealed that Flaget died from blunt force trauma to the head and neck, according to the Spokane Medical Examiners Office.

The medical examiner also found that Russell had possibly microwaved portions of Flagets remains, charging documents stated. Forensic testing confirmed Flagets DNA was present in a bowl in Russells dwelling, but several body parts  including the elderly mans penis, part of his scrotum, one testicle and the tissue from his right thigh  were never found by law enforcement.

Evidence inside the apartment indicates portions of the flesh removed from David Flaget were placed in a glass bowl and microwaved, the cases probable cause statement affidavit alleged.

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Officials also say Russell left a disturbing voice message on a relatives phone on the same day Flagets remains were recovered.

Sorry I might be a little sensitive  some sort of food I ate, Russell allegedly said in a voicemail sent to his uncles phone, charging documents alleged.

According to prosecutors, Russell had allegedly believed eating human flesh could cure his brain.

"It is my intention to prosecute Mr. Russell to the full extent of the law and to bring some level of justice for David Flaget's family," Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall told Oxygen.com in a statement in December.

Last year, Russells siblings  who had admitted him to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation  also disclosed to San Diego investigators that the Idaho man wanted to cut chunks of his skin off with a knife in order to cure his brain.

Russell is being held at a Bonner County detention facility, according to online jail records obtained by Oxygen.com. His arraignment is set for June 21 in district court, according to court records.

Sean Walsh, Russell's attorney, wasn't immediately available for comment when contacted by Oxygen.com on Friday.
Cathie Woods Ark Invest says a coming 'worker backlash' could see Zoom skyrocket 1,263% by 2026

Zoom Video Communications (ZM) was one of the hottest stocks during the early days of the pandemic  but not anymore.

Shares have plunged 38% year to date. Over the last 12 months, theyre down a painful 68%.

But Cathie Woods Ark Invest sees a glorious revival in the not-too-distant future.

According to ARKs open-source research and model, Zooms share price could approach $1,500, compounding at a 76% annual growth rate, in 2026, Woods team wrote in a research report last week.

Considering that Zoom shares trade at $110 apiece right now, the projection implies a potential upside of 1,263%.

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Eager to escape the dismal stock market? Unfortunately, cash is not a safe investment, says Ray Dalio, founder of the worlds largest hedge fund. Its not a safe place because it will be taxed by inflation. With the consumer price index hitting a 40-year high of 8.6% in May, youll need to get creative to find strong returns.

Hybrid work is here to stay

When meetings and classes moved online due to the pandemic, Zooms business flourished.

But as the economy reopened and employees started going back to the office, there have been concerns about the growth potential of this video communications company.

Ark Invest, however, doesnt see the hybrid work environment going away.

Although a perceived decline in the severity of COVID-19 influenced many firms to reopen offices and reinstate 100% in-office mandates, which lowered the penetration of hybrid/remote working models to 66%, we believe that knowledge worker backlash and talent shortages will compel employers to adopt more flexible arrangements.

Ark Invest predicts that by 2026, 75% of all global knowledge workers will participate in hybrid/remote working models, up from 51% in 2021.

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Zooms opportunity

As one of the leading providers of video communications software, Zoom is solidly positioned for this trend.

Ark Invests mean projection suggests that the number of Zoom users will grow at a compound annual rate of 7%, from 212 million to 291 million by 2026. At the same time, the firm sees substantial improvement in Zooms ability to monetize its user base.

Our mean projection assumes that the majority of Zooms users are enterprise customers, and that 50% of the total Zoom user base is paying by 2026.

That $1,500 figure is the expected value of Zoom stock based on Arks simulations, but its not the only number worth noting. Ark Invest also provided bull and bear scenarios for the company.

Based on Arks Monte Carlo analysis, there is a 25% probability that Zoom could be worth $700 per share or less and a 25% probability that it could be worth $2,000 per share or more in 2026.

Considering where Zoom shares are trading at right now, even the bearish scenario implies plenty of upside ahead.

Not the only bull on the street

Ark Invests bullish call on Zoom is reflected in its holdings.

At the time of this writing, Zoom is the largest holding at Arks flagship fund Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK), accounting for 10.2% of the funds weight. Its also the No. 1 holding at Ark Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) with an 8.7% weighting.

But Ark Invest isnt the only firm that sees potential in the company.

Last month, Morgan Stanley analyst Meta Marshall reiterated an overweight rating on Zoom, saying that Zoom is a name where investors need to search hard for a reason to not own it. Marshalls price target of $140 is about 24% above where the stock sits today.

Meanwhile, RBC Capital Markets analyst Rishi Jaluria has an outperform rating on Zoom and a price target of $150.

What to read next

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Baby receiving vaccine vgajic/iStock

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed on Saturday an advisory committee's recommendation that the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines be approved for children aged six months to five years, CBS News reported.

CDC approval was the final step in getting shots into toddlers' arms after the Food and Drug Administration authorized COVID vaccines for kids on Friday.

The CDC said in a statement that "all Americans ages 6 months and older are now eligible for vaccination" and that "[a]ll children, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated."

The Moderna vaccine will be given to young children in the form of two quarter-strength injections one month apart, while the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be administered in three doses  each one-tenth the strength of those given to adults  over 11 weeks.

Most parents don't seem particularly eager to get their tots vaccinated. A poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that only 18 percent of parents with children under five planned to vaccinate their kids as soon as possible.

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Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Handout/Anadolu Agency via GettyRussia fired a series of rockets at a shopping center in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on Monday, raising fears that Russia is stepping up its attacks on civilian structures regardless of the loss of life.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday there were more than a thousand civilians inside the shopping mall and the casualties to come might bring even more shock and horror to Ukrainian people already confronting so much deat
Jun. 18Joel Dahmen lost ground in the third round of the U.S. Open, but he had plenty of company.

Dahmen and some of golf's biggest stars felt the wrath of gusty winds and firmer greens Saturday at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The good news for Dahmen? Only a small number of players handled the unforgiving conditions and the Clarkston native remains within striking range, just three behind co-leaders Will Zalatoris, who had the day's low score with a 3-under 67, and Matt Fitzpatrick (68).

Defending champion Jon Rahm (71) made double bogey on No. 18 and slipped one shot behind the leaders. Scottie Scheffler (71), first-round leader Adam Hadwin (70) and Keegan Bradley (69) are two off the lead.

"I knew it was going to be hard. I didn't know it was going to be that hard," said Dahmen, who wasn't able to wear his customary bucket hat due to the breezy conditions. "The wind flipped, made some of the easy holes really hard, and the first four holes were brutal. Then (on) the back, a lot of those hard holes got a little bit easier, as well. I wouldn't say it was a wash. It was way harder today."

The busiest folks on the property were those in charge of updating leaderboards. Seven players held at least a share of the lead. Only seven managed to break par. Nine players are under par after 54 holes.

Dahmen, 34, found his footing late on the front nine. He'll carry some momentum into Sunday after making pars on the last 10 holes to close out a 4-over 74, but he'll be in chase mode after sharing the second-round lead with Collin Morikawa. Dahmen, Sam Burns (71) and Rory McIlroy (73) share seventh place.

Dahmen's best chance at a birdie came when he used the slope behind the flag on No. 18 to hit his approach within 10 feet. His putt drifted just right of the cup.

Still, his final 10 holes looked quite a bit like his first 36, packed with solid ball-striking, other than a few shaky wedges. He hit 10 of 14 fairways but struggled on the greens. The first hole was indicative of what was to come as he three-putted from 40 feet.

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Dahmen bogeyed the par-4 fourth after hitting the fairway. The same thing happened on the par-4 seventh. He was in great position after two shots on the par-5 eighth, but his wedge didn't clear the green's false front and he eventually missed a five-footer for par. That was his fourth bogey, matching his total from his first 36 holes.

"My putter just wasn't great and I didn't chip it very well," Dahmen said. "I drove it well and hit my long irons. Hit my wedges poor (and) that led to a couple bogeys and a couple three-putts, but I'm comfortable. My game is right there. I've proven I can hang with these guys. If I get off to a good start (Sunday), it's going to be really fun. That's the goal."

Dahmen avoided the big numbers that dropped playing partner Morikawa and Scheffler from the top spot. Scheffler, No. 1 in the world rankings, raced into first place at 6 under after holing out from 102 yards for eagle on No. 8. His two-shot lead melted away in two holes. He trailed by four shots after a double bogey on No. 11 and three consecutive bogeys.

Morikawa had two double bogeys and shot 77, fading from a tie for first to a share of 17th.
Comparing a Pulitzer Prize-winning work that many consider to be the best American play of the latter half of the 20th century to the work of a supporting character within the realm of fantasy cable TV, where you never quite know who wrote what, might seem absurd. But Belize and Lafayette were built from the same architecture and Ellis' Lafayette lived large through many seasons of populist television. He was, you might say, the Belize of the people.
Jun. 18A Norman City Councilor met with Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce officials to ask the department to consider the plight of residents who will be impacted by the state's turnpike expansion plans.

Ward 5 Rarchar Tortorello met Thursday with the chamber's Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs Emily Crouch and Vice President of Membership Development Stephanie Snyder in the hope that the chamber would carefully consider the impacts to businesses and homeowners that the ACCESS Oklahoma plan will have on chamber members and Norman residents.

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority announced plans in February that it would construct two toll roads in Norman, including one in east Norman in the Lake Thunderbird watershed.

The Transcript asked chamber officials if Tortorello's concerns would be passed along to members and if it intended to endorse the ACCESS plan.

CEO Carla Schaeperkoetter declined to answer the newspaper's questions or comment on the meeting.

The Transcript asked chamber director Chad Warmington on May 25 in an email if the chamber would endorse or decline to take a position on ACCESS, but he did not respond.

Tortorello's ward is by far the most affected by the turnpike plan. Residents have hurled two lawsuits against the OTA over allegations of Open Meeting Act violations, failure to adhere to proper bond procedures, and that it lacks authorization in state law.

"I don't know how many chamber members are going to be affected by the turnpike," Tortorello said. "I'm not sure if they're going to stand up or if they'll remain the silent majority because it helps Oklahoma overall. In your heart, I would have to, if I was a chamber member and my life, my home, my legacy was affected, I would stand up and say, 'Hey maybe we need to rethink this.'"

The Transcript obtained the recording of a state chamber webinar in April that featured Oklahoma Transportation Secretary Tim Gatz and OTA Deputy Director Joe Echelle. Both officials presented the ACCESS plan to state chamber members, which was a review of the proposed new routes and improvements to existing toll roads.

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According to a website for Driving Forward  a 2016 turnpike plan that saw new toll roads constructed on the east and west sides of Oklahoma City  the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce endorsed the $892 million plan. An endorsement from the state chamber did not appear on the website.

Tortorello said the meeting was not an "adversarial" one, and that both officials seemed sympathetic.

While he said they didn't make any promises, his goal was to communicate the loss of sales tax, property tax revenue and displaced residents if the turnpike comes through Norman and communities to the south.

"My argument went to the fact that if they are promoting pro-business growth ideas, potentially losing the brain trust of the third-largest city  Norman  because they have to move most likely out of the state or county just doesn't make good business sense," he said. "It makes bad policy overall, because the state legislature and the OTA [leave us] with no voice. That's what the conversation revolved around."

Mindy Wood covers City Hall news and notable court cases for The Transcript. Reach her at mwood@normantranscript.com or 405-416-4420.
Police are investigating a shooting that happened in Dayton Sunday afternoon.

>> Crews investigating after man walks into Kettering Health Dayton with gunshot wound

According to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch, crews were called to investigate a shooting that happened in the area of Arlene Avenue and West Hillcrest Avenue shortly before 3 p.m.

Dispatch records indicate two gunshot victims walked into Grandview Medical Center. Details on the extent of their injuries were not immediately available.

News Center 7 is working to learn more and will continue updating this story.
Jun. 18Attorneys warned him against representing Matthew Queen.

Speculation hounded Queen regarding his involvement in the murder and disappearance of Bakersfield 3 members. But defense lawyer Timothy Hennessy said he disregarded the rumors and chose to stand by his client.

"My job was to get his side out there and to battle what the (Kern County District Attorney's Office) was suggesting he was," Hennessy said.

Queen was sentenced to 30 years to life plus 56 years for second-degree murder in the April 2018 death of Micah Holsonbake, 35, a member of the Bakersfield 3, which marked the conclusion of Bakersfield's most high-profile trial of the year.

Holsonbake, Baylee Despot and James Kulstad are members of the Bakersfield 3. The trio's mothers grouped them together to help them get answers about their deaths or disappearance. Despot, who was charged in Holsonbake's death and was Queen's ex-girlfriend, has been missing since April 2018. Kulstad died in an unrelated shooting around the same time.

Queen was charged with 34 felony counts, including first-degree murder, torture and kidnapping in Holsonbake's death. He was acquitted of these charges. Queen also faced eight charges related to assault incidents and 20 charges related to possessing and manufacturing firearms. Jurors returned with a split verdict regarding the assault incidents, but largely convicted him of weapons charges.

Hennessy has never spoken out about his client's case, which was the biggest and most complex case he said he has ever done. The Californian interviewed him to understand how the defense formulated its side of the story.

The Kern County District Attorney's Office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The defense

The Kern County Indigent Defense Program first assigned Queen's case to Hennessy around 2019 when his client was charged with possessing guns, Hennessy said. The attorney had left the Kern County Public Defender's Office and recently started his own practice.

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Other attorneys hesitated to take the case after local news frequently covered stories of Bakersfield 3 members, and the trio's mothers bombarded them after Queen's court dates, Hennessy added. Rumors circulated about Queen's involvement in Holsonbake's murder and Despot's disappearance, the defense attorney noted.

"He became the boogeyman in the media," Hennessy said.

But Hennessy noted he never watched news coverage of the Bakersfield 3. He said he believed Queen's story, which deviated from prosecutors' version, and that slowly allowed him to gain Queen's trust.

During an exclusive jailhouse interview with The Californian, Queen said he always liked Hennessy, and thought he was a good person. They both agreed the truth needed to be told, Queen added.

"He saw I was a person and not just another criminal," Queen said from inside the Lerdo Justice Facility on Wednesday.

Queen's connection to Holsonbake's death was confirmed in May 2020 after the District Attorney's Office announced murder charges against Queen. Hennessy said he did not expect these charges.

"I never thought I would be doing a Micah Holsonbake murder trial," Hennessy noted. "I thought this would be about Baylee (Despot) because that's all anyone wants to talk about."

Years of speculation preceded the murder trial's first day in April. Hennessy watched as reporters and the victim's family members piled into court and he felt the gravity of standing next to Queen. The defense attorney said he was the only one, outside of Queen, who knew the "truth."

"It's pretty intense," Hennessy said of the trial's first day. "It takes a lot to remind yourself of why you are there."

Pressure and tension melted away for Hennessy once prosecutor Eric Smith began questioning the first witness, Megan Farmer, a former friend of Despot. Queen was charged with two counts of threatening with intent to terrorize and one count of assault with a semi-automatic firearm in connection to Farmer. He was found guilty of two counts out of the three charges.

But the "truth," according to Hennessy and Queen, came after Hennessy called his client to testify. Queen was the only witness called by the defense during the trial.

On the stand, Queen testified that Holsonbake died in Queen's garage. Holsonbake had pointed a gun at Queen and a scuffle started. Despot dropped a 40-pound dumbbell on Holsonbake's head and killed him, Queen said. The pair then chopped up Holsonbake's body and scattered his remains around Kern County.

Holsonbake's complete body has not been found. His arm washed up from the Kern River in August 2018 and his skull was recovered from Lake Ming in August 2021.

Up until Queen testified, audience members and the public had only heard prosecutors say Holsonbake died after he was kidnapped, tortured and killed by Queen and Despot in a friend's garage.

Jurors ultimately acquitted Queen of first-degree murder, torture and kidnapping  a result that prompted a gasp from an audience member when the verdict was read.

Relief flooded Hennessy upon hearing the exoneration of first-degree murder and torture, he said. However, Queen was found guilty of second-degree murder.

"I'm not crazy," Hennessy said of being the only one who knows Queen's story. "I'm not alone."

Queen told The Californian he was not completely happy with the trial's outcome. He said he thought evidence should have been attacked and other witnesses should have testified. When pressed for the names of those witnesses, Queen said he was "not at liberty to say."

Hennessy maintains this case was not a victory  it only meant he will fight for his client. He didn't feel like a hero at the trial's conclusion and only felt relief.

A man was murdered and his body was indelicately handled, Hennessy said. He watched as mothers of the Bakersfield 3 cried in court during the trial.

"There is no moment of celebration," Hennessy said.

Ishani Desai can be reached at 661-395-7417. Follow her on Twitter: @_ishanidesai.
Marion County deputies are searching for a woman who was last seen on Saturday.

Deputies said Diane Adinolfi was last seen around 10 a.m. before leaving her home on Southeast 112th Street Road in Belleview.

Deputies said she is believed to be on foot. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt, blue shorts and carrying a red purse.

READ: Have you seen him? Family searches for missing Marion County man last seen a week ago

They said she is showing signs of early-onset dementia and has disappeared before.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call 911.

READ: Women say they were shot at while driving on I-4 in Volusia County

See a map of the area below.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Since the start of the year, Google has tried to publicly pressure Apple into adopting the GSMAs RCS messaging protocol. The search giants campaign has involved everything from not-so-subtle jabs at I/O 2022 to long Twitter threads from the head of Android. Now the feud has expanded to include Drake.

#TextsGoGreen hit us different, thats why we had to drop this unofficial lyric explainer video #GetTheMessage  pic.twitter.com/dPxt9yZjCG  Android (@Android) June 18, 2022

In a tweet spotted by 9to5Google, the Android Twitter account shared an unofficial lyric explainer video for Texts Go Green, the third song from the rappers latest album. The song features Drake singing about a toxic relationship. Both the title and chorus of Texts Go Green refer to what happens when an iPhone user blocks someone from contacting them through iMessage. The service defaults to SMS and the blacklisted individual will lose all the benefits of iMessage, including read receipts if the other person had them enabled previously.

Calling the song a real banger, Google says the phenomenon of green text bubbles is pretty rough for both non-iPhone users and anyone who gets blocked. If only some super talented engineering team at Apple would fix this, the company says in the video. Because this is a problem only Apple can fix. They just have to adopt RCS, actually.

The irony of Googles video is that doesnt accurately explain the meaning of Texts Go Green. In the context of the song, iMessages incompatibility with RCS is a comfort for Drake. Texts go green, it hits a little different, don't it? he sings. Know you miss the days when I was grippin' on it / Know you're in a house tonight just thinkin' on it / I moved on so long ago.

But, hey, whatever it takes for Apple to adopt RCS, right?
Eurovision fans are all making the same brutal request to James Corden.

On Friday (18 June), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) ruled that 2022 champions Ukraine would not be able to host the event due to the ongoing Russian invasion.

It said that it was starting discussions with the BBC about the UK hosting the event on the countrys behalf.

Now, many are wondering where in the UK the contest could be held, with several cities throwing their names in the ring.

The other question surrounds who would host the event. While it seems likely that Graham Norton will remain on commentating duties, it is unknown who could host the possible event/

One person that Eurovision fans would not like to host is James Corden, who is prepping a move back to the UK once he finishes his time on The Late Late Show in the US. In fact, after the announcement, many expressed their wish for him to stay away from the event on social media.

Is it too soon to start a petition to stop James Corden from hosting #Eurovision in the UK next year? one fan asked, with another adding: The only worrying thing about the UK hosting Eurovision is the potential for James Corden to host it.

Eurovision fans want James Corden to stay away from 2023 song contest (Getty Images)

The comments didnt stop there. Keep James Corden away from Eurovision, another urged, while one person wrote: This tweet concerns the organisers of Eurovision only: in case there was any doubt, we do NOT want James Corden to present Eurovision.

While it has not been confirmed that the UK will host the event, the BBC responded to the EBUs ruling, saying that it is open to discussions.
Casey Skudin, left, with his wife, Angela Skudin, during their visit to Asheville last week. Casey Skudin was killed June 17 after a tree fell on the family's car on the Biltmore Estate.

ASHEVILLE - The man killed June 17 after a tree fell on his SUV on the Biltmore Estate was a veteran New York City Fire Department firefighter, who had been celebrating his birthday and Fathers Day on a vacation to the mountains with his family.

Casey Skudin would have turned 46 on June 19, Jim Long, FDNY spokesperson, told the Citizen Times.

He was appointed to the FDNY in January 2006 and had 16 years of service, Long said of Skudin. He worked in the Rockaway area of Queens with Ladder 137.

He said Skudin was married to Angela Skudin and had two children.

Biltmore Estate spokesperson Marissa Jamison said an adult was killed the afternoon of June 17 on the entrance road after a tree fell during a windstorm, crashing down on a car containing three adults and one child, but she said she did not have the identification of the victims.

Initial coverage: Person killed on Biltmore Estate in Asheville after tree falls on car during 'high winds'

Angela Skudin posted about the tragedy on her Instagram account:

It is with great sadness that I announced the passing of my Rock, my partner of 20 years @cskudin you are so very loved and so missed..our family will be healing for eternity, she wrote, ending with a broken heart emoji.

Our entire family was involved in a freak accident in Asheville, NC where a tree fell on our SUV on day 2 of a family vacation to celebrate Caseys Birthday on Fathers Day. Our youngest has been hospitalized with mild injuries..our oldest son Ben & myself made it out with only a few scratchesplease hug your loved ones because I can guarantee you all that nothing is guaranteed.

From photos posted to her account, it appeared that the family had visited the Blue Ridge Parkway Asheville before the accident at Biltmore. Angela Skudin also posted photos of the car after the accident, showing it to be nearly totaled.

Related covera: 1 person dead, 3 critically injured in Pisgah National Forest after tree falls on cars

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Jamison said the tree came down on the car during a weather event involving high winds.

According to the National Weather Service, up to a tenth of an inch of rain fell during the storm, and wind gusts up to 40 mph were measured at the Asheville Regional Airport around 4:11 p.m. June 17.

Thats below 58 mph, which is what we consider severe level winds, said Clay Chaney, meteorologist with the NWS in Greer, South Carolina.

It could have been an outflow boundary ahead of the thunderstorm, produced by the thunderstorms that were crossing western Buncombe County, to help knock down the tree. The actual storm itself didnt hit the Biltmore Estate until about 4:05 p.m.

Buncombe County EMS and the Asheville Fire Department were the first responders on the scene, with assistance of Biltmore onsite teams. Three adults and one child were in the car and were transported to Mission Hospital. The accident resulted in fatal injuries to one adult, Jamison said in a statement June 18.

The Asheville Fire Department was dispatched to the scene at 3:45 p.m. June 17, after a 911 call came in at 3:44 p.m., said spokesperson Kelley Klope.

While she said she did not have the victims name, Klope said the victim had been the driver.

He had died before we arrived on the scene, she told the Citizen Times. He had succumbed to his injuries from the tree fall.

According to Long with the FDNY, Skudin was a decorated firefighter who was also a rescue surfer and lifeguard. In 2010, Skudin was awarded the Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal for his bravery in diving into the frigid ocean water in November 2009 during a rainstorm with wind gusts up to 39 mph to help rescue a surfer trapped underwater by his surfboard leash.

Skudin also held a degree in marine biology from UNC Wilmington, according to the FDNY.

Jamison said an investigation is underway but did not say which agency is investigating. Asheville Police Department spokesperson Bill Davis said Biltmore Police had responded to the accident and that the APD was not involved.

Angela Skudin ended her Instagram post:

My sweet bear I thank you for choosing me to be the love of your life..right now Im not sure how but with the love of this community we will move forward  thank you Long Beach New York, FDNY, Ashville FD for all the love & support.

Karen Chavez is Content Coach/Investigations Editor for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Tips? Call 828-712-6316, email, KChavez@CitizenTimes.com or follow on Twitter @KarenChavezACT.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Veteran FDNY firefighter killed by falling tree on Biltmore Estate
Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I women's swimming title in March. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

FINA's new policy requires trans competitors to complete their transition by 12. This ruling aims to establish an 'open' category for competitors. According to ESPN, the new policy requires transgender competitors to have completed their transition by the age of 12 to swim in a women's meet. Anyone who has gone through any part of male puberty is barred from swimming in a women's competition.



FINA, swimming's international governing body, voted on Sunday to restrict transgender athletes from competing in women's elite races.

According to ESPN, the new policy requires transgender competitors to have completed their transition by the age of 12 to swim in a women's meet. Anyone who has gone through any part of male puberty is barred from swimming in a women's competition.

This new ruling passed with 71% of FINA's 152 national federation members and aims to establish an 'open' category for swimmers whose gender is different from their birth sex, BBC reports.

"Fina's approach in drafting this policy was comprehensive, science-based, and inclusive, and, importantly, Fina's approach emphasized competitive fairness," said Brent Nowicki, the governing body's executive director, according to BBC.

The new ruling would greatly impact US athletes like Lia Thomas, who became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I women's swimming title in March. Thomas hopes to swim in the Olympics; however, this policy would bar her from competing.

This policy is officially in effect on June 20, according to FINA's press release

Read the original article on Insider
Two Florida sheriff's deputies shared news of actor and comedian Bob Saget's death from earlier this year with people close to them before officials had notified the "Full House" star's family, an investigative report revealed.

The deputies have been disciplined for their actions, the report stated, according to FOX 35 Orlando.

9-1-1: LONE STAR ACTOR TYLER SANDERS DEAD AT 18

Bob Saget

Saget died on Jan. 9, 2022, at the age of 65 after he was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Orlando. He was staying in the city while performing comedy shows in the area.

The medical examiner concluded that Saget died after falling and hitting his head.

In the hours after Saget was found unresponsive, when law enforcement was conducting its investigation, Orange County deputy Emiliano Silva reportedly sent a text message to his brother informing him of Saget's death, the report found. His brother would then share the news in a tweet that was later deleted. Silva was one of the first officers to respond to Saget's collapse at the hotel.

TIM SALE, COMEDIC ARTIST, DEAD AT 66

Bob Saget and wife Kelly Rizzo

Silva was unaware that his brother shared the news on Twitter until someone showed him a screenshot forty minutes later, the report noted. He had urged his brother to delete the tweet but by that time, several media outlets had begun to ask about Saget's death.

And deputy Steven Reed, who was not on duty or part of the investigation at the hotel but was informed of the death by a fellow Orange County deputy, texted the news to two of his neighbors who had reportedly attended one of Saget's shows days before his death, according to the report.

TEEN MOM' ALUM LANE FERNANDEZ DEAD AT 28

"Full House" stars Dave Coulier, Candice Cameron Bure and Bob Saget reunite. Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage

Both cases had occurred prior to officials informing Saget's family of his death.

The deputies had violated the sheriff's department's dissemination of information directive and reached disciplinary agreements through the "Discipline Dispute Resolution Process," the report said. The specific disciplinary actions were not included in the report.
Dear Amy: My husband has girls from work that message him. Sometimes these are work-related, and sometimes not.

When I stress that I dont like it, he says its nothing I should be concerned about. He also says its unattractive for me to act this way, that they are his friends, and I need to get over it.

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I do not give other men my phone number.

I know that he is flirtatious (whether he realizes it or not). Girls fawn over him because hes such an attractive and nice guy.

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If the situation was reversed and I was receiving messages from men, he would hate it. Hes comfortable with this double standard.

Im at my wits end because he just doesnt get it.

Weve had infidelity issues in the past (on both sides), and I dont trust his or others intentions.

Am I wrong for feeling this way?

 Upset

Dear Upset: You arent wrong for feeling the way you feel. Your feelings are your feelings, and you get to have them.

However, because you and your husband have a history of infidelity and a lack of trust (certainly on your part), you havent normalized friendships, work relationships, and communication between people.

You dont give your phone number to men. Why not? Dont you have the right to communicate with male colleagues and friends?

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I assume this is because you are trying to demonstrate behavior you want your husband to mirror.

Well, hes not taking you up on it.

You could do some work on your own to rebalance your attitude toward your friendships with men, making an effort to understand what a relaxed, confident, and totally trustworthy friendship with a man would feel like for you.

Your husband is deriding your anxiety and your behavior when it surfaces. Yes, your reaction might be unattractive, but it is unkind for him to toss this at you, when he could  and should  be reassuring you.

The standard practice when rebuilding trust is to share any contact that causes the partner anxiety. So he would show you his messages, tell you who he is receiving calls from (or calling), and you would do the same.

And, even if he is a yummy charmer out in the world, he should always put you at the center.

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You two are continuing to play out the dynamic leftover from your mutual infidelity.

You could take this into the office of a skilled counselor, and come out with a new understanding and a new way of behaving toward each other.

Dear Amy: I received two college graduation notifications and I am unsure what I should do.

The first is from a friend whose daughter has graduated from a prestigious college.

When she graduated from high school, we attended her graduation party and brought a gift that was personalized, unique, and useful for years to come.

We never received a thank you. I personally picked it out and made sure we received it well before her graduation. When we went to her party, she barely acknowledged us.

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I know she may be different four or five years later, but it is still an irritant.

The second graduate is a son of a niece who we have not met since he was a baby, if even that.

We received an announcement of his graduation.

Coincidentally, both grads went to the same college, although they dont know each other.

My plan is simply to send congratulation cards to each.

Am I being small-minded?

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What is your suggested course of action? Should I still enclose a check?

 Wondering

Dear Wondering: Because one of these young people is a stranger and the other has a bit of a history with you, you should think primarily about what would make YOU feel the best.

Would it make you feel good to ignore the ungrateful grad? (It might).

Id probably send a card and a very modest amount to both, congratulating them and telling them that their first post-grad cappuccino (or martini) is on you.

You will not be thanked.

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Dear Amy: You are so good at what you do, but I wish life were as easy as you make it seem.

Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from Americas Favorite Advice Columnist for $5. >

Many days my wife and I discuss your advice. Ill read a letter out loud, and we both try to guess what youll say.

After we both had our turns, I do the reveal and wed decide who was closer.

 Randy

Dear Randy: Many families report doing this together  and it makes me extremely happy. Thank you!

Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and well send it to her.

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Sign up here to receive the Ask Amy newsletter to get advice e-mailed to your inbox every morning, and for a limited time  get the book "Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from Americas Favorite Advice Columnist" for $5.

2021 Amy Dickinson.
Police in Pensacola, Florida say that five people were shot at a nightclub in what they suspect was a targeted attack against specific individuals.

Pensacola police said in a news release that the five people were shot at 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning at The Pelicans Nest nightclub in the citys downtown area, according to WKRG-TV.

"Several shots were fired inside the club at about 12:30 a.m. Officers arrived to find multiple victims, three at the scene struck by bullets," the police statement said. "A short time later, two more victims were located at local hospitals. The victims are both male and female, ages between 21 and 45 years old."

The statement added that police believe "the shooting was a targeted incident and there are no safety concerns towards the public."

PHILADELPHIA POLICE COMMISSIONER DANIELLE OUTLAW DISCUSSES STATE OF VIOLENT CRIME: 'A GENERAL FEELING OF FEAR'

All five of the victims suffered injuries that have been deemed non-life threatening.

No arrests have been made in the shooting.

SANFORD, FLORIDA MEN ARRESTED AFTER ARGUING WITH TEENAGERS OVER SPEEDING IN NEIGHBORHOOD: REPORT

Police do not have any suspects in the shooting other than the description of a Black male.

Pensacola Beach Florida USA, Overview of a RV seaside park. Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

"All we have is that it was a Black male," Pensacola Police Department spokesman Officer Gregory Gordon told the Pensacola News Journal. "We do not have a motive."

FLORIDA WOMAN DANIELLE REDLICK ACQUITTED OF MURDER CHARGES IN DEATH OF STEPDAD-TURNED-HUSBAND

"There were a lot of people in there. If anybody saw something or knows something, give us a call," Gordon added.

Anyone with information about the shooting are being asked to call the Pensacola Police Department at 850-435-1845.
Democrats running in Trump country won't say if they want Biden's help in midterms

Former President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the American Freedom Tour in Southaven, Mississippi on Saturday.

The event, held near Memphis, Tennessee, is a "celebration of faith, family, unalienable rights and God-given American freedoms," according to the group's website.

"Never before have Americas greatest conservative insiders and influencers come together for an event to unify an entire nation of silenced voices," the website adds. "In a time when so many in the media and government are tearing down America and its people, the American Freedom Tour celebrates America and what makes us great."
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Greek authorities said Sunday they have rescued 108 migrants from a sailboat that was found rudderless and leaking water in the Aegean Sea in near gale force winds.

The rescued migrants  63 men, 24 women and 21 children  have told authorities there four other people are missing.

Reports of a sailboat adrift off the uninhabited island of Delos reached the coast guard late Saturday. It dispatched three rescue vessels and a tugboat. Early Sunday morning, rescuers managed to tow the sailboat to an islet off the nearby island of Mykonos, authorities said. The migrants were safely transported to Mykonos. They told authorities that their boat had sailed from Turkey to an unknown destination.

Once again, the coast guard saved lives that the ruthless trafficking networks have exposed to mortal danger without even the barest protection measures, Shipping and Island Policy Minister Ioannis Plakiotakis said.

In unrelated migration cases in the neighboring country of North Macedonia, police said they discovered 71 migrants in two separate operations late Saturday and arrested three men suspected of human trafficking.

Police raided a home in the northern town of Kumanovo and found 44 Pakistanis and one person from India. Police arrested the homeowner, a 41-year-old identified only by his initials as U.F. The migrants are believed to have entered illegally from Greece and were waiting to be smuggled to Serbia on their way to unidentified EU countries. They have been transferred to a migrant reception center on the border with Serbia pending deportation.

In a separate case, police discovered 26 migrants from Syria hidden in a van during a routine check on a highway toll station in the southern part of the country. The van driver and his assistant, both Macedonian nationals, were arrested, police said Sunday.

The migrants were transferred to a reception center near the border with Greece pending deportation to that country.

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Police say the Balkan route for migrants, through North Macedonia, has become more active again in the past few months after many countries lifted travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Follow APs coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's coastguard continued to search for four missing migrants off the island of Mykonos on Sunday after rescuing another 108 migrants on a sailboat that sent a distress signal late on Saturday, officials said.

A coastguard vessel located the sailboat about 1.8 nautical miles southeast of Delos, a small island near Mykonos. The sailboat was taking in water and was towed safely to a Mykonos port.

Mykonos is a popular island in the Aegean sea known for its vibrant nightlife.

The nationality of the 108 rescued migrants, among them 24 women and 21 children, had not yet been determined, coastgurad officials said. None wore life vests.

"Once more, Greece's coastguard saved lives that ruthless migrant trafficker rings expose to fatal danger without any protection measures," said Greek Shipping Minister Yannis Plakiotakis.

Greece is the main route into the European Union for asylum-seekers arriving from Turkey. The number of arrivals has fallen sharply since 2016 after the EU and Ankara agreed a deal to stop migrants from crossing to Greece.

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Jun. 18GREENE  Following more than an hour of discussion marked by a few frustrated outbursts, Town Meeting voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal Saturday to lease town property to a solar developer.

The lively meeting moderated by Don Ferrara at Greene Central School drew over 80 residents, half of whom trickled out as the meeting dragged on. Three of the 57 warrant articles were amended and one rejected during the more than four hour meeting.

If approved, Article 8 would have authorized the town to enter into a lease agreement and an associated easement agreement with Greene Apple Solar Power, a subsidiary of Massachusetts-based Swift Current Energy.

The company is currently developing a 120 megawatt solar project in Greene, aiming to place solar panels on 600 acres of leased land.

Residents were largely against leasing the land to Greene Apple Solar Power because they wanted the land to be developed for recreation fields instead, as town officials suggested when the land was purchased several years ago.

Still, several selectmen said the 80-acre property at 60 School St. is not suitable for recreational development due to wetlands and a downward slope.

Lack of knowledge about the future impacts of the lease and easement agreements also seemed to play a part in residents' decision.

The town held a public hearing on May 23 where residents could have asked questions about the lease agreement and solar project. When one resident asked how many people knew about the hearing before it took place, roughly an equal number of people said they were and were not aware of the hearing.

Communication from the town government has been a common point of critique from residents over the last several years.

The easement agreement would have given Greene Apple Solar Power rights to transport electricity from the town property to the transmission line, possibly leading to increased development along Bull Run Road.

While residents rejected the article, solar development will continue on private parcels of land around town, with the bulk of the project slated to be developed at Vista of Maine Vineyard and Cidery.

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All developments will be subjected to review by the Planning Board.

Alec Jarvis, a senior developer for Swift Current Energy, told residents that Greene was chosen as the site of the project because the transmission line running through town has the capacity to transmit the additional electricity.

Had the lease and easement agreements been approved, the town would have received $420,000 in revenue during the initial 5-year development phase and more over the 20-year life of the project.

Articles comprising the proposed $3.4 million municipal budget were approved by residents, but not without questions and confusion. Several residents complained that the warrant was lacking key information, such as the ending balances for the calendar year 2021 budget and the previous allocation for some articles.

The switch from a calendar budget to a fiscal year budget this year only raised more questions by residents.

Under the new fiscal year system, residents will have the option to split their tax bill in half, making payments in November and May. Residents who wish to pay their taxes all at once may do so in November.

Selectman Glenn Chateauvert proposed an amendment to Article 34, which was ultimately approved, increasing the General Assistance expense account from $4,900 to $12,900 out of concern for rising heating oil prices. The state refunds about 80% of General Assistance funds used, selectmen Chairperson Anthony Reny said, however the town must have the money to disperse assistance up front.

Following a plea from one resident, the townspeople also agreed to amend Article 44 to donate $1,000 to Seniors Plus, not $250 as requested by the organization. The Lewiston-based nonprofit provides meals, among other services, to older people and people with disabilities in the area.

In total, residents approved $8,050 in charitable donations, with $6,000 earmarked for Rural Community Action Ministry.

Article 49 was amended at the suggestion of resident Sheldon Bubier, striking the words "town roads." Due to the amendment, all balances from the town road account will lapse into the undesignated fund balance in the future.

All other articles were approved as written.
The truth is that if you invest for long enough, you're going to end up with some losing stocks. Long term Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX) shareholders know that all too well, since the share price is down considerably over three years. Sadly for them, the share price is down 58% in that time. And more recent buyers are having a tough time too, with a drop of 42% in the last year. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 26% in the last 90 days. Of course, this share price action may well have been influenced by the 19% decline in the broader market, throughout the period.

If the past week is anything to go by, investor sentiment for Helix Energy Solutions Group isn't positive, so let's see if there's a mismatch between fundamentals and the share price.

View our latest analysis for Helix Energy Solutions Group

Given that Helix Energy Solutions Group didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

Over the last three years, Helix Energy Solutions Group's revenue dropped 4.4% per year. That's not what investors generally want to see. The share price decline of 16% compound, over three years, is understandable given the company doesn't have profits to boast of, and revenue is moving in the wrong direction. Having said that, if growth is coming in the future, now may be the low ebb for the company. We don't generally like to own companies that lose money and can't grow revenues. But any company is worth looking at when it makes a maiden profit.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

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Take a more thorough look at Helix Energy Solutions Group's financial health with this free report on its balance sheet.

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 20% in the twelve months, Helix Energy Solutions Group shareholders did even worse, losing 42%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 6% over the last half decade. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Helix Energy Solutions Group , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

But note: Helix Energy Solutions Group may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



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.
Jun. 18Boulder County rescuers assisted an injured hiker Saturday afternoon off the Royal Arch Trail in Chautauqua Park in Boulder.

A news release from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office says the Boulder County Communications Center was notified about 3:10 p.m. of an injured hiker. The reporting party, who was hiking with the female, said the woman had sustained minor injuries when she slipped on rocks while hiking on the trail.

Rescuers from the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group and American Medical Response contacted the injured 20-year-old woman from Boulder and assisted her down the trail to an ambulance at the Bluebell Shelter. The rescue took about an hour.

Rescue personnel from Rocky Mountain Rescue, American Medical Response Ambulance Service, rangers from City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks and Boulder County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the incident.
Insiders who purchased Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE:NLY) shares in the past 12 months are unlikely to be deeply impacted by the stock's 13% decline over the past week. Reason being, despite the recent loss, insiders original purchase value of US$1.1m is now worth US$1.1m.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether.

Check out our latest analysis for Annaly Capital Management

Annaly Capital Management Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In fact, the recent purchase by David Finkelstein was the biggest purchase of Annaly Capital Management shares made by an insider individual in the last twelve months, according to our records. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$5.71. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. The good news for Annaly Capital Management share holders is that an insider was buying at near the current price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was David Finkelstein.

You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Insider Ownership of Annaly Capital Management

Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that Annaly Capital Management insiders own 0.2% of the company, worth about US$22m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

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What Might The Insider Transactions At Annaly Capital Management Tell Us?

It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchase. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Annaly Capital Management we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Annaly Capital Management. To help with this, we've discovered 6 warning signs (2 are a bit concerning!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Annaly Capital Management.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

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.
LONDON (Reuters) -Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said on Sunday a new British law to change part of a Brexit deal to try to ease trade with Northern Ireland was "unilateralism of the worst kind" and urged the government to resume talks.

The European Commission launched two new legal proceedings against Britain this month after London published plans to override some post-Brexit rules in the so-called Northern Ireland protocol which governs trade with the British province.

London has proposed scrapping some checks on goods from the rest of the United Kingdom arriving in Northern Ireland and challenged the role of the European Court of Justice to decide on parts of the post-Brexit deal agreed by the EU and Britain.

The new legislation has yet to be passed by parliament, a process which could take some time.

"It's not acceptable, it represents unilateralism of the worst kind," Martin told the BBC.

"We accept fully there are legitimate issues around the operation of the protocol and we believe with serious sustained negotiations between the European Union and United Kingdom government, those issues could be resolved."

He said the legislation, which London says is needed to restore a power-sharing administration in Northern Ireland, would damage the province's economy by introducing a dual regulatory regime that could increase costs to business.

"If this bill is enacted, I think we're in a very serious situation," he said. "What now needs to happen is really substantive negotiations between the British government and the European Union."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Editing by Louise Heavens and Raissa Kasolowsky)
Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz

According to him, Ukraine is currently in "extremely difficult conditions", when it accepts any assistance, even diplomatic.

Read also: Zelensky spokesman denies that Macron, Scholz, Draghi tried to persuade Ukrainian leader to negotiate with Russia

"After all, France is a nuclear state, one of the important states of the European Union and Europe, and the world in general. That's why even such seemingly hypocritical support on the part of Macron is also deemed support, Levin said.

You can't pick and choose. Of course, diplomacy does not work that way. That's why we have to smile, we have to meet, we all have to talk together, and so on," the analyst added.

Read also: Why Macron, Scholz and Draghi came to Kyiv

Levin believes this also applies to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who slowed down the transfer of 40 Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine from Spain and the supply of Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

"Here, again, they are watching where the scales tip. Now we see that Russia is trying to make a stand, concentrating all its forces in the Donbas, on the axis where we have Izyum, Bakhmut, Lysychansk and Severodonetsk. But there they are with colossal losses, barely gnawing out at every house in every village, said the military analyst.

At the same time, he stressed that Ukraine had not yet conducted a general military counteroffensive, they were only of a tactical level. According to Levin, as soon as this happens, the Chancellor of Germany might offer Ukraine 100 Marder IFVs to side with the winners.

Read also: Germany rejects possibility of peace in Ukraine on Russias terms  Scholz

"So that later, when it is diplomatically declared that Kherson has been liberated, Germany will claim that in particular, with [their] help. Now it is risky. They just [sit on the fence] and watch in which direction where the wind blows. That's all. It's disgusting, but it's politics," he added.

Read also: Germany hesitant to supply tanks to Ukraine over fears it might invade Russia  Bild

German media reported that in recent months, Olaf Scholz's government has minimized arms supplies to Ukraine. Die Welt reported that only two small consignments of weapons arrived in Ukraine between March 30 and May 26.

After a visit to Ukraine on June 16, together with the leaders of France, Italy and Romania, Scholz assured that Germany would hand over heavy weapons to Ukraine in time so that they could be used in the battle for Donbas.
Last captive bear in Binh Phuoc transferred to rescue centre

The last captive bear in the southern province of Binh Phuoc was handed over to the centre of Free The Bears in the Cat Tien National Park on June 17.



Free the Bears in Vietnam, in collaboration with the management board of the Cat Tien National Park, the Forest Protection Sub-department of Region 3 and the Forest Protection Department of Binh Phuoc received the sun bear from a private facility in Chon Thanh district.

The last captive bear in the southern province of Binh Phuoc is handed over to the centre of Free The Bears in the Cat Tien National Park (Photo: VNA)





The 40-kg male sun bear is now in normal health.



Previously, the northern province of Son La reported no more bears being kept for bile in the locality after the last captive bear was handed over to the bear conservation centre in the northern province of Ninh Binh on December 11, 2021.



According to statistics of the Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), there are nearly 300 bears being captivated in more than 100 private facilities, down over 90 percent over the past 15 years from 4,300 in 2005.
KYIV, Ukraine  Four months of brutal fighting in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers orders, British defense officials said Sunday. NATOs chief warned the war could drag on for years.

Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale, Britains defense ministry said in its daily assessment of the war.

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Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, the assessment said, but added that Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled.

It said cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.

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Separately, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate released what it said were intercepted phone calls in which Russian soldiers complained about frontline conditions, poor equipment, and overall lack of personnel, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

Firefighters work at the site of fire after Russian shelling in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Saturday, June 18, 2022. (George Ivanchenko/AP)

In an interview published on Sunday in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that nobody knows how long the war could last. We need to be prepared for it to last for years, he said.

He also urged allies not to weaken support for Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military aid, but also because of the increase in energy and food goods prices.

In recent days, Gazprom, the Russian gas company, has reduced supplies to two major European clients  Germany and Italy. In Italys case, energy officials are expected to huddle this week about the situation. The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through the coming winter, but he warned Italians that restrictions affecting gas use might be necessary.

Germany will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia, the countrys economy minister said on Sunday. Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the cold winter months.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, he said.

Stoltenberg stressed, though, that the costs of food and fuel are nothing compared with those paid daily by the Ukrainians on the front line.

Stoltenberg added: Whats more, if Russian President Vladimir Putin should reach his objectives in Ukraine, like when he annexed Crimea in 2014, we would have to pay an even greater price.

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Britains defense ministry said that both Russia and Ukraine have continued to conduct heavy artillery bombardments on axes to the north, east and south of the Sieverodonetsk pocket, but with little change in the front line.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said via Telegram on Sunday: It is a very difficult situation in Sievierodonetsk, where the enemy in the middle of the city is conducting round-the-clock aerial reconnaissance with drones, adjusting fire, quickly adjusting to our changes.

Russias defense ministry claimed on Sunday that Russian and separatist forces have taken control of Metolkine, a settlement just to the east of Sievierodonetsk.

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a trip south from Kyiv to visit troops and hospital workers in the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions along the Black Sea. He handed out awards to dozens of people at every stop, shaking their hands and thanking them again and again for their service.

Some time after Zelenskyy left Mykolaiv, the enemy carried out fire damage against units of the Defense Forces with cannon and rocket artillery in the areas of the settlements of Pravdyne, Posad-Pokrovskoe and Blahodatne, according to the Ukrainian army briefing on Sunday.

In other attacks in the south, Ukraines southern military operational command said on Sunday that two people were killed in shelling of the Galitsyn community in the Mykolaiv region and that shelling of the Bashtansky district is continuing.

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Russias defense ministry said seaborne missiles destroyed a plant in Mykolaiv city where Western-supplied howitzers and armored vehicles were stored.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns that a bit of Ukraine fatigue is starting to set in around the world and has urged support for Ukrainian efforts to try to roll back the Russian invasion.

It would be a catastrophe if Putin won. Hed love nothing more than to say, Lets freeze this conflict, lets have a cease-fire, Johnson said on Saturday, a day after a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy and offered offer continued aid and military training.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines. But Ukraines leaders have insisted for weeks that they need more arms and they need them sooner.

On Sunday Pope Francis, despite having lamented arms build-ups, added his own admonition to those who might lose focus on Ukraine, which he has said deserves to defend itself.

And lets not forget the martyred Ukrainian people in this moment, Francis told the public in St. Peters Square. He prodded them to ask themselves What did I do today for the Ukrainian people?

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Sylvia Hui contributed from London, Frank Jordans from Berlin and Frances DEmilio from Rome.
(Getty Images)

Jason Roy toasted his 100th one-day international with 73 off 60 balls as England repelled a fightback from the Netherlands to move into an unassailable 2-0 series lead.

Roy was one of the few England batters to miss out in their world record 498 for four 48 hours earlier but, in a contest reduced to 41 overs per side, he hit top form to hasten their pursuit of 236.

Five of his first nine balls were dispatched for four and while he was unable to mark his landmark appearance with a century, his acceleration at the start proved crucial in a six-wicket win.

Phil Salt followed up his century in Fridays series opener with 77 off 54 balls although there was a second successive duck for captain Eoin Morgan as England endured a mid-innings wobble, with the Dutch showing some admirable resilience after suffering their heaviest ODI defeat by runs on Friday.

It was ultimately in vain as Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali knocked off the remaining 59 runs required to help England overhaul their opponents 235 for seven with 29 balls to spare on a sunny evening in Amstelveen, where the start of play had been delayed for nearly three hours because of a wet outfield.

David Willey and Adil Rashid each collected two wickets while Brydon Carse showcased his impressive pace in his one for 36 after Netherlands captain Scott Edwards, standing in for the injured Pieter Seelaar, had opted to bat, perhaps influenced by Englands sensational innings on Friday.

Roy was dismissed for just one then but rose to the occasion here.

As has been customary throughout his time with England, Roy began with plenty of purpose and three cover drives in the opening over beat the infield.

Salt was initially content to defer to his senior opening partner but got into the groove by driving slow left-armer Tim Pringle, the son of former New Zealand seamer Chris, who had been introduced in the fifth over in an attempt to stymie Englands scoring.

Roy got to his fifty in the 12th over and looked to take down Aryan Dutt, hammering him to the leg-side for six before, in the next over, taking four fours in the first five balls. The last just cleared mid-off before he sliced the next delivery to short third man, visibly furious with himself as he trudged off.

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The breakthrough ended a 139-run opening partnership in 17 overs, leaving Salt to act as the steady hand. However, he came down the track to Dutt and misjudged the length, bowled between bat and pad.

(Getty Images)

Morgans lean trot continued when a hack was caught at backward point and Liam Livingstone came and went as Pringle claimed his maiden international scalp, with England losing three wickets in 19 deliveries.

Malan was given out lbw on 19 after being hit on his back leg only to overturn the decision for the second match in a row, but despite a few nervy moments, Roys early onslaught meant England had time on their hands.

Malan (36 not out) released some pressure when Teja Nidamanuru dragged down, thrashing him over midwicket, while Moeen (42 not out) took three fours in four balls off Tom Cooper before finishing proceedings off 36.1 overs with a pull for four off seamer Shane Snater.

Earlier, an initially sluggish outfield meant the Dutch openers found scoring tricky and they both perished with cross-batted shots, Vikramjit Singh surprised by Willeys short ball and miscuing a pull while Malan sprung to take a fine catch at square leg after Max ODowd had swept hard at Rashid.

Carse was touching 90mph and accounted for Cooper, who was trapped on the crease and wisely elected against a review despite the hosts slipping to 36 for three. Edwards, though, queried an lbw verdict after playing round Rashids leg-break and was vindicated as the ball would have missed off stump.

(Getty Images)

While Bas de Leede (34) became the second Dutch batter in this series to shatter a press box window pane after heaving Rashid for six, it was Edwards who anchored the innings.

He was initially troubled by Carses speed but milked Moeens off-spin before growing gradually in confidence, hammering Livingstone over cow corner and Carse high over his head as he reached his second fifty of the series in style.

An audacious reverse ramp for six off Willey was the highlight, but the left-armer had his revenge with a pick-up-and-throw from midwicket that cannoned into the stumps and left the Tonga-born, Australia-raised Edwards short of his ground despite a desperate dive as he departed for 78 off 73 balls.
During the years after the recession hit in 2008, when millions of people lost employment, long lines of job seekers would form early in the morning before a job fair in hopes to nab one of only a handful of positions that employers had to offer.

Today, with the unemployment rate below 3%, dozens and dozens of businesses now head out to job fairs in hopes of enticing candidates with more perks, such as working from home, to change professions.

Despite low unemployment, businesses are hiring. These businesses want to expand. The problem is that there are so many jobs available and workers have many, many choices to make their work life less stressful.

2009: Unemployment rate rises to 12.6%

2022: April unemployment rate was 2.8%, down from March's 3.1%

Where are the workers?: More than half of Florida workers ages 18-64 not working

The job market was once dictated by business owners. Laura Byrnes, director of communications for CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion, said the tables have turned and now it is the workers who have choices.

"it's the job seeker's market now," she said. Not too long ago, business owners set the terms of employment. Some would hire a receptionist, for example, and assign accounting duties to the job description.

"A lot of workers enjoyed the flexibility during COVID," said Dale French, executive vice president of CareerSource CLM. "Now we are talking about the great resignation, where people are leaving the job market and doing different things."

Some people are heading out to work in the gig economy: driving for Uber or Lyft or delivering food and groceries for DoorDash, GrubHub or Instacart.

"More people are moving into the gig economy so they can work their own schedules," he said. "We're just in a very different time right now. And until everything settles down, and everybody can kind of step back and look at what really did happen over the last two years, it'll be very interesting."

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CareerSource will focus on talent development, occupational training

French said women were negatively impacted during the pandemic, more so than men. French said early this year that the pandemic made families rethink how their earnings were being spent.

Construction worker Dwayne Larry with RWH Construction sprays expansion foam in the holes of a form while busy assembling forms in 2021.

"We think a lot of families figured out how to manage their budget so one member of the household can stay home, maintain the household, maintain the children and not go back to work," French said, adding more women than men stayed home.

French said CareerSource CLM is looking at a new strategy, beginning July 1.

"We're going to be intensifying efforts on recruitment and really start focusing businesses on talent development and occupational training," French noted. "Right now, we have so many technical occupations out there."

Businesses along east Silver Springs Boulevard advertise for workers.

He said there is a large need for employees in the manufacturing and logistics sectors.

"There's so many technical occupations that require certification, but not necessarily a college degree," he noted. "And so we really need to start talking with the businesses how do we shift their mindset."

French said "people aren't necessarily going to be walking through your front door looking for a job." The idea is to work with Marion County Public Schools to reach out to high school graduates while they're still in their formative years.

Businesses along east Silver Springs Boulevard advertise for jobs.

"And let's help them try to decide," French noted. "And then once they've made that decision, how do we get them to the businesses and what services can we as the workforce development provide to make sure that they're successful?"

Despite low unemployment, job fairs are still needed to find workers

CareerSource CLM and its affiliate Talent Center, in partnership with the College of Central Florida, will hold a Citrus County Job Fair on Tuesday, June 21. Citrus County's unemployment rate is just above 3%.

The free job fair is open to any job seeker in Citrus, Levy and Marion counties. The event is slated from 3:30-5 p.m. at CFs Citrus County campus, 3800 S. Lecanto Highway, in Lecanto.

As of June 10, these are the businesses that plan to attend: AutoZone Auto Parts, Citrus County Abuse Shelter Association, Citrus County Board of County Commissioners, Citrus County Sheriffs Office, Citrus County Tax Collector, Crystal River Health and Rehabilitation Center, Florida Caregivers, Florida Department of Children and Families, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Key Training Center, MedFleet Ambulance, PedIM Healthcare and Quick Care Med, Power Movers Plumbing Electric LLC, Sevita  Florida Mentor, Tri-Co Communications, TrueCore Behavorial Solutions, and Weber Glass.

There really is something for anyone interested in good, gainful employment in a variety of industries, from construction to manufacturing and healthcare to retail, as well as human, public and social services, Rusty Skinner, CareerSource CLMs chief executive officer, said in a press release.

Those interested in attending should prepare accordingly: bring printed copies resume, dress professionally, and be prepared for on-the-spot job interviews. While masks are not required, attendees should feel free to wear face coverings if they wish to do so.

Candidates are encouraged to visit one of the CareerSouce CLM's career centers for free assistance to update a resume, to prepare a 30-second elevator speech highlighting their skills and experience, or sharpen interview skills.

The centers are currently open to the public for in-person services from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are located at: 683 S. Adolph Point, in Lecanto; 2175 NW 11th Drive in Chiefland; and 2703 NE 14th St. in Ocala.

For more information about the job fair, including updates on participating businesses and/or to register, visit careersourceclm.com/event/job-fair-citrus-county/. To learn more, contact CareerSource CLM at (800) 434-5627.

Byrnes said there are many training programs available for qualified candidates. CareerSource CLM has grant funding to pay for on-the-job training. Byrnes said: "We will underwrite the salary (up to about $400 per week)."

"The jobs are there and if if you don't have a training, or the experience in a particular area, they can work," she noted. "They can work with us and we can help get them the training."

Joe Callahan can be reached at (352) 817-1750 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: In Marion/Ocala, Florida region: CareerSource CLM tweaking its focus
Bimbo Bakeries is hiring at both of it's Zanesville locations, including its facility on Airport Road, where Jeff Lyon works on the line.

ZANESVILLE  Anyone who wants a job in Muskingum County has a pretty good chance of finding one. "There are a lot of available positions out there," said Julie Metzger, the Ohio Means Jobs coordinator for Muskingum County. "Right now, in the 43701 area code, there are 955 available jobs" on the Ohio Means Jobs website. "If I go out a 30-mile radius, there are 5,200 positions available."

"It is an interesting time," said Dana Matz, president of the Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce. "We have record low unemployment, but we have record low employment fulfilment," he said. There are a wide range of positions available, especially at the entry level, across a variety of industries. "Fast food to manufacturing to distribution, companies are having trouble filling positions."

The unemployment rate in Muskingum County is currently 3.8%, Metzger said. "It was 4.6% last month, and 5.6% this time last year. Unemployment is low," she said, "but it does feel like there is an available workforce out there, it is just them finding the right match for their skillset."

Getting people to apply for jobs is just the first hurdle companies face, keeping them is another.

Bimbo Bakeries used to get about 900 applications for the 50 or so jobs it had open a year in Zanesvillle prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Joe Goldsmith, the interim director for Bimbo's United States operations who oversees the company's two Zanesville facilities. "Now we get a couple hundred of applications a year, and we are trying to interview every single one of them."

People used to spend two or three years on a waiting list to get a job at the company. Now for every 100 hard-earned applicants, about seven will make it to the production floor. Many never show up for their first interview after submitting an application. Some show up for a shift and leave during their first break.

Turnover has skyrocketed too, he said. Typically the company has 50 to 60 people either join or leave the company. Last year about 175 joined or left, and so far this year, the company has hired 90, and 77 have left.

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Kaitlyn Novaria, branch manager at North Valley Bank's South Zanesville office, is having trouble filling an open position at her office. "We can't find anybody anywhere," she said. "We haven't been able to keep anybody for the last year, since COVID hit."

Just getting people to apply is a challenge, let alone keeping them, she said. And while it doesn't affect operations very much, the company has been paying overtime since 2020. "My branch is looking for one person," she said. One person may not seem like a lot, she said, but in a small office, "that one person makes a big difference."

"You get adapted to it," she said, but the company is still looking. That is a full-time job in a quiet, air-conditioned office the company is struggling to fill.

The struggle to hire full-time employees has affected the summer job market as well, said Metzger. "We are not really seeing a summer only position right now," she said. "A lot times employers will bring people on during the summer but will hire them as a full-time position."

With employers increasing willing to be flexible with hours and shifts, short term summer jobs are being turned into year-round jobs as companies bend to fit the schedule of high-school and college students, the usual benefactors of summer jobs.

"Our peak season is March through September," Goldsmith said. "We could use 10 to 15 more floaters, but we can't fill the summer help right now, I don't think we have had one person apply for summer help," he said.

Halliburton is hiring for a number of positions and shifts and, like many industries, faces challenges to keep up with business demand, said Chad Hanson, senior human resources partner for the company. Providing a variety of services to the energy industry, the company's Zanesville location supports work in the Utica and Marcellus Shale area including Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia region.

"We mostly look for entry-level operators, where experience is preferred but not required. We are also hiring many field and facility-based roles, such as electronic engineers, electricians, mechanics and office staff," Hanson said. The lack of applicants in the region has pushed recruitment as far away as the east coast, much of the Midwest and down south. "Finding people has been an all hands on deck commitment," he said.

Because of the variety of schedules and opportunities available, "We often hire commuters who dont live close to the work sites  you can really live anywhere," Hanson said. Some workers may work a 14-day rotation, and then have the next one to two weeks off, he said. There are also many traditional schedules and rotations available, and a variety of schedules in between depending on the job.

"We offer a strong training and development program that includes industry specific and job specific training, a mentorship program, and numerous additional benefits, Hanson said. We have increased wages, and for many of the positions we pay for employees to get their Commercial Drivers License. One of the benefits of working for the company is its size and scope, Hanson added. The company has operations in 70 countries, giving employees opportunities to work close to home, domestically and internationally.

"We are constantly coming up with new ideas and solutions to find people" he said. Its not just your traditional job fair anymore  we work with high schools, trade schools, truck driving schools. Just for the Zanesville and Northeast area alone (Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania), Halliburton would like to hire more than 100 people. The company has positions open in cementing, hydraulic fracturing, well completions amd drilling fluids, and is also looking for truck drivers.

"At the end of the day, a lot of people just don't want to work," said Goldsmith. "They don't care as much about the financial part of it, they care more about time at home."

Following COVID-19, potential workers decided not to return to work, with a large number of parents opting to stay at home with children because of the lack of child care or high child care costs. But a massive increase in the number of Baby Boomers retiring took a huge chunk out of the workforce, too Matz said. "We went from 2 million Boomers retiring to 3 million," he said.

Meanwhile, companies like Bimbo and Halliburton are increasing benefits and scheduling flexibility to attract and keep workers. But they also have to battle every other employer for scarce employees.

"Every time I drive to Eastpointe I see a hundred signs advertising jobs," Goldsmith said.

ccrook@gannett.com

740-868-3708

Social media: @crookphoto

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Jobs plentiful, labor scarce
Juneteenth March

Views expressed in The Advocates opinion articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company.

I am a Tulsa native and grew up on the west side of Tulsa. I spent some time away in Fort Smith, Ark., to take a break from my busy life back in 2017. When I returned to Tulsa in 2019, I realized there was not a Black queer organization to support our community, so I got busy with creating that space.

My goal is to make Black Queer Tulsa not just accessible to Tulsa but to the whole state of Oklahoma. When I was young, I didn't have the correct environment to grow in, and there wasnt anything out there where I could try to enjoy my experience as a Black gay man.

As a result, I have spent a lot of my life running from myself to meet the social standards of a heteronormative and white society. For many years I was lost because there wasnt anywhere to go in Tulsa if you were Black and queer. Not to mention, those two marks against you in the conservative South can be crushing.

This weekend we are celebrating Juneteenth, and that day has always been important in the Black community. It was June 19, 1865, when General Order Number 3 was signed by Union Army General Gordon Granger that freed slaves in Texas. History tells us that our people were free that day, but it would take over 100 years for America to begin granting civil rights to Black Americans.

Juneteenth is the longest-running African American holiday, and now it's a federal holiday as of last year when President Joe Biden signed the proclamation. Its great that more people are now aware of this day, but it doesnt mean  and not by a long shot  that problems and pain dont still exist.

Tulsa became a focal point of Juneteenth when former President Donald Trump scheduled one of his troubled rallies on that day in Tulsa while he was running for reelection in 2020. After everything transpired in 2020 it was as if the history of what happened in Tulsa over 100 years ago became front-page news as people protested the rally on what is also known as Emancipation Day. By daring to come to Tulsa in June, he awakened America to the dark history of the city.

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There was no emancipation day for the Black community in Tulsa on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when a white mob killed hundreds of Black people, right here in my community. North Tulsa was burned down. What was then the most affluent Black community (most of it was referred to as Black Wall Street) in America killed and left thousands of people homeless. If you live in Tulsa, its hard not to be reminded of all that horror over 100 years ago. And if you live anywhere else, you dont have to be reminded about what occurred in Tulsa. You know from your own experiences of how the problems and the pain of being Black in America still exist.

The Buffalo mass shooting was horrific, and it was just the latest example of how the Black community is threatened. Black people are still being subjected to violence at the hands of white nationalists. While we might want to think that a lot has changed since the Tulsa massacre, think again. Things are just hidden until you go digging.

Now just imagine if you're Black and queer. One week its Black Americans being murdered in Buffalo, and the pain that we have been experiencing with our trans brothers and sisters being murdered. To our friends getting pulled over and worried about their life. No matter where you look, you are surrounded by threats.

We still deal with the negatives of what its like to be Black in a white world and/or to be queer in a straight society. Each day, my community prays for protection when we step out our doors and confront the dangers.

We fight two battles, our queerness and the color of our skin. And that is super frustrating. Its very hard to carry those burdens on our backs every damn day. Thats why Black Queer Tulsa was founded, to help those who must straddle two marginalized groups have a place to feel safe and loved.

And theres another hindrance to our unfettered freedom. Many of us are just fed up with having to grapple with white privilege. Let me explain what thats like, and if youre not Black, what that means. When having a conversation with someone who isn't Black, you must constantly listen with intention. You want to make sure the person is not being rude or saying something that is offensive. For a while, I believed I wouldnt ever have to worry about being treated unfairly or being talked to in a different way due to the color of my skin.

When I became an adult, I quickly realized reality. Think about it. Many times, I didnt feel like I fit in the world as a Black gay man  trying to fit into circles that wanted me to change who I am. Now I know that isn't going to work for anyone.

It was very hard  still is. And its very frustrating. I, like everyone else who is Black and queer, have no choice but to push forward: Yet you must stay alert and keep in mind that not all people are on your side. You need to have a strong inner circle. People you know are on your side.

Im grateful that Juneteenth is recognized as a holiday. Its making more people aware of Black history. Also, isnt it great for many to have the day off? Especially during the summertime, just like they do for other celebrations. However, my guess is that not too many people in white society will think about the plight of Black people, and thats not how federal holidays were intended.

On Memorial Day, we honor those who served. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we honor his fight for civil rights. On Presidents Day. we acknowledge our presidents, originally honoring George Washington. On Labor Day, we honor the American workforce. On July 4, we celebrate America's birth.

On Juneteenth, lets take a moment to not just celebrate but try to understand Black America, and if youre black and queer, show off! This is a time for you to shine and be recognized for your Black queer struggle! By doing so, you will make more people understand our problems and the continued struggle for freedom for all of us as a Black community, regardless of our sexuality or gender.

Daniel McHenry is the founder of Black Queer Tulsa.
A man that Fresno police say was armed with a handgun was shot and killed by officers on Saturday night at Vinland Park.

It happened around 8:44 p.m. near the intersection of Woodward and Gettysburg avenues in east-central Fresno.

Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said a man in his 30s aggressively walked toward officers with a gun in his hand, prompting police to shoot him multiple times.

Balderrama said the officers had given the man several commands to drop the gun prior to him walking toward them.

They also saw that he was armed, Balderrama said. They gave him several commands to try to get him to stop walking away (and) drop the gun  over and over and over.

At some point, the suspect turned around and began to walk toward the officers in an aggressive manner. He did not put the gun down. And he came toward the officers armed.

Balderrama said two of the four officers fired their guns at the man, which caused him to fall to the ground.

It was not immediately known how many shots were fired, but Balderrama did say it was multiple shots.

Prior to the shooting, police received a call around 8:34 p.m. of a man waving a gun over his head and near the Vinland Park bathrooms.

Fresno Police responded with four officers. Upon arrival, the officers did not see the man at the bathrooms but eventually located him walking away and heading northbound.

Balderrama said police noticed the man did in fact have a firearm on him, and officers yelled commands from a distance for him to drop the gun.

After the man was shot, officers tried to perform life-saving measures, Balderrama said. But the man died at the park.

Balderrama said this is the sixth officer-involved shooting in Fresno this year  all of which involved a weapon by the person who was shot.

In comparison, there were three officer-involved shootings in Fresno throughout all of 2021.

Balderrama said the shooting would be investigated by the Fresno County District Attorneys Office, Office of Civil Liability, Office of Independent Review and the police homicide unit.

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Balderrama added that several people were at the park, which was lit at the time, and witnesses saw the incident.

Investigators also will review footage from the body cameras worn by the officers.

I reviewed an angle on the body-worn camera, Balderrama said. A lot of the information is there.
WELKAIT, ETHIOPIA - APRIL 08: A mound of stones marks the grave of three individuals on April 08, 2022 in Welkait, Ethiopia. Photo by J. Countess/Getty Images

Over 200 people  the majority of them Amhara  were killed in an attack, witnesses said.

The mass killing has been blamed on an armed rebel group called the Oromo Liberation Army.

"I am afraid this is the deadliest attack against civilians we have seen in our lifetime," a survivor said.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Witnesses in Ethiopia said Sunday that more than 200 people, mostly ethnic Amhara, have been killed in an attack in the country's Oromia region and are blaming a rebel group, which denies it.

It is one of the deadliest such attacks in recent memory as ethnic tensions continue in Africa's second-most populous country.

"I have counted 230 bodies. I am afraid this is the deadliest attack against civilians we have seen in our lifetime," Abdul-Seid Tahir, a resident of Gimbi county, told The Associated Press after barely escaping the attack on Saturday. "We are burying them in mass graves, and we are still collecting bodies. Federal army units have now arrived, but we fear that the attacks could continue if they leave."

Another witness, who gave only his first name, Shambel over fears for his safety, said the local Amhara community is now desperately seeking to be relocated somewhere else "before another round of mass killings happen." He said ethnic Amhara that settled in the area about 30 years ago in resettlement programs are now being "killed like chickens."

Both witnesses blamed the Oromo Liberation Army for the attacks. In a statement, the Oromia regional government also blamed the OLA, saying the rebels attacked "after being unable to resist the operations launched by (federal) security forces."

An OLA spokesman, Odaa Tarbii, denied the allegations.

"The attack you are referring to was committed by the regime's military and local militia as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi following our recent offensive," he said in a message to the AP. "They escaped to an area called Tole, where they attacked the local population and destroyed their property as retaliation for their perceived support for the OLA. Our fighters had not even reached that area when the attacks took place."

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Ethiopia is experiencing widespread ethnic tensions in several regions, most of them over historical grievances and political tensions. The Amhara people, the second-largest ethnic group among Ethiopia's more than 110 million population, have been targeted frequently in regions like Oromia.

The government-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on Sunday called on the federal government to find a "lasting solution" to the killing of civilians and protect them from such attacks.

Read the original article on Insider
Matt Fitzpatrick celebrates on the 18th green (Getty Images)

Englands Matt Fitzpatrick produced a moment of magic on his way to claiming his first major title and a historic double in the 122nd US Open at Brookline.

A shot behind playing partner Will Zalatoris with six holes to play, Fitzpatrick holed from 50 feet for birdie across the 13th green to draw level and briefly moved two shots clear with another on the 15th.

World number one Scottie Scheffler closed to within one with a birdie on the 17th and Zalatoris did likewise on the 16th, but the American agonisingly missed from 14 feet for another on the 18th to force a play-off.

The victory means Fitzpatrick joins 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win the US Amateur and US Open on the same course, Nicklaus doing so at Pebble Beach in 1961 and 1972.

With his brother Alex on the bag, Fitzpatrick won the US Amateur at Brookline in 2013, the same year Justin Rose became the last Englishman to win the US Open at Merion.

For the second major in succession, Fitzpatrick contested the closing round from the final group, having partnered Mito Pereira in the US PGA at Southern Hills last month.

On that occasion a closing 73 meant Fitzpatrick missed out on the play-off between Zalatoris and Justin Thomas by two shots, Thomas securing his second US PGA title in the three-hole shootout.

Three birdies in the first five holes of the final round had vaulted Scheffler into the lead, but Fitzpatrick holed from seven feet for birdie on the third and two-putted the short par-four fifth for another after driving the green.

The 27-year-old from Sheffield then three-putted the sixth from long range to drop his first shot of the day, but his increased length off the tee paid off again on the par-five eighth as he hit the green in two to set up an easy birdie.

That took him back into a share of the lead and he soon led on his own as Scheffler dropped his first shot of the day on the 10th and then three-putted the 108-yard 11th - the hole which cost him a double bogey in round three.

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Zalatoris had almost holed his approach to the seventh and also birdied the ninth to close within a shot of playing partner Fitzpatrick, who surprisingly missed from four feet for par on the 10th after splashing out of a bunker.

Matt Fitzpatrick celebrates with his family (Getty Images)

A birdie on the 11th took Zalatoris into the outright lead for the first time and moments later he had a two-shot lead, Fitzpatrick three-putting from just a few inches closer to the hole on an identical line.

However, Zalatoris bogeyed the 12th and saw his lead wiped out in spectacular fashion on the next, Fitzpatrick letting out a massive roar after holing from 50 feet across the green for an unlikely birdie.

Another birdie on the 15th, coupled with a bogey from Zalatoris, briefly gave Fitzpatrick a two-shot lead but Scheffler and Zalatoris kept up the pressure with birdies on the 17th and 16th respectively.

Zalatoris then left a birdie putt on the 17th fractionally short and agonisingly missed from 14 feet on the last to force what would have been a fourth straight play-off in US Opens at Brookline.

Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama posted a closing 65, the lowest round of the week, to claim fourth place on three under, with Rory McIlroy and Open champion Collin Morikawa sharing fifth on two under.

McIlroy felt he was just one great round from claiming a fifth major title and first since 2014 following a battling 73 on Saturday, but mixed four birdies and four bogeys in his first 14 holes and eventually signed for a 69.

Defending champion Jon Rahm began the final round just a shot off the lead but struggled to a closing 74.
Labor shortages have sent businesses large and small reeling. But in a world where employees rule with an iron fist, how long can small businesses survive?

The answer, according to recent interviews with business owners and managers in western and northern Michigan, isn't pretty.

Kelli Combs with 1983 Restaurants cleans the bar area at Poquito in March 2021 in Holland. Small businesses across Michigan continue to struggle with staffing shortages.

'It's a seismic cultural shift'

Has the staffing shortage gotten better in West Michigan? According to restaurateur Lucas Grill: "The short answer is no."

"It's been such a crazy two years," Grill, owner of Seventy-Six, Poquito and Obstacle No. 1 in downtown Holland, said. "When the pandemic started and everything closed for a good two weeks, everybody was with their families.

More: Will the employee shortage ever end?

More: West Michigan employers continue to fight staffing shortages

"By the time they went back to work a month and a half later, things changed. It's a seismic cultural shift. They saw what they were missing their whole lives. There's an entire group of people thinking, 'If I work in the restaurant industry, I'll work nights and weekends and holidays. I'm working when they're playing.'"

Grill has offered long holiday weekends to all of his employees, plus increased wages  but full-service restaurants can't survive without evenings and weekends.

"Everybody is having a hard time right now, but the restaurant industry is especially tough," he said. "There's a massive amount of people leaving. We have half the managers we had pre-COVID, and not one of them are in the industry anymore. We had veteran bartenders and servers switch careers."

In the last month, Grill has lost employees to manufacturers like Gentex and Request Foods.

"They're paying $22, $23, $24 an hour," he said. "I can't compete with that. Their pockets are deeper. The restaurant industry is in a very precarious spot right now. This is the worst I've ever seen. And the truth is, I think the only way this ends is a recession or the closure of enough restaurants that everything balances out."

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Jesse Ham hands pizza to his co-worker Brett Eaton at Doebs Pizzeria in Holland. Even restaurants with a core staff of committed employees have been forced to shorten hours.

Constant turnover

Walloon Junction Bar and Grill in Walloon Lake is lucky to have a core staff of committed employees  but they werent enough to keep the business open seven days a week.

Manager Kirt Ploe said the restaurant just recently increased its hours to six days a week after dropping down to five due to staffing shortages.

In order to keep his core staff, Ploe said he raised wages, began offering insurance and a summer incentive  through which employees with perfect attendance will receive an extra $2-per-hour bonus for hours worked June-September.

Offering insurance is something I feel people really look for in a long term job," Ploe said. "You want that kind of security, (but) offering that security has never been in the hospitality industry.

We aren't just looking for summer help, we're looking year-round, looking for full-time employees to build a future rather than just be an employee. So, Im trying to offer the stability that you get from those types of jobs.

Ploe said one of the biggest challenges he's faced is turnover, spending resources to train new employees only for them to leave soon afterward.

Constantly, he said. (New employees) come in for a few days and then just disappear. I don't know the reasoning. I just know that's what I see a lot of. They're not around for long.

Despite the shortage, Ploe is expecting a record-breaking season this year, as visitors begin making their way to northern Michigan.

Ploe, who also owns Sunnyside Family Diner in Boyne City, said the last few years have been busier than ever. That's been the case for many businesses that survived the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Sunnyside) is already doing record numbers for this year," he said. "This one is my first summer here at the junction, so I expect it to be at least on par with that.

The Cheboygan County Fairgrounds will need carnival workers in the coming months  plus other employees that help keep the county fair running smoothly.

'I don't see what the fix is'

In addition to retailers and restaurants, entertainment venues like the Cheboygan County Fairgrounds are having a hard time finding people to fill open positions.

For the last two years, the fairgrounds has placed an ad in the paper, looking for a fairgrounds maintenance and repair person. No one has answered the ad, nor applied to do the work at the county-owned facility.

Cheboygan County Fairgrounds Supervisor and Cheboygan County Recycling Department Manager Dan O'Henley said there isn't anyone to reach out to, to try to get someone to work. There are several factors, he said, that could potentially be causing the lack of available labor  including the wages being paid for the position.

"So, nobody's going to come work, do construction or do manual labor for that money, when they can go somewhere else for a lot more," O'Henley said. "There's just nobody. I don't have the clear answer as to why it is."

O'Henley has had to fill in and drive trucks for the recycling program because he only has one part-time truck driver. He also has to oversee operations at the fairgrounds. Meanwhile, maintenance personnel from the county have been trying to help pick up the slack  but they have other responsibilities, too.

"There's just no help," O'Henley said. "So, it's tough, it's a tough time for everybody. Nobody answers the ad. Now, when is that going to change? I don't know what's going to change it. It's just tough.

"I don't know how other people are doing it in other businesses. How are these people driving to work with gas at $5 or $6 a gallon? I don't know. I don't have any of the answers."

The labor shortage could also affect the annual county fair.

"It's a very interesting time," O'Henley said. "It almost leaves you speechless, because you think, well, you could do this, or you could do that, and none of that works."

O'Henley doesn't have the solution.

"I don't see what the fix is," he said. "We're trying to deal with it just like everyone else."

Bartender Megan OConnor pours a drink at Spurrier's Gridiron Grille in Gainesville.

Adapting to change

Katelyn Shawn has been the manager of Wicked Sister, a popular bar and restaurant in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, since 2016.

Since the pandemic began and the bar had to find new ways to operate, she's been struggling to hire full-time employees.

One thing that we tried to do throughout COVID was we didn't want to just close down and leave everybody without a job or without money to pay bills and rent, but we stayed open, Shawn said. We just did delivery and takeout.

"We rebranded ourselves because of COVID, so we still have the opportunity to allow every employee the opportunity to make money.

Shawn didn't have to fire anyone, but that doesn't mean she didn't lose workers. Students living at LSSU moved home to take online classes. Other workers had to leave to care for sick family members, or to spend time with their children.

And then they ended up getting a different job after things opened back up," Shawn said. "So, we've seen a few different reasons for losing people, and we've hired some people on too, but we have to keep adjusting our menu and adjusting our workload based on the crew that we have.

It isnt just bars and restaurants that are feeling the pain of not being able to find workers  many small businesses in town are also looking to hire.

I have friends that work in other small businesses and they say it's so hard to get people in and get people trained. There are a lot of people that have no experience but its hard to find people that are willing to learn that dont just say, Well, I could go to McDonald's and make more money.'

"A lot of people are seeing corporate chains that are offering a bigger wage and it's hard for a small local business to compete with that.

 Contact reporters Cassandra Lybrink, Tess Ware, Kortny Hahn and Brendan Wiesner at newsroom@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Staffing shortages leave Michigan employers feeling helpless
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  One photograph shows a kneeling soldier kissing a child inside a subway station, where Ukraine families shelter from Russian airstrikes. In another, an infant and a woman who appears on the brink of tears look out from a departing train car as a man peers inside, his hand spread across the window in a gesture of goodbye.

In an uplifting Fathers Day message Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted 10 photos of parents and children set against the grim backdrop of war, praising fathers who protect and defend the most precious.

There are scenes of childbirth, as a man and woman look toward a swaddled baby in what appears to be a hospital room where the spackled walls show scars of fighting. In another, a man lifts a child over a fence toward a woman with outstretched arms on a train platform.

Being a father is a great responsibility and a great happiness, Zelenskyy wrote in English text that followed the Ukrainian on Instagram. It is strength, wisdom, motivation to go forward and not to give up."

He urged his nation's fighters to endure for the "future of your family, your children, and therefore the whole of Ukraine.

His message came as four months of war in Ukraine appear to be straining the morale of troops on both sides, prompting desertions and rebellion against officers orders. NATOs chief warned the fighting could drag on for "years."

Combat units from both sides are committed to intense combat in the Donbas and are likely experiencing variable morale," Britain's defense ministry said in its daily assessment of the war.

Ukrainian forces have likely suffered desertions in recent weeks, the assessment said, but added that Russian morale highly likely remains especially troubled.

It said cases of whole Russian units refusing orders and armed stand-offs between officers and their troops continue to occur.

Separately, the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate released what it said were intercepted phone calls in which Russian soldiers complained about front-line conditions, poor equipment, and overall lack of personnel, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War.

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In an interview published on Sunday in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that nobody knows how long the war could last.

We need to be prepared for it to last for years," he said.

He also urged allies not to weaken support for Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only in terms of military aid, but also because of the increase in energy and food goods prices."

In his nightly address Sunday, Zelenskyy said the week ahead would be historic and perhaps bring Ukraine closer to membership in the European Union. But that move could portend a more hostile response from Russia, he warned.

EU leaders recommended Friday that Ukraine join the bloc, and their proposal was to go to members for discussion this week in Brussels. Zelenskyy called the outcome of those talks one of the most fateful moments for Ukraine since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

I am sure that only a positive decision meets the interests of the whole of Europe, he said.

In such a week we should expect greater hostile activity from Russia," he added. "And not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe. We are preparing.

In recent days, Gazprom, the Russian gas company, has reduced supplies to two major European clients  Germany and Italy. In Italy's case, energy officials are expected to huddle this week about the situation. The head of Italian energy giant ENI said on Saturday that with additional gas purchased from other sources, Italy should make it through the coming winter, but he warned Italians that restrictions affecting gas use might be necessary.

Germany will limit the use of gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages caused by a reduction in supplies from Russia, the country's economy minister said on Sunday. Germany has been trying to fill its gas storage facilities to capacity ahead of the cold winter months.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck said that Germany will try to compensate for the move by increasing the burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. Thats bitter, but its simply necessary in this situation to lower gas usage, he said.

Stoltenberg stressed, though, that the costs of food and fuel are nothing compared with those paid daily by the Ukrainians on the front line.

Stoltenberg added: What's more, if Russian President Vladimir Putin should reach his objectives in Ukraine, like when he annexed Crimea in 2014, we would have to pay an even greater price.

Britain's defense ministry said that both Russia and Ukraine have continued to conduct heavy artillery bombardments on axes to the north, east and south of the Sieverodonetsk pocket, but with little change in the front line.

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said via Telegram on Sunday: It is a very difficult situation in Sievierodonetsk, where the enemy in the middle of the city is conducting round-the-clock aerial reconnaissance with drones, adjusting fire, quickly adjusting to our changes."

Russias defense ministry claimed on Sunday that Russian and separatist forces have taken control of Metolkine, a settlement just to the east of Sievierodonetsk.

Bakhmut, a city in the Donbas, is 55 kilometers (33 miles) southwest of the twin cities of Lysyhansk and Siervierodonetsk, where fierce military clashes have been raging. Every day, Russian artillery pummels Bakhmut.

But Bakhmut's people try to go about their daily lives, including shopping in markets that have opened again in recent weeks.

In principle, it can be calm in the morning,'' said one resident, Oleg Drobelnnikov. The shelling starts at about 7 or 8 in the evening." Still, he said, it has been pretty calm in the last 10 days or so.

You can buy food at small farmer markets,'' said Drobelnnikov, a teacher. It is not a problem. In principle, educational institutions, like schools or kindergartens, are not working due to the situation. The institutions moved to other regions. There is no work here."

Ukraines east has been the main focus of Russias attacks for more than two months.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy made a trip south from Kyiv to visit troops and hospital workers in the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions along the Black Sea. He handed out awards to dozens of people at every stop, shaking their hands and thanking them again and again for their service.

Zelenskyy, in a recorded address aboard a train back to Kyiv, vowed to defend the countrys south.

"We will not give away the south to anyone. We will return everything thats ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe.

He added: "Russia does not have as many missiles as our people have a desire to live.

Zelenskyy also condemned the Russian blockade of Ukraines ports amid weeks of inconclusive negotiations on safe corridors so millions of tons of siloed grain can be shipped out before the approaching new harvest season.

In other attacks in the south, Ukraines southern military operational command said Sunday that two people were killed in shelling of the Galitsyn community in the Mykolaiv region and that shelling of the Bashtansky district is continuing.

Russia's defense ministry said seaborne missiles destroyed a plant in Mykolaiv city where Western-supplied howitzers and armored vehicles were stored.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concerns that a bit of Ukraine fatigue is starting to set in around the world."

It would be a catastrophe if Putin won. Hed love nothing more than to say, Lets freeze this conflict, lets have a cease-fire,'" Johnson said on Saturday, a day after a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy and offered offer continued aid and military training.

Western-supplied heavy weapons are reaching front lines. But Ukraine's leaders have insisted for weeks that they need more arms, and sooner.

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Julia Rubin in New York, Sylvia Hui in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Frances DEmilio in Rome and Srdjan Nedeljkovic in Bakhmut, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

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Follow the APs coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
A West Lawn man was denied bail after he appeared at a Saturday bond hearing broadcast on YouTube for the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old woman during broad daylight.

Arnaldo Coronel, 32, was charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a woman shortly after 7:30 p.m. on June 12 in the 6400 block of South Kilbourn Avenue, police said.

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Earlier that day, Coronel and a group of others picked the victim up in a family Lexus, and drove around for several hours, prosecutors said.

At some point, an argument ensued after Coronel asked if the victim was pretty. Tensions heated, and Coronel ended up beating the woman and holding a firearm to her head. It was not clear why Coronel turned violent towards the victim. The victim walked away but later followed Coronel and he grabbed her and threw her in the middle of the street, prosecutors said.

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He shot her in the head and in multiple parts of the body in front of witnesses outside. The victim was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where she was pronounced dead.

The Lexus pulled off and Coronel and another person walked to his home where he stashed the murder weapon. It was later recovered. Video surveillance captured the violent shooting and Coronel walking off, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Coronel is a felon, convicted in Indiana and Illinois. He has a 14-year-old child and an 8-month-old he shares with one of the witnesses.

The Cook County judge presiding over the hearing denied bail noting that Coronel argued back and forth while he stood over the victim and shot her multiple times calling the incident extremely violent.

His next court date was scheduled June 21.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky was released from a prison in 2014 after a decade and now lives in London. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Mikhail Khodorkovsky tells the Financial Times that oligarchs have no power over Vladimir Putin.

He was Russia's richest man aged 40 but was jailed by Putin on fraud and tax evasion charges.

The Putin critic said the Russian leader gave Roman Abramovich approval to attend peace talks.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's wealthiest business figure, said oligarchs are "no less" than agents of Vladimir Putin in an interview with the Financial Times.

"Abramovich and others you call oligarchs in the west: I see them as Putin's agents, no more than that, but no less."

The businessman-turned-philanthropist, who has been living in the UK since 2015, said oligarchs might not hold influence over the Russian president, but that he can use them to "influence public opinion" as well as western politics.



Oligarchs were hit with sanctions by a host of western countries including the US and UK following Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.



Roman Abramovich, one of the oligarchs facing sanctions, appeared in Turkey for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine earlier this year.

"I think Putin gave him the green light to take part, so that Abramovich could protect himself from sanctions," Khodorskovsky told the FT. "My personal opinion is that, during the elections, Abramovich is going to work in Putin's interests."



Khodorskovsky made his fortune in the 1990s from currency trading, according to a Vanity Fair report, and once ran the oil company Yukos.

He launched the Open Russia foundation in 2001 to advocate for a thriving civil society in Russia, his personal website says.

The former politician, who has been a vocal critic of Putin since he took power, spoke out against corruption in Russia in a televised meeting with the president in 2003.



He was then jailed in the same year on charges of tax evasion and fraud, his website states, and spent ten years behind bars. He was pardoned by Putin in 2014 shortly before Russia held the Winter Olympic Games and relaunched Open Russia in the same year.

According to the FT interview, Khodorskovsky does not support an EU embargo on Russian oil. He believed duties is a better strategy because they would not push up oil prices as much.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Associated Press

Former South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, in his first public comments since being removed from office last week, appeared before a state ethics board Monday to press for an investigation of fellow Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, the person he blames for his impeachment over his conduct surrounding a 2020 fatal car crash. As attorney general, Ravnsborg last year filed a pair of complaints against Noem to the state's Government Accountability Board alleging she abused the powers of her office by interfering in a state agency as it evaluated her daughters application for a real estate appraiser license and by misusing state airplanes. The board, which is comprised of retired judges, has not decided whether to investigate Noem and is working with an attorney to evaluate the merits of the complaints.
KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO - SUNDAY, 19 JUNE 2022, 18:18

Kirill, patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, said that the Russian occupiers who invaded Ukraine are "defending Russia on the battlefield."

Source: Kirill in Penza after the consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, writes Radio Svoboda

Quote: "Our young guys are now defending Russia on the battlefield."

Details : According to Kirill, the Russian military in Ukraine is driven by an inner moral sense based on the Orthodox faith.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church said that priests who "take care" of the Russian military allegedly told him about numerous examples of courage and self-sacrifice among them. The patriarch believes that this is "not from a high salary", but from "moral sense".

Kirill also said that the Western world is currently experiencing a "decline of faith", and new temples are constantly opening in Russia, which he called "God's miracle." According to Kirill, temples are being built "to the horror of the Western world."
Deadline

What may have been Colin Kaepernicks last shot at a National Football League job didnt go very well, according to Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. Speaking to urban news site VladTV, Sapp didnt hold back when Kaepernicks May workout with the Las Vegas Raiders came up in conversation. The VladTV host mentioned that there were []
Reuters

(Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday made it harder for prosecutors to win convictions of doctors accused of running "pill mills" and excessively prescribing opioids and other addictive drugs, by requiring the government to prove that defendants knew their prescriptions had no legitimate medical purpose. The 9-0 ruling, authored by liberal Justice Stephen Breyer, sided with Xiulu Ruan and Shakeel Kahn, who argued that their trials were unfair because jurors were not required to consider whether the two convicted doctors had "good faith" reasons to believe the numerous opioid prescriptions were medically valid.
A man died early Sunday morning following a shooting in Camp Washington, according to Cincinnati police.

Officers responded around 4:42 a.m. to a report of a person down at the 2800 block of Colerain Avenue, officials said in a news release.

Maurice Roberts, 34, was dead at the scene when officers arrived, officials said.

An investigation into Roberts' death is ongoing, police said. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Cincinnati Police Department's homicide unit at 513-352-3542.

The Enquirer will update this story as more information becomes available.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Police identify man killed in Camp Washington shooting
A man wanted for an attempted murder and burglary in Mount Vernon was arrested on Sunday.

At about 5:23 p.m. on June 18, Mount Vernon officers responded to a report of an assault on Willow Lane.

When officers arrived, they contacted a 48-year-old man who had been stabbed by a man he knew.

The seriously injured 48-year-old man was transported to Skagit Valley Hospital with multiple stab wounds.

Officers searched the area for the suspect, who had fled on foot, but he could not be found.

The suspect, 24-year-old Chazz Arthur Orcutt, was recognized by a citizen, who then called police. Orcutt was arrested without incident and booked into the Skagit County Community Justice Center.

Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked contact the Mount Vernon Police Department at 360-336-6271 or police dispatch at 360-428-3211.
Texas volunteer passes out water bottles during heat wave to people with limited access to power. Shelby Tauber/Reuters

Record-breaking temperatures means millions of Americans are under heat advisories.

Several states are experiencing power outages due to high energy use and demand.

Energy companies are encouraging residents to conserve when they can to combat emergencies.

Extreme heat early in the summer season is calling into question the strength of electricity and power grids across the country, as warnings about brownouts and requests to conserve power continue to rise.

As temperatures increase, the risk of power outages grows along with them. Warmer weather means higher power usage as people turn to devices like air-conditioning units and fans to try to cool their homes and offices.

A May report from the non-profit North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) predicted a "high risk of energy emergencies during peak summer conditions" in the Upper Midwest.

"We've been doing this for close to 30 years. This is probably one of the grimmest pictures we've painted in a while," John Moura, NERC's director of reliability assessment and performance analysis, told CBS.

Reuters reported that several states  including Nebraska, Wisconsin, Mississippi, among others  would experience a rise in the heat index in June. For states like Texas, this means a surge in power usage that's uncharacteristic for early summer months.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state's power grid, in a May news release asked residents to conserve power by avoiding usage of large appliances and setting their thermostats to at least 78 degrees during peak hours in an effort to address record power demand.

The vulnerability of the Texas power grid raises concerns following winter storms in 2020 and 2021 that led to deadly blackouts. Now, the focus is on droughts, wildfires, and heat waves that have "overwhelmed some of the country's infrastructure," CNBC reports.

Although Midwestern states are considered high risk by NERC, the West Coast is also nearing dangerous territory: California, Arizona, and Nevada are classified as elevated risk. And as power companies try to find alternative sources for energy, they aren't able to replace old generators fast enough, according to CBS.

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In Cleveland, residents have complained of brownouts that occurred when electricity demand outweighed the amount being produced in June. Cleveland Public Power, an organization that provides energy to Ohio, attributes the outages to hot weather conditions.

In an effort to curb brownouts and keep residents safe, the city has started providing cooling centers around the city after a heat advisory was issued last week, according to local news reports. Other major cities, including Chicago and Detroit, have also relied on cooling centers as a way to combat the heat.

Extreme weather conditions are a common factor in issues with the power grid across the country. Tornadoes, floods, and storms have caused thousands to go without power in recent years as such natural disasters continue to rise, CNN reported.

"Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves around the world, tilting the scale in the direction of warmer temperatures," CNN meteorologist and climate expert Brandon Miller said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Pro-choice protesters congregated outside Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barretts Virginia home on Saturday, dressed in clothing appearing to be soaked with blood and holding baby doll toys.

"Abortion on demand and without apology," signs held by members of the group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights read on Saturday as they stood outside Barretts home in Falls Church.

The protesters were armed with baby doll props and were wearing pants appearing to be soaked in blood to show a future of forced births if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Protests erupted outside of conservative Supreme Court justices homes in recent weeks, following the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion signaling the nation's highest court might overturn Roe v. Wade.

SMALL GROUPS OF PROTESTERS SHOW UP AT SUPREME COURT JUSTICES' HOMES TO PUSH FOR ROE V. WADE

"Your neighbor says post-Roe, we say hell no!" protesters shouted outside of Barretts home earlier this month . "Hey-hey, ho-ho, the handmaiden has got to go!"

PRO-CHOICE ACTIVISTS MARCH OUTSIDE HOME OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE AMY CONEY BARRETT

Members of the group Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights have staged protests at Dodger Stadium, outside the Supreme Court and other locations.

Other pro-choice activists related to the radical abortion group "Janes Revenge" have claimed responsibility for various attacks on pro-life preg n ancy centers across the country in recent days.

"We will never stop, back down, slow down, or retreat. We did not want this; but it is upon us, and so we must deal with it proportionally. We exist in confluence and solidarity with all others in the struggle for complete liberation," members of "Janes Revenge" said in a letter last week. "Our recourse now is to defend ourselves and to build robust, caring communities of mutual aid, so that we may heal ourselves without the need of the medical industry or any other intermediary. Through attacking, we find joy, courage, and strip the veneer of impenetrability held by these violent institutions."

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PRO-LIFE PREGNANCY CENTER CEO SLAMS DEM SILENCE AFTER ALLEGED FIREBOMBING, CALLS IT A 'HATE CRIME'

The letter claimed responsibility for various attacks such as ones in Portland, Eugene and Gresham in Oregon, as well as in Olympia, Lynwood and Vancouver in Washington state.

Faith Leaders have since called on the Department of Justice to investigate, prosecute and "publicly condemn these unlawful attacks."

"We call on you to publicly condemn these unlawful attacks; to commit to vigorous efforts to prevent them, and to investigate and prosecute them; and to proactively engage with the affected faith communities to ensure their concerns and security needs are being met," the letter sent to the Attorney General's Office last week by CatholicVote reads.
Plenty of people in Naperville and Woodridge have faced a hard year after the 2021 tornado, but no one has endured a tougher recovery than Katie Wilson.

She was asleep in the home of her Woodridge in-laws when the tornado approached. Seconds after her cellphone screeched a warning, a tree crashed through the roof and knocked her to the floor, severing nerves and an artery in her left arm, puncturing a lung, fracturing her neck, collarbone and several ribs, causing multiple strokes and taking the life of her unborn son, Jordan, with whom she was seven months pregnant.

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Her husband, Bryan, lifted the tree off her and called 911. First responders had to leave their vehicles a block away because of all the tree limbs scattered on her street. She was taken to a local hospital, and hours later airlifted to the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Wilson doesnt remember any of that, though. Her memory doesnt really click on until several weeks later, when she was in a rehab facility.

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She has been back home for about nine months, but her recovery is far from complete. She cant walk independently, has double vision and a condition called ataxia that affects her balance. She still doesnt know how long it will take to recover her abilities.

They say everybody heals differently, so they wont give me a definitive timeline even though I ask every time Im there, she said. I hate the answer, It just takes time, but seeing where I was when I was discharged in September to where I am now, its remarkable.

Wilson had been working as a special education teaching assistant, but she has not been able to resume her job. Aside from doing copious amounts of occupational and physical therapy, shes aiming to finish her bachelors degree via online classes and figure out what shell do in the future.

Mentally, shes all there, Bryan Wilson said. Shes back to being the person I know. Physically, theres a lot of limitations but shes motivating herself. Shes working out on her own. Her trainers and therapists are a vital part of that, but mostly its just her. She has that mindset to get up and move and strengthen everything she can.

The familys story is not solely a tragedy. After Wilson sustained her injuries, people contributed more than $140,000 in an online fundraiser to assist with the familys expenses. Her neighbors, community members and even Woodridges mayor have rallied around them, bringing food and gift cards along with clothes and toys for their 5-year-old daughter, Ryen.

Theyve just been so incredibly supportive, Wilson said. Were very thankful for everybody who has donated or asked if we need help with anything.

jkeilman@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @JohnKeilman
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers due to right thumb soreness. It is the first game he has missed this season.

Manager Terry Francona said Ramirez jammed the thumb during a swing about 10 days ago and then aggravated it during the Guardians' recent series in Colorado. Ramirez will have it checked out again Sunday before Cleveland travels to Minnesota to begin a three-game series on Tuesday.

Ramirez  who has an eight-game hitting streak  leads the American League with 62 RBIs and is tied with Boston's Rafael Devers with 40 extra-base hits. Ramirez's .305 batting average is eighth in the AL.

The Guardians have won a season-high five straight and 14 of 17 to close within one game of Minnesota for the AL Central lead. After wrapping up the Dodgers' series, eight of Cleveland's next 11 games are against the Twins.

When hes not in there our lineup obviously doesnt look as good. But then when you think well, if we played him too much ... So were going to stay away from him tonight, Francona said.

Ernie Clement was at third base in Ramirez's absence.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Sara Duterte takes her oath as vice president of the Philippines in her hometown of Davao on Sunday. (Manman Dejeto / Associated Press)

Sara Duterte, daughter of the outgoing populist president of the Philippines, took her oath Sunday as vice president following a landslide electoral victory she clinched despite her fathers human rights record that saw thousands of drug suspects gunned down.

The inauguration in their southern hometown of Davao, where shes the outgoing mayor, comes two weeks before she assumes office on June 30 as specified in the Philippine Constitution. President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Dutertes running mate, will take his oath in Manila on June 30.

President Rodrigo Duterte, 77, led VIPs in the heavily guarded ceremony at a public square in the port city of Davao, where he had also served as a longtime mayor starting in the late 1980s. His family, hailing from modest middle-class background, built a formidable political dynasty in the restive southern region long troubled by communist and Muslim insurgencies and violent political rivalries.

Dutertes presidency has been marked by a brutal anti-drugs campaign that has left thousands of mostly petty drug runners shot dead by police or vigilantes. He is being investigated for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.

The electoral triumph of Sara Duterte and Marcos Jr. has alarmed left-wing and human rights groups because of their failure to acknowledge the massive human rights atrocities that took place under their fathers, including late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte campaigned on a vague platform of national unity, without clearly addressing activists calls for them to take steps to prosecute the elder Duterte when he retires from politics.

One of the presidents sons, Sebastian Duterte, will succeed his sister as Davao mayor, and another son, Paolo Duterte, won a seat in the House of Representatives in the May 9 elections. The outgoing presidents late father was a former Davao governor.

Philippine elections have long been dominated by politicians belonging to the same bloodlines. At least 250 political families have monopolized power across the country, although such dynasties are prohibited under the constitution. Congress  long controlled by members of powerful clans targeted by the constitutional ban  has failed to pass the law needed to define and enforce the provision.

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Although Sara Duterte, 44, refused calls by her father and supporters to seek the presidency, she has not ruled out a future run. She topped pre-election surveys for the presidency last year and won with a huge margin like Marcos Jr.

Aside from being vice president, she has agreed to serve as education secretary, although there were talks that her initial preference was to head the Department of National Defense, a traditional springboard to the presidency.

Still, the education portfolio would provide her first often-problematic national political platform, especially with plans to resume physical classes soon after the country was hit hard by two years of coronavirus pandemic outbreaks and lockdowns.

Our constitution does not specify any particular job for the vice president except to be a president in waiting and except when he or she is assigned a Cabinet position, she told reporters.

She thanked her Davao supporters and said she decided to hold her inauguration in one of the country's most developed cities to show her pride as a southern provincial politician who rose to a top national post.

A mother of three, Duterte finished a medical course and originally wanted to become a doctor but later took up law and was prevailed upon to enter politics starting in 2007, when she was elected as Davao vice mayor and mayor three years later.

In 2011, she drew national attention when she was caught on video punching and assaulting a court sheriff who was helping lead a police demolition of a shanty community despite her plea for a brief deferment. The court official sustained a black eye and face injuries and was taken by her bodyguards to a hospital.

Despite public feuds with her father, Sara Duterte had her hair shaved a year before the 2016 elections as a show of support for his campaign.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Jun. 19A version of this story was updated to correct the spelling of Leah Bulow's name.

As June Pride Month celebrations take place around the country, the streets of downtown Smyrna will shut down for the city's second Pride Festival on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

The event is organized by the community organization, Smyrna is Fabulous.

At the festival there will be vendors, a DJ playing music, sponsors offering specials and ample food and drink. Since Smyrna is an open container city, festival-goers can purchase drinks from one spot and food from another for an afternoon of celebration and community.

The Pride Festival found its origins in 2021 when Mike Mitchell, executive director of Smyrna is Fabulous, Kirsi Noonan and Zack Smith decided to ask business owners in the Smyrna Market Village to fly the pride flag one day so they could bring people to hang out and celebrate.

"That initiative got the attention of quite a few people, and the support behind it was significant," Mitchell said. "Pretty much every business in the Smyrna Market Village flew the pride flag that day."

The initial celebration got the attention of Smyrna's Mayor Derek Norton, and he decided to show his support, Mitchell said. On June 6, Norton presented a proclamation to the Smyrna City Council in recognition of LGBTQ Pride Month for June 2022. The proclamation urged "residents to recognize the contributions made by members of the LGBTQ+ community and actively promote the principles of equality, liberty and justice," while denouncing "prejudice and unfair discrimination based on age, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, religion, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation or physical attributes as an affront to (our) fundamental principals."

"It's imperative that young people in our community, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, feel valued, safe, empowered and supported by their peers and community leaders," Norton wrote in the proclamation.

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Mayor Pro Tem Tim Gould said he and Norton are happy that Mitchell and Smyrna is Fabulous will be leading the celebration. They want everyone to feel welcome and cared for in the city of Smyrna.

"The city of Smyrna is such a wonderfully diverse community," Gould said. "We want to work hard to celebrate the diversity and to make sure folks know they're welcome, and they're a valued, important part of our community."

After the first pride celebration, people started asking Mitchell if it was possible to make the celebration bigger going forward and if there could even be monthly pride events. Mitchell said he and his team decided that, with the support of the community, they would form a planning committee and work on throwing a full pride celebration.

The committee Smyrna is Fabulous formed as a result. They hold one event a month at which members and allies can meet, interact and form a community.

Seeing the mayor proclaim June as Pride Month for Smyrna, which he did again in 2022, was important to Smyrna is Fabulous community relations person Leah Bulow. Cobb County had not always been welcoming to members of the LGBTQ+ community, she said, citing a 1993 anti-gay resolution passed in the county.

When Bulow and her wife first moved to Smyrna in 2011 with their children, she said she knew there were other families like hers in the area, but they weren't broadcasting it. They had to use private Facebook groups to connect with other LGBTQ+ families, she said. Smyrna is Fabulous offers a public group to connect a wide variety of community members.

"I feel like we've just been able to promote a really safe and out space for people that are in the (LGBTQ+) community or might have family members or allies," Bulow said. "I think it's been a really good thing. Just to help residents in our area feel more comfortable about who they are and being out in our community."

Mitchell said he's been able to see changes amongst allies, people who are not LGBTQ+ but show support for the community. Mitchell said he felt he fit in better with straight men until he got older.

"I lived in the city where my neighbors loved me and my friends loved me, but I didn't know if they loved Mike, the guy that played softball with them, or if they loved Mike, the genuine human being that he is," Mitchell said.

Now he knows his neighbors love him for the human being he is, he said. He can look out at his neighbor's house and see they're flying a pride flag. When he asked them why, they said Mitchell was a member of the community and they wanted to support them.

Creating a safe and supportive local community is the most important thing for Smyrna is Fabulous, which runs by the motto "live where you're loved."

Mitchell said it's important to localize pride into smaller communities. Pride Month began as a way to commemorate the Stonewall riots in New York City in June, 1969, when members of the LGBTQ+ community protested in response to a police raid of Stonewall Inn, a popular gay club at the time.

Mitchell said the pride movement might not have happened had these protests occurred in a less progressive city, but the club attracted gay people from all over, including small towns. It's important to have grass roots pride events in smaller communities because they feed into the big ones, he said.

"We want to have our own pride and show our own resiliency and our own beliefs," Mitchell said. "That's why the name of the organization is Smyrna is Fabulous. Not 'we are fabulous.' It's Smyrna is Fabulous, because we want the people of Smyrna to know that they can be just as proud here on June 25, as they can be [at the Atlanta Pride Parade]."

This year's Pride Festival has reached a point Mitchell never expected to see, with the streets closed off and entertainment planned all day. He said he is thankful for the work his planning committee has done to get to this point.

"I think I'm most excited about seeing the hard work of these six people come to this really, really beautiful culmination," Mitchell said.

Bulow said she wants every attendee to feel safe, whether they're gay or straight.

"I just want them to feel welcome and to be safe in their own skin here in Smyrna, Georgia," she said.

Mitchell added that he wants everyone to know hate is not allowed in Smyrna and not allowed at the pride festival. He wants attendees to leave knowing that Smyrna is Fabulous is committed to giving everyone a safe experience.Gould said they look forward to doing what they can to help celebrate the diversity of Smyrna year after year.

"I'm really, really, really excited about what June 25 has in store for us," Mitchell said. "And I'm even more excited about what June 26 has in store for us."

For the full list of vendors and sponsors, visit Smyrna is Fabulous' website or join the group Smyrna is Fabulous on Facebook and be part of the countdown to pride.
By Arriana McLymore

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clothing retailer Kohl's is offering gray, green and red "Juneteenth 1865" tank tops and t-shirts for juniors and boys for $23.99. JCPenney.com hopes to lure shoppers with dozens of wall hangings featuring abstract graphic designs and silhouettes of Black women, priced at $60 to $160 apiece.

In the first big push to commercialize Juneteenth, commemorated by Black people for generations as the day in 1865 when a Union general informed a group of enslaved people in Texas that they were free, a handful of major retailers are rolling out merchandise.

But some of the goods, from cotton tank tops with red, yellow and green U.S. flags, to lawn accessories featuring slogans such as "Freedom," are raising eyebrows among shoppers who accuse retailers of exploiting Juneteenth to cash in on President Joe Biden making June 19 a federal holiday in 2021.

In May, Walmart began marketing pints of a new "Celebrated Edition" red velvet and cheesecake Juneteenth Ice Cream until complaints surfaced on Twitter, prompting Walmart to remove it.

"Just saw Pride and Juneteenth ice cream at Walmart I think we're in the bad place," one Twitter user posted on June 11.

Walmart said in a statement in May that the retailer had "received feedback that a few items caused concern for some of our customers." The retailer apologized and said it will remove items as appropriate.

Walmart.com also sells an array of children's books on the history of Juneteenth, as well as dozens of t-shirts.

Dollar Tree also drew criticism on social media for selling Juneteenth party decorations in non-traditional colors in May. The decorations are manufactured by vendors who aren't descendants of slaves themselves, according to the National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants, an advocacy group that supports reparations for Black American descendants of slavery. Dollar Tree did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

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PROMOTE BLACK VENDORS

Connie Ross, vice president and chair of diversity, equity and inclusion at Empower consultancy, said Walmart and other brands should use the holiday to promote Black vendors.

"Juneteenth was not born out of a pretty story, but give it time, and people are going to find a way to associate it with something positive," Ross said.

Ross expects more companies to "soften" the meaning of Juneteenth by avoiding its connections to the history of slavery.

Liz Rogers, a Black founder of Creamalicious ice creams which are sold in Walmart, Target and Kroger, said that none of her retail customers contacted her for Juneteenth partnerships or events and that she often has to pitch companies to get on their shelves.

JCPenney's Chief Merchandising Officer Michelle Wlazlo said the company is donating any net profits from the sales of its Juneteenth merchandise to Unity Unlimited, a non-profit that says it helps communities "overcome racial and cultural division." Wlazlo said JCPenney looks at customer feedback, traditional retail holidays and other factors to determine promotional events.

Brian Packer of public relations agency Golin said that brands looking to tap into Juneteenth should find ways to elevate products and services made by people in those communities. He said it is more complex than "putting a Black Power Fist on something."

Alternatively, there also can be drawbacks to messages that are too subtle. In the product questions area of JCPenney.com's $30 Masterpiece Art Gallery Juneteenth Framed Canvas Art, a series of orange shapes against a white background, one person asked: "What does this have to do with Juneteenth?"

Target, whose headquarters are in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed by police, first acknowledged Juneteenth in 2020 as an official annual company holiday after the spread of national protests against police brutality. The company has provided internal resources detailing the history of Juneteenth and a list of community events for employees to participate in. Workers also can take the day off or work for overtime pay, it said.

(Reporting by Arriana McLymore; editing by Grant McCool)
Entrance doors on bridge to Tysons Corner Mall in Fairfax, Virginia (Getty)

Shoppers fled in panic on Saturday after a gun was fired during a fight at a northern Virginia mall.

No injuries were reported and there was no active shooter situation, police have since said.

Officers were called to Tysons Corner Center on Saturday afternoon for a report of shots fired at the prominent mall near the nations capital, Fairfax County police tweeted.

Social media footage showed terrified members of the public running out of the complex and through parking garages in fear that this may have been the latest in the nations spate of mass shootings.

According to authorities, a fight broke out and one man displayed a gun and fired.

Police said there were no reports of any injuries and no confirmed reports of additional shots fired.

Active shooter at Tysons Corner Mall pic.twitter.com/pjFXnF0NWF  *.**  (@prozactwink) June 18, 2022

Officers immediately began clearing the mall to make sure no suspects were still present and also were helping those who had sheltered in place.

Mall is closed as officers continue to clear the mall. At this time, no confirmed reports of additional shots fired. Please avoid the area.  Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) June 18, 2022

The authorities asked people who were sheltering to stay in place until officers came to them.

Police said the mall was subsequently closed and they asked people to avoid the area.
Willie Geist wraps up Sunday TODAY by sharing mug shots sent in by viewers. This week, Willie gives a shout out to Lynne in Ireland; Jack, Mary Lou, Sarah, Baby Nate, Caitlan, Joey and Joe in Missouri; Jenny celebrating her birthday in Texas; Kaylee and her dad Keith in North Carolina; Noble relaxing at home in Kansas; Jessica, Jack, Madeline, Fairfax, Vicky, Emma, Celia, Karen, Peter, and Mark in Greece; Brynn celebrating her 1st Birthday in Virginia; and Ashley, Joseph, Sarah, BJ, Coach Valinda, and Coach Brian of Team Alabama at the Special Olympics USA games in Orlando celebrating a gold medal win! To share your photos, use #SundayTODAY on social media.
NEW YORK  Some organizers of Juneteenth celebrations around the city admit theyve been learning about the origins of the commemoration, but are eager to bring New Yorkers up to speed on the nations newest federal holiday.

President Joe Biden signed a bill last year designating Juneteenth a federal holiday, and its second official celebration will be marked nationwide on Monday. But many events are sticking to the actual date and will roll out Sunday.

I didnt know anything about it at first, Brooklyn organizer Athenia Rodney, who presides over the Juneteenth NY Festival  now in its 13th year commemorating an event long omitted from history textbooks  told the Daily News.

And this is the point where I always talk about how education of certain things is not being taught in school. So my best friend, shes very ethnic in her approach to things and her family always celebrated Black holidays, and they were my initiation into learning and understanding about it.

The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to let people know the Civil War was over and that slavery was abolished two years earlier by the Emancipation Proclamation.

A recent study found that 53% of middle and high school students dont discuss Juneteenth in their schools. The survey, by homework app Brainly.com, polled 1,015 students nationwide.

James Monroe Iglehart, the Tony Award-winning star of Broadways Aladdin and Hamilton, confesses he also didnt know much about Juneteenth, which Texas has recognized as a state holiday since 1990.

I was one of those people who had heard about it when I was a kid and didnt really get it [when] your mom was talking about it, the 47-year-old told The News. And it wasnt really until my nephew, who is going to be 21 this year and a college kid, and I were talking about it and talking about being Black at this time.

It was like three years ago that I really understood what it meant and how I understood that it was a definite Independence Day for our people, for folks in certain regions, not knowing that they were free, he added.

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On Sunday, Iglehart will take a break from touring with Lin-Manuel Mirandas Tony Award winning Freestyle Love Supreme improv hip hop troupe to host the second annual Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth concert in Times Square.

Presented by The Broadway Leagues Black to Broadway Initiative, the 90-minute event will feature performances from cast members from shows on The Great White Way including Funny Girl, and Paradise Square, alongside a special appearance by Tony Award-winning MJ star Myles Frost.

The festivities will also honor Broadway and TV veterans Leslie Uggams and Ben Vereen with the first Juneteenth Legacy Awards.

I think that the way that we honor our ancestors is to pay homage to them and to look at where weve come from and to look at what freedom is, Broadway Leagues Gennean Scott said. Not only that, but to celebrate where we are right now, but not to rest on our laurels because we have to continue to do this work to build a solid foundation for the future of Broadway.

Four-time Grammy-nominated guitarist Robert Randolph is behind the second annual Juneteenth Unityfest, which will include three events for Sunday: a block party at Under the K Bridge Park featuring DJ Spinna, Josh Milan, Soul Summit Music, and Descendants of Sound at 3 p.m.; a concert at the Lena Horne Bandshell at Prospect Park, and; a late-night after party at Brooklyn Bowl.

Randolph introduced the event last year as an extension of his foundation as a way to bring together different voices to celebrate the holiday.

Like so many others, the Irvington, New Jersey, native admitted to not being as well versed in Juneteenth in the past.

I would say we learned about it because of my family and the church, we would kind of recognize the storybut l I just really learned about it in the last couple of years, to be honest with you, he said.

Its constantly evolving. Were constantly learning about each other. Were constantly, especially as Black people learning about our culture. And to be honest with you, since Ive been planning the Juneteenth thing, Ive learned more about who we are, where we come from, and how many different connections we have.


The man who allegedly killed one person and injured five others at a Taiwanese Presbyterian church in California on May 15 has been charged with hate crime enhancements, prosecutors announced Friday.

David Wenwei Chou, 68, had already been charged with murder, attempted murder and other felony counts in connection to last month's shooting.

This week, Orange County prosecutors added a hate crimes enhancement to the murder charge because they believe Chous slaying of John Cheng was motivated by race, color, religion, nationality or country of origin.

Hate crime enhancements were also added for each of the five counts of attempted murder.

CALIFORNIA SHOOTING AT CHURCH IN LAGUNA WOODS LEAVES ONE DEAD; CONGREGANTS HOG-TIED GUNMAN

The Geneva Presbyterian Church is seen after a deadly shooting, in Laguna Woods, California, U.S. May 15, 2022. REUTERS/David Swanson

POLICE IDENTIFY SUSPECT IN LAGUNA WOODS CHURCH SHOOTING

If Chou is convicted of all charges, which also includes four counts of possession of an explosive device, enhancements of lying in wait and personal discharge of a firearm causing death, he could face the death penalty.

Last month, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes called the shootings a "politically motivated hate incident" and said Chou is believed to have "specifically targeted the Taiwanese community."

Chou left notes in his car written in Chinese saying he did not believe Taiwan should be independent of China, Barnes said. The man appeared to take issue with Taiwanese people because of how he was treated when he was living in Taiwan, the sheriff said.

Prosecutors say Chou entered Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, where the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church rents space, with two handguns, several backpacks holding extra magazines and four Molotov cocktail devices.

HERO PASTOR HELPED STOP LAGUNA WOODS CHURCH SHOOTER BY HITTING HIM WITH CHAIR

He reportedly hid the backpacks in a banquet hall in the church and chained several doors shut.

Upon Chou opening fire on the congregation, Cheng attempted to fight back but was shot and killed. The incident involved five other people getting shot, but they all survived.

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Following Cheng's efforts to stop Chou, visiting Pastor Billy Chang ran up to the gunman and struck him with a chair. Chang was making his first visit to the church since moving to Taiwan two years ago.

Chang said he knocked Chou to the floor before hogtying him with an electric cord with the assistance of other parishioners, according to officials and eyewitness accounts.

"He got scared. I dont think he expected someone to attack him," Chang told The Los Angeles Times.
Chicago Ridge police are looking for leads to find the four people they believe robbed a jewelry store in the mall Sunday afternoon.

Police said it took less than a minute for the men to break a jewelry display case in Kay Jewelers and take about $180,000 worth of jewelry.

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Police were dispatched at 3:47 p.m. June 12 to the Chicago Ridge Mall at 95th Street and Ridgeland Avenue.

Surveillance cameras recorded four men, wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts, enter the mall from an east entrance.

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Two of the people appeared to act as lookouts, while the other two smashed a display case with a crowbar, the police department reported.

They ran out of the mall and left in a black Chrysler 300, heading east, police said. The car had no front license plate and the rear plate was not visible.

The video is available on the departments Facebook page at www.facebook.com/chicagoridgepolicedept.

Police are asking anyone who saw the men or can identify them to call the investigations division at 708-425-7831.

Kimberly Fornek is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO  SUNDAY, 19 JUNE 2022, 19:22

Viacheslav Chaus, head of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration, said there was a threat of Russian missile strikes on railway infrastructure in the oblast.

Source: Viacheslav Chaus on Facebook

Quote: "We have information that there is a threat of an enemy missile strike on railway infrastructure in Chernihiv Oblast today.

All relevant services and heads of hromadas [amalgamated territorial communities - ed.] have been informed [about the threat - ed.]."

Details: Chaus urged the residents of the oblast to pay heed to air alarms.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 20: Julie Chrisley (L) and Todd Chrisley attend the grand opening of E3 Chophouse Nashville on November 20, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images for E3 Chophouse Nashville)

Danielle Del Valle/Getty for E3 Chophouse Nashville

Todd and Julie Chrisley are opening up about their recent tax evasion and bank fraud conviction.

While speaking on the Chrisley Confessions podcast Thursday, the reality stars explained that while they plan on speaking more about their legal woes, the time is not now.

"I know all of you guys are wanting to know every detail that is going on in our lives, and I have to ask that you respect that we're not allowed to talk about it at the present time," Todd, 53, said. "There will come a time."

CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST -- "Odd Savannah Out" Episode 816 -- Pictured in this screengrab: (l-r) Julie Chrisley, Todd Chrisley, Chase Chrisley -- (Photo by: USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

RELATED: Savannah Chrisley Vows 'to Stand by My Family' After Parents' Financial Crime Convictions

The father-of-five also shared how the recent guilty verdicts had impacted his family.

"We did want to come on today and let everyone know that it's a very sad, heartbreaking time for our family right now," he confessed. "But we still hold steadfast in our faith and we trust that God will do what he does best because God's a miracle worker."

Julie, 49, interrupted the conversation, adding, "We're alive and kicking, and we appreciate all the support we have received from everyone."

During the chat, the couple expressed their gratitude for the support they received which included "tens and thousands of messages every day  from mail to gifts being delivered to our home to people delivering food."

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

As much as they appreciated the efforts, the pair also encouraged fans not to travel from far distances to do so.

Noting that he and his wife are doing the best they can to navigate the situation with their kids, Todd shared, "A lot of tears, a lot of heartaches, a lot of sorrow, a lot of trying to understand how this is where we are right now."

"But we are here," he added.

Despite the legal drama, Todd explained they will "continue Chrisley Confessions for as long as we get to do it."

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"And then Chase and Savannah will take it over," he continued. "And at that point they will be the ones that can fill you in on everything that's going on in our lives at that point."

Todd and Julie were convicted on June 7 of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax fraud. Julie was also convicted of wire fraud. They are facing up to 30 years in prison and will be sentenced at a later date.

RELATED: Todd and Julie Chrisley Found Guilty of Bank Fraud and Tax Evasion, Face Up to 30 Years in Prison

"Both Chrisleys are devastated and disappointed with the verdict and will be pursuing an appeal," the pair's lawyer Steve Friedberg told PEOPLE.

"Julie and Todd are so grateful for the love and support shown by their family, friends and fans. They both remain strong in their faith and will continue the 'fight' until they are vindicated," he continued. "They have their priorities in order and are currently concentrating on the welfare of their children and Todd's mother, Elizabeth Faye Chrisley."

Another lawyer for the couple, Bruce Morris, echoed similar sentiments, telling PEOPLE that they are "disappointed in the verdict." He added, "An appeal is planned."
(Reuters) - Two top commanders of fighters who defended the Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine's southeastern port of Mariupol have been transferred to Russia for investigation, Russia's state news agency TASS reported.

Uncertainty has surrounded the fate of hundreds of fighters captured by Russian forces in May after a months-long siege of Mariupol. Moscow said at the time they were moved to breakaway Russian-backed entities in eastern Ukraine.

Citing an unnamed Russian law enforcement source, TASS said late on Saturday that Svyatoslav Palamar, a deputy commander of the Azov battalion, and Serhiy Volynsky, the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were moved to Russia.

Special forces officers transferred them from Donetsk, an eastern Ukrainian province that Moscow recognises as a pro-Russian republic, "to conduct investigative activities with them," TASS cited the source as saying.

"Other officers of various Ukrainian units were also transported to Russia."

Reuters could not immediately verify the report and there was no immediate reaction from Kyiv. Earlier this month, Ukraine said its intelligence services were in communication with the captured Azovstal steelworks fighters.

The Azov Battalion, an all-volunteer infantry military unit which formed in 2014 as an extreme right-wing volunteer militia to fight Russian-backed separatists, and the 36th Marine Brigade unit, were key in defending the steelworks.

Kyiv is seeking the handover of all the fighters in a prisoner swap with Moscow, but some Russian lawmakers want some of the fighters put on trial.

Russian agencies reported in early June that more than 1,000 Azovstal fighters were transferred to Russia to undisclosed locations for investigation.

The self-styled Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics are in the industrial Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia is fighting to remove from Kyiv's control.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by William Mallard)
Travel issues continued piling up for fliers as flight delays and cancellations topped 10,000  a tumultuous weekend for holiday travel blamed on staffing shortages, packed planes and the ripple effects from previous bad weather.

On Monday, more than 3,000 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were delayed and about 370 flights canceled, as of 5 p.m. ET, according to FlightAware. TSA projected on Twitter that Monday could be Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's busiest day since the start of the pandemic.

"This has been another travel Armageddon weekend," James Ferrara, co-founder and president of global host travel agency InteleTravel, told USA TODAY. "But it's not isolated, or really a surprise."

Friday was the busiest day for air travel this year with over 2.4 million people passing through security at U.S. airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration. On Saturday, there were 2.1 million travelers.

The U.S. has dominated global flight issues, but it isn't the only country having airline issues; worldwide, an additional 3,500 flights have been canceled and over 23,000 have been delayed this weekend.

Currently, passenger volumes nationwide for this month are 87.7% of 2019 volumes, according to TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers. The average number of people screened per day is 2.24 million compared to 2.56 million in June 2019.

"This is the highest sustained level we have seen since travel began to recover from the pandemic," Dankers told USA TODAY on Monday.

Nationwide, Delta and United have the highest number of cancellations, with 7% and 3% of flights canceled, respectively, not including flights on their regional affiliates. Airports that are seeing the most issues include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in the New York City area.

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Delta Airlines is one of several airlines canceling and delaying flights.

SATURDAY: US flight cancellations, delays continue Saturday: More than 4,000 flights affected so far

FRIDAY AND THURSDAY: 6,000+ US flights canceled or delayed Friday after one of worst summer air travel days yet

Why are flights being canceled and delayed?

There are several factors contributing to the ongoing situation at the nation's airports, notably the severe storms that hit much of the country the past week, the increased number of travelers during the Father's Day and Juneteenth weekend and staff shortages.

"A variety of factors continue to impact our operations, including challenges with air traffic control, weather and unscheduled absences in some work groups. Canceling a flight is always our last resort, and we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience to their travel plans," Delta spokesperson Emily Cashdan said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Ferrara said the loss of skilled positions, such as pilots and aircrew, is "really what's driving" all of the airline issues. Pilot unions at Delta, American and Southwest have said airlines haven't been quick enough to replace pilots who retired or took leaves of absences when the pandemic began.

"We're in a boom time for travel. We're blowing away all records all previous years. So you've got this surge in demand, and you've got limitations on staffing," Ferrara said.

On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg met with airline CEOs virtually to discuss how airlines can effectively handle the growing number of travelers through the summer. The meeting came weeks after airlines struggled with the Memorial Day holiday weekend, when around 2,800 flights were canceled during the five-day stretch.

"That is happening to a lot of people, and that is exactly why we are paying close attention here to what can be done and how to make sure that the airlines are delivering," Buttigieg told The Associated Press on Saturday, one day after his own flight from Washington, D.C. to New York City was canceled.

How long will flight cancellations and delays continue to happen?

"I'm not a betting man. But I would absolutely bet that this will continue through the summer," Ferrara said.

Josh Verde, former pilot and aviation expert with airline consultation group Aerovise, said he wouldn't be surprised if travel woes continue throughout the rest of the year. Summer is expected to be the busiest time of the year, but holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas might bring similar issues for travelers.

"I think we're probably going to be dealing with headaches for the rest of this year. Hopefully, they'll get a handle on things," Verde said.

What should travelers do?

If your flight is canceled, the U.S. Department of Transportation requires airlines rebook you on the next available flight with space. You are not obligated to accept it, and if so, the airline is required to give a refund, which can be given as your money back, travel credit or voucher.

If your flight is delayed, the length of the delay matters. The DOT says passengers are eligible for a refund regardless of cause as long as it is a "significant delay." However, the definition of a "significant delay" depends on the airline.

"Learning that your flight is canceled, kind of unexpectedly, really just causes chaos," Verde said.

Verde recommends travelers try to keep a flexible schedule so if flight plans change, vacation plans and other scheduled activities aren't heavily affected. He also advises people bring essential items, like water, medication and toiletries, in their carry-on bag, so they are available at any moment if people are unavailable to get to their checked bag.

Contributing: Zach Wichter, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why are US flights delayed, canceled? Weather, staffing, demand blamed
The U.S. Navy has awarded a $536 million contract to a Marinette shipyard for a third Constellation-class frigate tied to a $5.5 billion shipbuilding program.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine will design and build the 7,300-ton frigate thats expected to be a key part of the Navys anti-submarine warfare and one of 10 frigates built in Marinette. The work will support thousands of jobs at the shipyard for many years to come.

The Navy also says it could transfer decommissioned littoral combat ships built in Marinette to other countries.

Ultimately, its up to Congress to decide whether the ships are pulled from active service. Still, last fall, USS Freedom, a $537 million littoral combat ship commissioned in Milwaukee in 2008, was sent to the mothball fleet well ahead of its expected 25-year lifespan.

Altogether, the Navy has said it wants to decommission nine of its Freedom-class littoral combat ships following years of disappointing results and unfulfilled expectations.

Critics said the first ships, especially, lacked firepower and armor, making them vulnerable should they come up against larger enemy warships from China or Russia. They were also dogged with mechanical problems and breakdowns at sea.

The LCS isnt really doing the mission it was intended for, said Shelby Oakley, who oversees the Government Accountability Offices research on Navy shipbuilding.

Other countries, including Turkey, Bahrain, and Poland, have received U.S. Navy ships after theyve been decommissioned and pulled from service. Earlier this week, the Navy suggested the littoral combat ships could be sent to navies in South America to counter drug smuggling operations.

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: Marinette Marine will build third Navy frigate for $536 million
By Max Hunder

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraines parliament on Sunday voted through two laws which will place severe restrictions on Russian books and music as Kyiv seeks to break many remaining cultural ties between the two countries following Moscows invasion.

One law will forbid the printing of books by Russian citizens, unless they renounce their Russian passport and take Ukrainian citizenship. The ban will only apply to those who held Russian citizenship after the 1991 collapse of Soviet rule.

It will also ban the commercial import of books printed in Russia, Belarus, and occupied Ukrainian territory, while also requiring special permission for the import of books in Russian from any other country.

Another law will prohibit the playing of music by post-1991 Russian citizens on media and on public transport, while also increasing quotas on Ukrainian-language speech and music content in TV and radio broadcasts.

The laws need to be signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to take effect, and there is no indication that he opposes either. Both received broad support from across the chamber, including from lawmakers who had traditionally been viewed as pro-Kremlin by most of Ukraine's media and civil society.

Ukraine's Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said he was "glad to welcome" the new restrictions.

"The laws are designed to help Ukrainian authors share quality content with the widest possible audience, which after the Russian invasion do not accept any Russian creative product on a physical level," the Ukrainian cabinet's website quoted him as saying.

DERUSSIFICATION

The new rules are the latest chapter in Ukraines long path to shedding the legacy of hundreds of years of rule by Moscow.

Ukraine says this process, previously referred to as "decommunisation" but now more often called "derussification," is necessary to undo centuries of policies aimed at crushing Ukrainian identity.

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Moscow disagrees, saying Kyiv's policies to entrench the Ukrainian language in day-to-day life oppress Ukraine's large number of Russian speakers, whose rights it claims to be upholding in what it calls its "special military operation."

This process gained momentum after Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea and support for separatist proxies in Ukraines Donbas, but took on new dimensions after the start of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24.

Hundreds of locations in Ukraines capital, Kyiv, have already been earmarked for renaming to shed their associations with Russia, and a Soviet-era monument celebrating the friendship of the Ukrainian and Russian people was torn down in April, eliciting cheers from the assembled crowd.

(Reporting by Max Hunder; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
Donetsk after the shelling. June 19, 2022

What Russia is doing with Donetsk? he asked rhetorically.

Read also: Ammo depot in Russian-occupied Donetsk catches fire

Its shelling the city that is essentially under its control, in order to induce a humanitarian crisis, for which it will blame the West for supplying modern weapons to Ukraine. (Russia will claim) these weapons are used to kill civilians. To prove this point, Russia is actually killing civilians.

Read also: Russia and its proxies shell Donetsk to boost mobilization, ISW report says

Garmash went on to explain why its not in Ukraines interests to attack civilian targets in the occupied city.

We cant, even if we wanted to, afford to indiscriminately shell Donetsk, ... since we are very short on ammunition, the journalist said.

First of all, we have problems with munitions, unfortunately. Second: it makes little sense to level a city we will eventually reclaim and would have to rebuild. Not to mention, many of us have homes there, friends, and family members.

According to Garmash, Russian is using scorched earth tactics in this war, while Ukraine is only targeting military infrastructure.

Of course, we fire  in response, said Garmash.

Read also: Ukrainian military shoots down Russian Su-25 warplane in Donetsk Oblast

And weve been shooting for eight years, if were being frank. But were not shoot at just something, we either target concentrations of military equipment, or fuel and ammo depots  military targets. Were shooting very sparingly, as we dont have (enough) shells. Its true that were being more successful now than weve been during the last eight years.

Read also: Ukraines Armed Forces have liberated three villages in the Donetsk oblast

Modern Western weapons are starting to give Ukraine an advantage on the battlefield. Thats why, according to Garmash, Russian propaganda has started a media campaign about Donetsk being shelled.

If we look at Russia media  including the ones in occupied Ukrainian territories  it becomes clear why they are shelling Donetsk, Garmash said.

Their focus is now on Donetsk being attacked specifically with Western weapons. Obviously, its being done to accuse the West of causing civilian deaths and shift public opinion towards opposing further security assistance to Ukraine.
Lisa Ross, the US CEO of Edelman, told Insider too many brands see Juneteenth as a box to check. Edelman

June 19, or Juneteenth, is a day commemorating the effective end of slavery in the US.

For Juneteenth, Lisa Ross, the US CEO of Edelman, gave her thoughts on the state of racial justice.

The CEO said business leaders need to invest more in equity and change their business practices.

On June 19 last year, Lisa Ross, the US CEO of the public-relations powerhouse Edelman, penned her thoughts about Juneteenth, the national holiday marking the effective end of slavery in the US.

"It's nice that Congress came together to get something done," she wrote in a LinkedIn post, referring to the decision by lawmakers days earlier to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. "What's necessary, however, is for Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, for starters."

There was a sense of frustration to her words, a marked shift in tone from previous posts. Now, a year on, that sense of urgency might be here to stay for the woman who runs the US arm of the world's largest PR firm. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act became law in March, but Congress has yet to pass the other two bills. This year, Ross, who is Black, is renewing her calls on congressional leaders and business titans to advance racial justice in meaningful ways.

"My thoughts on the holiday haven't changed much since last year," she told Insider. "I, unfortunately, still see many brands continue to think of Juneteenth as a box to check."

"It's been two years since George Floyd's murder, but despite adding Juneteenth to the list of federal holidays, there hasn't been the real progress that our nation needs or deserves," she added.

Despite promises from corporations after Floyd's death in 2020, Ross said many companies are still engaging in surface-level commitments to racial equity. But at the same time, recent research from Edelman shows that most of the issues employees want their business leaders to take action on revolve around the idea of social justice. More than 52% of workers wanted leaders to do something about issues such as wage inequality, racism, and LGBTQ rights, Edelman found.

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"Businesses, and CEOs specifically, are being called on to address our deepest structural challenges," Ross said.

CEOs need to use days like Juneteenth to double down on long-term diversity and inclusion plans, Ross said. Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

More than 60% of Americans believed CEOs had "a responsibility to take a stand" on societal issues, according to a 2021 poll conducted by the nonprofit research firm Just Capital. And many Americans said there was more work to be done, especially when it came to paying sufficient wages for everyday workers.

To make a difference, companies shouldn't just rely on marketing campaigns or social-media posts. Instead, Ross said, companies should put money behind issues they care about, change their business practices, build a more representative workforce, and push for policy changes by government.

Days of celebration, such as Juneteenth, and commemorative months, such as Pride Month, Ross said, should spark long-term action.

She said, "They are a time to double down  tent poles in a larger, more comprehensive strategy, not opportunities to pick your head up after months of silence."

Read the original article on Business Insider
US Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam in the South China Sea. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Marcus L. Stanley/U.S. Navy via AP, File

The US Navy is trying to retire all of its guided-missile cruisers by 2027.

US cruisers are specialized for air defense and are among the best-armed naval ships in service.

Lawmakers are dismayed by the Navy plan, believing it will reduce US firepower as China's navy grows.

In April, the US Navy presented an ambitious plan to decommission all 22 of its Ticonderoga-class cruisers by 2027.

The move is not surprising. The Navy has tried to rid itself of its cruisers for years, but Congress has consistently rejected its proposals, largely out of concern that decommissioning them would take away a much-needed weapon as China's naval force continues to grow.

With the retirement of the last battleships nearly 20 years ago, cruisers are the largest surface combatants  a category that generally doesn't include aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships  in service.

Cruisers remain among the best armed and most powerful ships in the few navies that employ them, and decommissioning the Ticonderogas would take the US out of that small and very well-armed club.

The Ticonderoga-class

Guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens fires SM-2 missiles during an exercise in the Pacific Ocean, September 20, 2012. REUTERS/Paul Kelly/U.S. Navy photo

Twenty-seven Ticonderoga-class cruisers were built between 1980 and 1994. They have an extensive service history, with high-profile operations all over the world. The 567-foot ships displace about 10,000 tons, and they are the US Navy's most heavily armed surface combatants.

Two Mk 41 Vertical Launching Systems, each with 61 cells, can carry up to 122 missiles. Two Mk-141 missile launchers can carry up to eight more missiles. Ticonderogas are also equipped with two Mark 45 5-inch guns, two Phalanx close-in weapon systems, and two triple-tubed Mark 32 torpedo tubes.

They can be armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Evolved Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, and vertical-launch anti-submarine missiles, as well as anti-satellite and anti-ballistic missiles.

Guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg escorts aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt through the Strait of Gibraltar, March 31, 2015. US Navy/MCS Seaman Anthony Hopkins II

Their large and diverse arsenal allows Ticonderogas to fill multiple rules, including air-defense, anti-ship anti-submarine warfare, and land-attack strikes. They primarily serve as air-defense escorts in carrier strike groups, as they have the most robust air-defense capability in the surface fleet.

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They were also the first ships to be equipped with the Aegis Combat System, which uses computers and radars to track hostile forces and guide friendly fire toward incoming threats.

Because of the Ticonderogas' status and armament, their stand-alone deployments are usually meant to convey a message, as with USS Port Royal's transit of the Taiwan Strait in May.

The Kirovs and Slavas

Soviet nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser Kirov, December 22, 1989. US Navy/PH1 Davis

The Russian Navy fields two types of cruisers. The most well-known and feared are the Kirov-class, four of which were built between 1974 and 1998.

Classified as "battlecruisers" because of their heavy armament, the Kirovs are 827 feet long and displace about 28,000 tons. Their nuclear propulsion gives them range limited only by the crew's endurance and their supplies.

Designed to destroy American carrier groups, their primary armament are 20 P-700 supersonic anti-ship missiles, each capable of carrying a 1,600-pound high-explosive warhead or a nuclear one. Kirovs also carry 136 surface-to-air missiles and six close-in weapon systems, as well as one double-barreled 130mm gun, 10 torpedo tubes, and two anti-submarine rocket launchers.

Only two Kirov-class battlecruisers, Pyotr Velikiy and Admiral Nakhimov, remain in service. Pyotr Velikiy is the flagship of the powerful Northern Fleet, while Admiral Nakhimov has been undergoing modernization since 1999, though Russian officials say it will delivered this year.

Russian Slava-class guided-missile cruiser Moskva in the Mediterranean Sea, December 17, 2015. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

Nakhimov's upgrades will allow it to fire Kalibr and Onyx cruise missiles and new anti-submarine weapons, and carry Pantsir-M air-defense systems. Russian officials also claim Nakhimov will be armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles in the future.

In 1976, the Soviets laid down the first of three Slava-class guided-missile cruisers.

At 611 feet long and displacing about 11,000 tons, the Slavas are armed with 16 P-500 cruise missiles in eight distinctive dual launchers on either side of the ship. Each P-500 can carry a 2,000-pound conventional warhead or a nuclear one. Some Slavas have reportedly been armed with more modern P-1000 anti-ship missiles.

Slava-class cruisers also carry 96 surface-to-air missiles, a twin-barreled 130mm gun, six close-in weapon systems, two anti-submarine rocket launchers, and 10 torpedo tubes.

Only two Slava-class cruisers, Marshal Ustinov and Varyag, remain in active service. Marshal Ustinov is assigned to the Northern Fleet and Varyag is the Pacific Fleet flagship. Moskva, the lead ship of the class, was the Black Sea Fleet flagship until it was sunk by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles in April.

The 'destroyers'

Chinese Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Nanchang during Joint Sea-2021, China and Russia's first joint naval patrol, in the Western Pacific on October 19, 2021. Sun Zifa/China News Service via Getty Images

Two countries field warships they designate as destroyers but the US and naval experts classify as cruisers because of their size, displacement, and armament.

China's Type 055, known as the Renhai-class, is the most notable. The International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank has said it "may be the most capable multi-role surface combatant currently at sea."

At 590 feet long and displacing over 12,000 tons, Type 055s are armed with 112 VLS cells capable of launching surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine missiles, anti-ship missiles, and land-attack cruise missiles. They also carry a 130mm gun and a close-in weapons system.

China tested a hypersonic missile aboard a Type 055 earlier this year, and in the future the ships may be armed with anti-ship ballistic missiles designed to kill carriers.

Type 055s are equipped with Type-346A active electronically scanned array radars, a more modern and accurate radar than the passive phased-array radar aboard Ticonderoga-class ships.

ROKS Sejong the Great off the coast of Hawaii during Rim of the Pacific 2010 exercises, July 7, 2010. US Navy/MCS1 Brandon Raile

Eight Type 055s have been built and launched since 2014. At least five have been commissioned and two more are believed to be under construction. Their deployment is already seen as a show of strength  they have been spotted near Japan and Alaska  and they may be a central part of China's future carrier battlegroups.

South Korea's Sejong the Great-class destroyers are also classified by others as cruisers. Three are in active service, each 544 feet long and displacing over 10,600 tons.

Each Sejong the Great-class ship has 128 VLS cells and 16 anti-ship missile launchers in four quad mounts. They are Aegis-equipped and provide early warning of incoming ballistic missiles.

South Korea plans to build three more Sejong the Great-class ships that will have only 88 VLS cells but will be equipped with SM-6 missiles that Seoul plans to buy, allowing them to intercept ballistic missiles.

'Divest to invest'

US Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg, April 2, 2009. US Navy/PO2 Class Jesse Dick

The US Navy wants to shed the Ticonderogas  including USS Vicksburg, which is in the middle of a $200 million refit  as part of a broader "divest to invest" strategy to free up resources for newer and more advanced vessels.

While lawmakers and others worry that doing so will leave Navy shorthanded against China, Navy officials argue the cruisers, all of which are over 30 years old, are approaching the ends of their service lives, have outdated electronics, and will cost too much to maintain or refit. Some are even unsafe to operate, Navy officials say.

"They're eating us alive in terms of our ability to get maintenance back on track," Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, said in March. "We are paying tens of millions of dollars beyond what we expected to because of growth work and new work on ships that are beyond their service life."

The Navy proposed retiring five cruisers in 2023. In budget documents released this month, the House Armed Services Committee would only allow four retirements and block that of USS Vicksburg, which is one of the youngest of the five on the chopping block, a committee aide told reporters.

The 2023 budget is yet to be finalized, but the documents released this month also direct the Navy to submit a report on the costs of modernizing and extending the service lives of its other cruisers, suggesting the divestment battle will only continue.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Marc and Marie Whirledge inside their Naperville on Nutmeg Lane on Thursday, nearly a year after a June 20, 2021, tornado blew out the windows, ripped off a side wall and tore up the roof. Marie Whirledge said she's been frustrated watching neighbors who experienced similar damage move back into their homes. Im really happy for them. I just wish it was time for us to move in, she said. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Marc and Marie Whirledge ate lunch this week in camping chairs under a parkway tree outside their home on Nutmeg Lane, nearly a year after an EF-3 tornado tore through their neighborhood June 20, 2021.

Their two-story house is a skeleton of studs and flooring protected from the weather by a new roof and thin layer of home wrap.

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While the rain cant get in, birds and carpenter bees can, and they are the only occupants of the Whirledge home.

A sticker prohibiting occupancy still hangs on the front door of the Naperville home of Marc and Marie Whirledge, background, a year after a tornado ripped through their neighborhood. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Marie said shes able to visit everyday to check on the progress, or lack thereof, because theyre living with her parents five minutes away.

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She watches her neighbors return home, though their houses experienced similar damage and also were tagged as uninhabitable. Im really happy for them. I just wish it was time for us to move in, she said.

We were very fortunate

Marie Whirledge said she and younger daughter Maddy, 20, were home June 20, 2021, but didnt think anything of the severe weather alert when they went into their separate bathrooms to get ready for bed about 11 p.m.

Minutes later, Marie said Maddy ran down the hall after hearing a strange sound and the two met in the sitting area of the primary bedroom.

I grabbed her and went to the floor. Immediately debris was flying around.

We were very fortunate. That was the one place that didnt have broken windows, Marie said. Thank God we were OK.

The tornado blew out 17 of the houses 23 windows, ripping apart Maddys bedroom and propelling her door on its frame down the hall.

Marie said somehow they walked barefoot, unscathed through the broken glass, insulation and rubble to the basement where they had shoes free of glass. The only cut Marie said she received was when she reached into a side pocket of her purse where a piece of glass was lodged.

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Marc, a pilot for Southwest Airlines who was on a layover in Raleigh-Durham, said when Marie called about the tornado, she described the house as messy. Catching the first flight out in the morning, he would arrive in the neighborhood by 8 a.m. to see exactly what Marie meant.

Princeton Circle home

The only Naperville home completely destroyed by the June 20 tornado was a two-story house at 1809 Princeton Circle a few blocks away from the Whirledges.

Its residents, Arvind and Savita Patel, miraculously survived, though they had to be pulled from the rubble by firefighters.

Dilip Patel, left, joins family members, friends and volunteers in searching for valuables in the debris of the 1809 Princeton Circle house in Naperville destroyed by the June 20, 2021, tornado. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Savita Patel initially was listed in critical condition and in the intensive care unit at Edward Hospital in Naperville because of broken bones in her chest.

Arvind Patel on Wednesday said he and his wife, who are living a few miles away in Naperville, are doing well and are thankful for all the help from the community.

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He said he plans to replace the house; the work is being done by Naperville builder DJK Custom Homes.

Contractor change

Now that its a year later, the Whirledges say they wonder how long their insurance company will be willing to shell out money for temporary living expenses.

Its been challenging to live with my parents because they are immunocompromised so we have to be super careful, Marie said. Last month Marc contracted COVID at work so that meant a 10-day, out-of-pocket hotel stay.

They originally were told the house would be repaired by Christmas, she said. But when the contractor they hired from the insurance companys preferred vendor list didnt show up after seven weeks, they had to hire a different company to do the work.

The second contractor was able to repair the roof in the living room that was dripping into the basement despite being tarped and replace the support beam blown out by the tornado that holds up the bedroom over the garage.

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The work overall has been a series of starts and stops.

The property at 1809 Princeton Circle in Naperville remains vacant on June 15, nearly a year after a tornado destroyed the two-story home on June 20, 2021. Homeowners Arvind and Savita Patel survived, and they plan to rebuild on the site. (Suzanne Baker / Naperville Sun)

Marie said she was hopeful the siding would arrive soon after the windows were installed in March.

Shes still waiting. The house wrap placed on the exterior at the same time the windows were installed is coming off and will need to be replaced.

Whats also frustrating, Marie said, is examining 60 pages of claims adjustments each time a change is made to figure out if insurance is going to cover the costs.

The deck needs painting and a structural engineer told them the 10 posts supporting the deck need to be made plumb; the insurance adjuster quoted $2,000, she said. Thats not even enough for the paint, Marie said.

The couple also were told insurance would not cover any drywall bombarded with glass and debris. Marc said those walls were supposed to be patched and painted.

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The slow progress often is blamed on difficulties getting supplies, they said.

Neighbor Al Steffeter said he suspects its more about finding people to perform the work.

A retiree who worked in project management for 40 years in the commercial industry, Steffeter said subcontractors are taking jobs in new home construction because thats where the work is steady.

Its a challenge for contractors to find tradespeople to come in for what amounts to a one- or two-day job, he said.

A Naperville firefighter marks the Nutmeg Lane home of Marc and Marie Whirledge as uninhabitable on June 22, 2021, two days after a tornado ripped through the Naperville neighborhood. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

A silver lining is that when the Whirledges finally move home, most of their belongings will be new.

Marc said 80% of the furniture and contents of their home was ruined, and insurance is paying for that. The remaining 20% was cleaned and placed in storage.

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They also said their computers, photo albums and other treasured heirlooms were not damaged.

We didnt lose our memories. That is a huge blessing, Marie said.

Advice for others

Marie said some neighbors have opted to move away rather than deal with the hassles of rebuilding.

She wont leave because of the close bonds she developed with neighbors and the neighborhood post-tornado.

Shes grateful to all the volunteers from groups like Naperville-based Bike Bald who helped clean up the mess, Little Pops that brought pizza or the community members who donated gift cards, Marie said.

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It was just overwhelming, she said.

Marc and Marie Whirledge stand outside their tornado-damaged home in Naperville Thursday. A year after a tornado decimated the house, the Whirledges are still waiting for the contractor to complete the work so they can move back home. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Marc said looking back, hed like to see a 48- to 72-hour moratorium on contractors coming into a devastated neighborhood with business cards and pressuring people.

An older couple down the street paid $6,000 to remove downed trees, he said. If they would have just waited a few days, volunteers with chainsaws could have done it for free, Marc said.

In addition, he advises people not to sign anything without fully investigating whether the contractor has the ability to work with insurance and to provide a firm time when the work will be completed.

The only urgent need after a tornado, Marc said, is to board up the house, tarp the roof and get fans to mitigate the water damage. People can hire those services and bill their insurance companies later, he said.

subaker@tribpub.com
By Marianna Parraga

(Reuters) -A 650,000-barrel-cargo of Venezuela's oil chartered by Italy's Eni is about to set sail carrying the first export of crude from the U.S.-sanctioned country to Europe in two years, Refinitiv Eikon data showed on Friday.

The U.S. State Department sent letters to Eni and Spain's Repsol in May authorizing them to resume taking Venezuelan crude as a way to settle billions of dollars of unpaid debt and dividends owed by the OPEC-member nation.

A second tanker chartered by Eni, the very large crude carrier (VLCC) Pantanassa, is currently navigating towards Venezuela and expected to load 2 million barrels of the same grade, diluted crude oil (DCO), and take it to Europe, according to the Eikon data and a shipping document seen by Reuters.

That cargo is expected to be delivered by Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA later this month with an option for Eni to sell a portion of the crude to Spain's Repsol for its Cartagena and Bilbao refineries, according to the document and sources.

The Malta-flagged Pantanassa is scheduled to load via ship-to-ship transfer near Venezuela's Amuay port, the document added.

Eni, Repsol and PDVSA did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

Venezuela's May oil exports plummeted to the lowest level in 19 months over contract changes enforced by PDVSA to switch most spot sales to prepayment, reducing the risk of unpaid cargoes. The change did not affect customers under swap deals of debt payment agreements.

European, Asian and U.S. companies operating joint ventures with PDVSA in Venezuela, including Eni, Repsol, Chevron, ONGC Ltd, and Maurel & Prom, have accumulated billions of dollars in pending debt since the government of then U.S. President Donald Trump suspended oil swaps used for exchanging Venezuelan oil for fuel and debt payments.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Gary McWilliams)
Jun. 18WILLIMANTIC  A Massachusetts fugitive accused of sexually assaulting his children was arrested by Willimantic Police on Friday.

In a release issued Friday night, Willimantic Police said New Bedford resident Leon Mejia- Vicente was charged with fugitive from justice without warrant.

He was issued a $1 million bond and is due to appear in Danielson Superior Court on June 20.

Willimantic Police noted in the press release that "all arrestees are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law."

According to the release, the U.S. Marshals contacted Willimantic Police on Friday about a kidnapping on Thursday in New Bedford, Mass.

Willimantic Police were informed that Mejia-Vicente had a felony arrest warrant issued in Massachusetts for the sexual assault of his children.

Police said when Mejia-Vicente learned of the warrant, he took his children, a 17 year-old female and 5 year-old male, out of state in an attempt to flee authorities.

Police said a task force that included New Bedford Police, Massachusetts State Police and the U.S. Marshals office developed information that Mejia-Vicente was hiding in Willimantic and reached out to Willimantic Police for assistance.

Members of the Willimantic Police detective and patrol divisions assisted in finding Mejia-Vicente.

According to police, Mejia-Vicente was found in Willimantic and was taken into custody without incident.

Police said Mejia-Vicente's two children were found with him and were recovered unharmed. Police said the children were placed into the care of the state Department of Children and Families Follow Michelle Warren on Twitter  @mwarrentc.
World Refugee Day is a United Nations holiday celebrated on June 20 each year, a time to honor the courage and strength of refugees seeking help and forced to leave their homes  a day to focus on how communities can support and improve the lives of refugees.

Here (below) are some perspectives from across Mid-Michigan to honor their strength and celebrate their contributions to our state.

Let's honor and celebrate the positive impacts refugees show us in Michigan

As the world celebrates World Refugee Day on June 20, we should all take a moment to commemorate the millions of refugees that exist worldwide  for their tremendous strength, courage and resiliency.

Poppy Sias-Hernandez

Over 80 million people in the world are currently displaced, having fled their homes due to violence or persecution. Each day, thousands more follow as they are displaced within their own country or seeking sanctuary in a neighboring country  often hoping to return home or wait years for a final destination they can then call home.

Over the past decade, Michigan has welcomed over 27,000 refugees with communities across the state offering support and welcoming their new neighbors as they build a new life here.

As we continue to welcome our new refugee neighbors, it is also important to celebrate the tremendous positive impact they impart on our state  both in the economy through their participation in our workforce, and by increasing the rich diversity of our communities.

Numerous studies indicate that refugees contribute far more to our economy than they receive in benefits or services. Refugees and immigrants are far more likely to start new businesses and be entrepreneurs  and employ more refugees and many citizens.

They also serve as an integral part of Gov. Gretchen Whitmers "Sixty by 30" goal, which aims to have 60% of our population age 25-plus attaining a degree or skills certificate by the year 2030  ultimately strengthening our states economy and workforce.

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RELATED: 15 less commonly known holidays to add diversity, inclusion to your 2022 calendar

However, when I think about the positive impact of refugees in Michigan, I think about the fabric they help weave in our neighborhoods and communities.

I think of the bright smiles and friendships formed in our schools. I think about how we are culturally enriched by their contributions to society  the food trucks, the artwork, the music, the dance and all that inspires us and enriches our culture. Those elements are what truly make our state  and our county  so strong.

I also think about how they challenge us and provide perspective to our daily life, and the positive impact those challenges have. This is one world sharing one commonality: Our humanity. Refugees bring a perspective to us living in the U.S., right here in Michigan, that is so important to helping us understand that unique humanity in us all.

More from opinion

So, in addition to honoring the reality of their struggle, individuals and partners around the U.S. and the world use World Refugee Day to celebrate and honor the vast contributions that refugees make and the people they are.

Together, we can raise awareness about the need for improved policies and services to help refugees rebuild their lives in the United States and here in Michigan. We can provide the foundation for the inevitable contributions and wealth of gifts they will bring.

I encourage everyone to join us in celebrating refugees for their courage in overcoming adversity and for their many talents that build up our communities and enhance our economic, social and human gains.

Poppy Sias-Hernandez as the first-ever Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer in the Governor's Executive Office.

Starting over in a new life can be terrifying and overwhelming

Why cant they learn English if they decide to come to this country? is a comment I hear very often  as if refugees have the convenience of learning English and being prepared before they come to this country. Refugees flee from their home country to avoid the oppression, persecution and sometimes life-threatening situations they face often due to their faith or political opinions.

Christina Khim

Before coming to America in 2009, I had the privilege of helping my fellow Burmese refugees in Malaysia where they went through their resettlement process. I was a full time interpreter for a couple of years, and had heard thousands of stories during the time I had served.

Some Burmese refugees I interpreted for in Malaysia were sent to Canada, the United States, Australia, Norway, Denmark or New Zealand. Wherever they are sent, the refugees need to learn a new culture, language and new skills to be able to work and support their families. Leaving behind everything they are familiar with and starting over in a new life (some are in their 30s, 40s, and 50s) in an unknown place can be terrifying and overwhelming at the same time. It took such great courage to do what they do.

The ability to learn and master another language stops at a certain age. With that fact, its not a surprise to see many Burmese refugees coming to America as an adult struggle with acquiring a new language at a level they can comfortably communicate for employment, their medical appointments or navigating the resources that are available to them.

They do not have the luxury of taking a few years off to learn the language first before starting to work. As soon as refugees are resettled, they are pressured to start looking for employment despite the language barrier. A majority of them do not have many choices when it comes to employment with no language skill, no education attainment from this country and not having any prior work experience in America.

Many get their first jobs in slaughterhouses or manufacturing companies due to their limited English skill; doing all the dirty work, that many people dont want to do in this country. Language barriers put many Burmese refugees (some are highly educated in their home country) in the environment where they are not treated with dignity and humanity as some people take advantage of their work ethic and willingness to do everything they can.

We have pride in our work ethic. Burmese people are recognized by many employers as great workers. Many of us overcome the discrimination and unfair treatment by the people around us both at work, school and in the community. I am in awe to witness the resilience of the Burmese refugee community.

Through all these challenges, we build such a strong community where we support each other. We become homeowners through stable employment. We pay our taxes and contribute to our society. We bring our beautiful culture to enrich our community. Our kids graduated from high school; some of them even make it to the top 10 in their classes and go to the top prestigious colleges in the nation. We survive. We thrive. We make mistakes too along our way of transitioning to a new culture and new ways of doing things in a new country. We learn from our mistakes and move forward.

It means a lot to our refugee/immigrant community when people show us love, embrace us, let us learn from each other and (most importantly) stand by us when witnessing injustice. After all, we are human beings longing for freedom and opportunities just like everyone else in this great nation.

Christina Khim is a senior human resources professional in one of the largest global automotive suppliers. She currently serves as a board member for the Burma Center, a non-profit organization working in Battle Creek and the Springfield area.

Communities can help refugees

Strangers No Longer at Holy Trinity Catholic Parish in Port Huron had a Guatemalan woman speak to a crowd of 50 people in March. She walked, rode buses, traveled for approximately 1,500 miles to leave a country that could not help her child who has a serious congenital disability. She wants her child to have a shot at a normal life.

Andrea McCarthy

Some of our group met last summer with six men from Guatemala who were working with heavy equipment on our local golf course. They were mostly in their 20s. Their company got them work permits, and they could drive legally. Those two things; work permits and driver's licenses are very difficult for refugees to obtain if they are not connected with a company. It may take 6-8 months for a refugee to obtain a work permit after they apply for asylum. In Michigan it has become law that you must prove your U.S. citizenship to get a driver's license. The law was changed in 2008; prior to that you only needed to show residency.

The men from Guatemala came to our home, we barbecued and had a campfire. They showed us pictures of their town where they could not find work. They want to work. As a country, we need workers. Almost everyday I run into a low-staffed grocery or restaurant or big box store or supermarket. Nursing homes need nurse aids and schools need custodians. Many semi-trucks have signs on them, Hiring. Our lives have been enriched by the refugees we have met.

Friends of ours took in a refugee family because they needed a place to go before ICE would release them. Our friends first built up a team of support people. They had 15 families who promised to donate a sum of money monthly. Yet, the red tape was very discouraging.

The man of the family wanted desperately to work. He wanted to send money home to friends and family who had helped him. This man was escaping a dangerous gang situation in his hometown. This family left our area. They took a bus to another city where they thought their prospects were better. This family had no documents. They were stolen in Mexico from cartel members or gangs. We had heard this story many times before. They too walked hundreds of miles, rode a train out in the cold wind. They have a four-year-old little girl.

My experience tells me these people want to work. We need workers. Lets help them get the work permits they need and have them pass drivers testing. Let's make it a little smoother. We will be the beneficiaries, and so will they.

Andrea McCarthy is a retired registered nurse and a member of Strangers No Longer in Port Huron.

Local viewpoints such as these are curated periodically by LSJ staff for the opinion page. Check out our opinion guidelines and FAQ for more information; to submit, email opinions@lsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: World Refugee Day: Honor their strength, celebrate their contributions
Police in Tokyo have arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of illegally confining a 23-year-old woman and then abandoning her body in a forest in Ibaraki Prefecture.

According to police, Hiroyuki Sampei, 33, a company employee from Minamiashigara, Kanagawa Prefecture, is accused of confining Rina Arano, who lived in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, at his familys vacation home in Hitachiota, Ibaraki Prefecture, for four days, and then dumping her body about one kilometer away in a nearby forest, Kyodo News reported.

Arano was last seen on the morning of June 5 when she told her parents she was going to meet a friend. On June 8, her parents filed a missing persons report. Her body was found on Saturday morning.

Police said Sampei, who was arrested on June 14, told them he met Arano on a social network site and arranged to meet her at JR Mito Station in Ibaraki Prefecture on June 5. Surveillance camera footage taken outside the station showed Sampei and Arano getting into a car and driving off in the direction of Sampei's home.

Police said Sampei has admitting taking Arano to his vacation home but denied confining her for days. He also admitted handcuffing Arano briefly but said he did so with her consent.
Chad Taylor, owner of Taylor Excavating and partner in D & D Construction Services, has been a sponsor of Wheels of Courage since the beginning.

Its hard for me to imagine being told that you have cancer. I cant imagine how it feels to be in that position. Whenever I have the chance to help someone who is going through a cancer diagnosis, Im going to do it, said Taylor.

Chad and his wife, Mandi, not only sponsor Wheels of Courage, but also volunteer wherever and whenever needed. Additionally, they participate by registering their cars to show each year.

Its a fun event to be a part of, said Taylor. In addition to raising money to help patients fighting cancer, we are also able to bring awareness to the community. To do that, we promote the event at the Thursday Night Car show as well as participate in events throughout the year, he added.

This years Wheels of Courage fundraising event takes place at Quaker Steak and Lube, 3320 Mid America Drive in Council Bluffs, on Saturday, June 25. Funds raised during the event will benefit the Jennie Edmundson Foundation Spirit of Courage Charitable Patient Care fund. This fund provides assistance to patients in need of help in covering expenses associated with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as well as other expenses such as nutritional/protein supplements, transportation, utility bills, medications, and groceries.

Cancer is an unfortunate fact of life, and death. Please help us help those who are facing this frightening time in their lives. It well might be that we are next.

For more information, please visit www.jehfoundation.org or call 712-396-6040.
An UN-brokered meeting between the speakers of Libyas rival assemblies, the High Council of State, which acts as a senate, and the east -based House of Representative (Parliament), has failed to take place, according to a Libyan lawmaker on Saturday.

Khaled al-Mishri, the head of the Tripoli-based High Council of State, was invited by UN special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, to hold talks on Saturday with Aquila Saleh, the Speaker of the Parliament, in the Egyptian capital Cairo, to review the conflicting points in the countrys political and constitutional path.

But Saleh refused to meet al-Mishri and left Cairo late Friday to east Libya, the lawmaker told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

He said the two rivals disagreed on the agenda of their meeting.

While Saleh wanted the talks to focus on the conflicting points that hinder progress in the talks of the Constitutional Track Committee, al-Mishri wanted the discussions to focus on reaching an understanding on giving a bigger role to the High Council of State, the MP was quoted by Anadolu as saying.

Egypt has been hosting since last Sunday June 12 the third and last round of UN-sponsored talks in an effort to reach consensus on the constitutional framework to hold Libyas long-awaited elections.

Libyans are still waiting for the stalled polls to take place in the hope that the vote will contribute to ending years of armed conflict that has plagued the oil-rich country.
A delegation of Moroccos phosphates and fertilizers producer OCP met officials in Niamey where they discussed possibilities for a fertilizers plant in the Sub-Saharan country, Nigers state news agency reported.

The meeting was part of Nigers endeavors to seek partnerships to develop its agricultural sector, especially at a delicate international context marked by the disruption of global supply chains due to geopolitical tensions in the Black sea region, the agency said.

Niger, a landlocked country, has difficulties accessing fertilizers, leaving it as one of the least nations in terms of the use of soil nutrients.

OCP is already operating fertilizer blending units of customized fertilizers across the continent and plans large-scale ammonia and fertilizers plant in Nigeria as well as a similar plant in Ethiopia.

Recently, Moroccan media said OCP was discussing with Brazil the setting up of a fertilizers plant there.

In another development, OCP Group said it has received the governments approval to set up a joint company in Hong Kong, in a move to introduce new fertilizer products to the Chinese market.

OCPs new project aims to provide a new formulation of fertilizers and digital solutions that will meet the needs of farmers as well as contribute to improving yields in the Asian country.

This project is part of the research agreement signed between the office and the Chinese company in September 2018, with the goal of expanding the parties commitment to developing organic fertilizers in order to achieve sustainable agriculture.

OCP Group was recently greenlighted to set up a joint venture in Spain, for the production and marketing of organic fertilizers, and promotion of R&D in this vital field.

OCP is poised to play a key market balancing act as Russia cuts its exports of food nutrients pushing prices higher and raising concerns about the prospects of global food security.
In celebration of the African Lion military exercises taking place June 20 to 30 and in celebration of Morocco-US security partnership, the U.S. Military Band Free Groove holds a series of free, public concerts in Morocco June 17 through 28, announced the U.S. Embassy in Rabat.

The military band will bring their unique blend of American rock, pop, and jazz to local audiences in celebration of the African Lion military exercises and our bilateral security partnership, said the Embassy in a statement.

Free Grooves African Lion 2022 Tour is organized by the U.S. Embassy, in partnership with EMAA Foundation, and other local partners, according to the statement.

The band, which performed Friday in Casablanca, as part of World Music Day Festival, will play on this Sunday in Kasbah Mehdia, in front of the Kasbah gates and on June 21 in Rabat, at the esplanade of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Free Groove band will also perform on June 23 in Tangier, on June 26 in Agadir, and on June 28 in Taroudant.

The American Fulbright Scholar Katie Hicks and her band of Moroccan musicians playing Tirroysa music will be performing with Free Groove in Rabat, Agadir, and Taroudant.

Free Groove is the U.S. Army Europe and Africas premier jazz ensemble composed of talented soldiers, who were specifically selected for their improvisation and jazz arrangements.
The international community commemorated Saturday June 18 for the first time the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, an opportunity to renew global solidarity for combating hate speech which is the prime catalyst for hatred, inter-religious discord, discrimination, incitement to violence, and acts of violence against people and communities.

The day, celebrated on June 18 each year, was proclaimed by the UN at the initiative of Morocco in July 2021.

On the first celebration of this International Day, Moroccos Permanent Mission to the United Nations and the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect co-organized Friday a high-level event under the theme The Role of education to address the root causes of hate speech and advance inclusion, non-discrimination, and peace.

Addressing the event, Moroccos permanent representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, highlighted the inclusive and action-oriented efforts Morocco is making in the fight against hate speech, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI.

The ambassador deplored the rise of hate speech in several countries around the world, as well as the stigmatization and instrumentalization of migrants, refugees and minorities.

Morocco has strengthened its legislative and institutional arsenal to promote acceptance, mutual recognition and respect for otherness and exclude prejudice, stereotypes and hatred, while maintaining the teachings of a moderate Islam, the diplomat said.

He stressed that Morocco has been committed to the effort to combat hate speech through a complete overhaul of the Moroccan educational system, including the reform of religious educational institutions such as Al Qarawayyin and Dar Al Hadith Al Hassaniyya universities as well as all Islamic educational programs.

The concepts of altruism and religious diversity have also been introduced in all general education courses, and several specialized research centers have been launched in this field, he said, recalling the launch in 2014 of the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Morchidines and Morchidates.

The diplomat who also dealt with Moroccos strategy on immigration and asylum said this stratrgy is focused on combating the spread of hateful rhetoric, as well as promoting the values of acceptance, coexistence and integration.

This strategy has strengthened Moroccos position as a host country for a number of migrants and refugees from Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Hilale noted, insisting that the Kingdom is a fierce opponent to the scourge of hate speech and intolerance.

Also, Omar Hilale said that the first celebration of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech is an important step to advance efforts to address this scourge and promote a common commitment to inclusion and peace in a current context marked by uncertainty, ignorance and hatred.

For her part, the Under-Secretary-General, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, thanked Morocco for its contribution to the fight against hate speech, noting that the Kingdom was the driving force in the adoption of the resolution under which June 18 was proclaimed international day for countering hate speech.

She commended Morocco for its efforts on the multilateral scene to fight hate speech, pointing out, in this regard, the value and relevance of the Fez Action Plan on the role of religious leaders in preventing incitement to violence.

In the same vein, president of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid thanked Morocco for organizing this event, which highlights the importance of education in the fight against the spread of hate speech.

He noted that the insidious effects of this scourge, which are unimaginable, encourage the forces of discrimination, stressing the importance of a collective response to counter the repercussions of this phenomenon which risk to further marginalize already vulnerable communities.

Stressing the importance of education as an effective tool at our disposal to fight hate speech and promote diversity and inclusion, the senior UN official said it was necessary to instill in new generations the need to take the measure of their behavior especially on the Internet.

High Representative of the United Nations for the Alliance of Civilizations, Miguel Angel Moratinos, warned against the spread of hate speech in the world, considering that this scourge can be a blow to peace and development.

This phenomenon paves the way to conflict and tension, he warned, making it clear that hate speech is not part of the freedom of expression.

For his part, Yassine Isboua, National Coordinator of the movement against hate speech in Morocco called for a collective effort to counteract the advance of hate speech in the world, especially on social networks.
A Schererville man was acquitted Thursday in a Gary mans murder, according to a prosecutors spokeswoman.

Anthony Horde III, 28, of Schererville, was charged March 12, 2021, with murder in the shooting death of Russell Hillard, Jr., 39, in Garys Aetna section. Police said Hillard was found shot in his car with 50 shell casings from at least four different weapons found nearby following an apparent gun battle, according to a criminal affidavit.

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At trial, Hordes defense lawyers Lonnie Randolph and his son Lonnie Randolph II said he acted in self defense.

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Police were called just before 5:30 a.m. on March 9, 2021, to the 1300 block of Dakota Street, according to court records. Hillard was found in a white car in the middle of the street as he tried to turn into his driveway, records state. A burgundy Chevrolet Equinox rental car was found parked nearby with both doors open, which also had bullet holes, charges show. Horde rented the car and had paperwork and a couple prescription bottles still there.

In his 911 call, Horde gave his name and date of birth, saying a car started following him and cut him off, according to court documents. A man pointed a gun at him and they exchanged fire, he said.

Police discounted the version, since Hillard was found outside his home. His girlfriend told police he left her house to go change at 4:30 a.m. before he headed to work. Hillard worked at ArcelorMittal, attended Glen Park Church of Christ and was a 1999 Wirt High School graduate, according to his obituary.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Kasey Dafoe and Taylor Young tried the case held before Judge Samuel Cappas.
Security and intelligence cooperation between Morocco and Spain were discussed during the working visit the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, paid to Madrid June 16 and 17.

Hammouchi, who was leading a delegation made up of directors and executives of the central services of the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), held working sessions and talks with his counterparts from the Spanish security and intelligence services, said a press release issued by the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) and the DGST.

The two sides discussed security issues of mutual interest and agreed on the importance of coordinating joint efforts, developing the various support mechanisms and strengthening cooperation between the two countries, in order to ensure a resolute response to the various security risks and threats, the press release added.

Hammouchis visit to Spain came just after a trip to Washington, where he conferred with the heads of the FBI and the CIA on various security threats and new dangers looming at the regional and international levels, as well as on the mechanisms and means to face these risks according to a common and collective vision capable of ensuring international security and peace.

Moroccan-US talks also covered the various security challenges and threats posed by terrorist groups and organized crime networks in several parts of the world, including the Sahel region, the Sahara, the Middle East and Europe.

Hammouchis visit to Spain also came after the visit Moroccan Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, paid to Madrid for talks with his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. During these talks, the two sides emphasized the exemplary Moroccan-Spanish cooperation in the fields of migration and security, in particular the fight against terrorism and transnational crime.
The Lincoln County commissioners will recognize 100-year Courthouse anniversary celebration coloring contest winners at Mondays meeting.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners Room at the Lincoln County Courthouse in North Platte.

At 10 a.m., the commissioners will conduct a public hearing on proposed amendments to the 2021-22 fiscal year budget due to refinancing of Lincoln County Jail Bonds. The board will consider action following the public hearing.

The commissioners will:

 Discuss maintenance of roads, ditches and culverts in the old Platte Valley School District.

 Discuss revocation of the authorization to grant conditional use permits conferred upon the Lincoln County Planning Commission pursuant to Nebraska Revised Statute or the reservation of authority to grant certain conditional use permits pursuant to Nebraska Revised Statute.

 Discuss appointments to the Veterans Service Committee.

 Discuss authorizing the chairman to sign four special designated liquor license permits submitted by Lincoln County Ag Society for July 21 at the rodeo arena, July 22 at the pavilion, July 23 at the pavilion and at race track for Lincoln County Fair events.

 Consider authorizing the chairman to sign an agreement with T.C. Engineering, Inc. for professional services

 Consider special designated liquor permits submitted by Old Depot Vineyard & Winery south of Brady at their location on July 16, 17 and 24.

 Consider increasing the county mileage rate from 58.5 cents per mile to 62.5 cents per mile effective July 1, per the U.S. Internal Revenue Service guidelines.

 Authorizing the chairman to sign a memorandum of understanding between the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs and Lincoln County for use of VetraSpec.

 Authorizing the Chairman to sign right of way application submitted by Consolidated Companies.
The fiscal story of North Plattes recent use of tax increment financing remained only partly visible as 2021 ended, according to that years state and city TIF reports.

A Telegraph analysis shows that property taxes diverted to help offset eligible costs for that years seven active TIF projects equaled just 0.4% of combined 2021 tax requests for North Plattes eight local governments.

The seven projects valuation growth  the part that yields TIF reimbursements  accounted for only 0.9% of the citys 2021 taxable value, based on city, Lincoln County and Nebraska Department of Revenue figures.

Both percentages are bound to rise over the next few years as diversions for five TIF projects approved in 2021 and 2022 begin to show up in the states annual TIF reports.

That group, led by the planned Sustainable Beef LLC meatpacking plant, will raise the citys active TIF projects to 12. That equals the peak number reached in 2011.

But since reimbursements started in 1999 for North Plattes first TIF project  one of 10 now fully on the tax rolls  diverted valuations and taxes have never accounted for more than 5.9% of the citys total taxable value or 3.6% of its eight local governments combined tax requests. Both were in 2005.

North Plattes TIF activity still remains far quieter than in six similarly-sized Nebraska communities, said Gary Person, president and CEO of the North Platte Area Chamber & Development Corp.

State TIF figures Person presented to the City Council June 7 showed Kearney, Hastings, the Scottsbluff-Gering-Terrytown combination, Norfolk, Columbus and Fremont far outstripping North Platte in active TIF projects and diverted valuations.

Kearney led the group with 41 active projects in 2021, with Hastings and the Scottsbluff area tied at 31 each.

Fremont led only North Platte with 11 active projects, but its $174 million in diverted TIF valuation  8.9% of Fremonts city total  more than doubled Kearneys $86 million.

Person also pointed out that North Platte led the seven-community peer group in population in 1980 but now comes in last. Its the only one of the seven to lose population since then, he added.

This communitys been very, very conservative in using this (TIF) practice, he told the council.

Among other findings from The Telegraphs analysis of historic North Platte TIF data:

 Eagle Estates, tied for the oldest active TIF project among North Plattes seven in 2021, has a chance to go fully on city property tax rolls in three to four years.

Developers receiving TIF have up to 15 years to recover the full amount of eligible project costs represented in their TIF bond. If the 15-year clock expires before they do, they cant collect whats left.

The TIF clock started in 2011 and will run out in 2026 for Eagle Estates, the housing development at East Philip and Taft avenues.

As of the end of 2021, it still had $163,534 to recover to pay off its $500,000 TIF bond. But Eagle Estates has received $70,000 or more a year toward principal and interest since 2017, according to state TIF reports.

 The Southwest Implement project, which also began receiving TIF reimbursements in 2011, had $224,183 left in principal on its $564,000 TIF bond at the end of 2021. Its 15-year clock also will run out in 2026.

 North Plattes first 10 TIF projects slipped in combined 2021 taxable values and property taxes but continued to be worth far more than their lots original valuations.

That group, led by the Walmart Distribution Center, saw their collective taxable value dip from nearly $57 million to almost $55.3 million. They generated $1.13 million in 2021 taxes, down from $1.18 million.

All 10 began receiving TIF reimbursements between 1999 and 2004. Eight moved fully onto the tax rolls before their 15-year clocks expired, with four of them (Boss Truck Care, the former Cabelas call center, Menards and the former Pro Printing building) paying off their TIF bonds in just nine years.

The Quality Inn (now Ramada by Wyndham)  North Plattes first TIF project  and Wilkinson Developments strip mall near Walmart failed to recover the full amounts of their TIF bonds before their clocks ran out.

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Tune in

Heres how to follow Tuesdays 5:30 p.m. North Platte City Council meeting with remote technology if you dont attend in person:

 YouTube livestream: Click here.

The same location includes access to the councils agenda book, which can be downloaded as a PDF document.

 Audio and video (TV): Turn to cable Channel 180 on Spectrum (Charter Communications).
Its been a banner year for the backlash against efforts to educate Americans about racism. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS

On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth, a Texas-based commemoration of the last group of slaves learning in 1865 that slavery had ended, a federal holiday. It was an ambivalent accomplishment, representing a tardy response to the racial-justice protests of 2020 and the payment of an overdue debt that Biden in particular, and Democrats generally, owed to Black voters. There were already signs that the racial-justice summer wave had crested, and the holidays embrace by corporations and the federal government would be a hollow gesture. The holidays mix of low risk and low cost has made it an appealing virtue signal, my colleague Zak Cheney-Rice argued at the time.

Indeed, the ensuing year has been deeply discouraging for the cause of racial justice. Congresss bipartisan talks on police reform, given new urgency by the murder of George Floyd, petered out as Republicans lost interest. Those same Republicans successfully filibustered various voting-rights measures, including a bill named after civil-rights icon John Lewis that simply restored Voting Rights Act provisions that the GOP once supported routinely. And Democrats could not muster the votes to rein in the filibuster, itself a hateful relic of Jim Crow.

Beyond these setbacks for racial-justice legislation, its been a terrible year for the politics of race more generally. There are various factors driving the debate within the Democratic Party over how to approach divisive cultural issues and wokeness, but its hard to avoid the impression that many Democrats fear that associating too closely with Black political aims has fatally reduced their ability to win over both white working-class voters and white suburbanites. After defensively denying Republican claims that they favor defunding the police, some Democrats are opportunistically embracing a law-and-order backlash to selectively rising crime rates.

Meanwhile, Republicans are zestfully embracing thinly veiled and not-so-veiled racist messaging. During Donald Trumps administration, some conservatives supported bipartisan criminal-justice reform so strongly that the president felt compelled to (begrudgingly) sign the First Step Act; now these Republicans are in full retreat. Restoring election integrity  which in the absence of any actual evidence of voter fraud has to be regarded as an effort to make it harder for Democratic-leaning minority groups to vote  has become a holy cause for the GOP. And the very idea of a reckoning with slaverys legacy has come under fire in the ubiquitous Republican assault on any discussion of racism in public-school classrooms.

With Republicans poised to make significant (and in terms of the fragile Democratic trifecta in Washington, decisive) gains in November, what once seemed like a national turn toward racial justice now looks like a false dawn in the midst of a darkening environment of emboldened backlash. A year ago, Zak Cheney-Rice offered a sobering reminder of the broader trajectory of racial politics during the previous administration:

[Trump] showed Republicans that many of the fears and grievances hed weaponized, and which had borrowed heavily from their longtime playbook, could still be winning issues at a time when conventional wisdom, even among party strategists, held that the GOP would have to tone down its racism if it wanted to win elections. Trump didnt just capture the presidency in 2016. He was also penalized less than expected for his racist rhetoric in the 2020 race. The small gains he made with several nonwhite constituencies the second time around also hinted that the GOP could sustain its usual racist fear-mongering and still make inroads with nonwhite voters. The stage was set for an escalation.

And thats precisely what weve seen throughout the last year.

There are reasons to fear that despite its venerable meaning and contemporary relevance, Juneteenth is already in danger of being treated like the holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. is in conservative circles: as a vindication of contemporary white benevolence and as a warrant for consigning discussions of slavery and its consequences to the remote past. Those who misremember MLK as a crusader against race consciousness are emulating the white-washing backlash against Reconstruction that, to an incredible extent, negated the emancipation of slaves and kept many of their descendants subjugated for another century.

This second Juneteenth federal holiday should be a moment of clarity about this countrys capacity to once again betray its ideals in the defense of privilege. Human equality remains a dangerously controversial aspiration, and achieving it will be the work of generations.
Samantha Adler has been traveling to the Mid-Coast in Maine since elementary school, and over 20 trips later, shes perfected the itinerary  including illicit swims along Route 52, lobster rolls lunches, and a mandatory trip to vintage home-goods heaven. Adler has also got the packing list down, and these Tevas (that she bought because she saw a photo of Mary-Kate Olsen wearing them) are a must-have: My friends all bought them too (team-uniform style). This will be my third summer with them and theyre still in perfect condition. Theyre waterproof and comfortable enough to hike in, and theyre great in the city too.
Dr. Oz says theres always something in your kidneys, the lab tech joked before directing me back to the lobby. Take your time but dont leave the office. (Sangjib Min) (Sangjib Min/Daily Press)

The lab technician looked disappointed but not surprised when I exited the restroom with an empty specimen cup and a sheepish look of shame.

Nothing? she asked with empathetic eyes.

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Nothing, I replied with a shrug. Im so sorry.

Thats OK, it happens all the time, she said.

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I didnt believe her. It was kind of her to say it anyway.

Jerry Davich visited this laboratory in Valparaiso to get a drug test, wrongly presuming it would be the easiest test he had ever taken. (Jerry Davich)

I visited her laboratory office in Valparaiso to get a drug test, wrongly presuming it would be the easiest test Ive ever taken. The only substance to be found in my system is sugar, I figured. Despite my best efforts to produce a urine sample, nothing was coming out. Not. A. Drop.

Dr. Oz says theres always something in your kidneys, the lab tech joked before directing me back to the lobby.

Take your time but dont leave the office, she said firmly.

I returned to the lobby, only to get stared down by a smirking water cooler. Every time it gurgled, it sounded to me like mocking laughter. I started pounding down cups of water like a barfly before closing time.

"I returned to the lobby, only to get stared down by a smirking water cooler. Every time it gurgled, it sounded to me like mocking laughter. I started pounding down cups of water like a barfly before closing time," Jerry Davich writes. (Jerry Davich)

On my third cup, I noticed a rack of magazines in the lobby. What are those for, I thought. Wrong test, wrong sample, wrong performance anxiety. Maybe I could find a story in one of those magazines on middle-aged men who piss off their prostate.

Another patient walked into the lab office, provided a urine sample, and returned to the lobby in just a couple of minutes. If urination-envy is a thing, I experienced it. I shrugged and drank my fourth cup of water.

I pulled out my phone and Googled drug screens with urine tests. It offered no tips about producing a sample. It was a given, I guess. I didnt need any more pressure to do something I do routinely every day, and too often in the middle of the night.

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After my fifth cup of liquid courage, and a silent pep talk, I returned to the lab room feeling waterlogged yet hopeful.

On my third cup, I noticed a rack of magazines in the lobby. What are those for, I thought. (Jerry Davich)

Are you ready? the lab tech asked.

I think so, I replied.

I walked into the restroom feeling bloated, like a 175-pound sponge dipped into a vat of water. A minute passed, then another minute. Nothing came out. Again. As the lab tech waited outside the door, I cursed at myself, trying to bully my bladder into peeing. There was no way I was coming out without a cup of urine in my hand.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Finally, it happened. I felt like lighting up a cigarette and cuddling with the specimen cup. I exited the restroom with a proud smile.

I knew you could do it, the lab tech said with a playful chuckle.

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Ill bet she says that to all the patients who almost fail a drug test without any drugs being detected. Performance anxiety? You bet.

Oh, and the results? I tested positive  for embarrassment.

"Finally, it happened. I felt like lighting up a cigarette and cuddling with the specimen cup. I exited the restroom with a proud smile," Jerry Davich writes. (Jerry Davich)

Thank you

Once again, I revealed too much about myself in this column space. This is what I have done for the past 16 years. Ive shared my thoughts, my opinions, my observations, my storytelling, and my personal life. Ive angered readers, amused them, and hopefully entertained or informed them along the way. This is my last column for the Post-Tribune.

Thank you for reading my work, and for sharing your own thoughts, opinions, and observations. I appreciate it more than you know.
What the fuck?! I had no idea. Or I forgot. Either way. Wow. Gun abolition now

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There's an interesting write up on the statistical likelihood of mass shooters killing a female loved one right before they go on to their mass event. I do not understand the mentality of killing them to spare then.

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I do not understand the mentality of killing them to spare then.



cause it's a lie.



and it's just that their hatred of women is the driving force behind their greater anger at the world, so they kill the women close to them before they go on their rampage.



*exception being family annihilators* in that case, it's more about a narcissistic man being unable to face the reality of his life and the consequences of his actions so he kills his family instead of dealing with it so that he start fresh with a new life.

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*exception being family annihilators* in that case, it's more about a narcissistic man being unable to face the reality of his life and the consequences of his actions so he kills his family instead of dealing with it so that he start fresh with a new life.



Accurate. I remember a case on ID where a man killed his mother, wife, and kids and then changed identities who was caught like 20 years later or so? He had gotten married again and was working in the same occupation he was before. The only reason why he got caught is a detective revived the dead case and had an artist sculpt in clay what he would look like aged, and it was so accurate someone recognized him and turned him in. No remorse for his first family either.

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The arrogance and mental disconnect from reality in the cases of family annihilators is honestly wild. The majority aren't smart enough to properly cover up their crimes and said crimes make it so that they can't have the fresh start they supposedly killed for. The absolute delusion.



I'm blanking on the man's name but there was a case where this guy sent threatening emails to himself for MONTHS leading up to the murder of his wife and kids in order to send the police off on a wild goose chase after this nonexistent person and in a stunning plot twist the police actually did their job and found that the guy had sent all those emails from his own computer. And not even incognito, just straight up his IP address was right there and they found it within like... an hour or two of investigating. Literally planned this crime for months and it was solved on the first day. Imagine being that stupid and incompetent.

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I would say that it's all contempt. These men, including family annihilators, simply do not believe women should have any control of their own lives.

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Men do this alot. It's about ownership. Because they believe life won't carry on the same without them. So many murder suicides involve women and kids. Scum..

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[ Spoiler (click to open) ] attacked his wife and dragged her along while he went door to door killing people and setting their houses on fire before she went and hid in the woods. He was eventually killed by police once they were finished their 13-hr donut break so I don't think a motive was ever given other than that he was a big fat asshole. IIRC, the Nova Scotia spree killer a couple of years ago did the same thing, I think he

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... Especially if you then don't go through with your planned act, and turn yourself in; meaning that even by his own warped reasoning, his mother died for absolutely nothing. :-(

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Jesus wtf this is wild, I dont remember this at all (but lbr the past few years are all a blur to a lot of us).





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He should have gotten first degree because that asshole intentionally planned to kill his mother. Under the jail.

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What the fuuuuuuck. Lock his ass up for good.

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I was reading about this the other day. Just disgusting.

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saw this the other day and genuinely speechless

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Fucking horrifying. Lock him up forever

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he also considered going to simon fraser university and committing "mass violence." i'm just glad his ass is locked up.

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I was staring at his face knowing I recognise him from somewhere and he's the 'kneel before Todd' kid from Supernatural! I cannot believe it. This is insane.

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omg

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Wait what.



Holy shit.

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I know, it's blowing my mind. I've never forgotten a face that appeared on that show, he's appeared on it twice but I only remember him as Todd.

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This is fucking crazy what

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I kept wanting to make a post about this but I kept just blue screening at all the details so bravo op. People I know were lol Riverdale implicated in treason without looking at the horrifying things he did AND could have done.

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Same. I thought about doing a post and realized I didn't want to think about it or dwell on it.

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Depression ? Yeah maybe he had depression, but there's NO WAY this was the major mental illness that made him like that.

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Oh boy, would the world look differently if it did, considering the sheer numbers of people with depression of varying levels of severity.

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Depression makes you want to kill YOURSELF, not go on a murder spree. jesus.

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Wasn't he only in one episode of riverdale

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its not like the title is saying he was the star

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I always find that strange as well, newspapers highlight an acting credit where the person had one or two lines (if any at all) and it makes it seem like they were a main character in the series.

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tbf without that tidbit we'd all be going "why is this on ontd"

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Over the past few months, oil and commodity markets have been taking out fresh highs after the shuttering of Ukrainian ports, sanctions against Russia, and disruption in Libyan oil production sent energy, crop, and metal buyers scrambling for replacement supplies. Russia is one of the world's biggest exporters of key raw materials, from crude oil and gas to wheat and aluminum, and the possible exclusion of supplies from the country due to sanctions has sent traders and importers into a frenzy. But the Ukraine crisis is only layering onto another more powerful trend: the global transition to low-carbon energy.

The energy transition is driving the next commodity supercycle, with immense prospects for technology manufacturers, energy traders, and investors. Clean energy technologies require more metals than their fossil fuel-based counterparts, with prices of green metals projected to reach historical peaks for an unprecedented, sustained period in a net-zero emissions scenario.

But few, if any, green metals have witnessed a price explosion as epic as that of lithium.

After surging 500% over the past year, lithium prices have doubled again this year in one of the biggest commodity bull runs in recent history thanks to the EV boom.

But Goldman Sachs is now telling the lithium bulls to slow their roll: according to GS, the lithium bull run is about to reverse and go through into deep correction thanks to an oversupply of the commodity.

In a research note entitled Battery Metals Watch: The End of the beginning, GS says theres been a surge in investor capital into supply investment tied to the long term electric vehicle (EV) demand story, essentially trading a spot driven commodity as a forward-looking equity. That fundamental mispricing has in turn generated an outsized supply response well ahead of the demand trend.

The Wall Street bank says investors are fully aware that battery metals will play a critical role in the 21st century's global economy. Yet despite this exponential demand profile, we see the battery metals bull market as over for now. GS has, however, conceded that the long-term prospects for the sector remain strong.

Goldman has predicted that lithium prices will fall to an average of just under U$54,000 per tonne this year and just over $16,000 in 2023 down from an average of above U$60,000.

Related: Anti-Oil Lobby Faces Reality Check As Global Demand Is Set To Break Records

Peering at lithium price charts, Lithium carbonate prices in China were at 477,500 yuan/tonne ($71,625/tonne) in June, equating to a 4.4% pullback from the all-time high of 499,521 yuan/tonne ($74,928/tonne) attained in early April. Therefore, the charts appear to suggest that the massive rally is now taking a breather.

Not everyone though agrees with Goldmans bearish call. Here are 3 reasons why GS might have missed the mark.

1. Goldman Sachs Got the Fundamentals Wrong

Rodney Hooper of RK Equity says he strongly disagrees with the analysts' findings on both supply and demand.

My biggest issue with the report is that it will discourage upstream investment in mining. We clearly haven't seen sufficient upstream investment to meet current and future demand, he has told the Investing News Network (INN).

Also speaking with INN, Daniel Jimenez of iLi Markets has corroborated Hooper's remarks saying that analysts at the investment bank are overestimating supply and underestimating demand.

According to Goldman Sachs analysts, global demand for lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) will clock in at ~1.2 million metric tons (MT) by 2025.

In contrast, top lithium producer Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) is calling for around 1.5 million MT LCE, while Chinese giant Ganfeng Lithium (OTCPK:GNENF,SZSE:002460) expects around 1.6 million MT during the same period.

We think that lithium producers have better industry insights and truthful talks with most of the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) they supply. On the supply side they are extremely optimistic in terms of the lepidolite production that could come from China in the coming years, which is also not realistic, Jimenez has said.

2. Lithium Market Forecasting Is Difficult

As INN notes, Goldman Sachs is not the first Wall Street expert to have its lithium forecast called out by experts in the lithium field. BMI says this has happened before:

Weve seen this before, we will see it again. Goldman Sachs: you cant just add up all the lithium mine level potential and make an oversupply call ... the speciality chemicals world is more nuanced than iron ore. Its why the world doesnt rely on investment banks for research any more,  Benchmark Mineral Intelligences Simon Moores said in a tweet after the Goldman Sachs report came out.

BMI says that lithium is a specialty chemical, not all lithium is created equal, and not all auto and battery makers have the same needs. There are numerous constraints to bringing new supply into the market, and delays are common for new projects, as well as for producers looking to expand their existing operations.

Hooper notes that many analysts tend to get both demand and supply wrong, The best indicator of battery-grade demand is cathode production. Historical analysis shows that demand linked to cathode production has the highest correlation to lithium prices--this indicator flagged a demand/supply deficit in late 2020.

3. The Industry Cannot Rely on China Alone

According to Goldman Sachs, the most significant new lithium supply will come from China, where companies have invested in new hard rock and brine projects.

However, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence has countered this view by pointing out that known domestic Chinese spodumene and other hard rock resources are of low quality, which is the main reason why Chinese converters are increasingly turning to Australia for supply instead.

BMI says Chinese brine resources are also low quality and have always struggled to produce sufficient battery-grade quality lithium. For instance, production of lithium from Chinas Qinghai province has struggled to ramp up production despite over a decade of efforts, including by electric car maker BYD Co. (OTCPK:BYDDY).

Related: Oil Companies Face Huge Risk As Legal Dispute In Kurdistan Escalates

BMI concedes that Chinas deposits of lepidolite, which GS says will add significant new supply volumes, may have the potential to help bridge the deficit in coming years. However, they too are unlikely to lead to oversupply because Chinas lepidolite processing has a high waste-to-ore ratio of 20:1, high waste-disposal costs as well as high processing costs, all of which make it a marginal source of lithium.

Can the Rally Continue?

And not the million-dollar question: does the epic lithium rally still have some gas left in the tank?

According to BMI, contract prices are likely to continue to rise as a lagged effect of the major step-change in spot pricing over late 2021 and 2022 while spot prices are likely to fall, with the two prices coming into more of an equilibrium than the current situation.

On the other hand, Jimenez says that structurally, lithium prices are likely to remain high through 2025 to 2026, at least Now high means above US$40 per kilogram, which is significantly higher than the incentive price to develop a marginal-cost greenfield project. Whether the price will be U$40, U$60, U$80 or U$120 is a difficult call to make, he has declared.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Katie Britt has won the Republican nomination for Senate in Alabama, defeating six-term Congressman Mo Brooks in a primary runoff after former President Donald Trump endorsed and then un-endorsed him. The loss ends a turbulent campaign for Brooks, a conservative firebrand who had fully embraced Trumps election lies and had run under the banner MAGA Mo. But it wasnt enough for the former president, who initially backed Brooks in the race to replace retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, but then rescinded his support as Brooks languished in the polls. Trump eventually endorsed Britt in the races final stretch after she emerged as the top vote-getter in the states May 24 primary.
Flynn Promoted to Senior Vice President of Residential Property Management Cushman & Wakefield/The Lund Company is proud to promote Pamela Flynn to Senior Vice President of Residential Property Management where she will oversee The Lund Company's multi-family property management division. In addition to managing client accounts, Pamela plays a key role in the internal leadership of The Lund Company by strategically planning, expanding and securing new business; meeting or exceeding project projections; and is dedicated to overseeing a team who is committed to the art of outstanding client service. "Over the past few years, Pamela has been instrumental in the growth of The Lund Company's multi-family department. She has taken the lead in helping us expand into new markets such as NW Arkansas, Kansas City and Oklahoma City. I am extremely proud to have Pamela as part of the Lund team. She is a true leader within our organization that is very deserving of this promotion." said Tanya Shapiro, President of The Lund Company. In 2019, Pamela was promoted to Director of Residential Property Management where she oversaw a team of Regional Property Managers that managed a diverse portfolio to ensure physical, operational and financial goals are being met for Lund's multi-family portfolio. Prior to that, in her previous role as Regional Manager with the Lund Company, she was responsible for the oversight of existing multi-family communities and new lease up projects. Pamela joined Cushman & Wakefield/The Lund Company in 2010 and has over 15 years of experience in the property management industry. Pamela attended the University of South Dakota. She has also received the Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) designation and the Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor (CAPS) designation through the National Apartment Association (NAA). In 2017, Pamela was recognized with the prestigious Regional Manager of the Year award by the Apartment Association of Nebraska (AAN).
Courtney Pinaire Returns to Kutak Rock Kutak Rock is pleased to announce that Courtney Pinaire has rejoined its national tax credits practice group as of counsel in the firm's Omaha office. Ms. Pinaire's tax credit experience includes transactional work involving low-income housing tax credits, renewable energy tax credits, historic rehabilitation tax credits, new markets tax credits, state tax credits, as well as other related state and federal financing products. Ms. Pinaire's experience includes over 15 years of acting primarily as equity investor counsel for major financial institutions, private real estate equity firms, and tax credit syndicators in real estate transactions. She excels at navigating complex transactional structures and negotiating to achieve each client's unique business objectives. Ms. Pinaire earned her J.D. from Creighton University School of Law, cum laude, and her B.S. from University of Kansas. She is admitted to practice in Nebraska.
Women are not a monolith, their experiences of menopause are not all negative, and this stage of life should not be medicalized, argue an international group of experts.

In an analysis piece published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday, obstetrician Martha Hickey of the Royal Women's Hospital in Victoria, Australia and three women's health professors from the UK, US and Australia discuss the social and cultural attitudes to the life stage when most women's periods stop  typically between the ages of 45 and 55  and argue the need to "normalize" menopause.

In 2021, a global survey revealed 16% to 40% of women experience moderate to severe symptoms during menopause, such as feeling tired, hot flushes, sleep difficulties and aching muscles or joints. A now-common treatment offered to relieve these symptoms is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which uses medication to replace the hormones lost during menopause and, in turn, ease these symptoms. Many studies have shown its effectiveness in helping women through the menopause and though there are risks, such as increasing your risk of breast cancer, the benefits are thought to outweigh such risks.

However, Hickey and her co-authors argue that while effective treatments such as HRT are important for those with troublesome symptoms, "medicalization may increase women's anxiety and apprehension about this natural life stage."

They add: "Medicalization of menopause risks collapsing the wide range of experiences at the average age associated with this natural process into a narrowly defined disease requiring treatment and tends to emphasize the negative aspects of menopause."

The four experts further argue that while "women with severe hot flushes and night sweats often benefit from menopausal hormone therapy, most women consider menopause a natural process and prefer not to take medication."

Hickey told CNN: "Medicalization of menopause makes women fearful and reduces their ability to cope with it as a normal event in life."

Preserving health  and youthful appearance

Medical caution over the use of HRT is not new. In Elizabeth Siegel Watkins's book, The Estrogen Elixir: A History of Hormone Replacement in America, the professor of history of health sciences charts the causes of the growing trend in HRT and the responses to it.

Published in 2007, Watkins's book explains that "[the medicalization of menopause] begins with the dynamic interactions among scientists, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and gynaecologists in producing, marketing, and prescribing estrogen in the first decades of the twentieth century."

According to Watkins, after half a century of research beginning in the 1890s, estrogen was introduced in the US as a short-term treatment for menopausal symptoms in the 1940s and 1950s. Between 1960 and 1975, hormone therapy saw a massive boom after some reproductive endocrinologists redefined menopause as an "estrogen-deficiency disease".

The approach to the treatment of menopause reveals not just where the science is at but also where the culture is at when it comes to middle-aged women. Watkins writes about E. Kost Shelton, a clinical professor of medicine at UCLA who "promoted long-term hormone therapy as the solution to middle-aged women's woes," believing that estrogen would not only "prevent the development of osteoporosis [a condition where bones weaken, common during menopause]... but it would also help maintain a youthful appearance, a positive attitude, and a happy marriage."

The book quotes from a paper Shelton wrote in 1954 in which he said that the lack of estrogen during menopause "is frequently accompanied by regression to a shell of the former alluring woman ... She becomes insecure, inadequate, and ultimately careless during the most vulnerable period of her marital existence.''

The language may have changed since Shelton's time, but the association between HRT and the expectation to hold on to one's youth persist.

The authors of the BMJ analysis write: "The belief that ageing can be delayed or reversed by hormone replacement therapy (HRT) persists and is reinforced by the media, medical literature, and information for women."

Then and now, why would these associations persist? Hickey and her co-authors provide an answer: "Marketing menopause is a lucrative business."

"In the 1960s, for example, it was suggested that all women should be taking hormonal treatment when they go through menopause." Hickey told CNN. "And still, there is strong pharmaceutical drive for women to take hormones to keep themselves young, or protect their skin, or sex life and other such things that have not been proven."

She adds: "If you have a medication that half the population should be taking, then that's an enormous profit."

Hickey and her co-authors advocate shifting the narrative by pushing forward positive aspects such as freedom from menstruation, pregnancy, and contraception as well as educating women on how to manage the troublesome symptoms. They believe advocating these "might empower women to manage menopause with greater confidence."

Narratives around menopause

Sunny Singh understands the power of narratives. In 2019 the novelist and professor of Creative Writing and Inclusion in the Arts at London Metropolitan University wrote a Twitter thread that was widely shared. In it she shares her own experience of going through perimenopause (when you have symptoms before your periods have stopped).

With great candor and humor, Singh wrote: "We get some vague talk about hot flushes but here is my peri peri experience. My body has decided it needs hot showers but then overheats for the hour afterwards. Cue: twiddle thumbs until I cool down enough to put clothes on. Cue: add extra hour to morning routine."

She adds: "Current discourse veers between "it's all natural" (yeah, so is death) to complete pathologization ... We need to talk menopause without hyper-medicalization."

Singh says she benefitted from having her mother share her experience of menopause in her thirties and says this needs to happen more. She tells CNN: "There has been very little informational exchange around menopause. We need women from across races and regions to talk about menopause."

The BMJ analysis reaches the same conclusion: "Normalising ageing in women and celebrating the strength, beauty, and achievements of middle-aged women can change the narrative and provide positive role models," the authors write.

Story of the week

Graphic video of men stomping on a woman's head has shaken China to the core. The shock and anger reverberated widely as the video spread like wildfire on Chinese social media. By the evening, the attack  which took place around 2:40 a.m. Friday in the northern city of Tangshan  had ignited a nationwide uproar, drawing hundreds of millions of views and dominating online discussions throughout the weekend.

Women Behaving Badly: Yogmaya Neupane (1860-1941)

Written by Pallabi Munsi

In July 1941, Yogmaya Neupane, a feminist leader in Nepal, reportedly plunged into the choppy waters of Arun River. Soon after, over 60 of her disciples also jumped to their death.

The alleged mass suicide, which took place when the people of Nepal were cowering under the autocratic Rana regime, was quickly forgotten from Nepal's history until the 1980s. It is only recently that researchers interpreted the act as a protest against the ruler's failure to meet Neupane's repeated demands for Dharma Rajya, or good governance, wherein Hindu systemic discriminations against women are abolished.

Neupane was the first Nepalese woman known to have been jailed for her political beliefs when she tried to set herself on fire to protest the Rana regime. She also married three times at a time when widow remarriage was an offence.

Researchers say she also gave voice to the voiceless by raising awareness about "superstitious religious practices, the caste system, child marriage, discriminatory treatment of women, corruption and unequal distribution of wealth."

Wondering why Neupane did "not appear in the standard history of Nepal for sixty years," Michael Hutt, professor of Nepalese and Himalayan Studies at the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) in the UK, says more information is needed about this icon. "My plea to Nepal's historians and social scholars is further research," he said.

In 2016, the Nepali government issued a postage stamp marking her "restoration and recognition as a major historical figure, a champion of women's rights," but calls continue for greater research into her life.

If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, here are ways to help.

If you live in the US and are having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (800-273-TALK) for free and confidential support. It's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For crisis support in Spanish, call 888-628-9454

TrevorLifeline, a suicide prevention counseling service for the LGBTQ community, can be reached at 866-488-7386

Befrienders Worldwide connects users to the nearest emotional support center for the part of the world they live in.
In a setback for air quality, OPPD would continue to burn coal at its North Omaha power plant for possibly another three years, until 2026, under a proposal before the board.

The proposed delay in ceasing coal use is related to various problems besetting the nations electrical system  backlogs involving the grid, supply chain issues and controversies over siting renewable energy facilities.

The Omaha Public Power District board is taking public comment on the proposed delay and expects to vote on it in August.

Residents who live in the shadow of the plant have long advocated for eliminating coal as a fuel source. Thats because coal plants, in spite of efforts to reduce emissions, are a major source of pollution, contributing to respiratory and heart problems, neurological disorders and premature death.

Additionally, they contribute to global warming by releasing heat-trapping gases as a byproduct of burning coal.

David Corbin, chairman of the Missouri Valley Sierra Clubs energy committee, is among those who have worked years to get the plant closed. He described OPPDs proposal as shocking and disappointing.

David Begley, an attorney who opposes OPPDs efforts to move more aggressively into renewables, welcomed the delay. Reality prevailed, he wrote in an email.

The North Omaha coal plant has been one of the biggest polluters in Nebraska, Corbin said, placing an unfair health burden on those who live near it. Corbin said OPPD has other options that it can pursue to reduce emissions, including helping customers become more energy efficient and supporting residential and business solar.

OPPD CEO Javier Fernandez, in a video statement on the utilitys website, said the utility has to keep the North Omahas plant running longer than intended so that the utility can continue to reliably provide electricity. The new solar and natural gas plants that will replace the North Omaha units are running behind schedule and customer demand for electricity is rising.

Supply chain issues have contributed to the delay in building the natural gas plant, according to the utility. Delays in OPPDs proposed solar farm are due to decisions at the federal level that have slowed access to imported materials, along with zoning concerns locally, according to OPPD.

However, the primary reason for the delay has been the need to get an interconnection study done that will allow OPPD to connect the new natural gas and solar facilities to the grid. These federally required interconnection studies are backlogged across the country due, in part, to the surge in renewable energy proposals.

We continue to work as quickly and as safely as possible, Fernandez said. But we must keep existing facilities operational until we receive final and irrevocable approval to interconnect our two new generation facilities (to the grid). This is how we will insure we can provide the power you need when you need it.

OPPD officials say the utility significantly reduced emissions at the North Omaha plant when it converted three of the five units there to natural gas.

The proposed delay means the utility wont shut down those three in 2023 as planned, nor will it convert the remaining two to natural gas that year. (The remaining two are the newest and largest of the aging burners at North Omaha, so theyve been selected to continue operating).

Eric Williams, the OPPD board member who represents North Omaha and who supports OPPDs efforts to shift to renewables, said he is disappointed by the proposal and is awaiting further information before he decides how to vote.

It is due to external circumstances that are not within OPPDs control, its unfortunate, Williams said. I will review all the feedback from our customer owners ... and consider that alongside the technical information.

Williams said he is taking as a good faith statement the commitment by the utilitys executive leadership to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Shifting away from fossil fuels on a global scale is essential to averting weather and climate disasters worse than those already baked into the atmosphere by past emissions. Climate change is expected to increase the risk of global famine, fatal heat waves, flooding, disease and drought. In Nebraska, climate change is expected to exacerbate the states already extreme weather by promoting explosive wildfires, flash flooding, intense drought and a change in the nature of winter.

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In 1989, Eddie Staton, Bishop Robert Tyler and John Foster formally organized under the name Men Against Destruction-Defending Against Drugs and Social-Disorder. And so, the Mad Dads of Omaha was born.

The groups aim was to keep young people away from drugs and violence. The idea of Black fathers taking to the streets to confront gangs and drugs immediately caught on, and Mad Dads became a nationally recognized organization.

Did you know that the Mad Dads organization was honored by former President George H.W. Bush as one of his Thousand Points of Light?

The members were men who worked, attended church regularly and had been involved in community activities for years. From gun buy-backs and weekly prayer rallies to stop the violence parades, the organization mobilized Black fathers to serve as mentors and confront gang violence in their communities.

So, heres to all the dads out there who have been present and contributed fruitfully not only to their childrens lives, but to their community. And heres to the Mad Dads for getting mad and making change.

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A biopic of the famed Buddhist monk and translator Kumarajiva started filming in Shenzhen in June.

Kumarajiva (344-413) is one of the best-known Buddhist monks, scholars and translators, mostly remembered for his prolific translation of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Chinese.

At a press conference on June 10, producers of the film said that the movie will perfectly align with the current interest in the Belt and Road, and help convey Chinese history and culture to people around the world. They also expressed their hope that the film will help promote cultural exchanges and cooperation among countries along the Silk Road, inherit the spirit of the ancient trading route, and promote its culture.

Kumarajiva himself is not only an important cultural icon for mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations on the ancient Silk Road, but was also a pioneer in creating national unity among ethnic peoples. Producers said that the film will demonstrate how the eminent monk made important choices in his life and examine his contributions in promoting cultural, artistic, religious and linguistic academic exchanges between China and the states to its west.

The Buddhist master was the son of a Hindu father from India and a princess of the ancient Kingdom of Kucha, which lies in present day Aksu prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. He traveled to Liangzhou, Gansu province, and later to Xi'an, Shaanxi province, along the ancient Silk Route trading network.

In Xi'an, he gained the approval of the imperial family and headed a famous school of translators. He coined and unified many terms in his translations into Chinese, from "fotuo" (Buddha) to "pusha" (bodhisattva), which are still in use today. Many familiar words from the sutras have entered Chinese people's everyday vocabulary, enriching not only the Chinese language but also their philosophical ideas, such as "cibei" for karuna (or "compassion") and "yinyuan" for nidanas (or "causes/effects").

The spread of Buddhism into China was a major event in human history and is closely related to the development of the Silk Road. Kumarajiva came to China around the time of the first large-scale cultural collision between foreign and local culture in China. The sutras he translated then found their way into Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia along the Silk Road, where they also had a profound influence.

The film will be directed by Wang Dan, and star ethnic Tibetan actor Purba Rgyal as the young Kumarajiva, while Wang Jinsong will play the older Kumarajiva. The story is an adaptation of a novel by Xu Zhaoshou, chairman of the Gansu Film Association and dean of the School of Media and Communication at Northwest Normal University.

In preparation for the shoot, the crew has visited many of the places related to Kumarajivas life, including his place of birth and sites where he lived and spent time, in an attempt to learn more about the local landscape, architecture, landmarks and culture to enable a faithful reenactment.

The film is scheduled for release in 2023.
One person was killed and three others injured in a crash on Interstate 80 in western Nebraska on Saturday night.

According to the Nebraska State Patrol, troopers were called to a crash on I-80 near the Nebraska-Colorado border about 11:15 p.m.

Preliminary reports from the State Patrol said that a Dodge Caravan carrying four people was traveling west when it was struck from behind by a semitrailer, causing the Caravan to roll and eject the front-seat passenger. The passenger, Haroldene Rodriguez, 55, of Scottsbluff, was declared dead at the scene.

The driver of the Caravan, Leopoldo Rodriguez, 43, and two children riding in the back seat were transported to Sidney Regional Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The driver of the semi, Atinder Singh, 30, of Bellerose, New York, was not injured. Singh was arrested on suspicion of motor vehicle homicide and careless driving and booked into the Cheyenne County Jail.

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Q: Did weather forecasting play a role in D-Day?

A: Last week was the 78th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe that began with the landings on the beaches at Normandy. The combined land, air and sea assault of June 6, 1944, remains the largest such event in history.

The success of the invasion was extraordinarily dependent on weather conditions. More than three months before the invasion, a combined British and American forecasting team began rigorous forecast exercises designed to iron out the physical and logistical kinks of such a coordinated effort.

As June drew near, the nature of this collaboration was still problematic as the two groups employed vastly different methods in fashioning the requisite three- to five-day forecasts. The British were attempting to make such forecasts based upon the understanding of atmospheric dynamics that had grown substantially during the war. The Americans were employing a method based on a statistically based search through old weather data for historical analogues that could be used to guide the forecast.

To maintain secrecy, a large portion of the Allied fleet was squirreled far away in northern Scotland. Consequently, five days of lead time were required to mobilize these forces. Thus, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower needed to know by May 31 whether the first week of June, the prospective target for the invasion, would provide favorable weather.

The forecasters foresaw a break in that years unusually stormy late spring and suggested June 5 would work. As the day approached, the team realized that a one-day postponement would offer better conditions, prompting Eisenhower to make the fateful decision to invade on June 6, under barely acceptable conditions.

Had the Allies delayed, the combination of lunar cycle, tides and weather almost certainly would have postponed the invasion for more than a month, likely costing the effort the tremendous advantage of secrecy.

"Weather Guys" Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin are professors in the University of Wisconsin-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Bloomington

Pop-Up Story Time; 10-10:30 a.m. June 21, the courtroom at McLean County Museum of History; registration required; Ages 0-11; free admission on Tuesdays.

On-The-Go Story Time; 3:30-4:30 p.m. June 22, Evergreen Park bookmobile stop; ages 0-11; no registration required.

On-The-Go Story Time; 9:30-10:30 a.m., June 23, Wingover bookmobile stop; ages 0-11; no registration required.

Normal

Summer Story Hour; 10-11 a.m. June 20, Anderson Park, 503 E. College Ave., Normal; ages 3-5 with caregiver but all ages welcome.

Bored Games; 2-4 p.m. June 22, Community Room B at Normal Public Library; ages 10-14 but all welcome.

Instrument Petting Zoo; 10 a.m.-noon Community Room at Normal Public Library; ages 3-8 but all welcome.

Tween Crafternoon; 2-4 p.m. June 23, cafe at Normal Public Library; ages 10-14.

Sign and Sing with Communication Junction at the park; 10:30-11 a.m. June 24, Anderson Park, 206 W. College Ave., Normal; ages 0-5.

Carlock

Read and Roast; June 20-25, during normal library hours; Carlock Public Library; read in a tent at the library, take home a s'mores kit.

Eureka

DIY Lego Tables; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. June 20, children's library at Eureka Public Library; free.

Library Volunteers; 4-5 p.m. June 20, children's library at Eureka Public Library; middle school and high school students; registration required.

Play in the Pavilion; 10:30-11 a.m. June 21, outdoor pavilion at Eureka Public Library; free.

Reading Buddies; 2-2:30 p.m. June 21, children's library at Eureka Public Library; free.

Story Time at the Library: Summer Reading Edition; 10-10:30 a.m. June 21 and 23, outdoor pavilion at Eureka Public Library; free.

Toddler Time; 10 a.m. June 22, children's library at Eureka Public Library; free.

Wow, it's Wednesday! DIY Nature Discovery Station; 2 p.m. online or all day hands-on learning, June 22, children's library at Eureka Public Library.

Reading Buddies; 10:30-11 a.m. June 23, outdoor pavilion at Eureka Public Library; free.

Afternoon Art; 3-4 p.m. June 23, outdoor pavilion at Eureka Public Library; free.

Chris Fascione: Bringing Literature to Life; 10:30-11:15 a.m. June 24, Eureka High School; free program for children and families.

Sharpie tie-dye for teens; 2 p.m. June 24, Eureka Public Library; ages 12-17.
Bloomington-Normal

Galleries, museums

Some cultural institutions are open or making plans to reopen under current COVID restrictions. Check with each facility for indoor, online or outdoor programming. Open facilities have face covering, distancing and other guidelines in effect; see websites or call for details.

Angel Ambrose Fine Art Studio; 101 W. Monroe St. Suite 201, Bloomington; Open First Fridays 5-8 p.m. and by appointment; 309-825-4655; angelambrose.com.

David Davis Mansion; 1000 Monroe Drive, Bloomington; open for tours, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; groups of 10 or less; $10 per person; $100 minimum; daviddavismansion.org; 309-828-1084.

Eaton Studio Gallery; 411 N. Center St., Bloomington; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays; 5-8 p.m. First Fridays, or by appointment or ring bell; eatonstudiogallery.com; 309-828-1575.

Illinois Art Station; 101 E. Vernon Ave., Normal; Gallery open Saturdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; illinoisartstation.org; 309-386-1019.

Inside Out: Accessible Art Gallery & Cooperative; 200 W. Monroe St., Bloomington; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; Saturday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; by appointment Sunday-Tuesday; and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. First Friday; insideoutartcoop.org; 309-838-2160.

Jan Brandt Gallery; Normandy Village, 1100 Beach St., Building 8, Normal; by appointment; janbrandtgallery.com; 309-287-4700.

Joann Goetzinger Studio and Gallery; 313 N. Main St. Suite A, Bloomington; open first Fridays 5-8 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m., also by appointment; masks and social distancing required; 309-826-1193.

Main Gallery 404; 404 N. Main St., Bloomington; 12-5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays; 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays; By chance or appointment at 309-590-6779.

McLean County Arts Center; 601 N. East St., Bloomington; open; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, 12-4 p.m. Saturday; masks and social distancing required; mcac.org; 309-829-0011.

McLean County Museum of History; 200 N. Main St., Bloomington; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Sundays, until further notice; reservations at education@mchistory.org or 309-827-0428; mchistory.org; 309-827-0428.

Merwin and Wakeley Galleries; Illinois Wesleyan University; Bloomington; open; 12-4 p.m., Monday through Friday; 7-9 p.m., Tuesday evening; 1-4 p.m., Saturday through Sunday; iwu.edu/art/galleries; 309-556-3391.

Prairie Aviation Museum; 2929 E. Empire St., Bloomington; opens April 2; hours 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; prairieaviationmuseum.org; 309-663-7632.

University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal; open; 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Sunday; 309-438-5487; galleries.illinoisstate.edu/about/visit/.

Central Illinois

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield; advance reservation required; adults $15, seniors $12, under 5 free; presidentlincoln.illinois.gov; 217-558-8844.

Art Center at Greater Livingston County Arts Council; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; noon-4 p.m. Sunday; 209 W. Madison St., Pontiac; pcartcenter.com; 815-419-2472.

Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; Riverfront Arts Center, 305 S.W. Water St., Peoria; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; peoriacac.org; 309-674-6822.

Dickson Mounds Museum; 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown; open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; free; illinoisstatemuseum.org; 309-547-3721.

Illinois State Museum; 502 S. Spring St., Springfield; open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Monday-Friday, free; illinoisstatemuseum.org; 217-782-7386.

Lincoln Heritage Museum; Lincoln Center at Lincoln College, 300 Keokuk St., Lincoln; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 1-4 p.m. Saturday, closed Sundays, Mondays and on Lincoln College breaks; $4-7; museum.lincolncollege.edu; 217-735-7399.

Peoria Art Guild; 203 Harrison St., Peoria; open; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday or by appointment; peoriaartguild.org; 309-637-2787.

Peoria Riverfront Museum; downtown riverfront Peoria; open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday and Friday; 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday; and closed Sunday; adults $11, seniors, students $10, ages 3-17 $9; peoriariverfrontmuseum.org; 309-686-7000.

Simpkins Military History Museum; 605 E. Cole St., Heyworth; Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 1-5 p.m.; Free admission (donations accepted); Private tours, call first; 309-319-3413; Open House, 1-5 p.m., March 19, marking 63 years of collecting military items.

Time Gallery; 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Saturday; Closed Sunday; Clock Tower Place Building, 201 Clock Tower Drive, East Peoria; 309-467-2331.

U of I Krannert Art Museum; 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign; open; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Thursdays until 8 p.m. when classes are in session; closed Sunday and Monday; kam.illinois.edu; 217-333-1861.

Exhibits

"Community: African American Experience During Migration"; through Spring 2022; Owens Gallery; "Design & Duplication: Treasures of the Peoria Riverfront Museum Collection; Gallery 2, through Fall 2022; "Archibald Motley's Bronzeville at Night"; through March 2023; "Creatures of Light: Nature's Bioluminescence"; through Sept. 5, Experience Gallery; "Modern Masters: Modern Masters from the Heintzman Collection"; through Sept. 11"; Peoria Riverfront Museum.

"Stories of Survival; Object. Image. Memory."; through Jan. 22, 2023; Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

"To Know The Fire: Pueblo Women Potters and The Shaping of History"; through Sept. 3; "Latina Community 'Voces'"; through July 9; U of I Krannert Art Museum.

"Recent Reductions"; Tyler Brandon; June 2022; "Rural Roundabouts"; Chris Coulter; June 2022; Peoria Art Guild.

"2022 Honoring the Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans"; through Nov. 12; Simpkins Military History Museum.

"Edgewise"; second floor gallery; through Sept. 3; "Climate Change in Your Back Yard"; first floor Hot Science Gallery; through April 22, 2023; "NOIR II: The Migration"; second floor gallery; through Sept. 6; Illinois State Museum.

"Embodied Remembrance; through June 24; Tamar Segev; Armstrong Gallery; "The Legacy Project"; through June 24; Dolan Gallery; Dave & Sean Fulghum; "Painted Portraits of a Family Past"; Howard Schwarts; through July 8; McLean County Arts Center.

"Prairie Flyers: A Century of Aviation"; through July 3; DeWitt County Museum.

"Denise Treizman: In Between Living"; through July 31; "In Living Color"; Curated by Teen Art Group; through Aug. 10; University Galleries.

"Members Show: Open Theme"; through July 9; group exhibit; Lincoln Arts Institute.

"Vandana Bajikar"; through July; Time Gallery.
Throughout the 1960s, the nation was gripped by Moon Fever as the United States and the Soviet Union raced to become the first to land a human being on the moon. On March 18, 1969, the space race was brought to Bloomington and the Illinois Wesleyan University campus when Apollo 8's commander, Air Force Col. Frank Borman II, visited and shared his experiences during his own lunar mission.

That first manned NASA mission to leave low Earth orbit and travel to the moon took place Dec. 21-27, 1968. Just three months later, on March 18, 1969, the three Apollo 8 astronauts  Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders were awarded their first honorary doctorates at the 1969 IWU Founders Day Convocation. Lovell and Anders were on backup for the Apollo 11 mission and so received their degrees in absentia.

Borman came to Bloomington to accept the degrees on their behalf and to dedicate the Mark Evans Observatory, which was still under construction. The structures walls were just high enough to accept a time capsule that would be part of the dedication ceremony.

On March 16, The Pantagraph published a detailed story about how the visit came to be. The idea originated with Lee W. Short, IWU director of public relations and admissions, and grew to involve other IWU staff, a 1913 graduate, then-IWU President Robert S. Eckley, and U.S. Rep. Leslie C. Arends, R-Melvin, who was ranking minority member of the House Armed Services Committee and an IWU trustee.

During his time on campus, Borman spoke at a news conference, made brief remarks at the convocation and placed the time capsule into the wall of the observatory. His final event that day was narrating a film about the Apollo 8 mission and answering questions at a luncheon for the board of trustees. Bloomington Mayor Robert J. McGraw closed the event by presenting Borman with a key to the city.

IWUs archives contain printed documents related to these events, three reel-to-reel audio recordings of the entire convocation, remarks made by Eckley at the time capsule placement, and Bormans entire presentation to the trustees. Remarkably, in 2016 IWU received a dozen silent home movies from this era, taken by an unidentified community member, that included clips from Bormans activities that day.

Eckley concluded his remarks at the dedication by recognizing representatives from several local corporations who have had a part in supporting the U.S. space achievements and contributed samples of those contributions to the time capsule. These included an Admiral Corp. TV vacuum tube and circuit board, Paul F. Beich Co. space food, a Eureka Williams Co. thermal battery like one going to moon" in the lunar excursion module, and five General Electric Co. electric relays used in Apollo ground monitoring.

The list of time capsule contents also showed that several other local companies and departments of the IWU community contributed materials that were not directly related to the space program. Borman also contributed something but it was not named on the document appended to Eckleys speech.

The IWU physics department commemorated the 50th anniversary of the observatorys dedication by removing the time capsule in 2019. The tradition for this kind of event at IWU involves getting interested parties together to witness the removal of the box and then opening the welded seal in the maintenance shop away from crowds. The lid is taped shut and then an official opening event takes place the following homecoming.

However, the tradition was slightly complicated when the staff member who broke the seal noticed a strong odor emanating from the copper box. The university archivist was contacted to determine how much, if any, of the contents was salvageable.

It was determined that the likely cause of the odor and damage was moisture having interacted with the thermal battery and food inside the box. The damage to the contents of the box was quite extensive because of this.

All of the contents that were paper-based had congealed into a solid mass. Fortunately, most of these were widely available publications from the university and local businesses. And luckily, archival staff were able to separate two unique paper items from the mass: a copy of the remarks given by Nan Evans (the wife of E. Mark Evans, the buildings namesake) and a description of the Beich Candy Co.'s space food, which they referred to as survival rations.

In her remarks Mrs. Evans expressed pleasure in being able to memorialize her husband who was so interested in Illinois Wesleyan, gave it so much of his time, and had such high hopes for it. Mark Evans led several building projects at IWU and even placed the time capsule for the Memorial Gymnasium, now the Hansen Student Center, in 1921.

Several unique artifacts survived their 50-year odyssey, and one even went on the Apollo 8 mission, circling the moon 10 times! Although corroded by moisture and a chemical reaction, the unnamed item personally contributed by Borman turned out to be a medallion that depicts the missions flight path in relief on one side and the names of the three astronauts and the mission name and dates on the other.

In addition to the moisture in the box and the battery, one of the causes for the damage  or at least the smell  may have been that packet of survival rations. The food itself had disintegrated; all that remained was a label from the company and a product description by its head researcher, Justin J. Alikonis, a 1935 IWU graduate.

Originally from Southern Illinois, Alikonis entered IWU in the fall of 1931 as a chemistry major, held several jobs in the local community during the Great Depression, went to graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and then returned to Bloomington and embarked on a lengthy career at Beich. Next weeks column will tell the story the man behind the space food.

Digitized recordings and other sources related to these events are available at https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/guests/2/

Pieces From Our Past is a weekly column by the McLean County Museum of History. Guest contributor is Meg Miner, Illinois Wesleyan University archivist and special collection librarian.

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CHICAGO  Flashes of what may become a transformative new technology are coursing through a network of optic fibers under Chicago.

Researchers have created one of the worlds largest networks for sharing quantum information  a field of science that depends on paradoxes so strange that Albert Einstein didnt believe them.

The network, which connects the University of Chicago with Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, is a rudimentary version of what scientists hope someday to become the internet of the future. For now, its opened up to businesses and researchers to test fundamentals of quantum information sharing.

The network was announced this week by the Chicago Quantum Exchange  which also involves Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin.

With a $500 million federal investment in recent years and $200 million from the state, Chicago, Urbana-Champaign and Madison form a leading region for quantum information research.

Why does this matter to the average person? Because quantum information has the potential to help crack currently unsolvable problems, both threaten and protect private information, and lead to breakthroughs in agriculture, medicine and climate change.

While classical computing uses bits of information containing either a 1 or zero, quantum bits, or qubits, are like a coin flipped in the air  they contain both a 1 and zero, to be determined once its observed.

That quality of being in two or more states at once, called superposition, is one of the many paradoxes of quantum mechanics  how particles behave at the atomic and subatomic level. Its also a potentially crucial advantage, because it can handle exponentially more complex problems.

Another key aspect is the property of entanglement, in which qubits separated by great distances can still be correlated, so a measurement in one place reveals a measurement far away.

The newly expanded Chicago network, created in collaboration with Toshiba, distributes particles of light, called photons. Trying to intercept the photons destroys them and the information they contain  making it far more difficult to hack.

The new network allows researchers to push the boundaries of what is currently possible, said University of Chicago professor David Awschalom, director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange.

However, researchers must solve many practical problems before large-scale quantum computing and networking are possible.

For instance, researchers at Argonne are working on creating a foundry where dependable qubits could be forged. One example is a diamond membrane with tiny pockets to hold and process qubits of information. Researchers at Argonne also have created a qubit by freezing neon to hold a single electron.

Because quantum phenomena are extremely sensitive to any disturbance, they might also be used as tiny sensors for medical or other applications  but theyd also have to be made more durable.

The quantum network was launched at Argonne in 2020, but has now expanded to Hyde Park and opened for use by businesses and researchers to test new communication devices, security protocols and algorithms. Any venture that depends on secure information, such as banks financial records of hospital medical records, would potentially use such a system.

Quantum computers, while in development now, may someday be able to perform far more complex calculations than current computers, such as folding proteins, which could be useful in developing drugs to treat diseases such as Alzheimers.

In addition to driving research, the quantum field is stimulating economic development in the region. A hardware company, EeroQ, announced in January that its moving its headquarters to Chicago. Another local software company, Super.tech, was recently acquired, and several others are starting up in the region.

Because quantum computing could be used to hack into traditional encryption, it has also attracted the bipartisan attention of federal lawmakers. The National Quantum Initiative Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2018 to accelerate quantum development for national security purposes.

In May, President Joe Biden directed federal agency to migrate to quantum-resistant cryptography on its most critical defense and intelligence systems.

Ironically, basic mathematical problems, such as 5+5=10, are somewhat difficult through quantum computing. Quantum information is likely to be used for high-end applications, while classical computing will likely continue to be practical for many daily uses.

Renowned physicist Einstein famously scoffed at the paradoxes and uncertainties of quantum mechanics, saying that God does not play dice with the universe. But quantum theories have been proven correct in applications from nuclear energy to MRIs.

Stephen Gray, senior scientist at Argonne, who works on algorithms to run on quantum computers, said quantum work is very difficult, and that no one understands it fully.

But there have been significant developments in the field over the past 30 years, leading to what some scientists jokingly called Quantum 2.0, with practical advances expected over the next decade.

Were betting in the next five to 10 years therell be a true quantum advantage (over classical computing), Gray said. Were not there yet. Some naysayers shake their canes and say its never going to happen. But were positive.

Just as early work on conventional computers eventually led to cellphones, its hard to predict where quantum research will lead, said Brian DeMarco, professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who works with the Chicago Quantum Exchange.

Thats why its an exciting time, he said. The most important applications are yet to be discovered.

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Im supporting Don Knapp for circuit judge. Reviewing the differences between the two candidates running for that position, my philosophies and values align with Dons. Don became States Attorney at the end of 2018 which was McLean Countys bloodiest year in history. He secured murder convictions for every homicide that occurred that year and from what I can see, his office was one huge reason McLean County had a single homicide in 2020 and has not devolved into what is being seen in other neighboring communities.

Compare that to an interview his opponent did with a Peoria TV station that she has linked on social media where she says it is her job to teach lawyers how to be social workers. Its a judges job to train social workers? I think we have enough social justice warriors.

Given his record of holding criminals accountable and working with the police, it is no mystery why Don has such strong support from our law enforcement community. Comparably, given the Illinois State Bar Associations support for the governors SAFE-T Act and its history of promoting progressive values, it is also no mystery why the Illinois State Bar Association and defense lawyers within it are praising his opponent.

I stand with our police officers and support the candidacy of Don Knapp for circuit judge and ask that you join me in voting for him on election day.

Mark Wilkins, Bloomington

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A series of recently-released economic barometers indicate that the Chinese economy has bounced back after having weathered shocks of the latest COVID-19 resurgence, revealing resilience and certainty in the still faltering global recovery.



"Overall, China's economy has gradually overcome the negative impact of the epidemic and showed a momentum of recovery," Fu Linghui, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, said when speaking of China's recent economic performance.

As China is bringing its economy back onto a path of stable growth, global investors and international economists have adopted a more bullish outlook for the Chinese economy, casting a vote of confidence in the world's economic thruster.

TEMPORARY SHOCKWAVES & TARGETED MEASURES

Earlier this year, as the COVID-19 resurgence weighed on some cities like Shanghai, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues casting a shadow over the world economy, China has encountered some economic headwinds.

In April, China's surveyed urban unemployment rate was 6.1 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from March. Retail sales of consumer goods went down 0.2 percent year on year in the January-April period. Its property market took a hit. Some small and medium-sized companies were confronted with difficulties.

Speaking of these temporary shockwaves, Liao Tianshu, chairman of BCG Greater China, told Xinhua that for all the challenges and risks, China's economic growth during this period of time was still in line with expectations.

"Although downward pressure has increased, the impacts are short-lived and external," she added.

To cope with the challenges and shore up growth, China's policymakers have rolled out a package of targeted measures, while resolutely pushing forward its dynamic zero-COVID approach to containing the pandemic.

With multi-pronged fiscal measures in tax and fee cuts, public budget expenditure and bond issuance, China has managed to galvanize its economic activities and spur domestic demand.

Moreover, as part of its efforts to promote the dual circulation strategy and high-quality development, it has accelerated the establishment of a unified domestic market, deepened reform and opening-up across the board, and continued innovation-driven development.

Despite downside risks, China has the policy space and capacity to respond to economic shocks, World Bank East Asia and Pacific Chief Economist Aaditya Mattoo said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

ROBUST BOUNCEBACK & RIPPLE BENEFITS

All the efforts and costs have started to pay off. The recent data from the Chinese government showed that the Chinese economy is experiencing a robust bounceback after the country has once again brought the COVID-19 pandemic largely under control.

China's foreign trade rebounded in May. Its total imports and exports went up 9.6 percent year on year to 3.45 trillion yuan (510 billion U.S. dollars) last month on top of April's 0.1-percent expansion, official data showed.

In the first five months of 2022, the country's foreign trade volume gained 8.3 percent year on year to 16.04 trillion yuan (2.39 trillion dollars), outpacing the 7.9-percent growth in the January-April period, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Official data also showed that China's value-added industrial output rose 0.7 percent year on year in May, reversing the 2.9 percent decline in April, an encouraging sign that factory activity rebounded amid work resumption.

"China is the world's largest manufacturer with the most comprehensive and resilient supply chain system, which has helped China's economy recover rapidly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Jerry Zhang, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (China).

"This shows not only the incredible resilience of the Chinese economy, but also the wisdom of the Chinese leadership to open the way for the Chinese economy under difficult conditions," Mladen Vedris, a professor of economics at the University of Zagreb, told Xinhua.

China's growth has also injected a strong dose of vitality into global trade and growth in other parts of the world.

Once China succeeds in dealing with the "near-term headwinds in terms of COVID" and others, Gita Gopinath, the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said, "of course, it will remain as one of the important engines of growth."

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

As one of the few bright spots amid a gloomy global economic landscape, the Chinese economy has won a vote of confidence from global investors and economists with its extraordinary resilience and robust momentum.

"Global investors are returning to China's stock markets," the British newspaper Financial Times (FT) argued in a report earlier this month, adding that "now some international money managers are betting that the worst is over."

"It's a good time to come back to the market, on a relative and absolute basis," Vincent Mortier, chief investment officer at Amundi Asset Management, was quoted as saying in the FT report.

Echoing such a bullish sentiment, Bloomberg recently reported that Chinese travel and spending have started to improve as China has gradually brought the COVID-19 resurgence under control, which suggests that a recovery of the Chinese economy "is underway."

Quoting economists at Citigroup Inc., the report said that analysts expect that progress of the recovery to accelerate from June onward.

Global investors are increasing their bets on the Chinese market.

"We are continuing to build our business in China," Noel Quinn, group chief executive of HSBC, told Xinhua, stressing that the Chinese economy shows resilience and long-term growth potential.

Between 2020 and 2025, HSBC, one of the world's leading financial institutions, expects to invest more than 3 billion yuan (447 million dollars) in China, Quinn told Xinhua.

"We have increased our allocation to Chinese equities," Stephane Monier, chief investment officer at private bank Lombard Odier, was quoted as saying by FT, noting that they have backed away from other emerging markets and reallocated to China.

These banks' vote of confidence in China is not uncommon. Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that foreign direct investment in the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded 22.6 percent year on year to 87.77 billion dollars in the first five months of the year.

The worst period of the recent COVID-19 outbreak may have ended, Robin Xing, chief China economist with Morgan Stanley, said, adding that the following recovery trajectory will more likely be a U-shaped one.
Illinois residents should be tired of career politicians and political elites using our hard-earned money to further their agendas. Gov. J.B. Pritzker abused his gubernatorial authority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, hurting Illinois businesses, Illinoisans, and our children. I saw the effects mandates had on our youngest Illinoisans and began researching how concerned parents could make a difference.

It was during that time I was introduced to Illinois Sen. Darren Bailey and his grassroots campaign built around protecting the people of Illinois. A 17-year school board member, farmer, father, and grandfather; he advocated hard for the children of Illinois. He and his wife Cindy built their following, one resident at a time, by standing up for and speaking out about the issues on the minds of all Illinois residents.

Sen. Bailey fought against the governors over-reach and the mandates hurting children. He was the only Illinois politician to fight, and he won. As a third-generation farmer, Sen. Bailey proved he was committed to restoring Illinois. His business, his family, his faith, and his commitment to the people of Illinois demonstrated with all NO votes against Bills proposing tax increases.

Darren was the only candidate to sign the U.S. Term Limits Pledge aimed at ending the reign of career politicians. An advocate for government transparency; he is prepared to fight for the working people. His faith messages, photos he and Cindy share of time spent with family (when not crisscrossing Illinois building relationships) and the occasional photo of he, Cindy, and their bike; riding and spending time together further support that Darren Bailey is who he said he was. He will work for the people, and he will restore Illinois. If we want to effect change in Illinois, he is the right person to lead that charge. Vote Bailey/Trussell June 28.

Tanya Potts, Normal

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As a lifelong GOP voter, I can never remember observing the Democrats attempt to interfere with our primary elections as I have seen during this election cycle. Everyone knows about the tens of millions of dollars our current governor has dumped into advertising recently in an attempt to hand pick the GOP candidate he would most like to face in November, but has anyone been paying attention to our local race for circuit judge? I have.
Mr. AL-Latif Tetteh Amanor, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ningo-Prampram District Assembly (NiPAD) has disclosed that the Assembly is minded and firm towards ending land litigation.



Answering questions on the situation during a Town Hall Meeting in Prampram organized by the Ningo Prampram District Assembly to engage its stakeholders, the DCE said the assembly had initiated policies being implemented to deal with land-related crimes in the district.



Mr. Amanor said the litigation emanated from individuals and families ending up using illegitimate means to acquire the lands.



The DCE said when he took office as DCE he had engaged various stakeholders in the district in ways to assuage land disputes and make the area peaceful and assured residents that land litigation would be outdated.



Asked about what exactly was causing land disputes in the district, the Ningo-Prampram DCE said the lands in the area were now expensive and people who sold them for peanut and either wanted their lands back or engaged in multiple sales.



He urged landowners in the area to avoid multiple sales of lands but protect them for future development due to the current decongestion in Accra and other parts of the country.



Mr. Amanor advised residents and traditional leaders to refrain from operations and activities that had the tendency of causing land disputes in the area.

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 Coalition of Muslim Organisations, Ghana (COMOG) has written to acknowledge and accept the apology of the Executive Director of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, over his comments on GTVs Talking Points.



Dr Opoku-Mensah was accused by the Muslim organisation of peddling falsehood while on the national broadcaster on Sunday, June 12 for indicating that the state offered financial support for the building of the National Mosque at Kanda.



But he later denied making such a statement and indicated that he rather used the phrase state facilitation.



In a statement on Tuesday, June 14, Dr Opoku-Mensah apologized for the use of that phrase and indicated that he had called the President of COMOG, Abdel-Manan Abdel-Rahman, on phone over the matter.



In a response on Friday, June 17, COMOG wrote: Having analyzed the circumstances under which you made that statement, we have come to a firm conclusion that, you meant no harm to the sensibilities of Muslims in that statement but perhaps, got carried away by the euphoria of the moment.



We therefore unreservedly accept the apology on behalf of the entire Muslim Ummah hoping that such, or similar comments will not be made by anybody subsequent to this banter.



Meanwhile, the National Cathedral Secretariat on Friday indicated that the project, though personally proposed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is state-owned and has been registered as such under the Companies Act.

Source: 3news









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister for Food and Agriculture, has reiterated that there is no food shortage in Ghana.



"There is no food shortage in Ghana as is being speculated, the food situations in the regions are enough evidence, however, we recognize that food is relatively expensive due to external factors".



The Minister said, the increase in prices of food commodities was not because of Ghana government's policies, but external factors such as the increment of imported chemicals and other external factors beyond their control.



Addressing staff of MOFA and farmers in the Eastern Region as part of his official tour, he assured that despite the external factors beyond control, the government was instituting measures to bring down cost of production to mitigate effect on consumers.



We are encouraging farmers to switch to organic fertilizers produced locally to reduce the impact of fertilizer shortage on food production and urged the far west to switch quickly to the use of compost.



On financing from the banks, Dr Afriyie Akoto hinted that the government was looking at alternatives to compel banks to lend a portion of their loans to farmers to improve production.



That, he said was to address farmers' inability to acquire loans from the banks adding that several efforts to the banks had proved futile over the years and the banks preferred to give loans to business people than farmers.



Mr Henry Crentsil, Eastern Regional Director of MOFA, earlier disclosed that despite the shortage of fertilizers and cost of production, there were indications of high yields due to the planting for food and jobs and other interventions.



He said, for instance, farmers adoption rate of improved seeds had shot up drastically, particularly in maize and added that it was a sign of abundance of food and that the current soaring prices were seasonal.



The Minister, as part of the tour visited some commercial private farms including, the Legacy Crop Improvement Center (LCIC), a seed production hub at Otareso in the Akuapem North District and inspected the facility's warehouse embedded with a code room.



The team proceeded to visit Ibu's farms at Kwame Duodu.









Source: GNA









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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.
" " Father's Day in the U.S. is celebrated on the third Sunday of June each year. iStockphoto/Thinkstock

On the third Sunday of every June in the United States, sons and daughters across the country honor their fathers with cards, gifts and a little encouragement to kick back. You might buy dad a tie without thinking twice, but have you ever stopped to wonder how this celebration got started?

The first recorded observance of Father's Day in the U.S. was on July 5, 1908. At the suggestion of either Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton or Jessica Clinton Clayton, the Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South in Fairmont, West Virginia, held a special service to honor 360 men  most of them fathers  who had died in a coal mine explosion seven months earlier. This particular Father's Day service was an isolated event that wasn't repeated in later years.

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West Virginia erected a historical marker in 1985 claiming credit for holding the first Father's Day observance, but they don't claim credit for promoting the idea as a national holiday. That honor goes to a young woman from Spokane, Wash., who is considered the original and most influential proponent of Father's Day.

Inspired by a church service honoring mothers, Mrs. Sonora Louise Smart Dodd (1882-1978) wanted fathers to be similarly honored. In particular, she wanted to honor her father, William Jackson Smart. Smart raised Sonora and her five siblings alone after his wife died in childbirth when Sonora was 16.

In 1909, Dodd petitioned her minister and the Spokane Ministerial Association to honor fathers in a special church service. Her diligence in promoting Father's Day paid off a year later. The first Father's Day observances in Spokane took place on the third Sunday in June, the day Dodd had proposed because her father was born in June. The Spokane Ministerial Association, the Spokane Ministers Alliance and the Spokane Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) gave the celebration their support. The mayor of Spokane and the governor of Washington, M.E. Hay, issued proclamations establishing the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. William Jennings Bryan, a renowned orator and political figure of the time, also spoke in favor of the idea, stating that "too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the relation between parent and child."

After Spokane named the third Sunday in June Father's Day, cities around the U.S. sporadically held similar observances. In 1916, two years after he proclaimed May 9 as Mother's Day, President Woodrow Wilson verbally approved Father's Day, but he didn't sign a proclamation for it [source: Library of Congress]. The closest the U.S. came to honoring fathers nationally during Wilson's presidential tenure was a Nov. 24, 1918, letter-writing campaign between fathers on the home front and their sons deployed in Europe. The activity was suggested by Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper of the American Expeditionary Force in France. Since World War I ended two weeks before the letter campaign, the letters were delivered safely on both sides of the Atlantic.

President Calvin Coolidge made a national event of Father's Day in 1924, in an effort to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations" [source: Library of Congress]. Prior to this, "tobacconists and haberdashers" promoted Father's Day as a commercial event  they advertised cigars and men's clothing as masculine alternatives to giving Dad roses, the flower that Dodd had proposed as the official symbol of Father's Day [source: Douglas]. Greeting card manufacturers quickly joined in. Some of the earliest Father's Day cards showed neckties as gifts for fathers.

In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared the third Sunday in June as the official day to observe Father's Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making that permanent.

Although Father's Day now enjoys official status, many people believe that fathers don't need or want sentimental praise. Even when the tradition originated in the 1920s, the gift of a necktie was considered a joke. Tacky gifts and put-down cards abound on Father's Day. But fathers still enjoy being appreciated.

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Originally Published: Mar 30, 2010
A firefighter works in front of flames during a wildfire in the Sierra de la Culebra in the Zamora Provence on Saturday June 18, 2022. Thousands of hectares of wooded hill land in northwestern Spain have been burnt by a wildfire that forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from nearby villages. Officials said the blaze in the Sierra de Culebra mountain range started Wednesday during a dry electric storm. Credit: Emilio Fraile/Europa Press via AP

Firefighters in Spain and Germany struggled to contain wildfires on Sunday amid an unusual heat wave in Western Europe for this time of year.

The worst damage in Spain has been in the northwest province of Zamora, where over 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) have been consumed, regional authorities said, while German officials said that residents of three villages near Berlin were ordered to leave their homes because of an approaching wildfire Sunday.

Spanish authorities said that after three days of high temperatures, high winds and low humidity, some respite came with dropping temperatures Sunday morning. That allowed for about 650 firefighters supported by water-dumping aircraft to establish a perimeter around the fire that started in Zamora's Sierra de la Culebra. Authorities warned there was still danger that an unfavorable shift in weather could revive the blaze that caused the evacuation of 18 villages.

Spain has been on alert for an outbreak of intense wildfires as the country swelters under record temperatures at many points in the country for June. Experts link the abnormally hot period for Europe to climate change. Thermometers have risen above 40 C (104 F) in many Spanish cities throughout the weektemperatures usually expected in August.

A police water cannon is in action in a forest fire in Treuenbrietzen, Germany, Sunday, June 19, 2022. The area affected by the forest fire in Treuenbrietzen near Berlin has expanded in the night to Sunday. Credit: Thomas Schulz/dpa via AP

A lack of rainfall this year combined with gusting winds have produced the conditions for the fires.

Authorities said that gusting winds of up 70 kph (43 mph) that changed course erratically, combined with temperatures near 40 C, made it very tough for crews.

"The fire was able to cross a reservoir some 500 meters wide and reach the other side, to give you an idea of the difficulties we faced," Juan Suarez-Quinones, an official for Castilla y Leon region, told Spanish state television TVE.

The fire in Zamora was started by a strike from an electrical storm on Wednesday, authorities said. The spreading fire caused the high-speed train service from Madrid to Spain's northwest to be cut on Saturday. It was reestablished on Sunday morning.

Military firefighting units have been deployed in Zamora, Navarra and Lleida.

People rest on an air mattress on a hot summer day at the Orankesee lake in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, June 19, 2022. People flocked to parks and pools across Western Europe on Saturday for a bit of respite from an early heat wave. In Germany, where highs of 38 C (100.4 F) were expected, the health minister urged vulnerable groups to stay hydrated.Credit: AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

There have been no reports of lives lost, but the flames reached the outskirts of some villages both in Zamora and in Navarra. Videos shot by passengers in cars showed flames licking the sides of roads. In other villages, residents looked on in despair as black plumes rose from nearby hills.

In central-north Navarra, authorities have evacuated some 15 small villages as a precaution, as the high temperatures in the area are not expected to drop until Wednesday.

They also asked farmers to stop using heavy machinery that could unintentionally spark a fire.

"The situation remains delicate. We have various active fires due to the extremely high temperatures and high winds," Navarra regional vice-president Javier Remirez told TVE.

Remirez said that some villages had seen some buildings damaged on their outskirts.

A woman walks past a fountain on a hot summer day in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, June 19, 2022. People flocked to parks and pools across Western Europe on Saturday for a bit of respite from an early heat wave. In Germany, where highs of 38 C (100.4 F) were expected, the health minister urged vulnerable groups to stay hydrated.Credit: AP Photo/Markus Schreiber

Some wild animals had to be evacuated from an animal park in Navarra and taken to a bull ring for safe keeping, authorities said.

Wildfires were also active in three parts of northeast Catalonia: in Lleida, in Tarragona and in a nature park in Garaf, just south of Barcelona.

Firefighters said that 2,700 hectares (6,600 acres) were scorched in Lleida. They added that they have responded to over 200 different wildfires just in Catalonia over the past week.

Germany has also seen numerous wildfires in recent days following a period of intense heat and little rain. The country's national weather agency said the mercury reached 39.2 C (102.6 F) in the eastern cities of Dresden and Cottbus on Sunday.

Strong winds have been fanning a blaze near the town of Treuenbrietzen, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Berlin, prompting officials to order three villages evacuated Sunday.

Firefighters work in front of flames during a wildfire in the Sierra de la Culebra in the Zamora Provence on Saturday June 18, 2022. Thousands of hectares of wooded hill land in northwestern Spain have been burnt by a wildfire that forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from nearby villages. Officials said the blaze in the Sierra de Culebra mountain range started Wednesday during a dry electric storm. Credit: Emilio Fraile/Europa Press via AP

Trees burn as flames and smoke engulf the top of a hill in a forest fire in Artazu, northern Spain in the early hours of Sunday, June 19, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. Credit: AP Photo/Miguel Oses

Bathers cool off at and in the Isar River, which flows through the middle of the Bavarian capital of Munich, Germany, Sunday, June 19, 2022. Credit: Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP

Flames rage in a field during a fire in Arraiza, northern Spain, Saturday, June 18, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. Credit: AP Photo/Sergio Martin

Firefighters work during a wildfire in Arraiza, northern Spain, Saturday, June 18, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. Credit: AP Photo/Sergio Martin

A firefight plane drops a fire retardant on a burning area of San Martin de Unx in northern Spain, Sunday, June 19, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. Credit: AP Photo/Miguel Oses

Villagers help firefighters with a hose during a wildfire in Arraiza, northern Spain, Saturday, June 18, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. Credit: AP Photo/Sergio Martin

Trees burn as flames and smoke engulf the top of a hill in a forest fire in Artazu, northern Spain in the early hours of Sunday, June 19, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. Credit: AP Photo/Miguel Oses

A neighbour with a tractor sprays water on a fire in San Martin de Unx in northern Spain, Sunday, June 19, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country which as been suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. Credit: AP Photo/Miguel Oses

Flames rise in a vineyard in San Martin de Unx in northern Spain, Sunday, June 19, 2022. Firefighters in Spain are struggling to contain wildfires in several parts of the country which as been suffering an unusual heat wave for this time of the year. Credit: AP Photo/Miguel Oses

A cloud of smoke can be seen from afar not far from the district of Frohnsdorf, Germany, Sunday, June 19, 2022. There, the fire department has been fighting a forest fire for days. Credit: Paul Zinken/dpa/dpa via AP

About 600 people in Frohnsdorf, Tiefenbrunnen and Klausdorf were told to immediately seek shelter at a community center.

"This is not a drill," town officials tweeted.

More than 1,400 firefighters, soldiers and civil defense experts were deployed to tackle the blaze, which also affected a former military training area known to be contaminated with ammunition.

Officials expressed hope late Sunday that thunderstorms moving in from the west would help put out the fires.

Explore further Europe swelters in record-breaking June heatwave

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
At the farmers market a couple of Saturdays ago, a woman I vaguely recognized but couldnt quite place greeted me warmly. She saw my hesitation and explained I had treated her for Lyme disease back in the 1980s, happily successfully.

Wow, I said. That was long ago. How did you recognize me at my now advanced age?

Turns out she reads The Post-Star, just like you, and had seen my Earth Day essay and picture. So we caught up a bit, stopping to applaud the fiddlers when they finished the song.

I have to ask you, because in that essay you asked me to ask, she said. Why are all these new germs emerging, like Ebola, SARS and COVID-19, and how is their emergence related to global warming?

Oh, boy, I said, its complicated. Let me write an essay.

Here it is.

Germs are smart

Germs, meaning fungi, bacteria and viruses, are amazingly smart. Not smart like us, of course  but maybe smarter. They were, after all, here at the very beginning of life. Over these eons they have learned four brilliant strategies to survive and reproduce in this harsh world, strategies that will certainly make them long outlive our race.

The first strategy is self-replication, the needed prerequisite of life. Germs magnify this strategy by reproducing really, really quickly hugely quicker than animals.

A second is gene-mutation. Mutations happen spontaneously as living things reproduce themselves. Most mutations dont give the life-form an edge. But some do, and sometimes a mutation will provide the organism a way better ability to survive and prosper. Because germs reproduce so quickly, they arrive at favorable mutations roughly 1.753 gazillion times faster than people.

The third is capturing energy to fuel their lives and reproduction. Various types of germs do this in different, but always efficient, ways. Ingeniously, viruses move into a cell of another life form, a host. They then avoid a pile of work by turning that host cell into a factory to replicate hoards of new virus. SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, does that in our noses and throats. In contrast, people stupidly cut down forests and jungles, the lungs of our planet, to create ranches for methane-belching cattle and thus food for our bellies. Maybe there is a more inefficient way to capture energy than ours, but I cant think of it right now.

The fourth strategy, designed so that germs can propagate through a group of hosts, is mobility. Since they cant move on their own, they depend on being transported by something else. Hepatitis A and noroviruses, for example, are water-borne. They start out in a hosts digestive track, ride poop into water, and  sorry to say  return to some other host mouth. Some germs move as animals rub against each other  Ebola, monkeypox or human papilloma virus. Or bite each other  rabies. Measles, chicken pox, influenza and coronaviruses travel by air, launched by sneezes or coughs and carried by breezes to some other nose or throat.

There is a fifth factor, which isnt a germ strategy: its the environment within which the germ has found it can exist. Actually, the recently emerged viruses, HIV/AIDS, monkeypox, Ebola, Marburg and SARS-CoV-2, have existed for decades or centuries in specific environmental niches, hidden from our eyes in primates and bats. Then came delightful changes in the environment which made it far easier to reproduce and travel. Changes like the cutting down of forests to make room for more farm animals and people. Or changes like the terrible crowding of refugees into highly unsanitary camps. Can you imagine what would happen if Ebola was introduced into a Syrian refugee camp in Greece, where the filth is reported to be the worst possible?

SARS-CoV-2

The coronavirus family is a huge one, which probably evolved from one common ancestor millions of years ago. Subspecies of the family have tended to prosper in dozens of different types of bats, especially in China. Some have crossed into other animals; for example, four different strains have circulated in humans for a long time, causing some of our common colds. Then in Wuhan, China, in 2003, one strain emerged from bats, jumped into mammals called civets, then into humans, causing the first SARS pandemic; it was SARS-CoV-1. The pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, from which we have all been so suffering these past two years, almost certainly started in the same sort of way, transferring from similar Chinese bats into another animal host, then to us.

China is a country of 1.3 billion people, most of whom are packed into densely crowded cities, cities that have been growing fast, expanding into what had previously been land used for agriculture or had been wild. Invasion and destruction of animal habitat have resulted. Animals and humans have collided with bats, allowing SARS-CoV-2 to move through the air or by direct contact across species lines. Once established in the respiratory tract of a few people, the virus has delighted in racing into a new-for-them ecological niche, a closely packed city. All cities are connected by land and air travel, of course. You know the rest.

The role of climate change

The stark reality is that as we humans burn our fossil fuels and heat the planet hotter and hotter. All things that live and can move are seeking still habitable land  land generally higher up away from rising seas, land with usable water, land where the temperatures are still bearable.

A groundbreaking new analysis, called the Iceberg Study, has just been published in the journal, Nature. The authors, Albury and Carlson, have shown that as a result of generalized global warming and more localized climate disruptions like droughts or wildfires, animals which had been content for centuries in specific ecosystems are being forced to move to new habitats to find their preferred environmental conditions. Each migrating animal naturally brings along its resident viruses. As species that have not before come in contact now collide with each other, their viruses can jump.

Albury and Carlson have mapped the past, present and likely future ranges of over 3,000 mammals as they have and are likely to move. Based on this mapping, the authors reckon that in coming decades, roughly 300,000 new species encounters will occur, and roughly 15,000 spillovers of viruses into new hosts will too. What we have been experiencing as a bunch of alarming newly emerging infectious diseases is, they think, just the tip of the iceberg with which we are colliding.

Lots of these species encounters and resultant viral transfers have been and will continue to be occurring in Africa (think Ebola) and Southeastern Asia (think coronaviruses). Why? Bats. For a couple of reasons. Bat populations tend to harbor lots of nasty viruses, curiously without becoming ill themselves. And bats react quicker to climate pressures than other mammals because they can fly and can travel further faster. In Africa and Southeast Asia, there are many subspecies of bats, each with their own territory and their own resident viral co-habitants. Bats and people are all moving toward the remaining more climate-friendly places left.

But dont blame just bats. HIV had long lived in chimpanzees in the jungles of the Congo, but jumped to people early in the 20th century. Similarly, the main reservoirs of monkeypox are rodents, rats and squirrels, that also live in the Congo basin. It is, of course, humans that invaded and cut down the jungles, inviting these viral transfers.

Finally

So, we are starting to understand that emerging infectious diseases are not random events. They occur because microbes are so inventive in taking advantage of their circumstances. When they find a more cozy and nourishing environment, they throw a party. We are also waking up to the fact that we humans are damaging the Earth in ways germs may celebrate.

All this is happening now. As our planet warms and more species collide, odds are we will experience more emerging infections and pandemics. If humans really are smart  which Im not so sure about  we will take a hard look at all this stuff and be super-concerned, especially with COVID-19 still striking us down. And we will decide we really dont want any more.

There are ways to change the odds, some ways already understood and more being imagined by those awake to what is going on. Im too tired to detail all of them. But one obvious way is to stop destroying forests and jungles. And you know damn well that the first way, which you and I can personally address, is to stop burning up our only home.

Live wisely and be well, please.

Richard Leach, M.D., is a retired internist, infectious disease consultant and travel and tropical medicine specialist. He practiced in Glens Falls for 35 years, also serving as Glens Falls Hospitals infection control officer and hospital epidemiologist.
The Bangladesh-based Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) has bestowed the much coveted rural development award in recognition of her contribution to rural development. My party Awami League has given priority to the development of rural areas of the country as desired development is not possible leaving the grass root people behind, added the Premier upon receiving the award. According to the premier, her party Awami League had undertaken the necessary plan even when it was outside the state power and that is why after coming to power, it has been able to take the country ahead by working as per its plan.
The New Development Bank (NDB), established by BRICS countries, has flexible policies geared towards tackling infrastructure and development challenges faced by emerging economies, Director-General of the NDB's Africa Regional Center Monale Ratsoma has said.

"The way the bank is modeling itself is targeted at addressing issues developing countries are struggling with," said Ratsoma in a recent interview with Xinhua at the regional center in Johannesburg, noting the bank's focus is assisting with infrastructure.

Unlike other major financial institutions, the NDB is willing to finance private sector projects, even though it has mostly funded government and parastatal projects since its opening in the region in 2017, he said.

"We are now increasingly seeing in our portfolio that corporate projects are coming through and private projects are coming through in South Africa," he said.

Ratsoma hailed the establishment of the NDB as a game-changer, because it is the first of its kind that has been established by a group of emerging economies, and through the NDB they could shape everything based on the challenges the countries face.

The bank provided a loan to Eskom to help the national electricity utility tackle its problems through renewable energy programs and reducing emissions, he said.

The bank is exploring a way to expand its membership, which will enable it to do more in certain areas, he said, citing a water project financed by the bank in Lesotho.

The project will augment water supply from Lesotho to semi-arid South Africa, which is heavily reliant on water transferred from its neighbor.

"South Africa is a water-scarce country, so the economic development impact of that can be easily measurable," Ratsoma added.




Calling Bangladesh a growth star in the region with HPM Sheikh Hasina at the helm, Reehana Rifat Raza, the regional director of the Asia and Pacific Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has urged Bangladesh to keep the focus on rural development. According to media reports she said, I think Bangladesh is doing very well. We see that across the board in the region. I'm also from this region. We see Bangladesh as the start compared to the other countries at the moment. Explaining why Bangladesh seems less vulnerable, she added, You have an inclusive growth and people are seeing the real change.
The Bangladesh government has taken the necessary steps to implement the third phase of the Activating Village Courts programme across the country to make sure justice is more accessible, fair, and affordable for the poor, women, and vulnerable groups . The countrys judicial system will be fully digitized in the next two years as efforts are on to implement a project titled e-Judiciary to make the system easier for people. The project aims to make the judicial system across the country fully technology dependent, accessible to people soon with less cost and also make it easier for judges and lawyers to perform their judicial duties. Under the project about 2,000 courtrooms would be digitized with virtual terminals as well. This move stands as a shining testament to HPM Sheikh Hasinas prudent leadership successes in transforming the digital landscape of the country.
After nearly 40 years of owning and operating the Best Western SteepleGate Inn in Davenport, Frontier Hospitality Group recently announced the sale of the hotel to Global Brothers Davenport, LLC.

It is a bittersweet end of an era for FHG. The decision to sell one of the companys flagship hotels was not easy, as the past 38 years running the hotel have been filled with cherished memories," Dan Huber, CEO and co-owner of FHG, said.

Global Brothers will retain all current staff at present wage rates and comparable benefits, and continue to operate the hotel with the same name, Best Western Plus SteepleGate Inn. The company met with hotel staff today to answer any questions regarding the sale and to exchange parting words, Our thoughts are those of gratitude for the thousands of employees and guests who have made SteepleGate a special place. We also wish the new owners much success in building upon the SteepleGate legacy, said Huber.

FHG has plans to continue to build new hotels in eastern Iowa, western Illinois and beyond. Included are plans to build a Courtyard by Marriott in Bettendorf, immediately north of the Home2 Suites, beginning later this year.

The Best Western Plus SteepleGate Inn was developed by Bart T. Baker and Hamp Baker. It opened its doors in 1985.

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Federal authorities have filed methamphetamine trafficking charges against a Buffalo, Iowa, man who was arrested May 23 after agents with the Scott County Special Operations Unit Task Force seized an alleged 16 pounds of meth hidden in his vehicle.

Michael Sean Russell, 48, is charged in U.S. District Court, Davenport, with one count of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute. The charge carries a prison sentence of 10 years to life.

Russell was arrested by federal authorities June 14.

According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint by Bettendorf Police Sgt. Joshua Paul, on May 22, Russell was the target of an investigation into the distribution of narcotics in the Quad-Cities.

During surveillance, agents watched Russell leave his Buffalo home driving a silver Hyundai Santa Fe that had expired Arizona temporary tags.

At the time, agents suspected Russell of delivering 4 pounds of meth to a man a short time before Russell left his home.

Agents conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in the 2200 block of Rockingham Road in Davenport in order to serve a warrant and search the vehicle.

The Santa Fe was towed to the Bettendorf Police Department so it could be searched, and Russell was detained for questioning.

In the rear passenger-side door panel, agents found 16 one-pound vacuum-sealed packages, the contents of which each tested positive for crystal methamphetamine. By police calculations, that's 72,575 doses of methamphetamine.

The market has been flooded with methamphetamine, Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane said, and one dose is going for about $10, or about $100 per gram on the street.

The meth Russell had in his possession is worth $725,748.

Agents also had a warrant to search a storage facility connected to Russell. They found two guns inside. Russell is not allowed to possess a firearm or ammunition.

During a post-Miranda interview, Russell told agents that the person who owns the meth is a man from Mexico named Archibaldo. Russell said he sent Archibaldo money at Archibaldos request. Russell told agents he also sent money under other names but did not know if the names were real.

Russell told agents he does not know if others are involved in the conspiracy

When asked how the meth ended up in the rear door panel, Russell told agents that we packaged it and put in in that space.

In an interview earlier this year, Illinois State Police Lt. Kevin Winslow who at the time was director of the Quad-City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, said that meth in the United States today, and particularly in the Quad-Cities, is manufactured south of the U.S. border and is smuggled in.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, we had meth that was made locally, Winslow said. But that is not the norm today.

The heroin, the meth, the cocaine and especially the fentanyl, we know those werent domestically produced here in Iowa or Illinois, Winslow said.

Those are cartel-driven poisons that were produced by the cartels and put on our streets, he said.

The drugs police are seeing these days are a much purer than ever, which makes them a lot more powerful, a lot more addictive and a lot more deadly than in the past, he said.

The last major meth production operation in the Quad-Cities was shut down by the Scott County Sheriffs Department in 2016 in Operation Methed Up. The operation led to the raid of several homes, the seizure of at least two mobile meth labs and the arrest of 46 people on charges ranging from meth manufacturing and conspiracy to possession of meth-making materials and child endangerment.

You get a purer form of crystal meth out of Mexico, Lane said. You buy it for personal use and sales and you make a profit on it, and that ends up being a better way for people to feed their habit and make money.

Russell is being held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. Preliminary and detention hearings are scheduled for June 23 in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Stephen Jackson.

The drug charges filed against Russell in Scott County District Court were dismissed when federal authorities took over prosecution of the case.

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"I don't know very many cities that allow a sitting senator to come in and rent from them," Rothschild said. City attorney Derke Price said it was a matter of creating a public forum, and that the city might be on shakier ground if Stoller were to be defeated by a Democrat and the city were to say, 'No, we're not going to allow you to rent from us.' But Price said it's fine as long as the city was renting on a non-discriminatory basis to permit government or government-sponsored services to district residents. He said the rental was not widely open to anybody and the city would retain the right to refuse to rent to, for example, the Henry County Nazi Party, if there were such a party. Aldermen Craig Arnold and Doug Crow both said they would be concerned if the city were to refuse space to a Democratic senator after renting to a Republican. Mayor Sean Johnson said he had no problem with either party approaching the city to rent office space. Rothschild said he had had concerns, but "now my concerns are alleviated and we can move on."
IN THE NEWS

NO VAX RULE AT SCHOOL

Colleges, K-12 school districts and day care centers in Iowa cannot require students and children to be immunized from COVID-19 under legislation signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

TRANSPORTATION PLAN OKD

The Iowa Transportation Commission approved the $4.2 billion draft state transportation improvement program for state fiscal years 2023 through 2027. The program includes investments in Iowas highways, public transit, trails, aviation and railroad systems.

THEY SAID 

"The breeze blows east through that alley."

-- Chasity Richardson, a woman who is experiencing homelessness, about finding a cool spot to rest in downtown Davenport when temperatures soared into the 90s.

There's just less food in the stores. Even the retail stores can't get food, and the food that they would typically donate, they are ... re-purposing now because things are in such short supply."

--Chris Ford, who sources food at River Bend Food Bank in Davenport.

ODDS AND ENDS

BRIDGE SUIT: Bettendorf faces a federal lawsuit because of the fatal May collision on the pedestrian walkway of the Interstate 74 bridge. An SUV got onto the path and struck three people, killing two of them.

OFFICER IDENTIFIED: The Davenport Police officer involved in a June 8 gunfight that left a man dead has been identified as Michael Catton, the Scott County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. Catton as been a Davenport officer for three years and is on administrative leave.

MAKING SCRATCH: An Eldridge man won $100,000 on an Iowa lottery "Supreme" scratch ticket. He bought the ticket at a convenience store in Nevada, Iowa, while traveling across the state.

THE WATER COOLER

OFFICER DOWN: Fremont County Sheriff's Deputy Austin Melvin Richardson, 37, died Tuesday when his cruiser collided with a farm combine.

BLOCKFI BLOCKED: BlockFi Lending must pay $943,396.22, and stop making untrue statements of material facts regarding securities. Iowa insurance regulators say the lending company was selling securities not permitted for sale in Iowa without being registered as an agent in the state.

BRINGING HOME THE BACON: Wisconsin-based meat processing company Fair Oaks Foods plans to build a $134 million facility in Davenport to make bacon. The 150,000 square-foot facility will be near I-80. It's expected to create about 247 new full-time jobs with an average hourly wage of $23.95.

IN THE NEWS

FORMER COP PLEADS GUILTY

A former Davenport and Eldridge police officer pleaded guilty to sex abuse charges involving a 14-year-old girl during a hearing Tuesday in Scott County District Court. Andrew Patrick DeNoyer, 24, pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree sexual abuse.

FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SAFER SCHOOLS

Iowa school districts will have access to more resources designed to help prevent school violence thanks to $100 million in federal pandemic relief funding that Gov. Kim Reynolds is putting into the states school safety bureau.

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CHICAGO - When Ernest Willingham walked up Capitol Hill, he was shrouded in memories of bullets.

How could he not be, with a childhood spent cautiously inside, after family members  a father, a brother, a cousin  all shot. With the memory of Jahnae, his best friend killed by a gunman when she was 17.

Willingham, 19, shared those too-frequent tragedies from growing up in Chicago when he testified Wednesday at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence and children. He sought to walk senators through what it is like to make life decisions when the fear of gun violence or of getting shot weighs heavily on your mind.

For Willingham, the specter of gun violence feels like a relentless cycle.

Over and over and over. A night, a dream that we just cannot wake up from, he told the Tribune.

Gunfire affected his life even before he was born, when his father was shot in both knees. When he was a young child living in the Cabrini-Green homes, bullets struck his brother next: a gunshot to the groin when he was robbed, and then another to the leg at a party about a year later. Willinghams cousin was also shot at the same party.

I didnt spend a whole bunch of time outside or doing public things, he said.

His mother, Kimberly Willingham, recalled finding a bullet hole in her blinds and a bullet in the living room of their 10th-floor Cabrini-Green apartment. There were nights when she had her family sleep on the floor for fear of stray bullets. She taught the kids how to hold the wall, walking with their backs to a building to minimize the odds of getting shot when gunfire was rampant.

Willinghams grandmother took him to live with her in part to protect him from the violence. Willingham remembers her waking him up in the middle of the night at the sound of gunshots. The two would drive down their North Lawndale street to check on an uncle to make sure he was OK.

But Willingham didnt fully understand the pain wrought by gun violence until a stray bullet struck and killed his best friend, 17-year-old Jahnae Patterson, in August 2018.

The two were close. At one time, she lived with his family for about a year. She could make anyone laugh, loved to dance and was quick to help friends with their hair, he said.

Kimberly Willingham recalled Jahnae getting back to her house after school before her own kids. She said she was helpful around the house and remembered that she helped take care of her after a car accident.

She used to sleep right beside my bed, Kimberly Willingham said. Sometimes shed make a pallet right next to me to make sure I was OK.

Jahnaes parents worried about the gun violence. They often chose to drive her the five blocks to school after two of her friends were shot and killed while walking there, her mother, Tanika Humphries-Patterson, said.

When she was killed, Jahnae had been at a party three blocks from Willinghams house for just a few minutes when two men, whom police have never identified, began firing into the crowd.,

Willingham sang Hold On by The Walls Group at her funeral.

We attended more funerals than weddings, Willingham told the Senate committee.

He tried some counseling sessions after Jahnaes death, but it wasnt effective, he said. The counselors didnt share much in common with him. He couldnt relate to them, he said.

Willingham fought gun violence by organizing meetings between feuding students to build peace and leading classmates to anti-violence marches.

Its been hard to fill the void she left, Willingham said.

Jahnaes death made Willingham more careful and eager to leave Chicago, his mother said. Willingham is a third-year student at Northeastern University in Boston. He plans to become a physician and study health policy. His mother, who once briefly moved her family to Mississippi to escape violence, said she initially didnt want him to move so far.

I purposely did not apply for any schools near my home because I was afraid of the gun violence, Willingham told the Senate committee.

He lost another friend, 18-year-old Tamyreon Jordan, in the weeks before he left for college in August 2020. The two had been close since kindergarten. Willingham had to miss Jordans funeral when he left. He said he doesnt talk about his death a lot.

Willinghams mother said she moved to Humboldt Park a year ago, in part to escape gun violence. She heard sirens after a shooting at the park last month. It scared her because her niece and granddaughter play there sometimes. She sees their childhood in such direct contrast to her own growing up in Cleveland, Mississippi, where she would search for four-leaf clovers and catch lightning bugs to put them on her ear.

They dont know about that, she said.

Kimberly Willingham cried when she watched her son testify at the Senate hearing on her phone. It was like he was born to do that, she said.

Willingham said he was thrilled, but ready when U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin invited him to speak to the Judiciary Committee.

This is not something that I woke up and read a book on. This is something that Ive personally dealt with, he said

Durbin, the committees chair, began the meeting by highlighting a bill he is sponsoring. Called the RISE from Trauma Act, the bill would give schools and communities more resources to address trauma, he said.

The harms of gun violence go beyond bullet wounds, Durbin said. Helping children cope with traumatic experiences is vital to breaking the cycle of violence.

Willingham and his mother want to see legislation further restricting access to guns and more funding for projects like the Chicago Youth Programs, which Willingham participated in. The program provides at-risk children everything from vaccinations to coats and field trips. The two credit the program with inspiring and empowering Willinghams passion for health care and keeping him safe.

Without resources pouring into our community, tighter gun control and better outreach to affected kids, the situation wont get better, Willingham said.

Its not an overnight issue. People who dont know, who have never experienced it, thats what they think, he said. Violence in Chicagos West Side and the perspective of the young Chicagoans who face gun violence go unconsidered, he said.

On Wednesday, Willingham was the first witness to arrive for the hearing. Durbin and other Judiciary Committee members referred back to his five-minute testimony as the hearing progressed. Toward the end of the hearing, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., asked Willingham what message he wanted to leave.

The mental health professionals that are present in communities that are suffering from gun violence all look like you, Willingham said, pointing toward the predominantly white committee members. They dont look like me. They dont look like other people of color that have been through mental health trauma.

Driving back from OHare after returning to Chicago, he said he was proud that he got to share what he has had to learn and to show the resilience of his family and his West Side.

This will not be our story forever, he said.

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EAST ST. LOUIS  Two children were injured in a drive-by shooting near 15th Street and Bond Avenue in East St. Louis early Sunday.

Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots, and when the rapid succession of bullets ceased, police found two children, a 3-year-old and an 11-year-old, with bullet wounds. Both were in a car with a woman at the time of the shooting.

Ranadore Foggs, East St.Louis assistant chief of police, said the 11-year-old is listed in stable condition, and the 3-year-old is in critical condition. Both children were taken to Children's Hospital in St. Louis for medical treatment, he said.

There was no immediate information available on the female driver.

Foggs said police received a call at 12:20 a.m. reporting the drive-by shooting at 15th Street and Bond Avenue.

At the scene, "witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots when the victim's vehicle, while traveling on 15th Street, was struck," Foggs said.

The woman and two children were inside the car.

East St. Louis police and Illinois State Police Public Safety Enforcement Group officers are investigating.

No additional information is available at this time.

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Home-schooled sophomore Peter Harrington won second place in the 2022 Montana American Legion Constitutional Essay Contest after winning the Constitutional Essay Contest for the American Legion Ravalli Post 47.

Winning the county contest made him eligible for the statewide contest.

Harrington said he was happy with the opportunity.

"The experience was a lot of fun and I learned a lot, he said. I look forward to participating next year."

He wrote about the influence of Christianity on the Constitution and zeroed in on how that was impacted during the Civil War.

Harrington received a plaque and a check for $250 from Commander Deb Strickland at the Ravalli Post 47 meeting on June 8 in addition to the $100 award from the Post in April. He was accompanied to the meeting by his mother and home-school teacher Alicia, his father Aaron, as well as siblings Nicholas and Elsa Harrington.

Alicia Harrington said the family is thrilled and proud of Peter.

He poured himself into his essay and did it completely on his own, she said.

The American Legion believes that education is the cornerstone upon which the future of America is built; education becomes the first requisite of good citizenship. Through the annual Department of Montana American Legion Essay Contest, students in grades 7-12 are provided an opportunity to showcase their talents by using originality, accuracy and research while learning about the Constitution of the United States of America, and their related responsibilities as citizens.

Since the inception of the Department of Montana's Essay Contest in 1989, the American Legion has awarded well over $18,500 in scholarships, while local American Legion Posts offer suitable awards and prizes for their best essay winners. Each year, the contest starts on Constitution Day (Sept. 17) and runs through March 1.

All students in grades 7-12 are encouraged to participate in the contest.

For more information on the American Legion Constitutional Essay Contest, contact Nancy Dezell at americanlegionravallipost47@gmail.com.

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Sporting the look and appearance of a pro-rodeo athlete with a teal button up shirt and a spotless white cowboy hat, Darby native Devyn Hundley will never say no to a saddle, an arena and a bucking bull.

For him, rodeo has been a part of his life ever since he first set foot at the rodeo arena in Darby.

I remember I decided to try it one day and I just loved it from the start, he said.

From the first sheep he bought for the Montana 4-H Club to riding his first steer at the arena at just seven years old, Hundley has made a name for himself throughout the Bitterroot Valley, and the rest of the state.

At just 15 years old, state bull riding champion Devyn Hundley is saddled up and ready to compete at the National High School Finals Rodeo in July. Hundley will get to represent his hometown of Darby and the Montana High School Rodeo Association in bull riding competitions.

The NHSFR, founded in 1947 by Claude Mullins and comprising of more than 12,500 students competing in sanctioned rodeos every year, will host over 1,500 contestants from around the country to compete for national titles, awards and scholarships in Gillette, Wyoming.

Hundley will also be competing with three others from Montana  Ethan Marceau from Browning, and Gavin Knutson and Caden Fitzpatrick from Polson.

As a student athlete in Darby, Hundleys bull riding record is one that would make Bitterroot rodeo aficionados envious. Last year he placed fourth in bull riding for Montana high school rodeo, first in the Ravalli County Rodeo and was invited to hop on a saddle and ride with the NILE Stockshow and Rodeo in Billings.

Flashback to his childhood years and Hundley always remembers to credit his dad, Josh, and uncle, Kenny Beall.

I got into the sport from my dad and my uncle Kenny. They really helped me a lot and pushed me to be better, Hundley said.

For him, they were and will continue to be the people who sparked his passion and craving for rodeo action.

Throughout his rather short time in rodeo competitions representing the Ravalli County Jr. Rodeo Club around the state, Hundley has met pain and dirt a couple times.

Last year when he rode with the NILE Stockshow and Rodeo in Billings he got hurt after riding his first PRCA bull.

I got stomped there pretty good. I got a hematoma on my calf and was on crutches for a month. He was a big sucker. he said. If youre like me and other riders, when you get hurt and you're out, you just want to ride. You're craving it. I don't think any rider cares what the doctor says. But when you feel good, you just decide to hop.

Hundleys mom, Amy, still gets nervous whenever she sees her son hop on a bull, especially after the accident in Billings.

It was pretty scary, but I knew he would come back from it. I remember he just laughed it off and kept going, Amy said. She said Red Eye Rodeo, a rodeo company out of Deer Lodge, helped Hundley with getting him back into practice so he could get back into riding.

From starting out with calves to steers and countless bulls, for Amy, who is a mother of four, its been a rollercoaster of a process seeing her son maneuver his way through rodeo.

You have to regroup and be okay with what and where he's at, she said. As a mom, your heart stops a little bit, but that's what he loves to do. That's been his dream.

Coming out from a successful state bull riding competition last year in Great Falls, Hundley is confident with his performance but feels theres still room for improvement before heading to nationals in Wyoming with all of his family.

I'm feeling good and I'm feeling confident. Last year wasn't the best, but I feel this year I could do a lot better, he said.

Hundley, Amy and the rest of the family will be gearing and making the trip to Gillette, Wyoming for nationals. Competitions start on July 14 and will last through 24.

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Vietnamese flight attendants questioned over suspected money laundering

Nine Vietnamese flight attendants have been questioned by the Australian authorities over alleged money laundering after they were found carrying large amounts of cash.













The cash and Vietnamese passports seen in the footage by 7News allegedly belonging to Vietnam Airlines attendants during a raid by the Australian Border Force.  Photo from 7News



The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) confirmed they are aware of the incident, which was reported by local media in Australia.



CAAV Director inh Viet Thang said on Saturday that the authority is yet to receive any formal notice from the Australian government, and has requested the national-flag carrier Vietnam Airlines to make a report clarifying the case.



A Vietnam Airlines spokesperson said its flight crews and attendants are working as usual, and the airline has asked Australian authorities for more information.



Australias 7News channel reported that nine flight attendants of an airline had been questioned by Australian authorities during a raid by the Australian border force and police.



These flight attendants were found carrying a total of AUD60,000 (some US$41,600) inside their personal luggage.



7News did not mention the name of the carrier or personal details of the attendants who were suspected of committing money laundering.



According to the CAAV, the case is 'not very serious' and all the attendants have flown home on two different flights.



Under Australias regulations, any foreigner who brings AUD10,000 (US$6,935), or an equivalent amount in other currencies, must make a declaration when they enter or leave the country. Otherwise, they can be subject to fines or imprisonment.



As of current, Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways are two Vietnamese carriers operating regular direct flights to Australia.
President Xi Jinping has led resolute combat against desertification, with "a historic change" made amid the country's passionate exploring for ways to curb the expansion of deserts.

More than half of China's manageable desertification land has been restored over the past decade, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) said on Friday, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

A historic change happened simultaneously. People were no longer forced into a corner by the desertification but managed to contain it through afforestation.

The desertified land area in China has been reduced by more than 4.33 million hectares since 2012. A series of significant projects gradually built a green ecological barrier along the sandstorm line in northern China. In particular, the three primary sandy areas of Maowusu, Hunshandake, and Horqin, and the surrounding areas of the Kubuqi Desert, have been transformed into an oasis.

Such achievements came along as President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to adopt a holistic approach to the conservation and restoration of mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, grassland, and desert ecosystems.

He emphasized bringing "deserts" into the work for ecological conservation when joining a deliberation with national lawmakers from North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region in 2021.

China has bolstered sand control credentials by making tremendous efforts to improve relevant laws, exploring new techniques, and launching greening projects.

Xi personally walks the talk, devotes himself to the groundwork, and pushes the agenda in person.

Knowing Desertification Control Well

Sand control is always a topic during Xi's discussions with lawmakers from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region during the country's annual national legislative meetings.

He urged the region boasting of forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and deserts to take an integrated approach to improve local ecology in 2019 and debriefed a lawmaker last year on preventing deserts in Bayannur from encroaching the Yellow River in the east.

During these discussions, he underlined the importance of creating top-level designs in ecological treatment and doing good research work, warning that inadequacy could lead to results poles apart from what was supposed to be achieved.

Xi has conducted multiple field trips to areas severely hit by sand damage, including Ningxia, Gansu, and Hebei.

During a 2019 visit to Babusha Forest Farm in the northwestern province of Gansu, he joined local people plowing the sandy land. Using a trench digger skillfully, Xi plowed a two-meter-long trench in the sandy area with the workers in a few moments.

Babusha Forest Farm, located in Northwest China's Gansu province, had long been plagued by severe sandstorms. After years of sand control, the dry and barren land is now covered by vegetation.

Seeing the enormous transformation in this place, Xi praised the workers as "modern-day Yu Gong" for their persistent efforts in controlling sand and transforming the desert into an oasis. Yu Gong, the protagonist of an ancient folktale, determinedly tried to move mountains blocking the path in front of his home and eventually succeeded.

When the president delivered his New Year's speech in 2020, Guo Wangang, a worker from the forest farm, felt a warm flow through his heart as he saw on the screen the picture he had taken with the president and other farm workers on the bookshelf in the back.

Like Babusha Forest Farm, green miracles have been seen in many other deserts in the country over the years. Thanks to afforestation efforts, 64 million hectares of trees have been planted in China over the past decade. The country's forest coverage has reached 23.04 percent, up 2.68 percentage points from 2012.

Earlier data showed the area of desertified land in the country has shrunk by an annual average of 242,400 hectares. It indicates a reversal from the late 1990s when desertified land expanded by 1.04 million hectares annually.

Contributing To A Green World

Desertification remains one of the most pressing issues facing humankind. Data shows that more than 2 billion people from 167 countries and regions are still under desertification threat.

Thanks to years of sand control efforts, China has been quite prominent globally, with the Kubuqi Desert being an excellent case.

The Kubuqi Desert is China's seventh-largest desert, situated in Inner Mongolia autonomous region. About 30 years ago, the desert was a "sea of death" for even birds. The constant expansion of the desert forced many people to migrate. Those who remained lived mostly under the poverty line.

But years of greening efforts made more than 646,000 hectares of desert lush green, with restored biodiversity and noticeably improved ecology. These efforts also lifted more than 100,000 people out of poverty.

In 2015, the Kubuqi afforestation community won the Champions of the Earth award, the highest environmental honor of the United Nations.

"Containing desertification in the Kubuqi desert offers China's experience in environmental treatment as well as achieving the 2030 Agenda goals," Xi said in a congratulatory letter to the 7th Kubuqi International Desert Forum in 2019.

The Kubuqi model has been the epitome of China's years of exploration in scientific desertification control. Over decades, China has enacted laws to prevent and control desertification. These include the world's first law to tackle desertification and the ban on natural forest logging, building a green barrier in the legal system.

Key ecological projects, including protecting shelterbelt and natural forests, especially those in the Northwest, Northeast, and northern China and along the Yangtze River, have also been carried out, turning more barren soil into oases.

In addition, China actively fulfilled its obligations under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, carried out exchanges and cooperation with Belt and Road countries, and established an international knowledge management center for desertification prevention and control.

"We do everything we can to conserve the ecological system, intensify pollution prevention and control, and improve the living and working environment for our people," Xi said at the Annual Meeting 2022 of the World Economic Forum.

Looking forward, China will continue to ban the use of the most vulnerable desertified lands, strengthen the development of national desert parks, and optimize the compensation system for desert ecological protection.

By 2025, China will have a total of 2 million hectares of desertified land sealed off for protection, with more than 6 million hectares of sandy land newly treated and 1.3 million hectares of rocky-desertification land harnessed, said the NFGA.




The Ravalli County 4-H Competition Day gave members an opportunity for to shine on May 24 at the Corvallis Grange Hall.

This annual event is a chance for 4-H youth and Cloverbuds to showcase their project work mid-year, compete with others for prizes, and for seniors, age 14 and up, to win $100 towards a trip to State 4-H Congress held at the Montana State University campus.

Jeanette Smith said 4-H volunteers coordinated this event.

They and the judges were extremely impressed with the work done and effort put in by the youth who participated, Smith said. We hope that more clubs and more youth will participate next year. Look for sign-ups in the late winter/early spring of 2023.

Categories of the competition included communications, fashion review, quilting and visual arts.

Winners faced tough competition.

Communications, Junior Demonstration  Callie Andersen, Summerdale 4-H Club; Junior Impromptu Speech  Adelaide Meyer, Lucky Horseshoes 4-H Club; and Junior Cowboy Poetry  Karli Jackson, Summerdale 4-H Club.

Fashion Revue: Junior winners for garments were Vivan Svee, Lily Gardner and Eden Smith, Summerdale 4-H Club.

The judges noted that the garments were all so different that they were not comparable, but everyone really challenged themselves this year with their projects, Smith said.

Quilting: Senior winner  Katie Jackson, Summerdale 4-H Club. She won $100 toward a trip to 4-H Congress.

Visual Arts: Cloverbud  Huck Bishop, Summerdale 4-H Club; Junior 2-D  in a three-way tie of Addison Bishop, Vivian Svee and Karli Jackson, Summerdale 4-H Club; Junior 3-D - Lily Gardner, Summerdale 4-H Club; Junior Challenge Animals - Vivian Svee, Summerdale 4-H Club. Senior 2-D - Katie Jackson, Summerdale 4-H Club; Senior 3-D  Jayna Jackson, Summerdale 4-H Club; and Senior Challenge Animals  Jayna Jackson, Summerdale 4-H Club.

Ravalli County 4-H teaches leadership, citizenship, and other life skills to prepare area youth for success. The Montana 4-H program helps kids learn through fun and hands-on experiences to become tomorrow's leaders, creating a positive vision for the future.

For more information about the Ravalli County 4-H Competition Day, visit https://ravalli.msuextension.org/4-Hcompetition.html.

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Montanas roaring rivers are keen to flooding and shattering records, but it takes a perfect storm seen about half a dozen times in recorded history to cause the widespread damage seen last week.

The 2022 flood season has set new high water marks along the Yellowstone River and its major tributaries throughout south-central Montana. Minor floods also gripped western Montana, with the Flathead River experiencing a prolonged minor flood.

Experts agreed that ongoing high water will join a notorious group of floods to shape regional river banks, but 2022 is not the most destructive or deadliest. Years like 1964, 1908 and 2011 produced hell-like landscapes, trapped towns and killed dozens of people.

These widespread flooding years draw from the same fuel: a barrage of rain, melting and mixing with above-average snowpack during a quick warm-up.

The most severe

Butch Larcombe, retired journalist and author of Montana Disasters: True Stories of Treasure State Tragedies and Triumphs, said this years flood rivals conditions from 1964, where dozens of rivers over-topped their banks and caused extensive damage.

The 1964 flood is a classic example of economic damage, Larcombe said. Miles of railroads, highways, and parts of Going-to-the-Sun Road were washed away. I remember as a kid driving over temporary bridges and just seeing mud everywhere.

On June 8, 1964, 10 inches of rain dropped along the Continental Divide in less than 36 hours. Snowpack was also above average for that time of the year. Both sides of the Continental Divide had widespread flooding, but it was on the Blackfeet Nation where two dams burst from the unheard-of storm surge.

The loss of life was a major difference between now and 1964. The running water, described by witnesses as a tsunami, killed more than 30 Tribal members. The U.S Geological Service called the event the most severe in modern times.

Rosalyn LaPier, an ethno-botanist and professor at the University of Montana, said the event was so catastrophic that the Blackfeet Nation has an official annual commemoration to remember the communities lost from the flood.

Its a remembrance day for people who passed, the survivors and continues to remind people that this was important, said LaPier, a member of the Blackfeet Nation. The flood changed how many tribal members lived. Many moved their homes off river bottoms and creeks.

Others in outlying communities, who lost everything, relocated to Browning. The loss of farmlands, livestock, family heirlooms and pictures of ancestors, LaPier said, impacted the Blackfeet people for many years.

Despite the horror of 1964, Larcombe said Montanas most damaging flood happened in 1908. Many roads washed out; some newly constructed dams were dubbed unusable. Mines upstream from the Clark Fork dumped 6 million cubic yards of toxic waste between Butte and Missoula. That section of the river eventually became a Superfund cleanup site in 1981.

Larcombe said a flood does not have to be widespread to be dangerous. He pointed to the Gravelly Coulee flood of 1938, when a freak flash flood on a small creek killed nine people. Another flood that year collapsed a railroad trestle, setting up the deadliest train wreck in Montana history.

Those smaller floods are less damaging now, according to Larcombe, because of the vigilance and precautions taken for high water.

The level of preparedness and understanding has dramatically increased in the last 40 years, Larcombe said. People are just more cautious about the damage a flood can cause.

Perfect storms

Arin Peters, senior service hydrologist at the Great Falls National Weather Service, said the extent of floods depend on the weather forecast, terrain and the river. He pointed out how Livingston, which had a record flood in 2022, had a few hours notice before the river peaked.

But at Rock Creek in Red Lodge, the creek rose, overtook its banks and spilled through the towns main streets within a few minutes. Red Lodges flash flood came from a rain-on-snow event that turned a couple weeks of snowpack into several hours of runoff.

We held onto our snowpack much longer than we should, Peters said. The problem with that is it warns of a sudden, big warm-up. And adding additional precipitation to the picture only makes things worse.

Topography also plays a factor. While the Yellowstone River crested and dropped after sharply rising into major flood stage this Wednesday, the Flathead River leveled out into minor flood stage for the foreseeable forecast.

Peters based the phenomenon on late season snowfall still feeding the valleys waterways.

Think of (Flathead Valley) like a bathtub  it will fill up and stick around, Peters said. While the Yellowstone is on the plains, and is a lot larger and faster moving.

Some river surges into floodplains are a good thing, Peters said. It is normal for a river to get out of its bank, flood low-lying areas and replenish nutrients to the ground. When the Yellowstone crested in Billings, however, it was more than a foot above the recorded floodplain.

Breaking the record river height will also force hydrologists to re-classify different parts of the Yellowstone, especially places where erosion changed the channels of the river. Peters said the flood will change how geologists measure gate heights and discharge rates permanently.

LaPier, Larcombe and Peters agreed that these major floods have been intensifying with climate change.

You can see that these events are becoming more intensive, are developing faster, and are less welcoming to people, LaPier said.

Cam Sholly, Yellowstone park superintendent, was grateful that no one was lost to the flood during a press conference Tuesday. But the damage done and possibility of the next major flood is on peoples minds.

Ive heard this is a 1,000 year event, whatever that means these days, Sholly said. They seem to be happening more and more quickly.

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McLEAN  A gun was fired when a fight broke out at a Northern Virginia mall on Saturday, but no injuries were reported, and there was no active shooter situation, police said.

Officers were called to Tysons Corner Center on Saturday afternoon for a report of shots fired at the prominent mall near the nations capital, Fairfax County police tweeted. A fight broke out, and one man displayed a gun and fired, police said.

Police said there were no reports of injuries and no confirmed reports of additional shots fired.

Officers immediately began clearing the mall to make sure no suspects were still present and also were helping those who had sheltered in place. They asked people who were sheltering to stay in place until officers came to them.

News images showed police near the mall, some in helmets and camouflage gear with weapons raised as a precaution. Some people could be seen hugging each other after exiting the mall.

Police said the mall was subsequently closed, and they asked people to avoid the area.
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If you like yard sales, fill up the tank  if you can afford it  and head southwest of Richmond on the first Saturday of July and take a tour of Southside Virginias small towns.

Southside Virginias 100-Mile Yard Sale, a loosely connected route of sales tables and tents set up in parking lots, open fields and front yards throughout the region, will be held July 2. The 100-Mile Yard Sale extends along U.S. 360, U.S. 460 and other thoroughfares, connecting hubs of activity that include Amelia Court House, Blackstone, Crewe, Drakes Branch, Farmville and Green Bay.

The influx of thousands of visitors provides a significant economic impact, not just for those selling things from their attic, but for the communities themselves, as visitors are likely to stop for food, fuel and maybe to shop at other stores, said Phil Miskovic, mayor of Crewe, a town of 2,500 in Nottoway County, and a volunteer coordinator for the yard sale.

Its amazing for these small communities because it draws in people that may not have come to one individual locality, but they come there because its on the sale route, Miskovic said.

The event officially begins at 7 a.m. and goes for as long as people are willing to sell and shop, usually mid-afternoon, Miskovic said. Some sellers set up on the Friday before, as well.

You can find more details about the sale and the route at the events website or at its Facebook page.

The sale was originated in 2008 by Jerri Morton, then living in Burkeville, who wanted to sell her own items to raise money to finance projects at her church but also help local businesses by bringing in others to set up their own tables. Morton says she got the idea from the 127 Yard Sale that stretches for almost 700 miles through six states, between Michigan and Alabama, and the Route 11 Yard Crawl that covers 43 miles of yard sales in the Shenandoah Valley.

It was a brainstorm, but it was not original at all, Morton said in a phone interview. You advertise a long yard sale, and real yard-salers are going to come out.

Morton started with a 40-mile yard sale and over the years increased it to more than 100 miles.

People jumped on it, she said. It really took off well. It did beyond expectations.

The 2020 event was canceled because of COVID-19, and last years sale was not quite as robust as usual because planning did not get started until late. This year, the event is back to normal.

Miskovic first got involved with the sale as a member of Crewes Town Council when Morton would attend meetings, talking up the benefits of the sale and the lines of motorists it would attract to the area. When Morton moved to a retirement community in Richmond after the 2019 sale, Miskovic and others stepped in to coordinate the event.

We would see the massive impact it would have on our community  the visitors it would bring in, the revenue it would generate for local businesses, and the opportunity for people to get out and have a good time on a summer day, said Miskovic, 36, who grew up in Nottoway and is a doctoral student in the Center for Administration and Public Policy at Virginia Tech. He is also working on a masters degree in public health and is the graduate student representative to Virginia Techs board of visitors. (I dont like to be bored, he said with a laugh.)

When Jerri became unable to continue coordinating, I volunteered to help with the effort. I didnt want to see this established event with exponential potential fall apart.

The role of the organizers, Miskovic said, is to serve as a hub of information. The event does not require registration for sellers nor collect any fees. Its Facebook page is a place where sellers can find a place to set up or provide information about their sites, and visitors can find out what they need.

Were basically there to connect everyone, Miskovic said.

The number of sellers and their locations vary from year to year. He said this years event includes a site in Powhatan County for the first time (a three-generations yard sale at 4446 Old Buckingham Road).

Organizers have distributed a list of safety tips for visitors, including:

Plan your route in advance

Make sure your cellphone is charged.

Be patient and respectful of others.

Carry bottles of water with you to stay hydrated and cool.

Obey all traffic laws, as in: Dont stop suddenly in the road if you see a yard sale you want to visit. Instead, pass it and make a U-turn or drive around the block and come back. Be mindful of drivers behind you. Also: Dont park in the middle of the road or too close to busy highways.

The idea is for everyone to be safe  and to come back for another visit, Miskovic said.

One person who is not expecting to attend the event this year  for the first time  is Morton, who is not able to make the trip from Richmond.

I got old, said Morton, 82.

But she must feel pretty proud about starting such a long-running event?

I guess I do, but I dont take credit for it, though, she said. If I had not had family and friends support, it wouldnt have done as well. Everybody has worked with it.

It was a wonderful idea thats done extremely well.
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa.

In truth, the last Howard Johnsons restaurant closed long before the one in Lake George, N.Y., did earlier this year. The only thing that particular location had in common with the fried clams and 28 flavors of ice cream the restaurant was famous for was maintaining the iconic orange roof that signaled this to families for generations: You were pulling up to a place you could trust for known comfort food at reasonable prices.

What began as Howard Deering Johnson taking over his fathers struggling medicine store and soda fountain in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1925 grew because of his keen understanding of what people were looking for. The 27-year-old had a vision and understood people.

Johnson improved the quality of the ice cream; added well-prepared food for customers to eat; and soon, he went from deeply in debt to flourishing. Four years later, he opened a second restaurant and was selling his popular ice cream at stands along the beach.

Unofficial-official Howard Johnsons restaurant historian Walter Mann details on his website, HoJoLand.com, that Johnson was a bit of a visionary. He saw the love Americans had for the open roads and their cars, and he understood that as the U.S. road system expanded, families would be packing up their vehicles. And he was eager to expand.

He conceived a new idea: franchising, Mann wrote. Johnson talked another businessman into using the Howard Johnsons name on a Cape Cod restaurant, in return for a fee and an agreement to buy food and supplies from Johnson. The idea worked well for both men, and Johnson made similar agreements with others. That was the beginning of restaurant franchising, a system that has since been replicated by countless others.

Food rationing dragged the business down during World War II. But Johnson kept the company alive by providing food for military installations, defense plants and schools.

By the 1950s, more than 400 Howard Johnsons were operating across the country and, at the end of that decade, Howard D. Johnson passed the business on to his son, Howard B. Johnson. By the mid-1960s, sales exceeded those of McDonalds, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken, making HoJos the nations second-largest food provider, next to the U.S. Army.

So, what went wrong? Why are we not getting ready to celebrate HoJos 100 years of existence in 2025? Howard D. had done everything right despite inheriting a business deep in debt, a stock market crash, a Great Depression, food shortages and a war throwing land mines in his direction every few years. He developed a trustworthy brand, visually recognizable from a mile away and located on just about every road in America, along with all the turnpikes and highways.

This sort of reminds you of another American company: Sears, Roebuck and Co. By all accounts, Sears should have been the Amazon of today and instead, it is languishing in bankruptcy  a shell of what it once was.

Sears was the quintessential American company: Its catalogs defined what we wore, what appliances and tools we used, and what we wanted for Christmas. It also fixed our cars, sold us tires, and would send us plans and all the supplies needed to build our homes.

It knew everyones address because of its Wish Book catalog. Its stores, large and small, were located in everyones Main Street business district or in suburban malls.

There is no reason at all why Sears could not be the Amazon of today. It had the footprint in the publics hearts and backyards to make that happen, beginning with customer trust, information and access.

In the same vein, there is no reason why Howard Johnsons could not still be delighting parents with crispy fried oysters while their children decide which of the ice cream flavors they soon would be devouring. It didnt have to be this way, yet here we are.

Sears was made great by the innovators who created it. It began as a mail-order watch company, then morphed into a larger mail-order operation, selling a variety of household essentials at discounted prices to rural areas. Think farmers, small towns and villages who had little access to retail stores.

Richard W. Sears understood customers needs because he understood and experienced their challenges. Its easy when you come from Stewartville, Minnesota, where the population at the turn of the 20th century was under 800.

You are in touch with the customer when you are the customer. In short, he was able to put himself in their shoes.

Howard D. Johnson, a World War I veteran who inherited his fathers soda shop, knew people. Despite failing a lot more times than succeeding in his early days, he never stopped trying, innovating and learning what his customers wanted.

The beginning of the end for both companies began as they kept getting sold and resold and sold again to venture capital groups. These operators never once ate at a HoJos, or bought Sears auto parts to fix their cars, or had their children circle what they wanted for Christmas in the Wish Book. When you share little in common with your customers, how do you innovate to keep them and their children?

Members of the public love nostalgia. They would have loved to bring their children or grandchildren to the same place their parents took them on their way to the shore.

They also love consistency. They knew what they were getting, and where to get it, every time they walked into a Sears.

This was more than just the end of Howard Johnsons. It marked one more place in our culture that lost touch with customers because owners had little in common with them. They lived in this countrys super ZIP codes, and ate and shopped in a universe far different than their customers. They still made money regardless of whether anyone came to shop or eat.

And unlike many of us, they did not mourn when someone turned the lights off for the last time in Lake George.
This week, we're capping off the column with a roundup of quick-hit updates from businesses around the region:

 Blaze Pizza opened its doors this month at Tanglewood Mall. The California-based pizza chain joins a passel of new restaurants moving into a freshly built outparcel of the Electric Road shopping center. Other eateries that opened include Chipotle Mexican Grill, Jersey Mikes Subs and Panda Express. Nearby, construction has kicked off for a much-anticipated Chilis Grill & Bar. Crews are also set to start work soon on a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. Permit approvals for that Tanglewood Mall addition were just finalized, according to Roanoke County. The new Blaze Pizza, located at 4464 Electric Road, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

 The new owners of Mr. Bills Wine Cellar are debuting a new name for the shop. Longtime friends Philip Hatter and Jayson Anuszkiewicz, who bought the specialty store in March, said they had been reflecting on the businesss mission to help customers celebrate the happy moments in life. That brought them to a new name: Gladheart Wine & Brews. The moniker was inspired by a line of scripture, Psalm 104:15, which speaks of wine to gladden the heart of man. The rebranding, which was announced this month, comes as the store is also expanding its line of wares. It now offers a Cocktail Corner with craft-made bitters, aperitifs and more  including packages of the popular Cube made by Lucky Restaurant. The team also plans to start stocking small batch, specialty coffees later this summer. Gladheart, located at 2825 Brambleton Ave. SW, is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

 Honestly Vegan announced online that it was closing after a year in business offering a menu of plant-based dishes. The restaurant, located at 4054 Franklin Road SW, shared its plans to close early this month and later announced June 8 as its last day. Thank you to everyone who has supported us the past year, read a message posted to its Facebook page. Weve met some great people and will miss you all!

 Quick Way, a convenience store found at 2702 Colonial Ave. SW, is expanding its services to offer U-Haul rentals. The store will be an independent, neighborhood dealership equipped with trucks, trailers, towing equipment, boxes and other support supplies, according to U-Haul Company of Virginia. The neighborhood dealership model has been an effective way for small, locally owned businesses to generate a side income in a difficult economic climate, U-Haul said. The partnerships also cut down on customer travel times by creating more pickup locations convenient to residential corridors. Quick Way is the moving companys 14th neighborhood dealership in the Roanoke Valley.

Contact Alicia Petska at alicia.petska@roanoke.com

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A federal judge in Lynchburg on Friday granted a preliminary injunction against Cumberland County dog breeder Envigo, but said it can sell 500 of its remaining beagles for research in order to fulfill its remaining contracts.

Inotiv, Envigos Indiana-based parent company, recently announced it plans to close Envigos beagle mill, which U.S. District Judge Norman Moon has castigated for its torturous abuse of dogs and puppies.

Federal prosecutors sought a preliminary injunction in an effort to protect the 3,000 beagles still at the facility from what U.S. officials called continuing mistreatment.

Prosecutors, legislators and animal rights activists have called on Envigo to make all of its remaining beagles available for adoption.

In his order Friday, the judge wrote that while extraordinary relief is warranted to address Defendants failure to meet its obligations under the Animal Welfare Act and to protect the animals at the Cumberland facility from further harm, equitable considerations do not justify an order that would prevent Defendant from fulfilling its existing contracts.

The judge said Envigo can fulfill the terms of contracts that predated his May temporary restraining order against the company. He gave Envigo and federal officials until Wednesday at 5 p.m. to tell him of their plans to remove all of the remaining beagles from Envigos Cumberland site.

In the new order, the judge added: To be clear, Defendant is not being given a free pass. He warned that punitive consequences, including financial consequences, may follow from this litigation after a final judgment on the merits.

The judge noted that federal law governing humane treatment of animals allows for civil penalties of up to $10,000 and explicitly states that each violation and each day during which a violation continues shall be a separate offense.

The judges preliminary injunction orders Envigo to make a host of changes to care for its remaining dogs.

It must assure that the dogs have safe, clean and sufficient water and food; adequate floor space; clean and sanitized enclosures that are free of excessive rust, jagged edges and sharp points, and that are maintained so that beagles remain dry and clean. He also ordered Envigo to provide adequate veterinary care for all of its dogs and puppies and to send records of any veterinary care to federal officials within 72 hours.

In April, Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed five beagle bills, a bipartisan legislative effort to protect dogs and cats bred for experiments that was inspired by Envigos abuses of beagles in Cumberland.

In a statement on Friday, Daphna Nachminovitch, senior vice president of cruelty investigations at PETA, said: Inotiv took in nearly $225 million in just the past six months  and less than 1% of that was from selling dogs  but it wants to wring every last penny out of the exploitation of these long-neglected dogs, who have already been through so much.

Inotiv owes these beagles the opportunity to have what every dog deserves  the freedom to enjoy life in a loving home. Its time for this company to finally do the right thing: Let all the dogs be adopted now.
The country tonight is in the midst of what may be the most serious constitutional crisis in its history.

The above words were spoken not by a member of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol or a journalist reporting on the hearings that began June 9 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

They were spoken the evening of Oct. 20, 1973, by NBC Nightly News anchor John Chancellor to describe a series of events that became known as the Saturday Night Massacre.

To explain what that was, first we need to rewind the metaphorical tape.

On June 17, 1972  50 years ago this past Friday  five men were arrested after breaking into the Democratic National Headquarters inside the Watergate hotel in Washington, D.C. At first dismissed as burglars, their real mission was to repair a listening device installed in the Democratic offices the month prior.

Nixon was up for reelection that year, and the bugs were planted so his campaign could find out if Democrats had any dirt that could damage his chances. Fitting and ironic then that the botched break-in itself, and Nixons efforts to cover his tracks, would ultimately end his presidency.

But the exposure of the cover-up took many steps. Meanwhile, Nixon won the 1972 election in a landslide.

Fast forward now to the months before the Massacre. The U.S. Senate had twisted the arm of Nixon attorney general candidate Elliot Richardson to appoint a special Watergate prosecutor as the price for confirmation. Richardson picked Archibald Cox, a former solicitor general under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, who would end up subpoenaing the tapes from the secret recording system Nixon had installed in the Oval Office.

Nixon refused to comply. Cox would not budge. The night of the Massacre, Nixon ordered Richardson to fire Cox. Richardson resigned in protest. When Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus received the same order from Nixon, he too resigned. The third in command of the Justice Department at last carried out the order. Cox was canned and his office abolished.

All of this adds up to a totally unprecedented situation, a grave and profound crisis in which the President has set himself against his own attorney general and the Department of Justice, Chancellor told viewers. Nothing like this has ever happened before.

If not for the tapes

The clip seems to speak across the decades to the recorded testimony shared in prime time by the Jan. 6 select committee, as former Attorney General William Barr discussed President Donald Trumps persistence in claiming the November 2020 election was stolen from him. I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff which I told the President was bt. Barr ended up resigning before Trumps term ended. I didnt want to be a part of it and thats one of the reasons that went into me deciding to leave when I did.

The Washington Post replayed Chancellors words during a June 10 livestream discussion with former congressman William Cohen, R-Maine, who broke with his party to vote for the impeachment of Nixon while serving on the House Judiciary Committee, and with lawyer Richard Ben-Veniste, who as an assistant U.S. Attorney was chief of the Watergate Task Force and later a member of the 9/11 Commission.

Our region has some ties of its own to the Watergate events, the best known being the role of the late U.S. Rep. Caldwell Butler, a Republican from Roanoke elected to the seat held now by Ben Cline, R-Botetourt.

The House Judiciary Committee in 1974 comprised 21 Democrats and 17 Republicans. Butler would become one of seven that would break with the GOP and vote to impeach Nixon, famously stating that though Republicans had long combated corruption, Watergate was the partys shame. I cannot condone what I have heard, I cannot excuse it, and I cannot and will not stand still for it.

Butler often gets upheld as an example of a great legislator who chose country over party when it counted. While he deserves those honors, Cohen revealed that he, Butler and other Republicans on the committee didnt turn on a dime to buck their party. They needed to be thoroughly convinced, something that Cohen contended would never have happened had it not been for the chance to listen to the tapes. The edited transcripts alone would not have been enough.

Republicans for the most part said, this is just the Democrats trying to overturn the election, because they lost so heavily, Cohen said. Once the tapes came through, I think that pushed even the most conservative of the Republicans to say that there were impeachable offenses.

Eerie omens

While the Jan. 6 committees thorough documentation of the insurrection serves a vital need, contemplating what change might result, or not result, in this hyper-partisan climate is sobering. An estimated 19 million viewers watched the first of the Jan. 6 committee hearings, paling in comparison to the Watergate hearings, watched to some degree by an estimated three out of four American households.

Ben-Veniste offered this explanation for what makes the Jan. 6 crisis different. Nixon, for all of his authoritarian tendencies and his criminality, did not, in my view, pose an existential threat to our democracy. Donald Trump, on the other hand, does and did.

Thats not the only thing, the attorney said. Theres a difference, in 50 years gone by, of our respect for the truth and the rule of law and the education of Americans as to what it means to be a patriotic American. We have lost a great deal there.

Those hoping that the Jan. 6 committees revelations will somehow curb or end Trumps influence should probably brace themselves for that hope to be dashed. Even now, as demonstrated in another Washington Post livestream, Nixon has loyal supporters who insist their boss did nothing illegal or immoral.

Take for example Nixons deputy assistant, Dwight Chapin, who ended up serving nine months in prison for lying to a grand jury during the scandal.

Chapin maintains even now that Watergate was a mere political event in which the Democratic Party, particularly the Kennedy wing of the party joined forces with the media to bring down Richard Nixon. Did he help make that happen? He sure did. I mean, there was no question about that. Foolish mistakes were made. But at the bottom line, the denominator on this, is that it was a political event.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Meagan Blankenship, RN, a staff nurse on the cardiovascular surgery floor, was recently named a DAISY Award recipient for McLeod Regional Medical Center.

Blankenship was nominated by a patient for her extraordinary care and compassion.

To recognize those nurses at McLeod Regional Medical Center who are true examples of nursing excellence, patients, family members and co-workers may nominate nurses for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

The award is part of the DAISY Foundations program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day.

On the nomination form, the patient wrote, When you need Meagan, she is there and answers all of your questions. She has it all. It is difficult for me to explain in words how I feel about Meagan. She is truly an excellent nurse and person in many ways.

For one thing, she has the perfect personality for what she does. She has an understanding of patients and a sense of humanity. It seems as if she knows when you need her even when you havent called her. She pays attention to everything about you. I didnt go without anything. Even when I wasnt in the room, she saw to it that I had a meal. Meagan is so very deserving of this award.

The not-for-profit DAISY Foundation is based in Glen Ellen, California, and was established by family members in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique way of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

Nurses may be nominated for their strong clinical skills and the compassionate care they provide. Nomination forms are available on each nursing unit at McLeod Regional Medical Center or can be found at www.McLeodNursing.org.

Recipients of the DAISY Award are chosen by the DAISY committee, led by nurses at McLeod Regional Medical Center. Awards are given throughout the year at presentations in front of the nurses colleagues, physicians, patients, and visitors. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him for being an Extraordinary Nurse. The certificate reads: In deep appreciation of all you do, who you are, and the incredibly meaningful difference you make in the lives of so many people. The honoree is also given a beautiful and meaningful sculpture called A Healers Touch, hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Africa.
Beijing has virtually cut off the transmission chain of a COVID-19 cluster related to a bar, and the epidemic situation in the city is improving, local authorities said Saturday.



The daily number of new COVID-19 cases in Beijing has been dropping for four consecutive days, and the city reported no local cases in communities for three days in a row, said Xu Hejian, a spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Government, in a press release.

"Beijing has withstood unprecedented challenges and tests during the past 10 days since June 9," Xu said.

One asymptomatic local case was reported on Saturday, as of 3 pm. The city has reported 369 cases from June 9 to 3 pm on June 18, according to Liu Xiaofeng, deputy head of the Beijing municipal disease prevention and control center.

The capital city reported one confirmed and eight asymptomatic local cases on Friday.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Florence-Darlington Technical College is getting hands-on with training the next generation of emergency medical technicians while also filling an industry need for new, well trained and skilled EMTs.

Over the last couple of years the program has turned out a bit more than 100 EMTs, said Chris Hatfield, the industry health and safety coordinator at the technical college.

The program is geared to apprentices where they get hired by an employer and then they come to us for the education and the cost is covered by the department of labor with apprenticeship money, Hatfield said. Right now were working on basic EMTs. Our plans for the future are to grow to include paramedics.

Right now were on par for an increase of about 250% from what we did five years ago. Were expecting about 40 (graduates) every year and were expecting that to grow, Hatfield said. Were trying to meet demand and as we grow were going to get a lot closer.

The way the program is set up, applicants who apply for EMT jobs and get hired are sent by their new employer to the program, which handles the training they need to get certified. When theyre not in class they work with their employer to learn skills specific to that agencys policies, paperwork and other such skills. All the time this is going on theyre being paid by their employer, Hatfield said.

They already have a job and their job is to come to class, Hatfield said. Those who come to our current classes, they all do have jobs.

When we got the ambulance simulator and when we partnered to do the apprenticeship program, our expectation was were going to do an accelerated class but were also going to do a portion of their on boarding for their orientation, Hatfield said.

The simulator has four cameras on board that allow the students to film their exercises and then critique their work afterward. The classroom includes a three-panel projection situation simulator.

Both work to give students experience beyond the classroom long before they will work on real ambulances in public.

As soon as they finish here, they do may be a day or two orientation and they go right into the workforce, Hatfield said. The program is one that benefits both the trainee  who gets a job  and the employer  who gets a long-term employee.

There is research out there that employees who complete an apprenticeship program tend to stay with their employers six years longer than employees who do not do registered program, said Lauren Holland, associated vice president of corporate workforce development at the college.

In South Carolina we have the benefit of having an organization called Apprenticeship Carolina which is part of the technical college system and they work with colleges and employers, Holland said.

Its Florence-Darlington Technical Colleges job to meet critical workforce needs, and the EMT Academy is a great option for individuals who are looking to enter the world of EMS, said FDTC President Dr. Jermaine Ford. Our students are taught by professionals who have worked in the industry, and they will also obtain valuable, hands-on training in the classroom.

Hatfield, a paramedic by trade who remains an employee with Florence County EMS, said he saw the need and experienced problems himself when he looked for instructors.

I have a passion working with our local partners, Hatfield said.

Each class starts with about 16 (students), Hatfield said. This year were expecting to finish out our 10th cohort.

Its great to have support from partners like Apprenticeship Carolina and Florence-Darlington Tech who are experts when it comes to taking people with little or not skill in a particular area and facilitating the training and making them ready for an employer like Florence County EMS, said Ryon Watkins, Florence County EMS chief.

Were about to take two of our employees in in the last couple of months and run them through the program, Watkins said.

Watkins said access to the apprenticeship program is one tool his agency is going to use moving forward to recruit new EMTs.

This is one part, albeit a large part, to work on our current staffing issue, Watkins said. We certainly use the apprentice program to onboard new employees but also continue to recruit people who are already certified EMTs and paramedics and get them on our roster.

In addition to adding paramedic certification to the program, Hatfield said he wants to get some motors and actuators for the ambulance simulator so students can get accustomed to working in a fast-moving vehicle working its way through traffic and around road hazards. That might also mean the program will have to get a bleep button for the student training videos, he said.

Digital Editor Matt Robertson is a veteran journalist who has fulfilled just about every role that a newspaper has and now serves as a key member of the Morning News newsroom by maintaining SCNow.com and covering the occasional story and photo assignment.

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FLORENCE, S.C.  A Saturday morning Florence manhunt ended with a murder suspect in custody.

Florence Police saw LeAndre Kajuan Richardson, for whom they had outstanding warrants, in a vehicle near Alexander and Sumter streets, according to a release from the department.

Mr. Richardson fled from officers and abandoned his vehicle on Schofield Drive, Capt., Mike Brandt wrote in a release on the incident. The Florence Police Departments Emergency Response Team, the Florence County Sheriffs Office and Florence Police Department K-9 officer Shelby assisted in the search and Mr. Richardson was taken into custody a short time later.

Richardson, 20 of 2316 Dudley Drive, Florence, is charged with armed robbery, murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and possession of a weapon by a violent felon in connection with the Jan. 2 slaying of Joshua Brogsia in the 1500 block of Waverly Avenue.

Mr. Richardson was reportedly in possession of a quantity of suspected drugs at the time of his arrest and additional charges are pending, Brandt wrote in the release.

Richardson is in custody at the Florence County Detention Center awaiting an initial appearance before a Florence County magistrate. He will later have a bond hearing before a circuit court judge on the murder charge.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Mostly sunny skies during the morning hours followed by thunderstorms in the afternoon. High 98F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, then cloudy skies overnight. Low around 75F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 73F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening, with mostly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 73F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
VICTORIA, Seychelles, June 19, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The global cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin today announced that it has become the first major exchange to support Brazilian Real (BRL) deposits and withdrawals following a recent policy change made by the Central Bank of Brazil.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220618005044/en/

KuCoin Becomes the First Crypto Exchange to Support BRL Transfers via PIX after New Central Bank Policy (Graphic: Business Wire)

To ensure fiat to crypto transactions are secure and comply with regulations, the Central Bank of Brazil has imposed a deadline to update users identity verification process to use BRL payment services. Exchanges that failed to meet the new KYC (Know Your Customer) requirement will have to terminate BRL transaction services for Brazilian users.

Through the partnership with the local payment gateway Capitual, KuCoin managed to become the first global crypto platform that allows the local investors to transfer in and out BRL via PIX, the payment system backed by the government.

Johnny Lyu, the CEO of KuCoin, said: "As crypto is going to the mainstream, fiat to crypto service remains the biggest barrier to onboard more adopters. We are proud to be the first exchange to comply with the new PIX regulations and support our Brazilian users to deposit and withdraw BRL normally. We will soon launch more features like fiat trading pairs to help South American investors trade crypto in an easy and compliant way."

According to KuCoins Into The Cryptoverse Report, Brazil is one of the fastest-growing crypto markets globally. About 34.5 million Brazilians, which accounts for 26% of the population aged 18 to 60, are active crypto investors. 64% of crypto investors are looking to increase their investments, while another 21% are considered crypto-curious.

Since the beginning of 2022, KuCoin has been experiencing significant growth in the Brazilian market, and to reward crypto beginners, KuCoin is hosting a special airdrop event, giving away a welcome bonus to all new Brazilian users.

Story continues

About KuCoin

Launched in September 2017, KuCoin is a global cryptocurrency exchange with its operational headquarters in Seychelles. As a user-oriented platform focusing on inclusiveness and community action reach, it offers over 700 digital assets. Currently, it provides spot trading, margin trading, P2P fiat trading, futures trading, staking, and lending to its 18 million users in 207 countries and regions.

In 2022, KuCoin raised over $150 million in investments through a pre-Series B round at a total valuation of $10 billion. KuCoin is currently one of the top 5 crypto exchanges, according to CoinMarketCap. Forbes also named KuCoin one of the Best Crypto Exchanges in 2021. In 2022, The Ascent named KuCoin the Best Crypto App for enthusiasts.

To find out more, visit https://www.kucoin.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220618005044/en/

Contacts

Emma Haul

media@kucoin.com
If the House January 6 committee proceeds to its seemingly predetermined conclusion that Donald Trump incited the Capitol riot and tried to reverse the results of the 2020 election and if they recommend to the Department of Justice that Trump committed criminal acts and should be prosecuted, President Biden will face a serious choice.

Biden, who promised to unite the country, but who most Republicans believe contributed to its division, could either allow the prosecution of the former president to proceed, or travel the high road taken by President Gerald Ford when he pardoned Richard Nixon for acts associated with the Watergate scandal. If Biden chooses the former, the division will likely widen to a chasm not to be repaired for years to come. If he chooses to follow Fords example, he would arouse the ire of progressives, but might avoid the specter I doubt most rational Americans would wish to see  a former president in court and possibly in prison. Perhaps a deal could be struck. In exchange for a pardon, Trump would agree not to run for president again.

It would be difficult for any prosecutor to convince a jury (except in heavily Democratic Washington, D.C.) that Trump caused the riot by his language. In a sound bite played by the committee, it is true that Trump did urge protesters to go down to the Capitol. True, he seemed to agree with the sign brought by one protester that said, Hang Mike Pence, but that is different from giving the order.

One can be disgusted by Trumps behavior and failure even now to accept the results of the 2020 election  I am  and still not want to see a precedent set that leads to the trial, conviction and imprisonment of a former president. Not only would this add fuel to the political forest fire that is already consuming the country, it would encourage some Republicans to do the same to a future Democratic president. Impeachment and indictments would become a norm, not an exception.

Weve all heard people say, no one is above the law, but practically that is not true. There is a two-tier justice system: one for Blacks and one for whites; one for those who can afford expensive lawyers and one for those who cant; one for legal immigrants and one for those who break the law to cross our borders; one for current and former high government officials and one for the rest of us; one for the well-connected and one for the disconnected.

Those rioters who broke the law on Jan. 6, 2021 are being held accountable. More than 800 have been formally charged with criminal offenses and some have gone to prison. Others await court dates. The FBI estimates that more than 2,000 people may have been involved in the attack that day.

During the 1968 campaign, there supposedly was a teenager in Ohio who held a sign as Richard Nixons motorcade passed by. It said, Bring Us Together. Nixon speechwriter and later New York Times columnist William Safire said he doubted the sign ever existed, but the phrase made it into the Nixon campaign. Then, and now, it is a worthy sentiment, but an unreachable goal as both parties cant agree on our problems, much less how best to solve them.

Donald Trump would do well to withdraw from the field and allow younger and less controversial candidates to replace him. His record of policy successes while president are undeniable (except for those in denial), but his narcissistic personality contributed to his loss. It is also contributing to the work of the January 6 committee. If that committee wishes to bring us together, it will forgo recommendations of criminal prosecution and let voters decide, as they should and ultimately will, the future of Donald Trump.

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Meetings and events

Bruguier's Cabin Tours, the second Sunday of the month from June to October, from 2 to 4 p.m. Special group tours can be arranged by calling 712-490-6506.

Dakota County Historical Society meets at 7:30 p.m. on third Thursday of the month, Dakota City Library. Contact Dennis Reinert at 712-253-1609 for more information.

Top O' Morning Toastmasters Club, Mondays, noon to 1 p.m. Contact LeAnn Blankenburg, 712-870-1120, for meeting information.

The Siouxland Ostomy Support Group, find us on Facebook. For more information and meeting times contact Dick Lindblom at 712-251-2453.

Southside "South Bottoms" former residents, 6 p.m. potluck, second Wednesday of the month at Goodwill Industries cafeteria, 3100 Fourth St. Gert, 258-2227.

Siouxland Metal Detecting and Archeology Club, 6:30 p.m., first Tuesday of the month in the Gleeson Room at 4510 Buckwalter Drive. Visitors welcome. Ray Turner, 712-899-2114.

American Legion Post 64, 7 p.m. last Thursday of the month at 4021 Floyd Blvd. 712-258-3986.

Marine Corps League, 6 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Elks Club on TriView Ave. All marines welcome. For more information, call Cathy Moreno, 712-899-8441.

Sioux City Chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 7 p.m. fourth Tuesday of the month at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. 712-203-2052.

Sioux City Duplicate Bridge Club, 12:30 p.m. Mondays (open); at the Senior Center. Mary 605-670-9613.

Siouxland Fly-Fishing Club, 10 a.m. last Saturday of the month at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center on Hwy 12. All interested in fly fishing; beginners welcome. Monthly programs provided. For more information, call Bob Gillespie, 712-251-9463, or Diana, 402-987-3945.

Siouxland Coin Club, 7 p.m. first Tuesday of each month at First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 1915 Nebraska St. Bob, 255-4829.

The Siouxland Pride Alliance, peer support group, 5:30 p.m. Fridays; Youth Pride group, 1:30 p.m. second Sunday of the month; potluck, 5:30 p.m. third Sunday of the month. First Unitarian Church, 2508 Jackson. Call 712-223-0931

Siouxland Samplers Quilt Guild, 7 p.m. second Monday of the month at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St, door #2. Visitors and new members welcome.

Siouxland Sewing Guild, 6:30-8 p.m. first Thursday of the month at South Sioux Public Library, 2121 Dakota Ave., South Sioux City. For anyone interested in sewing. Denise, 402-922-1822.

Sooland RC Modelers, 7 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Morningside Lutheran Church. Non-profit club that flies remote control aircraft. Anyone interested in RC is welcome.

Retired Educators, 10:30 a.m. third Tuesday of the month, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St., door #6.

Mid-Step Services for Handicapped, meal at 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St., door #6.

Confirmation Instruction and Midweek Lessons, 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St., door #6. Open to all kids 5 years old through 8th grade.

Primetime (Potluck), 12 p.m., second Thursday of each month, at Whitfield United Methodist Church, 1319 W 5th. For more information call 252-3261 Tuesday-Thursdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Abundant Life Fellowship, 809 S. Alice St., in Sioux City will distribute food boxes after their 11 a.m. Sunday services. For additional information contact Pastor Bob at 605-205-0718 or Donna at 605-205-0719.

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ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Greek authorities said Sunday they have rescued 108 migrants from a sailboat that was found rudderless and leaking water in the Aegean Sea in near gale force winds.

The rescued migrants  63 men, 24 women and 21 children  have told authorities there four other people are missing.

Reports of a sailboat adrift off the uninhabited island of Delos reached the coast guard late Saturday. It dispatched three rescue vessels and a tugboat. Early Sunday morning, rescuers managed to tow the sailboat to an islet off the nearby island of Mykonos, authorities said. The migrants were safely transported to Mykonos. They told authorities that their boat had sailed from Turkey to an unknown destination.

None of the migrants on board were wearing a life vest, nor was there any life-saving equipment on board, authorities said.

Once again, the coast guard saved lives that the ruthless trafficking networks have exposed to mortal danger without even the barest protection measures, Shipping and Island Policy Minister Ioannis Plakiotakis said.

Late Sunday afternoon, a sailboat with 56 migrants  28 men, 16 women and 12 women  ran aground at an inlet on the island of Rhodes, authorities said. The migrants, who are all well, made it to the shore on their own.

In unrelated migration cases in the neighboring country of North Macedonia, police said they discovered 71 migrants in two separate operations late Saturday and arrested three men suspected of human trafficking.

Police raided a home in the northern town of Kumanovo and found 44 Pakistanis and one person from India. Police arrested the homeowner, a 41-year-old identified only by his initials as U.F. The migrants are believed to have entered illegally from Greece and were waiting to be smuggled to Serbia on their way to unidentified EU countries. They have been transferred to a migrant reception center on the border with Serbia pending deportation.

In a separate case, police discovered 26 migrants from Syria hidden in a van during a routine check on a highway toll station in the southern part of the country. The van driver and his assistant, both Macedonian nationals, were arrested, police said Sunday.

The migrants were transferred to a reception center near the border with Greece pending deportation to that country.

Police say the Balkan route for migrants, through North Macedonia, has become more active again in the past few months after many countries lifted travel restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Follow APs coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Women are not a monolith, their experiences of menopause are not all negative, and this stage of life should not be medicalized, argue an international group of experts.

In an analysis piece published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday, obstetrician Martha Hickey of the Royal Women's Hospital in Victoria, Australia and three women's health professors from the UK, US and Australia discuss the social and cultural attitudes to the life stage when most women's periods stop  typically between the ages of 45 and 55  and argue the need to "normalize" menopause.

In 2021, a global survey revealed 16% to 40% of women experience moderate to severe symptoms during menopause, such as feeling tired, hot flushes, sleep difficulties and aching muscles or joints. A now-common treatment offered to relieve these symptoms is hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which uses medication to replace the hormones lost during menopause and, in turn, ease these symptoms. Many studies have shown its effectiveness in helping women through the menopause and though there are risks, such as increasing your risk of breast cancer, the benefits are thought to outweigh such risks.

However, Hickey and her co-authors argue that while effective treatments such as HRT are important for those with troublesome symptoms, "medicalization may increase women's anxiety and apprehension about this natural life stage."

They add: "Medicalization of menopause risks collapsing the wide range of experiences at the average age associated with this natural process into a narrowly defined disease requiring treatment and tends to emphasize the negative aspects of menopause."

The four experts further argue that while "women with severe hot flushes and night sweats often benefit from menopausal hormone therapy, most women consider menopause a natural process and prefer not to take medication."

Hickey told CNN: "Medicalization of menopause makes women fearful and reduces their ability to cope with it as a normal event in life."

Preserving health  and youthful appearance

Medical caution over the use of HRT is not new. In Elizabeth Siegel Watkins's book, The Estrogen Elixir: A History of Hormone Replacement in America, the professor of history of health sciences charts the causes of the growing trend in HRT and the responses to it.

Published in 2007, Watkins's book explains that "[the medicalization of menopause] begins with the dynamic interactions among scientists, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and gynaecologists in producing, marketing, and prescribing estrogen in the first decades of the twentieth century."

According to Watkins, after half a century of research beginning in the 1890s, estrogen was introduced in the US as a short-term treatment for menopausal symptoms in the 1940s and 1950s. Between 1960 and 1975, hormone therapy saw a massive boom after some reproductive endocrinologists redefined menopause as an "estrogen-deficiency disease".

The approach to the treatment of menopause reveals not just where the science is at but also where the culture is at when it comes to middle-aged women. Watkins writes about E. Kost Shelton, a clinical professor of medicine at UCLA who "promoted long-term hormone therapy as the solution to middle-aged women's woes," believing that estrogen would not only "prevent the development of osteoporosis [a condition where bones weaken, common during menopause]... but it would also help maintain a youthful appearance, a positive attitude, and a happy marriage."

The book quotes from a paper Shelton wrote in 1954 in which he said that the lack of estrogen during menopause "is frequently accompanied by regression to a shell of the former alluring woman ... She becomes insecure, inadequate, and ultimately careless during the most vulnerable period of her marital existence.''

The language may have changed since Shelton's time, but the association between HRT and the expectation to hold on to one's youth persist.

The authors of the BMJ analysis write: "The belief that ageing can be delayed or reversed by hormone replacement therapy (HRT) persists and is reinforced by the media, medical literature, and information for women."

Then and now, why would these associations persist? Hickey and her co-authors provide an answer: "Marketing menopause is a lucrative business."

"In the 1960s, for example, it was suggested that all women should be taking hormonal treatment when they go through menopause." Hickey told CNN. "And still, there is strong pharmaceutical drive for women to take hormones to keep themselves young, or protect their skin, or sex life and other such things that have not been proven."

She adds: "If you have a medication that half the population should be taking, then that's an enormous profit."

Hickey and her co-authors advocate shifting the narrative by pushing forward positive aspects such as freedom from menstruation, pregnancy, and contraception as well as educating women on how to manage the troublesome symptoms. They believe advocating these "might empower women to manage menopause with greater confidence."

Narratives around menopause

Sunny Singh understands the power of narratives. In 2019 the novelist and professor of Creative Writing and Inclusion in the Arts at London Metropolitan University wrote a Twitter thread that was widely shared. In it she shares her own experience of going through perimenopause (when you have symptoms before your periods have stopped).

With great candor and humor, Singh wrote: "We get some vague talk about hot flushes but here is my peri peri experience. My body has decided it needs hot showers but then overheats for the hour afterwards. Cue: twiddle thumbs until I cool down enough to put clothes on. Cue: add extra hour to morning routine."

She adds: "Current discourse veers between "it's all natural" (yeah, so is death) to complete pathologization ... We need to talk menopause without hyper-medicalization."

Singh says she benefitted from having her mother share her experience of menopause in her thirties and says this needs to happen more. She tells CNN: "There has been very little informational exchange around menopause. We need women from across races and regions to talk about menopause."

The BMJ analysis reaches the same conclusion: "Normalising ageing in women and celebrating the strength, beauty, and achievements of middle-aged women can change the narrative and provide positive role models," the authors write.

Story of the week

Graphic video of men stomping on a woman's head has shaken China to the core. The shock and anger reverberated widely as the video spread like wildfire on Chinese social media. By the evening, the attack  which took place around 2:40 a.m. Friday in the northern city of Tangshan  had ignited a nationwide uproar, drawing hundreds of millions of views and dominating online discussions throughout the weekend.

Women Behaving Badly: Yogmaya Neupane (1860-1941)

Written by Pallabi Munsi

In July 1941, Yogmaya Neupane, a feminist leader in Nepal, reportedly plunged into the choppy waters of Arun River. Soon after, over 60 of her disciples also jumped to their death.

The alleged mass suicide, which took place when the people of Nepal were cowering under the autocratic Rana regime, was quickly forgotten from Nepal's history until the 1980s. It is only recently that researchers interpreted the act as a protest against the ruler's failure to meet Neupane's repeated demands for Dharma Rajya, or good governance, wherein Hindu systemic discriminations against women are abolished.

Neupane was the first Nepalese woman known to have been jailed for her political beliefs when she tried to set herself on fire to protest the Rana regime. She also married three times at a time when widow remarriage was an offence.

Researchers say she also gave voice to the voiceless by raising awareness about "superstitious religious practices, the caste system, child marriage, discriminatory treatment of women, corruption and unequal distribution of wealth."

Wondering why Neupane did "not appear in the standard history of Nepal for sixty years," Michael Hutt, professor of Nepalese and Himalayan Studies at the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) in the UK, says more information is needed about this icon. "My plea to Nepal's historians and social scholars is further research," he said.

In 2016, the Nepali government issued a postage stamp marking her "restoration and recognition as a major historical figure, a champion of women's rights," but calls continue for greater research into her life.

If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, here are ways to help.

If you live in the US and are having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (800-273-TALK) for free and confidential support. It's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For crisis support in Spanish, call 888-628-9454

TrevorLifeline, a suicide prevention counseling service for the LGBTQ community, can be reached at 866-488-7386

Befrienders Worldwide connects users to the nearest emotional support center for the part of the world they live in.

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Research suggests that many people prefer ghosting rather than open and honest conversations that might lead to conflict and stress. Yifei Fang/Moment via Getty Images

Check your phone. Are there any unanswered texts, snaps or direct messages that youre ignoring? Should you reply? Or should you ghost the person who sent them?

Ghosting happens when someone cuts off all online communication with someone else, and without an explanation. Instead, like a ghost, they just vanish. The phenomenon is common on social media and dating sites, but with the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic  forcing more people together online  it happens now more than ever.

I am a professor of psychology who studies the role of technology use in interpersonal relationships and well-being. Given the negative psychological consequences of thwarted relationships  especially during the emerging adulthood years, ages 18 to 29  I wanted to understand what leads college students to ghost others, and if ghosting has any impact on mental health.

To address these questions, my research team recruited 76 college students through social media and on-campus flyers. The sample is 70% female. Study participants signed up for one of 20 focus groups, ranging in size from two to five students. Group sessions lasted an average of 48 minutes each. Participants provided responses to questions asking them to reflect on their ghosting experiences. Heres what we found.

The results

Some students admitted they ghosted because they lacked the necessary communication skills to have an open and honest conversation  whether that conversation happened face to face or via text or email.

From a 19-year-old female: Im not good at communicating with people in person, so I definitely cannot do it through typing or anything like that.

From a 22-year old: I do not have the confidence to tell them that. Or I guess it could be because of social anxiety.

In some instances, participants opted to ghost if they thought that meeting with the person would stir up emotional or sexual feelings they were not ready to pursue: People are afraid of something becoming too much  the fact that the relationship is somehow getting to the next level.

Some ghosted because of safety concerns. Forty-five percent ghosted to remove themselves from a toxic, unpleasant or unhealthy situation. A 19-year-old female put it this way: Its very easy to just chat with total strangers so [ghosting is] like a form of protection when a creepy guy is asking you to send nudes and stuff like that.

One of the least-reported yet perhaps most interesting reasons for ghosting someone: protecting that persons feelings. Better to ghost, the thinking goes, than cause the hurt feelings that come with overt rejection. An 18-year-old female said ghosting was a little bit politer way to reject someone than to directly say, I do not want to chat with you.

That said, recent data suggests that U.S. adults generally perceive breaking up through email, text or social media as unacceptable, and prefer a person-to-person conversation.

And then theres ghosting after sex.

In the context of hookup culture, theres an understanding that if the ghoster got what they were looking for  often, thats sex  then thats it, they no longer need to talk to that person. After all, more talk could be interpreted as wanting something more emotionally intimate.

According to one 19-year-old female: I think its rare for there to be open conversation about how youre truly feeling [about] what you want out of a situation.  I think hookup culture is really toxic in fostering honest communication.

But the most prevalent reason to ghost: a lack of interest in pursuing a relationship with that person. Remember the movie Hes Just Not That Into You? As one participant said: Sometimes the conversation just gets boring.

The consequences

Attending college represents a critical turning point for establishing and maintaining relationships beyond ones family and hometown neighborhood. For some emerging adults, romantic breakups, emotional loneliness, social exclusion and isolation can have potentially devastating psychological implications.

Our research supports the idea that ghosting can have negative consequences for mental health. Short term, many of those ghosted felt overwhelming rejection and confusion. They reported feelings of low self-worth and self-esteem. Part of the problem is the lack of clarity  not knowing why communication abruptly stopped. Sometimes, an element of paranoia ensues as the ghostee tries to make sense of the situation.

Long term, our study found many of those ghosted reported feelings of mistrust that developed over time. Some bring this mistrust to future relationships. With that may come internalizing the rejection, self-blame and the potential to sabotage those relationships.

However, just over half the participants in our study said being ghosted offered opportunities for reflection and resilience.

It can be partly positive for the ghostee because they can realize some of the shortcomings they have, and they may change it, said an 18-year-old female.

As for the ghoster, there were a range of psychological consequences. About half in the focus groups who ghosted experienced feelings of remorse or guilt; the rest felt no emotion at all. This finding is not entirely surprising, given that individuals who initiate breakups generally report less distress than the recipients.

Also emerging from our discussions: The feeling that ghosters may become stunted in their personal growth. From a 20-year-old male: It can [become] a habit. And it becomes part of your behavior and thats how you think you should end a relationship with someone.  I feel like a lot of people are serial ghosters, like thats the only way they know how to deal with people.

Reasons for ghosting out of fear of intimacy represent an especially intriguing avenue for future research. Until that work is done, universities could help by providing more opportunities for students to boost confidence and sharpen their communication skills.

This includes more courses that cover these challenges. I am reminded of a psychology class I took as an undergraduate at Trent University that introduced me to the work of social psychologist Daniel Perlman, who taught courses about loneliness and intimate relationships. Outside the classroom, college residential life coordinators could design seminars and workshops that teach students practical skills on resolving relationship conflicts.

In the meantime, students can subscribe to a number of relationship blogs that offer readers research-based answers. Just know that help is out there  even after a ghosting, youre not alone.

___

Royette T. Dubar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

___

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SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- When Onsby Rose was asked to write a musical piece for the Parris Island (South Carolina) Marine Band, he jumped at the chance.

That made sense since Rose was friends with conductor Mark Pellon. He had also been a trombonist and conductor with U.S. Marine Corps Bands for 11 years.

But Rose, now associate music professor at Dordt University, wanted his composition, "You Were There," to recognize unsung frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I wrote it and flew down to Beaufort, South Carolina, working with band on musical prep," he explained. "The band recorded it as part of a video package, written by Victor Norris."

Later, Rose was surprised that "You Were There" had been nominated in the musical composition and arrangement category by the Southeast Emmy Awards.

A division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Science, the Southeast Emmy encompasses works made in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.

"I've been writing music professionally for a number of years," Rose said. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought music I wrote would be included in a project that could receive recognition like this."

"Just being nominated is truly incredible," he continued. "It is up to God if it goes further. Even if it doesn't, being able to say I am an Emmy-nominated composer is pretty cool."

While Rose wasn't in attendance when the Southeast Emmys were handed out on June 18, he would've thanked the work of frontline workers who kept people safe during the pandemic.

"When you think of frontline workers, it is often healthcare providers or somebody like that," he said. "There were so many people who really stepped up to the challenge but didn't the recognition."

Rose would also thank his colleagues and students at Dordt.

"You don't need to be at a state university to receive a first-rate education," he said. "A small liberal arts college allows professors to really know their students."

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PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A building caught fire and later collapsed in Philadelphia, killing one firefighter and injuring five other people, two critically, after all became trapped early Saturday, authorities said.

The fire was reported just before 2 a.m. Saturday in the building in north Philadelphia, eight occupants were safely evacuated and the fire had been declared under control, officials said. At 3:24 a.m., the building collapsed, Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said.

Lt. Sean Williamson, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene after he and another firefighter were freed from the rubble hours after the collapse. Three other firefighters and an inspector with the citys Department of Licenses and Inspections had been freed quickly. One firefighter jumped from the second story to avoid being caught in the collapse, Murphy said. Two firefighters were listed in critical but stable condition at Temple University Hospital while the other three victims were treated and released, officials said.

Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel told reporters Saturday evening that rescuers were able to communicate with" Williamson and another firefighter for most of the several hours they remained trapped, but because of the degree of the collapse and where Williamson was located within the structure we were not able to save him."

The former Marine was highly respected throughout our department" and had trained countless" cadets, Thiel said. Williamson is to have a full honors fire department funeral and given the outpouring of support that Ive seen and weve seen as a department, you can expect this to be a pretty large event.

We're absolutely grieving, we're mourning," Thiel said. We have a lot more crying and a lot more processing to do this unfolds as we move forward with properly honoring Lt. Williamson," he said. Murphy had told reporters at a briefing at about 8 a.m. Saturday that: Its going to be a rough few weeks coming up.

Mayor Jim Kenney called it a heartbreaking day for our city."

For more than 27 years, he dedicated his life to serving and protecting the people of Philadelphia, and sacrificed his life protecting others," Kenney's statement said. Early this morning, like every day, he exemplified heroism by doing what our first responders do every day: put on their uniform, leave their loved ones, and carry out their sworn duty to protect and serve the residents of this city."

The fire marshals office is investigating the cause of the fire with assistance from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Thiel said an engineering investigation into the collapse is also ongoing and the federal National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health is also expected to do an investigation, and that and the department's own after-action report are expected to take one to two years.

Numerous firefighters were standing nearby as the rescue effort unfolded, and some were seen hugging or wiping tears from their eyes, multiple news outlets reported.

Patricia Sermarini told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she rushed to the site when she saw the alert about the collapse because her son-in-law, a firefighter, was on the morning shift. She said he had been one of the firefighters on scene but had made it out of the building just before it collapsed.

But moments later, Sermarini said, she saw firefighters pull a body out from the rubble.

Its so terrible, she said. This is so hard for them. They just want to get home to their families.

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

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court seems poised to take on a new elections case being pressed by Republicans that could increase the power of state lawmakers over races for Congress and the presidency, as well as redistricting, and cut state courts out of the equation.

The issue has arisen repeatedly in cases from North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where Democratic majorities on the states highest courts have invoked voting protections in their state constitutions to frustrate the plans of Republican-dominated legislatures.

Already, four conservative Supreme Court justices have noted their interest in deciding whether state courts, finding violations of their state constitutions, can order changes to federal elections and the once-a-decade redrawing of congressional districts. The Supreme Court has never invoked what is known as the independent state legislature doctrine, although three justices advanced it in the Bush v. Gore case that settled the 2000 presidential election.

The issue is almost certain to keep arising until the Court definitively resolves it, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in March.

It only takes four of the nine justices to agree to hear a case. A majority of five is needed for an eventual decision.

Many election law experts are alarmed by the prospect that the justices might seek to reduce state courts' powers over elections.

A ruling endorsing a strong or muscular reading of the independent state legislature theory would potentially give state legislatures even more power to curtail voting rights and provide a pathway for litigation to subvert the election outcomes expressing the will of the people, law professor Richard Hasen wrote in an email.

But if the justices are going to get involved, Hasen said, it does make sense for the Court to do it outside the context of an election with national implications.

The court could say as early as Tuesday, or perhaps the following week, whether it will hear an appeal filed by North Carolina Republicans. The appeal challenges a state court ruling that threw out the congressional districts drawn by the General Assembly that made GOP candidates likely victors in 10 of the state's 14 congressional districts.

The North Carolina Supreme Court held that the boundaries violated state constitution provisions protecting free elections and freedoms of speech and association by handicapping voters who support Democrats.

The new map that eventually emerged and is being used this year gives Democrats a good chance to win six seats, and possibly a seventh in a new toss-up district.

Pennsylvania's top court also selected a map that Republicans say probably will lead to the election of more Democrats, as the two parties battle for control of the U.S. House in the midterm elections in November. An appeal from Pennsylvania also is waiting, if the court for some reason passes on the North Carolina case.

Nationally, the parties fought to a draw in redistricting, which leaves Republicans positioned to win control of the House even if they come up just short of winning a majority of the national vote.

If the GOP does well in November, the party also could capture seats on state supreme courts, including in North Carolina, that might allow for the drawing of more slanted maps that previous courts rejected. Two court seats held by North Carolina Democrats are on the ballot this year and Republicans need to win just one to take control of the court for the first time since 2017.

In their appeal to the nation's high court, North Carolina Republicans wrote that it is time for the Supreme Court to weigh in on the elections clause in the U.S. Constitution, which gives each states legislature the responsibility to determine the times, places and manner of holding congressional elections.

Activist judges and allied plaintiffs have proved time and time again that they believe state courts have the ultimate say over congressional maps, no matter what the U.S. Constitution says, North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger said when the appeal was filed in March.

The Supreme Court generally does not disturb state court rulings that are rooted in state law.

But four Supreme Court justices  Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Kavanaugh  have said the court should step in to decide whether state courts had improperly taken powers given by the U.S. Constitution to state lawmakers.

That was the argument that Thomas and two other conservative justices put forward in Bush v. Gore, although that case was decided on other grounds.

If the court takes up the North Carolina case and rules in the GOPs favor, North Carolina Republicans could draw new maps for 2024 elections with less worry that the state Supreme Court would strike them down.

Defenders of state court involvement argue that state lawmakers would also gain the power to pass provisions that would suppress voting, subject only to challenge in federal courts. Delegating power to election boards and secretaries of state to manage federal elections in emergencies also could be questioned legally, some scholars said.

Its adoption would radically change our elections, Ethan Herenstein and Tom Wolf, both with the Brennan Centers Democracy Program at the New York University Law School, wrote earlier this month.

Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina.

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

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Russian attacks are laying down a curtain of fire across areas of eastern Ukraine where pockets of resistance are denying Moscow full military control of the region. A regional official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that everything that can burn is on fire. Russias war has caused alarm over food supplies from Ukraine to the rest of the world and gas supplies from Russia. It has also raised questions about security in Western Europe. The Russian military currently controls about 95% of the eastern Luhansk region. Separately, John Kirby, a national security spokesman for the White House, said it was appalling that the Kremlin suggested two Americans captured by Russian forces in Ukraine could be sentenced to death.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Witnesses in Ethiopia said Sunday that more than 200 people, mostly ethnic Amhara, have been killed in an attack in the countrys Oromia region and are blaming a rebel group, which denies it.

It is one of the deadliest such attacks in recent memory as ethnic tensions continue in Africas second most populous country.

I have counted 230 bodies. I am afraid this is the deadliest attack against civilians we have seen in our lifetime, Abdul-Seid Tahir, a resident of Gimbi county, told The Associated Press after barely escaping the attack on Saturday. We are burying them in mass graves, and we are still collecting bodies. Federal army units have now arrived, but we fear that the attacks could continue if they leave.

Another witness, who gave only his first name, Shambel over fears for his safety, said the local Amhara community is now desperately seeking to be relocated somewhere else before another round of mass killings happen. He said ethnic Amhara that settled in the area about 30 years ago in resettlement programs are now being killed like chickens.

Both witnesses blamed the Oromo Liberation Army for the attacks. In a statement, the Oromia regional government also blamed the OLA, saying the rebels attacked after being unable to resist the operations launched by (federal) security forces.

An OLA spokesman, Odaa Tarbii, denied the allegations.

The attack you are referring to was committed by the regimes military and local militia as they retreated from their camp in Gimbi following our recent offensive, he said in a message to the AP. They escaped to an area called Tole, where they attacked the local population and destroyed their property as retaliation for their perceived support for the OLA. Our fighters had not even reached that area when the attacks took place.

Ethiopia is experiencing widespread ethnic tensions in several regions, most of them over historical grievances and political tensions. The Amhara people, the second-largest ethnic group among Ethiopias more than 110 million population, have been targeted frequently in regions like Oromia.

The government-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission on Sunday called on the federal government find a lasting solution to the killing of civilians and protect them from such attacks.

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

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Congratulations, Dominic Eastman. Youve been able to do what members of the Sioux City school board apparently havent.

At Mondays board meeting, Eastman, an East High School student council representative to the board who has attended meetings throughout the year, addressed the board about its recent behavior. Specifically: the way board president Dan Greenwell has been treating other board members.

Eastman called Greenwells actions a form of bullying and said he was unfit to be the boards president.

Later, community leader Kristie McManamy echoed his feelings and said other board members were little more than bystanders, failing to call him on his behavior.

The real problem: Greenwell has the necessary votes to push his agenda without letting others weigh in. When they tried to express their concern, he often looks for ways to silence them.

Those whove attended meetings have witnessed how dismissive he has been of Monique Scarlett and, to a lesser degree, Perla Alarcon-Flory. The two  who used to have the boards top jobs  frequently disagree with his conclusions and the way he conducts business. They say he isnt transparent with the entire board and doesnt facilitate discussion.

On May 9, Scarlett called him out. Greenwell slammed his gavel and said, Youre not the president, madam.

Scarletts response: You have never respected a board member up here.

Eastman said the clash was all too familiar. As a student, he was bullied. When I did speak out, I was told I was looking for attention and literally told to stop looking for my 15 minutes of fame.

The recently East graduate called for a change in leadership and said he was taking steps to have him removed.

Greenwell later told the audience he would do better. But does that change the way business is done?

As the board ponders the search for a successor to Superintendent Paul Gausman, it seems this is the worst time to try to silence anyone. If its members want the best possible person for the job, they need more discussion, more participation and more transparency.

Yes, there can be disagreements. But they dont have to be fueled by the need to control.

Greenwell hasnt appeared willing to listen to some who dont agree with him. We'll be watching to see if Greenwell makes good on his promise to do better. If not, we may be agreeing with Eastman that a change in leadership is warranted.

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Putins absolute control of the Russian national news narrative within his country is appalling. I also find appalling that our American national news organizations (other than Fox News) overwhelmingly protect and support Democrats and their political aspirations while at the same time they consistently denigrate Republicans and their political aspirations. Just be objective and call balls and strikes the same for both of our major political parties.
Hospital doctors have been on strike alert since April.

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Three thousand hospital doctors are willing to give notice at work.

Peter Visolajsky, Chairman of the Medical Trade Unions Association (LOZ), confirmed that after meeting with Prime Minister Eduard Heger. He reported that doctors didnt receive clear answers to their requirements, the TASR newswire wrote.

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"About 3,000 declarations of doctors' notices arent final at all," Visolajsky said as quoted TASR.

In 2011, a similar number of doctors said they would file notices, but more doctors and nurses worked in Slovakia back then, he said. In 2011, the notices of almost 2,000 doctors resulted in the government declaring a state of emergency.

"We are witnessing a situation where hospital nurses are approaching us and want to join the doctors, Visolajsky added as quoted by TASR.

The meeting with the prime minister and the willingness to file notices come on the heels of the strike alert that the doctors' unions declared in April in response to the situation in health care.

The LOZ came forward with eight demands they consider necessary for the improvement of Slovak hospitals. In particular, the suggestions address hospital financing, reform of the system of health insurers, and salary hikes for doctors and nurses.

The Health Ministry asserted the situation is complicated due to the lack of health assistants in Slovakia. More than 3,200 of them are missing, according to the ministry.

The National Oncology Institute (NOU) in Bratislava had to temporarily close the breast surgery department earlier in June due to lack of personnel.

TheKorzar regional daily reported last week that dozens of employees of the Eastern Slovak Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (VUSCH) in Kosice were resigning and planning to work for a private hospital instead.

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Odds-on favourite Pebble Beach sailed for the lead midrace and soared to shore to post a 1:50 tour of force in winning the 39th edition of the $1-million Pepsi North America Cup on Saturday (June 18) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Frozen Hanover flew off the wings for the front to a :27.3 first quarter as Beach Glass keenly pushed uncovered for the lead with Pebble Beach in tow. Beach Glass crossed to the top up the backside while Pebble Beach floated first over and slowly progressed for the front into a :55 half. Into the final turn, the Noel Daley pupil sped on the point as I Did It Myway motored first over to press the pace to three-quarters in 1:22.3 before soon faltering off the turn.

"I would've liked the idea of being able to get in early and make the decision to move, but our hand got forced there and I had to keep pressing," winning driver Todd McCarthy said after the race. "At :55 [half], I was pretty happy with that. I knew he'd have a big last quarter for me.

Straightened for home, Pebble Beach hit another gear and spurted clear of a field fanned across the track attempting to keep pace. With the earplugs still in and the whip tucked, Pebble Beach strode to the finish 2-3/4 lengths better than Beach Glass holding firm in second. Frozen Hanover inched off the pegs and weaved through for third while Ron sprung through traffic to snag fourth.

"It's just so surreal... I'm speechless," McCarthy said. "I can't thank Noel [Daley] enough for what he's done for me since I've come over here, too. He was a large part in helping me come over, and to win this race for him has just been unbelievable. I was lucky enough to pick up this horse early on and he's just been an absolute pleasure.

"He's shown now he's got a bit of versatility  he can do it from the front or behind," Noel Daley said after the race. "He's got a wicked turn of speed, so I said [to Todd] 'as long as you're in the first half swinging in, I'd be happy.' It's good to have a pacer... I've never won a big race with a pacer like this."

The victory propels Pebble Beach closer to millionaire status, with the Downbytheseaside colt now owning $931,750 to his resume for owners Patricia Stable, Joe Sbrocco, Country Club Acres Inc. and Laexpressfoderadeovolente.

Sent the 1-2 favourite, Pebble Beach paid $3.10 to win.

According to Woodbine, Saturday evenings Pepsi North America Cup card established a new N.A. Cup night handle record of $6.3 million, surpassing the $5.6 million wagered on the 2020 Cup card. A sizable chunk of that handle came from the $1.9 million in new money wagered on the Jackpot Hi-5 mandatory payout in the Saturday finale.

The 2022 Pepsi North America Cup featured a stacked undercard with a number of stakes and open class events. Recaps of the evening's other stakes are available below:

For the results from the 2022 Pepsi North America Cup night card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Sent the 2-5 favourite, Fast As The Wind ground off the pegs around the final turn and delivered a 1:52.2 blow to win the $251,000 Goodtimes Final on Saturday (June 18) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Looks Like Moni muscled to the lead with Southwind Domino securing the pocket and Pretender landing in third to a :27.2 first quarter. Fast As The Wind raced fourth as Looks Like Moni maintained his speed up the backside to cruise by the half in :55.1 and race on a loose lead into the final turn. Stablemate Pretender pulled first over off the pegs with Fast As The Wind tracking cover to three-quarters, where Looks Like Moni fumbled his stride and began to gallop.

Pretender took over the lead off the corner with Southwind Domino battling at the pylons and Fast As The Wind ranging to the center of the track. Once given a straight course, Fast As The Wind accelerated clear of his competition while chased by Twin B Archie to stroll to victory in hand. Pretender finished third and Testing Testing rallied from last of the on-gait field to take fourth.

"I was really just trying to get my fella around  he was running in a touch coming off that last turn and I was having to nurse him there," winning driver Dexter Dunn said after the race. "Once Andy [McCarthy]'s one made a break, it got us a little closer to the front there and he laid down like he was been this year."

Fast As The Wind races for owners LeBlanc and Kribbs, Joe Sbrocco and Joseph Barbera and is trained by Tony Alagna. The colt by Cantab Hall nabbed his seventh win from 19 starts and has now accrued $713,227 in earnings while returning a $2.90 mutuel.

As part of the 2022 Pepsi North America Cup undercard, a number of stakes and open class events were contested. Recaps of the evening's other stakes are available below:

For the results from the 2022 Pepsi North America Cup night card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
O'Brien Award winner Forbidden Trade secured a stalking position from which he pounced powerfully to a 1:52.3 victory in the $45,500 Free For All Trot on the Pepsi North America Cup undercard Saturday (June 18) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Its Academic, once smoothening his gait off the first turn, cleared command after a :27 first quarter from Forbidden Trade and promptly slowed the tempo. The field tightened behind the temposetter and forced Oney Hall to attack off the pegs from fourth into a :55.3 half.

Oney Hall marched to match strides with Its Academic circling the final turn all while driver Bob McClure poised Forbidden Trade off the pegs approaching three-quarters in 1:24.1. Spinning for home, McClure motored the six-year-old Kadabra stallion for the front and he grabbed the lead in a matter of strides to cruise home a winner. Pikachu Hanover rallied from third over for second with Patriarch Hanover hustling from last for third. Its Academic held fourth.

Forbidden Trade has now banked $2,167,832 for owner Determination and Luc Blais trains the 23-time winner in 49 tries. Off the 8-5 second choice, he returned $5.40 to win.

As part of the 2022 Pepsi North America Cup undercard, a number of stakes and open class events were contested. Recaps of the evening's other stakes are available below:

For the results from the 2022 Pepsi North America Cup night card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
A Scottsbluff attorney will be among those telling the story of six people wrongfully convicted in the 1985 rape and murder of a Beatrice woman in an HBO docuseries that premieres Monday, June 20.

Maren Chaloupka and co-counsel Jeff Patterson represented six defendants commonly known as the Beatrice 6: Joseph White, Thomas Winslow, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Debra Shelden, James Dean and Kathy Gonzalez. The six people were initially convicted in the 1985 rape and murder of 68-year-old Helen Wilson in Beatrice. In 2008, DNA evidence implicated Bruce Allen Smith, an original suspect in the murder who died in 1992. White was exonerated in court and the other five defendants were pardoned.

Together, the three men and three women spent a combined 75 years in prison in Wilsons death. With the representation of Patterson, Chaloupka and three other attorneys on the legal team, the six defendants sued Gage County, winning a federal jury trial in 2016. It was the culmination of two decades of Joseph White fighting to prove his innocence.

Chaloupka, and her client, Debra Shelden, are among those interviewed as part of the miniseries, Mind over Murder, that documents the case. Its a case that is well-known to most Nebraskans, if not for the chilling tale of wrongful conviction but also for the $28 million judgment that all Nebraskans are helping pay. The Nebraska Legislature approved a bill helping bail out Gage County, allowing appropriations of $5 million a year to help satisfy the judgment.

Though films, docuseries and televisions in the true crime genre have continued to increase in popularity through the years, Patterson, Chaloupka and the defendants in the case have been reluctant to be involved in such projects until being approached by director Nanfu Wang. Wang produced the HBO Original six-part documentary series, Mind over Murder.

After the verdict (in 2016), we started getting approached by different kinds of journalists, both print and documentarians who wanted to make film or TV productions about it. We said no to almost all of them, Chaloupka said.

She explained that the case is very complex, with the federal trial taking more than a month to present and more than 400 documents among the exhibits.

She said that the attorneys were very protective of their clients, and not interested in ventures that would exploit their stories for commercialism. They wanted to maintain the integrity of the truth.

The reason our clients spent a combined 77 years in prison was because people were not interested in the truth, she said. And because they were not interested in the truth, our clients suffered terribly. Theyre never going to recover from that damage.

In working with a journalist from The New Yorker, they became associated with Wang.

She asked us to look at some of the other work she had done. She referred us to some of her other films. ... She is a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient. She is an Oscar-nominated director. And when we watched some of her other films, we were impressed that she had the emotional capacity to carry a complicated, factually and emotionally accurate story.

As she also tells their story, Chaloupka notes that the defendants in the case dont like being called the Beatrice 6, though she acknowledges that the moniker is an easy way for the media and others to refer to the six people in the case.

It (the Beatrice 6 moniker) is a lot easier than explaining, you know, three men and three women who were wrongfully convicted. Its easy to remember and explain it ... but these werent a group of people who hung around or ran around together before this happened. Some of them didnt even really know each other.

...So they have this label define them at a time when theyre trying to move forward, and one of them isnt even living anymore. It has been hard for them. The whole experience has been awful, she said.

For more than a decade, Chaloupka has been a part of the case in representing Shelden, and in an initial trailer for the docuseries, its evident that Shelden still struggles with the aftermath of the case. Some of the most emotional pieces of the trailer come from Shelden.

For her client, Chaloupka said, issues in the case revolved around the intentional influencing the woman to solve the case. The federal jury concluded that Gage County deputy Burt Searcey, who led the cold-case investigation, and Deputy Wage Price, who also worked as a psychologist, had manufactured evidence or engaged in a reckless investigation that violated the rights of the six defendants.

In just one example of the emotional upheaval, Chaloupka shared how Price, who claimed to be treating the defendants during the investigation to recover memories, told Shelden  a woman with an IQ in the 70s that made her susceptible to suggestion and also suffering from schizoaffective disorder  to go back to her jail cell and the truth would come to her in a dream.

And, Shelden did, suffering a nightmare, subsequently convinced that she and another woman had been at the scene of the crime. Deputies based her recounting of the dream as its cause for arresting Kathy Gonzalez in the case. Statements or therapy provided by Price is reported to be tied to more than one false confession made in the case.

Each of the defendants had very unique experiences, Chaloupka said, as a result of egregious law enforcement and prosecutorial misconduct.

Imagine, you or me being prosecuted for murder because someone had a dream that you were there, she said, saying You cant make this s up.

Without the persistence of White, who maintained his innocence, the six defendants may never have been cleared and some would still be in prison. In fact, some of the defendants, including Shelden, served out their sentences in the case before being cleared.

Attorneys battled for their clients during two civil trials and four appeals, Chaloupka said.

Wang doesnt just take the audience through the stories of the Beatrice 6, but also the Wilson family and the Beatrice community. She doesnt shy away from the fact that many of the family members continue to believe that the six cleared defendants are guilty or that some in the Beatrice community would rather not discuss the case, ever. Former Attorney General Jon Bruning has said in interviews that he has been surprised at the anger among those who insist that the Beatrice 6 are guilty, despite the evidence.

Family members of Wilson also live in the Scottsbluff area and were among the children and grandchildren Wang interviewed, which Chaloupka credited as part of the journalistic process that made her supportive and confident in Wangs ability to tell the story. The long-lasting effects of the case are felt on both sides, she said. She told the Star-Herald she can understand the Wilson familys grief, particularly in experiencing the shock and grief of having mother and grandmother taken in such a horrific way, the need for closure as the case remained unsolved, and then the rollercoaster of events as they believed in deputies they thought to be heroes for solving the case.

What they have been through is shocking and confusing, and the real killer was never brought to justice, she said. He died without answering for his crime. ... I just am so sad for what theyve been through.

Like the audience, Chaloupka will be seeing the docuseries for the first time when it premieres Monday. Patterson planned to binge the docuseries, but Chaloupka said she will watch it as episodes are released.

However, despite not having watched it, she said, she is confident in the production. Wang did exhaustive research during the project, including interviews with law enforcement and travels throughout the U.S. In being able to observe some of the interviews, such as with Shelden, Chaloupka said she has been impressed with Wangs interview style and abilities.

This is not my story, she said, saying she doesnt care if despite hours of interviews that she is only a small piece of the final production. My apprehension (and interest) was in knowing that our clients stories are told in a way that they feel heard, and honored, for their experience.

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At the plenary session of the forum, Putin recalled that the surge in commodity and raw material prices occurred long before the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, underlining that the current situation has nothing to do with Russia but was caused by "many years of irresponsible macroeconomic policies" of the Group of Seven.

In Putin's view, some Western countries consider the Russian operation in Ukraine as "a lifeline that allows them to blame others for their own miscalculations."

Speaking about the future of the Russian economy, Putin said his country will never follow the path of self-isolation and autarky.

Putin announced cheap loans to boost industrial production, set the task of mastering all the critical technologies for manufacturing key products, and asked the government to make new fiscal rules to fortify the foundation of economic growth.

The Russian leader said some Western countries with "outdated geopolitical illusions" intentionally undermine the principles of the global economic system.

As a result, many trade, production and logistics ties that were previously disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic are now going through new tests, he told the audience.

Putin said there are revolutionary changes in geopolitics, the global economy, the technological sphere and the entire system of international relations, but some Western countries are trying to counteract this inexorable course of history.

As for the global food shortage, Putin believed that the most important task for the entire world now is to increase the supply of food to the global market, including to countries that are desperately in need.

Russia, while ensuring its own food security, is able to raise the export of food and fertilizers, he noted, pledging readiness to contribute to balancing the world food market.

Russia has not been hampering Ukraine's food exports, Putin underscored.

In his view, the "economic blitzkrieg" against Russia has failed and the Western sanctions have been proven to be a double-edged weapon as the European Union (EU) and European companies could suffer huge direct losses from the sanctions.

Putin said that Russia does not object to Ukraine joining the EU as it is not a military bloc.

Putin called it a "forced and necessary" decision for Russia to conduct the special military operation in Ukraine against the backdrop of "growing risks and threats to us."

"Sooner or later, the situation (regarding Ukraine) will normalize," he said, stressing Russia is not threatening anyone with nuclear arms.

Also attending the event, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said "We are convinced that building a peaceful, stable and economically strong Eurasia will be a powerful factor in sustainable development and inclusive growth on a global scale."

Tokayev called for measures to realize the full potential of cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union and pair the Eurasian integration process with China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said in a video message that he hopes the outcome of the forum will facilitate the search for effective solutions to existing problems and reduce the negative impact of the global economic crisis.

It is necessary to take into account the concerns and interests of all countries, ensuring the security and well-being of peoples, and promoting long-term mutual understanding on political issues, he added.
Haroldene Rodriguez, 55, of Scottsbluff, died in a crash Saturday in Deuel County. Atinder Singh, 30, of Bellerose, New York, the driver of a semi that struck the vehicle Rodriguez was a passenger in has been jailed on charges in connection with the crash.
The Statesville Record & Landmark carried Augustus Ray Morrows obituary on April 6, 1997.

He had died in Lumberton at the age of 98. The article mentioned that Morrow had once served with the N.C. Agricultural Extension Service in Montgomery and Iredell counties.

At 98, Morrow had outlived the family he grew up in along with his friends and peers. There is no mention of what he was once known for in Iredell County, and few if any remembered that as the Iredell County Farm agent this man had helped bring Carnation Milk to Iredell and forever change the countys economy.

On Monday, the Iredell County Historical Society will present a special program on Carnation Milk and its importance in Iredell Countys economic development. This free and open program will be held at the Iredell County Agricultural Center at 444 Bristol Drive at 7 p.m.

A special survey form for those who have stories or memories of Carnation Milk are available online at iredell.lib.nc.us/167/local-history-genealogy. Printed copies are available in the Local History Room at the library at 201 N. Tradd St., Statesville, and in the Statesville Historical Collection at 212 N. Center Street, Statesville.

R. Ray Morrow was born in the Amity Hill area of Iredell on April 26, 1898. His parents, Tom and Betty Margaret Brown Morrow, were farmers. After serving in World War I, A. Ray Morrow studied agriculture at N.C. State College, where he milked cows to help pay for his education. After graduating in 1921, he became county agent in Montgomery County. On Dec. 1, 1925, he returned home to become the farm agent for Iredell County.

The year now is 1937 and County Agent Morrow is worried. Agriculture had been the mainstay of Iredell Countys economy since its creation in 1788. Farming in Iredell County is based on the row crops of tobacco and cotton, and the profits from the sale of these products is dropping. Even worse the soil these crops are being grown on is becoming less productive due to years of cultivation and planting.

Morrow had advocated crop rotation and the planting of grasslands as a way to keep the soil fertile for years, but it wasnt enough. Many Iredell County farms were second- and third-generation farms, and the farmers themselves farmed the way their parents and grandparents had taught them. In fact, many of the farms looked little different than they did when he was boy. Many farms still lacked electricity and indoor plumping.

Morrow wasnt alone. John W. Wallace, became president of the Statesville Chamber of Commerce in 1937. Industrial growth had helped carry the countys economy since the 1890s, but no one was building factories during the Depression. Wallace realized modernizing the countys farm industry was the key to improving Iredells economy.

In speaking with Morrow, he learned that there were 5,000 farm families in the county. Half were farm-owner families living on their own land, while the other half were tenant farmers. The income for these farmers came from the sell perhaps twice a year of the crops they grew. This money had to last the farmer for the entire year, and almost none of them kept any type of bookkeeping system to actually know if they were actually making a profit or just breaking even year after year.

Wallace asked Morrow, Do you think the pace of our agriculture progress could be quickened by stimulating the farmers interest in keeping books, say, by organizing a contest in which the keeping of records would be a primary condition for winning any of the prizes? The goal, he pointed out to Morrow, would be to increase the farmers income. Wallace asked if Morrow thought it would be feasible to increase the income for a farm by $100 a year which would be about 30 cents a day. Morrow agreed that it was possible and together a plan was made.

On April 15, 1937, The Landmark carried a full-page ad, The Statesville Chamber of Commerce Announces A FARM & HOME PROGRESS CONTEST FOR IREDELL COUNTY. The contest consisted of $2,800 in cash prizes and would be Under the Supervision of A.R. Morrow, County Agricultural Agent. The prize winners would be those farmers, who, adhering to sound farming practice, increase their net annual income in per cent in the greatest measure over a three-year period.

Morrow began an intensive campaign to get farmers to increase their grasslands through regular meetings with farmers and speaking at clubs and events. He pointed out that 1,000 farmers adding $100 to their annual income would increase the communitys income by $100,000 and a thousand farmers adding $200 annual income would increase the communitys income by $200,000. The contest received letters of encouragement from Gov. Clyde R. Hoey and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace.

Iredell County farmers favored enriching the soil, but if they planted grass where they used to plant crops how were they to make a living? County Agent Morrow believed that to thrive Iredell County farmers needed to transition from being row crop farmers to dairy farmers. Morrow, the Statesville Chamber of Commerce and local Iredell city and county government officials began efforts to have the Carnation Co. of Wisconsin chose Statesville as the place to locate the new plant it was planning. What followed was an industrial recruitment campaign that would put todays efforts to shame.

Joining in the effort was Chester Edwin Middlesworth, who purchased The Statesville Record in early 1938. Middlesworth began running bold large print headlines at the top of the front page of the Record announcing progress with Carnation. The Aug. 12, 1938, headline read, MILK PLANT MAY LOCATE IN COUNTY, with news of a visit by the Carnation executives. This was followed by, SURVEY SENT TO CARNATION on Aug. 26, 1938. The survey showed there was 4,000 milk cows in Iredell for a creamery with 4,000 more to be easily added.

On Aug. 26, 1938, The Record headline read, PLANT MAY OPEN IN COUNTY, and finally on Oct. 28, 1938, The Record proudly proclaimed, MILK FIRM TO BUILD PLANT IN STATESVILLE. By April 3, 1939, The Record was announcing that, MILK RECEIVING STATIONS OPEN, while Agent Morrow continued to push for more pastureland with GOOD PASTURES ROAD TO SUCCESS in the Aug. 24, 1939, issue.

Carnation Milk Co. had reservations about coming to Iredell, but County Agent Morrow answered them all. It was said that Iredell often suffered from drought and lacked good roads and that the site where Carnation was to build lacked a suitable supply of water. Morrow fought back against these claims pointing out the road system in Iredell County on maps and supplying data on the amount of rainfall each year in the county. He even told the company exactly where to dig their well, which when dug produced 300 gallons a minute as told in the Jan. 16, 1939 article WELL SUCCESSFUL.

The winners of the farm contest were announced in the April 19, 1940, issue of The Record with the bold front-page headline of, ANNOUCE WINNERS OF FARM CONTEST.

William Morrison Pressly and wife, Eula Bailey Pressly, of Shiloh, won first place. Other winners included Luther Troy Brawley and Mary Elizabeth Lentz Brawley, of Barringer, and Mr. and Mrs. T.S. Adams, of Bethany. Adams pointed to having a power line run into their house, the purchase of a Kelvinator refrigerator and an electric motor to pump water to the house and barn as having improved their lives.

On the Carnation Milk plant, Adams said, I consider this milk plant the greatest forward step Iredell County has taken in a generation. We are milking four cows and expect to add more to our herd as we get more pasture and grow more feed. Those supplying milk to Carnation were being paid once every two weeks. A tobacco farmer who previously had sold his main cash crop once a year now for the first time had a steady influx of cash.

Once Carnation had chosen Iredell County as the location of its milk plant and creamery, Statesville celebrated. The Sept. 16, 1940, headline in The Record read, EXPECT THOUSANDS ON CARNATION DAY. On Oct. 2, 1940, the Carnation Plant had its formal opening, and the following day, The Record congratulated Carnation on its choice of Statesville on Oct. 3, 1940, with the headline, CARNATION PLANT HERE WISE MOVE.

By February 1941, The Statesville Daily Record had started putting, Published in the Heart of the Dairying and Industrial Centers of Piedmont North Carolina on the front page above the newspapers title. The Landmark and the Statesville Daily Record merged and published the first issue of the Statesville Record & Landmark on May 6, 1954, continuing to carry the dairying slogan above the title.

In 1944 for the first time in N.C.s history the state produced enough milk for both home consumption and export to other states. By 1946, Iredell County had more dairy cows than any county in North Carolina, and some 10,000 cows were being milked every day. In 1947 the N.C. Department of Agriculture reported that there were more than 350,000 dairy cows on N.C. farms which produced 175 million gallons of milk.

Iredell County kept its support of Carnation and the dairy industry going when it held a Dairyland Festival on May 29-30, 1952. There was a parade downtown of dairy cows and movie cowboy, Don "Red" Barry. A dairy beauty queen pageant was held, and a square dance on West Broad was attended by several thousand. R.D. Warwick, secretary of the Statesville Chamber of Commerce, proclaimed that dairy in N.C. was a $3 million a year industry. In 1954 more than 300 dairies existed in Iredell, making it the leading dairy county in North Carolina.

By the mid-1950s the dairy industry began to decline due to overproduction. Local county agents across the state and in Iredell gradually transitioned the local farmers from raising dairy cows to Hereford (white-face) beef cattle. By 1956, Iredell ranked fourth in the state in the number of Hereford farms and by August 1958 Iredell County was receiving more gross income from livestock and livestock products than from crops. During the 1950s and 1960s, more than 35,000 gallons of milk was being received each day at the Statesville Carnation plant.

County Farm Agent Augustus Ray Morrow resigned as the Iredell County Agent on Sept. 1, 1943. Upon his resignation the July 29, 1943 issue of The Landmark praised Morrow saying, One of the outstanding monuments to Mr. Morrows work in his native county of Iredell was the part he took in bringing the Carnation Companys milk plant to Statesville.

Joel Reese is the local history librarian at the Iredell County Public Library.
Its OK to not be OK. Thats the message Joelle Brawley, the organizer for the event Gods Favorite Chick Presents Cry-Day 2022, wants people to know when it comes to mental health. She said recognizing the issue is the first step to addressing it.

Its OK to not be OK, you dont have to shoulder this thing called life just by yourself, Brawley said.

Brawley said she became more aware of issues around mental health when her daughter began having struggles. She said as she began to look for more information on the subject, she realize that the pre-teen years were often when young women might show symptoms.

Were seeing more and more younger deal with it, and personally with my daughter, ... it came out of nowhere. We dont understand how much is hereditary or genetics, things can be going along fine, then out of the blue ... Brawley said. And it is not often addressed, especially in the Black community, not brought to the forefront, but it is coming out more as an issue people talk about.

But its more than a day or a month, its a 365 days a year issue.

Thats why she is organizing the Cry-Day event for this Saturday at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Statesville, which is open to everyone.

She said along with prayer having other groups with information and resources about mental health, there will be speakers, music and ,most important, people supporting each other.

The Statesville Police Departments Chan Austin also will be on hand to serve hotdogs at the event while the department and other vendors will be sharing information as well.

Brawley said she hopes people will recognize their own or others peoples struggles with mental health, and just like any other health issue, seek treatment if needed or find ways to manage it in their own lives.

There are resources and programs out there; you can speak to a doctor or therapist about it. Or even something like taking care of yourself by going to the gym. ... Talking about it is the gateway to getting help.

She said as a Christian, she said it was important to tackle the issue, pray about it, and ultimately create positive change for people.

Why dont we flip it around and let God get the glory from this? Brawley said. Prayer helps, cast anxiety on him, to shoulder and take the weight off of us, we dont have to do it by ourselves.

Follow Ben Gibson on Facebook and Twitter at @BenGibsonSRL

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U.S. regulators on Friday authorized the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers, paving the way for vaccinations to begin next week.

The Food and Drug Administrations action follows its advisory panels unanimous recommendation for the shots from Moderna and Pfizer. That means U.S. kids under 5  roughly 18 million youngsters  are eligible for the shots. The nations vaccination campaign began about 1  years ago with older adults, the hardest hit during the coronavirus pandemic.

Theres one step left: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends how to use vaccines. Its independent advisers began debating the two-dose Moderna and the three-dose Pfizer vaccines on Friday and will make its recommendation Saturday. A final signoff is expected soon after from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

At a Senate hearing Thursday, Walensky said her staff was working over the Juneteenth federal holiday weekend because we understand the urgency of this for American parents.

She said pediatric deaths from COVID-19 have been higher than what is generally seen from the flu each year.

So I actually think we need to protect young children, as well as protect everyone with the vaccine and especially protect elders, she said.

The FDA also authorized Modernas vaccines for school-aged children and teens; CDCs review is next week. Pfizers shots had been the only option for those age groups.

For weeks, the Biden administration has been preparing to roll out the vaccines for little kids, with states, tribes, community health centers and pharmacies preordering millions of doses. With FDAs emergency use authorization, manufacturers can begin shipping vaccine across the country. The shots are expected to start early next week but its not clear how popular they will be.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state would not order and distribute the shots in the state, but doctors will be able to order them from the federal government. The state was the only jurisdiction in the nation to decline to place advance orders for the pediatric shots.

The White House has been sharply critical of DeSantis position but in a statement Friday it welcomed the news that he was permitting individual doctors to order vaccines for their patients. While doctors in Florida wont be able to access a statewide stockpile immediately after final authorization comes through, the state health department says doctors could get the shots within several days or a week.

Without protection for their tots, some families had put off birthday parties, vacations and visits with grandparents.

Today is a day of huge relief for parents and families across America, President Joe Biden said in a statement.

While young children generally dont get as sick from COVID-19 as older kids and adults, their hospitalizations surged during the omicron wave and FDAs advisers determined that benefits from vaccination outweighed the minimal risks. Studies from Moderna and Pfizer showed side effects, including fever and fatigue, were mostly minor.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha predicted the pace of vaccinations for kids under 5 to be far slower than it was for older populations and said the administration doesnt have any internal targets for the pace of vaccinations.

At the end of the day, our goal is very clear: We want to get as many kids vaccinated as possible, Jha told The Associated Press.

In testing, the littlest children developed high levels of virus-fighting antibodies, comparable to what is seen in young adults, the FDA said. Modernas vaccine was about 40% to 50% effective at preventing infections but there were too few cases during Pfizers study to give a reliable, exact estimate of effectiveness, the agency said.

Both of these vaccines have been authorized with science and safety at the forefront of our minds, Dr. Peter Marks, FDAs vaccine chief, said at a news briefing.

Marks said parents should feel comfortable with either vaccine, and should get their kids vaccinated as soon as possible, rather than waiting until fall, when a different virus variant might be circulating. He said adjustments in the vaccines would be made to account for that.

Whatever vaccine your health care provider, pediatrician has, thats what I would give my child, Marks said.

The two brands use the same technology but there are differences.

Pfizers vaccine for kids younger than 5 is one-tenth of the adult dose. Three shots are needed: the first two given three weeks apart and the last at least two months later.

Modernas is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids under 6. The FDA also authorized a third dose, at least a month after the second shot, for children who have immune conditions that make them more vulnerable to serious illness.

Both vaccines are for children as young as 6 months. Moderna next plans to study its shots for babies as young as 3 months. Pfizer has not finalized plans for shots in younger infants. A dozen countries, including China, already vaccinate kids under 5, with other brands.

Dr. Beth Ebel of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, said the tot-sized vaccines would be especially welcomed by parents with children in day care where outbreaks can sideline parents from jobs, adding to financial strain.

A lot of people are going to be happy and a lot of grandparents are going to be happy, too, because weve missed those babies who grew up when you werent able to see them, Ebel said.

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KYIV, Ukraine  The European Unions executive arm recommended putting Ukraine on a path to membership Friday, a symbolic boost for a country fending off a Russian onslaught that is killing civilians, flattening cities and threatening its very survival.

In another show of Western support, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to offer continued aid and military training.

The European allies latest embrace of Ukraine marked another setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched his war nearly four months ago, hoping to pull his ex-Soviet neighbor away from the West and back into Russias sphere of influence.

At Russias showpiece economic forum in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said Moscow has nothing against Ukraine joining the EU, because it isnt a military organization, a political organization like NATO. He also reprised his usual defense of the war, alleging it was necessary to protect people in parts of eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed rebels and to ensure Russias own security.

Johnsons trip to Kyiv followed one Thursday by the leaders of Germany, France, Italy and Romania, who pledged to support Ukraine without asking it to make any territorial concessions to Russia.

We are with you to give you the strategic endurance that you will need, Johnson said on his second visit to the country since the Feb. 24 start of the war. Although he did not detail the aid, he said Britain would lead a program that could train up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers every 120 days in an unspecified location outside the country.

The training program could change the equation of this war, he said. Ukraine has been taking heavy casualties in fighting in the east.

I completely understand why you and your people can make no compromise with Putin because if Ukraine is suffering, if the Ukrainian troops are suffering, then I have to tell you that all the evidence is that Putins troops are under acute pressure themselves and they are taking heavy casualties, he said. Their expenditure of munitions, of shells and other weaponry, is colossal.

Since his April visit, the Ukrainian grit, determination and resilience is stronger than ever, and I know that unbreakable resolve will long outlive the vain ambitions of President Putin, he said.

Johnson said the U.K. will work to intensify the sanctions on Russia. He praised the resilience of Ukrainians and how life is coming back to the streets of Kyiv, but noted that only a couple of hours away, a barbaric assault continues. Towns and villages are being reduced to rubble.

Zelenskyy gave Johnson a tour of a monastery where they lit candles and the British leader received an icon. They placed flowers at an outdoor memorial wall displaying photos of soldiers who fell in fighting in 2014, viewed an exhibit of damaged, rusting Russian weapons, and greeted cheering crowds.

We have a common view of the movement toward Ukraines victory. Im grateful for the powerful support! Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

The possibility of membership in the EU, created to safeguard peace on the continent and serve as a model for the rule of law and prosperity, fulfills a wish of Zelenskyy and his Western-looking citizens.

The European Commissions recommendation that Ukraine become a candidate for membership will be discussed by leaders of the 27-nation bloc next week in Brussels. The war has increased pressure on EU governments to fast-track Ukraines candidacy, but the process is expected to take years, and EU members remain divided over how quickly and fully to welcome new members.

Political and military support from Western countries has been key to Ukraines surprising success against larger and better-equipped Russian forces. Zelenskyy has also clamored for additional immediate support in the form of more and better weapons to turn the tide in the industrial east, known as the Donbas region.

In St. Petersburg, Putin decried the sanctions imposed on Russia by the U.S. and its allies as insane and, I would say, reckless.

The calculation was understandable: to impudently, with a swoop, crush the Russian economy by destroying business chains, forcing the withdrawal of Western companies from the Russian market, freezing domestic assets, hitting industry, finance, and the peoples standard of living. It didnt work, he said.

Russia has pressed its offensive in the east, leaving desperate residents worried about their future.

We are old people, we do not have a place to go. Where will I go? asked Vira Miedientseva, an elderly resident grappling with the aftermath of an attack Thursday in Lysychansk, just across the river from Sievierodonetsk, where a key battle is raging.

Russian forces have switched their focus to the Donbas after a series of setbacks early in the war, including the failure to seize Ukraines capital. The Ukrainian military said Moscows troops kept up relentless attacks on Sloviansk and Sievierodonetsk, the focus of recent fighting. The military claimed Ukrainian forces pushed Russian fighters out of the village of Bohorodychne, north of Sloviansk.

Russia and its allies say they have taken about half of Donetsk and nearly all of Luhansk  the two regions that make up the Donbas. Sievierodonetsk and surrounding villages are in the last pocket of Luhansk region still in Ukrainian hands.

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NEW YORK (AP)  The U.S. on Saturday opened COVID-19 vaccines to infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

The shots will become available this week, expanding the nations vaccination campaign to children as young as 6 months.

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccines for the littlest children, and the final signoff came hours later from Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the agency's director.

We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with todays decision, they can, Walensky said in a statement.

While the Food and Drug Administration approves vaccines, its the CDC that decides who should get them.

The shots offer young children protection from hospitalization, death and possible long-term complications that are still not clearly understood, the CDC's advisory panel said.

The government has already been gearing up for the vaccine expansion, with millions of doses ordered for distribution to doctors, hospitals and community health clinics around the country.

Roughly 18 million kids will be eligible, but it remains to be seen how many will ultimately get the vaccines. Less than a third of children ages 5 to 11 have done so since vaccination opened up to them last November.

Here are some things to know:

WHAT KINDS ARE AVAILABLE?

Two brands  Pfizer and Moderna  got the green light Friday from the FDA and Saturday from the CDC. The vaccines use the same technology but are being offered at different dose sizes and number of shots for the youngest kids.

Pfizers vaccine is for children 6 months to 4 years old. The dose is one-tenth of the adult dose, and three shots are needed. The first two are given three weeks apart, and the last at least two months later.

Modernas is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids 6 months through 5 years old. The FDA also approved a third dose, at least a month after the second shot, for children with immune conditions that make them more vulnerable to serious illness.

HOW WELL DO THEY WORK?

In studies, vaccinated youngsters developed levels of virus-fighting antibodies as strong as young adults, suggesting that the kid-size doses protect against coronavirus infections.

However, exactly how well they work is hard to pin down, especially when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine.

Two doses of Moderna appeared to be only about 40% effective at preventing milder infections at a time when the omicron variant was causing most COVID-19 illnesses. Pfizer presented study information suggesting the company saw 80% with its three shots. But the Pfizer data was so limited  and based on such a small number of cases  that experts and federal officials say they dont feel there is a reliable estimate yet.

SHOULD MY LITTLE ONE BE VACCINATED?

Yes, according to the CDC. While COVID-19 has been the most dangerous for older adults, younger people, including children, can also get very sick.

Hospitalizations surged during the omicron wave. Since the start of the pandemic, about 480 children under age 5 are counted among the nations more than 1 million COVID-19 deaths, according to federal data.

It is worth vaccinating even though the number of deaths are relatively rare, because these deaths are preventable through vaccination, said Dr. Matthew Daley, a Kaiser Permanente Colorado researcher who sits on the CDCs advisory committee.

In a statement Saturday, President Joe Biden urged parents to get them for their young children as soon as possible.

WHICH VACCINE SHOULD MY CHILD GET?

Either one, said Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA's vaccine chief.

Whatever vaccine your health care provider, pediatrician has, thats what I would give my child, Marks said Friday.

The doses haven't been tested against each other, so experts say theres no way to tell if one is better.

One consideration: It takes roughly three months to complete the Pfizer three-shot series, but just one month for Moderna's two shots. So families eager to get children protected quickly might want Moderna.

WHO'S GIVING THE SHOTS?

Pediatricians, other primary care physicians and childrens hospitals are planning to provide the vaccines. Limited drugstores will offer them for at least some of the under-5 group.

U.S. officials expect most shots to take place at pediatricians offices. Many parents may be more comfortable getting the vaccine for their kids at their regular doctor, White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said. He predicted the pace of vaccination will be far slower than it was for older populations.

Were going see vaccinations ramp up over weeks and even potentially over a couple of months, Jha said.

CAN CHILDREN GET OTHER VACCINES AT THE SAME TIME?

Its common for little kids to get more than one vaccine during a doctors visit.

In studies of the Moderna and Pfizer shots in infants and toddlers, other vaccinations were not given at the same time so there is no data on potential side effects when that happens.

But problems have not been identified in older children or adults when COVID-19 shots and other vaccinations were given together, and the CDC is advising that it's safe for younger children as well.

WHAT IF MY CHILD RECENTLY HAD COVID-19?

About three-quarters of children of all ages are estimated to have been infected at some point. For older ages, the CDC has recommended vaccination anyway to lower the chances of reinfection.

Experts have noted re-infections among previously infected people and say the highest levels of protection occur in those who were both vaccinated and previously infected.

The CDC has said people may consider waiting about three months after an infection to be vaccinated.

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Editors note: Information is provided by the Cowlitz County Corrections Department and local law enforcement agencies. Each individual named in this report is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Criminal impersonation  Cowlitz County deputies Thursday arrested Scout Shyenne Wells, 26, of Kelso on suspicion of first-degree criminal impersonation, introducing a contraband substance to jail and being a fugitive.

Stolen vehicle, drugs  Longview officers Thursday arrested Sarah Jane Dudley, 42, of an unknown location for suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, the sale or manufacture of methamphetamines and possessing a controlled substance without a prescription.

Drugs  Department of Fish and Wildlife officers Thursday arrested Dalton Ray Trapp, 25, of Castle Rock on suspicion of four counts of a felony drug charge, two counts of committing a controlled substance violation in a public place, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of making a false statement.

Assault  Longview officers Friday arrested Keith Alan Byman, 34, of Longview on suspicion of third-degree assault, resisting arrest and obstructing a public servant.

Contraband  Longview officers Friday arrested Jamey Shane Thomas, 44, of Longview on suspicion of introducing contraband, being a fugitive and fourth-degree assault.

Firearm  Longview officers Friday arrested Joseph Angel Wright, 33, of Longview on suspicion of unlawfully possessing a firearm in the first degree.

Harassment  Longview officers Friday arrested Rodney Joseph Yeager, 30, of Longview on suspicion of felony harassment and obstructing a public servant.

Editors note: A software switch at Cowlitz County dispatch has prevented the agency from temporarily supplying 911 call logs and officer notes past June 6. The agency is working to create new reports to supply media outlets.

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The local congresswoman in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as her Trump-endorsed opponent in this falls election, are questioning proposed legislation in light of recent mass shootings.

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battleground, and Joe Kent, a Republican from Yacolt, want to review the constitutionality of the legislation lawmakers are most hopeful of passage: a proposed Senate package addressing school safety and gun control that could be voted on within the next few weeks and would also need support in the House.

On June 12, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators announced the package, which includes funding for states to enforce or create red flag programs, expanded background checks for firearm buyers between the ages of 18 and 21 and money for school-based safety and mental health policies.

The proposal was announced about four weeks after an 18-year-old shooter killed 19 children and two adults on May 24 inside an Uvalde, Texas elementary school. On May 14, another 18-year-old gunman killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.

Red flag laws

Kent, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the fall, called himself a second-amendment absolutist. Kent told The Daily News he fully opposed measures such as red flag laws, which he called a possibly unconstitutional government overreach.

This is 100% about keeping the government in check. The government is supposed to have a healthy fear of its citizens and thats why the second amendment exists, Kent said.

Washington state already has a red flag law, officially known as extreme-risk protection orders, which was established by ballot initiative in 2016 with a supermajority of voter support. The policy allows law enforcement, family members and household members to file with the court to request a temporary seizure of firearms from people who are a significant danger to themselves or others.

Careful review

Herrera Beutler said she wanted to see if the final set of reforms in the Senate package would be effective and constitutional.

The framework produced by the Senate is just that  a framework without specific legislative text. Whatever text is passed by the Senate will require careful review, Herrera Beutlers campaign said in a written statement.

In the past, Herrera Beutler has shown support for the types of mental health and school security policies that could end up in the Senate package. Herrera Beutler co-sponsored a 2021 bill that would have required elementary and secondary schools to install silent alarms to alert police about safety issues and provided training for school resource officers.

About two weeks after the Texas shooting, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban the sale of large capacity magazines and raise the age for buying semi-automatic rifles to 21. Herrera Beutler and nearly all House Republicans voted against the bill, which is not expected to succeed in the Senate.

Armed teachers

Kent said he wanted an expanded presence for school resource officers and policies to allow teachers to be armed at school. Kent said the state took away the ability for teachers like the one killed in Uvalde from carrying guns in their classrooms.

Texas does, in fact, have two programs in place where districts can opt in to certify teachers as armed marshals or guardians. Roughly a quarter of Texas school districts participate in one of the programs. More than 75% of Texas educators surveyed by the Texas American Federation of Teachers said they would not want to be armed at school.

Talks on the Senate package have slowed over disputes on what has been called a boyfriend loophole, which allows convicted domestic abusers to buy a gun if they are not married to or living with the domestic abuse victim. Senators have said they want to finalize the legislation and vote on it before July Fourth.

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Castle Rock has been beautifying its streets for the last decade through a national nonprofit called America in Bloom. Now Kelso is working to follow suit.

The Kelso Business and Community Association has spent the last year laying the groundwork to launch. Unofficially known as Kelso in Bloom, the program will organize efforts by the city, local businesses and volunteers to improve the city's appearance with projects like planting flowers.

Later this summer the association plans to officially file to participate in Growing Vibrant Communities, a spin-off program of America in Bloom that helps cities assess their current beautification efforts and plan improvements.

"This program works, it worked for our neighbors to the north. Why reinvent the wheel?" said Lindsey Cope, president of the Kelso Business and Community Association.

Cope said she'd been considering a program like Kelso in Bloom since 2018 through her work with the Cowlitz Economic Development Committee. The committee had no programs focused on Kelso at the time and the city's downtown association had dissolved, so she began reaching out to local businesses and community advocates.

Tracy Laurinat, co-owner of Stripper Antiques, said he and his business partner have been doing their part to keep up the appearances of Allen Street for years, including tending to the flowers in Veterans Park and cleaning trash off the sidewalks on the Peter Crawford Bridge.

"We're grateful to have a business in Kelso and when we have time, we try to keep it beautiful," Laurinat said.

Businesses, city organizations team up to beautify county For the last decade, The Stripper Antiques owner Tracy Laurinat has planted flowers on city property across the street from his Allen Street b

In 2019, America in Bloom launched Growing Vibrant Communities to help interested cities get on track for participating in the nonprofit that hosts competitions. The program offers cities self-assessments on seven areas related to beautification, from flowers and landscaping to pieces of "community vitality" including community centers and places for outdoor recreation.

Growing Vibrant Communities also provides each city an adviser dedicated to working with their efforts over the next year and resource books of ideas that worked for other cities.

Some of the improvements made for Kelso in Bloom already are visible. The association bought banners advertising downtown Kelso that hang from city light poles. More than 30 concrete planters are outside stores throughout the city, nearly all of which are actively in use.

"It makes sense that people would move to the town where people are proud to be from there, where they are active participants in making it pretty and making it feel like home," Cope said.

Cope and other Kelso in Bloom organizers have been talking with members of the Castle Rock Bloom Team about their experiences with the program. Castle Rock won multiple awards from America in Bloom for its flower displays and the "people's choice" video contest.

"I've talked to a lot of communities about this and the message is the same," Bloom Team leader Nancy Chennault said. "It's the best investment in your community that you could ever make."

The Kelso Business and Community Association needs to be approved as a nonprofit by Washington state before it can officially run the program. Cope said making it a standalone nonprofit instead of a sub-project for the county Economic Development Council will help the association directly manage future fundraisers. Cope said she expects the approval to come through later this summer.

Once the city officially files as a Growing Vibrant Community, the Kelso Business and Community Association plans to ramp up its outreach efforts to other organizations. A goal of Cope's is to get the Kelso School District involved with growing and caring for flowers, similar to the arrangement Castle Rock has with its high school.

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OLYMPIA  Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee is now among a growing number of people saying elected Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler should resign.

The calls for the 78-year-old, six-term Democrat, to step down come after the Northwest News Network reported Wednesday that Kreidlers office had fired employee Jon Noski.

Noski in February submitted a written complaint saying Kreidler had bullied him and was increasingly antagonizing staff. Noski served as Kreidlers legislative liaison, a role that required him to advocate with lawmakers on behalf of the insurance commissioners office.

Noski was fired Tuesday, the same day he returned to work from medical leave. The agency gave no reason for Noskis firing.

Other current and former insurance commissioner staff also told the Northwest News Network they had been subject to or witnessed what they described Kreider verbally mistreating staff and also, at times, using racially offensive language.

Kreidler said in February that he was surprised and saddened to hear his conduct was having a negative effect on staff and said it wasnt his intention.

Im going to double down to make sure that I am more careful in dealing with people, Kreidler said at the time.

Inslee said in a statement Friday that the events of the last several months demonstrate Kreidler is unable to fulfill his leadership responsibility.

Commissioner Kreidler assured his employees and the public he would work to improve his relationship with staff, but instead he terminated an employee who spoke out about these issues, Inslee said. All staff deserve respect regardless of their at-will status. Therefore its my belief we need different leadership in this position and I believe he should resign.

The Washington State Democratic Party also joined the call Friday for Kreidler to resign, which followed a bipartisan group of state senators who did so on Thursday.

In response, Kreidler in a statement Friday that he cant comment on the details of an individual personnel matter but the conclusion that an important and valued employees departure was because he filed a complaint against me is not true and does not reflect the full context of the story.

Kreidler also said he generally respects Inslees perspective, but disagrees with his conclusion regarding Kreidlers ability to continue his duties.

I take full responsibility for my past behavior and recognize the impact it has had on those around me and the people I serve, his statement said. I have pledged to do better and stand by that commitment. At the same time, I intend to continue serving alongside the dedicated people of our agency and to work on the important consumer protection issues ahead.

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

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 Flash

Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong called Saturday for carrying forward the spirit of Rewi Alley to further deepen the friendship between China and New Zealand and their peoples.

Ambassador Wang made the call at the annual conference of the New Zealand China Friendship Society (NZCFS).

The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand. This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the NZCFS, the legacy of Rewi Alley.

Wang said developing a strong relationship between the two countries is a long-term strategic decision both rooted in shared past and eyes on future.

Both China and New Zealand believe in and advocate multilateralism, support the international system with the United Nations as its core, and both are committed to international cooperation in addressing global challenges like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese ambassador said.

Broad-based support among the two peoples from the bottom up and the stewardship by the leadership of the two countries at the very top have coalesced to add increasing breadth and depth to the development of bilateral relations and to the benefit of both countries and peoples, contributing to regional and world peace and prosperity, the ambassador said.

"Let's work together to build upon the progress over the past 50 years and bring about further development of China-New Zealand relationship in the next 50 years and beyond, generating even greater benefits for both sides, particularly both peoples," he added.

Speaking at the same occasion, Dave Bromwich, president of the NZCFS, called for renewing and enhancing the friendship between New Zealand and China.

Bromwich, also a scholar, said the mission of the NZCFS is to promote goodwill, understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

Strongly condemning some Western media for producing fake reports on China, Bromwich encouraged young Kiwis to engage with their peers in China, to study Chinese society and the Chinese language.

Bromwich, who spent nearly 10 years in and paid around 50 visits to China, said, "My experience in China has given me a great understanding of where China is today, where she has come from and how she has developed."
Users prefer Apple more than Samsung when switching from one smartphone to another, new data revealed. The iPhone 13 also emerged as the top-selling phones.

In what will come as a major shot in the arm for Apple ahead of the upcoming iPhone 14 launch, it has been revealed that iPhones are quite the preferred gadget for switchers between brands. With iPhone 14 being hyped up as a game-changer, this kind of data will certainly be welcome- for Apple. How does this pa out? So, while switching from one smartphone to another, users have many brands in the market to choose from. Now, a recent report indicated that Apple is the leading brand for buyers when it comes to switching between two smartphone brands - Samsung and Apple. According to new data from US carrier channels, Apple surpassed Samsung by a wide margin, a Gizmochina report reveals. The data suggested that 73 percent of the users choose the iPhone maker while switching from one smartphone brand to another, while only 16 percent go to the South Korean brand Samsung.

iPhone 13 is still at the TOP

Last year, Apple launched its iPhone 13 series including four smartphones - iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, and iPhone 13 mini. Among these, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are still selling better than the previous generations of Apples smartphones, the report suggested. Sadly, the sales numbers for these iPhones are unknown. Still, the data suggested that iPhone 13 is shining across all the carrier channels as the top model with a 25 percent share in May 2022. This is followed by the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro with 16 percent and 13 percent respectively. Also read: Think iPhone 13 is expensive? Leaked iPhone 14 price too? Wait till you read this

It seems like Apples compact smartphones are not doing great in sales, as the iPhone 13 mini clocked only a 2 percent share and the latest iPhone SE 3 sales were weak too, the carrier representatives added. Other iPhones than these accounted for 4 percent in sales.

This makes sense why Apple may ditch the iPhone 14 mini in the upcoming flagship iPhone 14 series launch later this year. Several leaks suggest that Apple will replace the mini avatar of the iPhone with a new iPhone 14 Max.
A solar flare is a massive outburst of energy from the Sun. What if we are directly hit by a major one? This is how solar flares can impact us.

The Sun is essential for the survival of plants as well as humans on Earth, but this giant energy source can also disrupt all kinds of technology on Earth including the largest communication system that we depend on in todays era! - the Internet The biggest threat from the Sun are Solar flares, which are the powerful large eruptions of electromagnetic radiation from the surface of the Sun sent hurtling into space at massive speeds. Thanks to the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere, which work as a shield to protect us from the effect of rays from the Sun on a daily basis, humanity is unaffected most of the times barring some incidents of radio blackouts. However, these solar storms do end up creating something beautiful too- the auroras. However, the potential for wreaking death and destruction is massive as a strong solar flare can conjure up a massive geomagnetic storm and that can destroy the Internet, mobile phones, satellites, power grids and more. Also read: This man captured a 4-Earth-sized solar flare with a telescope!

How solar flares can impact Earth?

Impact on power

Have you heard about 1859's Carrington Event? The massive solar flare left a huge impact on Earth, including the failed power grids. Even in the 1980s, a geomagnetic storm caused by solar flares suffered a massive power outage in Quebec, Canada, leaving millions without electricity. Similar events can even happen today if a massive solar flare hits the Earth. If that happens, it will knock out the electricity grid and everything dependant on electricity will cease to function.

Impact on Communications

Not just power, but daily communication can be halted with disrupted power, Internet and GPS systems that we use. That includes everything, phone calls, internet, everything can be impacted. And it may stay down for months as it will take a lot of time to repair the damaged and destroyed infrastructure

Auroras

While on the one side, the solar flares can cause many disruptions, on the other side, it has one good result too. The northern lights or auroras can light up the skies for a spectacular view! NASA explains how those fascinating lights in the sky are generated on the poles. It says, "Auroras are created when charged particles from the Sun are trapped in Earths magnetic environment  the magnetosphere  and are funnelled into Earths upper atmosphere, where collisions cause hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms and molecules to glow."
The Reserve Bank of India will support internationalization of the countrys popular UPI digital payments system, part of its vision for the coming years.

The Reserve Bank of India will support internationalization of the countrys popular UPI digital payments system, part of its vision for the coming years.

Enhanced interest evinced by major countries across the globe in Indias UPI could accelerate growth in trade and commerce with partnering countries while reducing speed and cost of remittances, the central bank said in a Vision 2025 document. It will also explore expanding the SFMS financial messaging system across jurisdictions.

The RBI expects the UPI platform to see average annualized growth of 50% in the next three years, and said measures it plans to take will triple the number of digital payment transactions. The body governing UPI signed an agreement this week to allow UPI in France after entering partnerships in Singapore and the UAE.

While the central bank looks at ways to promote Indias payment systems to other countries, it could consider mandating only domestic processing of payments. Payments providers are already required to store data locally, with credit card provider Mastercard seeing a nearly year-long ban on adding new customers lifted on Thursday after it complied with the rules.

The central bank will also soon publish a discussion paper on the need for regulation of big technology companies in the payments ecosystem.
Google Doodle has come up with a beautiful GIF to celebrate Father's Day 2022.

Most parts of the World are celebrating Father's Day on Sunday, June 19. Google is also celebrating the occasion in its own special way, with a special doodle. Today's Google Doodle has shared a GIF to wish all the fathers a very happy father's day. It can be known that in India, father's day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. Also, some countries celebrate father's day on different dates. Countries like Portugal, Spain, Italy, celebrate father's day on March 19. While Australia celebrates it on the first Sunday of September; the United States on June 18, among others.

In today's Father's day Google doodle, you will be able to see hands (one of the father and one of the child) in all the GIFS. The hands beautifully depict and portray the special bond between a father and child. A father not only supports the family but also acts as a protector who will not let anyone harm his family in any way. In one of glimpses of the GIF you will see the father and child doing hand painting, while in one they are simply holding each others hands, in one the child holds a spoon and the father is giving some food, and in the last slide you will see an old hand holding a stick for support and child's hand over the father's hand.

Also Read: Happy Father's Day 2022 WhatsApp stickers: How to share Happy Father's Day WhatsApp wishes

Every year father's day is celebrated to honour and appreciate the support, sacrifices and all kinds of efforts a father makes to help his child.

Father's Day: History

The day to celebrate the efforts of a father was founded by Sonora Smart Dodd in the US. Sonora's father William Jackson Smart was a war veteran who selflessly raised six children all alone. Sonora had heard about how Anna Jarvis had created International Mother's Day in honor of her mother. So she told the pastor of her church that there should be something similar to celebrate fathers.

Also Read: WhatsApp users hit by fake Father's Day deals! Don't fall for them; Do THIS now

So, to make the day special for your father, you can simply talk to him and express your love for him. You can even send him gifts, messages, plan an outing with him, or do something he likes. In short, make the day memorable for your father. Happy Father's Day!
Delfast founder and CEO Daniel Tonkopi talks e-bikes in Ukraine and managing remotely during a military invasion.

When Daniel Tonkopi founded Delfast in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2014, he had no intention of building and selling electric bikes. He also never anticipated that his company would be caught up in a war with Russia or that his bikes would become military vehicles. But at 43, Tonkopi, a native of Almaty, Kazakhstan, now finds himself living in Los Angeles, running an e-bike company and remotely managing dozens of employees living in a war zone. In May, Tonkopi made headlines when he shared images on Facebook of Ukrainian fighters using Delfast bikes to carry anti-tank weapons to the front, demonstrating yet another use case for electrified two-wheelers.

Our bikes are still working despite damages, he told me on a video call earlier this month.

Tonkopi moved to Ukraine from Kazakhstan in 2009. Hed been working for KazMunayGas, the state-owned oil and gas company, as a project manager building gas stations when he decided to head to Kyiv to try his hand as an entrepreneur. The vogue at the time was to build clones of successful U.S. tech companies, so Tonkopi made a version of Yelp for Eastern Europe. It was, by his own admission, a flop, as were several attempts that came after. I became an expert in all the possible mistakes and how to not make a startup, he says.

Delfast began as a one-hour delivery company. (The name is short for we deliver fast.) Tonkopi wanted to use e-bikes for the service because they were cheap, quick, zero-emissions and didnt require couriers to pedal for hours on end. When he couldnt find bikes with long enough battery life to work all day, he decided to try building his own. His Frankenstein creations turned heads. We heard a lot of asks from random people. Hey, are you selling these bikes? he says. So, in 2017, Delfast launched a crowdfunding campaign, raised $165,000 and sold 44 e-bikes.

Over the next three years, Delfast functioned both as a courier company and an online e-bike shop. In 2020, a few days after Covid lockdowns began, Tonkopi sold the delivery business to a direct-to-consumer meat vendor in Ukraine. Delfast now sells a single e-bike model, the Top 3.0, via its website and a small network of independent bike shops. It has a top speed of 50 miles per hour, a range of up to 200 miles and a sticker price of $6,999. Last year, Delfast sold about 200 units, mostly to customers in the US. So far this year, says Tonkopi, sales are running at triple that pace.

Last fall, after realizing that 80% of the companys customers were in the US, Delfast opened an office in Whittier, California, outside Los Angeles, where Tonkopi and a few others work. The remaining 30 employees are still in Ukraine. Tonkopi spoke with Bloomberg about e-bikes as weapons, managing a startup through war, and the Delfast product pipeline. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length. You've got 30 or so people in Ukraine. How have you managed that workforce since the war began? Starting from February 24th, those were tough weeks, especially the first week, when we didnt know what was happening and what to do. We had some financial reserves, enough for three months of salary for all our personnel, so we told everybody, You dont have to worry, you will have your salary no matter what, at least for three months.

And we provided some of them with support to relocate. We found some houses and apartments in safer places. For example, one woman used to live in Kherson, a city fully occupied by Russia. At one point, Russian police or military forces came to her house. They asked her to show them her smartphone, her laptop and so on. They found anti-Russian messages and memes in her phone. So they deleted all the information in her phone and said, Okay, now your smartphone will have a new life. And you will come to our police station tomorrow at 11 a.m. And you will have new life as well. That was really scary. She didnt want to have any kind of new life with Russia. So one of our sales manager helped to find her a car in Kherson and to escape. She left to Odessa that night. Odessa is under attack as well. There is no safe place in Ukraine, but its relatively safer. Are people now able to do their jobs? Yes. That was the first weeks. People are still sitting in bomb shelters. They live in their apartments or houses but when they hear air-raid sirens, they have to go into bomb shelters. It is constant bombing. Every Monday starts with a Zoom call with everyone, we ask them how they are, if they are safe, whats going on, and then we move on to our usual business issues.

What is crazy is that during the war, our engineers have developed a totally new product. They were tired of sitting in the basement and tired of being afraid, and they wanted to move their energy and inspiration into something new. And they created a new model for the US market, which we are going to unveil in the beginning of August. Do you have a name for it? We do, but it is still under consideration. It has a smaller battery and lower speed than our Top bike. We will do our best to make it affordable so more people will be able to use it. How did some of your e-bikes wind up in the war? When the war began, we decided that we are going to help the people of Ukraine and we are going to donate 5% of all our sales revenue as a company. And weve donated three e-bikes  two of our Top 3.0 bikes to Ukrainian military forces and one prototype to the volunteer division. They are using this prototype for their medical staff. Three bikes are what we had in our facilities at the beginning of the war. We deliver parts and semi-assembled bikes from China to California. And we have our stock here in Los Angeles. We have just an R&D center in Ukraine. We didn't have many spare parts in Kyiv.

The military adjusted them. They made an additional rear trunk for holding rocket launchers. They say it works well. According to their feedback, our bike is maneuverable, it is quiet and it cannot be spotted by heat sensors. So they can come to a position, do whatever they need to do, and then immediately leave without being spotted. They have a tough situation. Russian troops are attacking our army. Its hot. Its really hot. Our Ukrainian soldiers, sometimes they come back wounded and with some damages on their cars and vehicles. Our bikes are still working despite damages. It operates well in the hottest conditions. And you are also fundraising now? Yes, about a year ago, in the beginning of 2021, we did an equity crowdfunding round at fundable.com. People from Ukraine believed in our company. Three hundred of them invested. The average check was about $10,000. So we raised $3.4 million. That helped us to create our R&D center in Ukraine, to move our headquarters to California and to create a stock of bikes. We invested a lot into our supply chain, into logistics, and we decreased our lead time from four months, one year ago, to two weeks today.

Then we launched a Series A venture round at the beginning of this year. We paused at the end of February, but now I am back at it. The goal for the round is $20 million. Weve received $2 million and right now Im in negotiation for another $5 million. We have a product, we have a product plan, we have a platform, we have proprietary technologies, we have sales, and we are growing, even without outside investment. We need investment to make the growth faster. We are growing at 3x. We want to grow 20x. Im building a multibillion-dollar company here.
In April, word broke about a sex-trafficking victim who had been abducted at a Dallas Mavericks game at American Airlines Center. Now, the 15-year-old girls parents are breaking their silence to speak out about what happened.

Kyle and Brooke Morris spoke with ESPN and Good Morning America about their daughters story, which they hope can be a cautionary one about the dangers of human sex trafficking and how the current laws are applied to it.

We just want to make sure people understand  that something like this can happen to anyone anywhere, Kyle Morris said. Even if you dont think its possible, theres people out there that they want to make it happen.

Kyle had taken his 15-year-old girl to a Mavericks game on April 8 when she left him to use the restroom and was found 10 days later in an Oklahoma City hotel room. Local police found the girl following assistance from the non-profit Texas Counter-Trafficking Initiative, which tracked down images of her on a website used for prostitution.

Six women and two men were arrested in connection with the case and charged with offenses ranging from rape to human trafficking and distribution of child pornography to offering to engage in prostitution to outstanding warrants.

The couple says that their daughter is now safe and recovering from the traumatic experience. Brooke said that their daughter encountered other victims of human trafficking and wondered how long theyd been held captive and whether anyone was looking for them.

The couple criticized the way that American Airlines Center security and Dallas police handled the situation, saying that the way some of the procedures were followed led to a delayed response and caused confusion on how the family was supposed to seek help.

Last month, the familys lawyer filed a notice of pending litigation related to the incident and failures to prevent it. The Mavericks, American Airlines Arena, the Dallas Police Department and the hotel where the girl was allegedly held were all named in the notice.

[ESPN]
Addison Davis officially became an attorney Friday, following in his familys footsteps two days before Fathers Day.

Davis father, Kyle Davis, and grandfather, Cletus Cowboy Davis  both attorneys  were present for the event presided by Judge Kyle Hawthorne of the 85th District Court in Bryan.

It was a very proud moment, Kyle Davis said.

The family tradition started with Cletus, who was the first person in the family to go to college and the first to go to law school, Kyle said. Cletus moved to Bryan at age 70 and practiced law until he was 88.

Kyle, who started practicing law in 1990 for the Brazos County District Attorneys Office before working with his father, said his father inspired him to pursue his own career in the field.

I started practicing law just because I was intrigued by it through college  so I followed his footsteps, he said. I went to the same law school, South Texas College of Law in Houston.

He hoped his son would continue the family tradition, Kyle said. But Addison said he had other plans and interests.

I wanted to go into medicine, whether that was nursing or med school, Addison said.

Addison graduated from Texas A&M University as part of the Class of 2015 with a biology degree, but said he soon realized he wanted to change careers.

After graduating [and] working for two years I kind of realized nursing wasnt the direction I wanted to go, Addison said. So [Kyle] kind of again nudged me, just to take a look at law school. I ended up doing pretty well on my LSAT, and just finished at SMU, and passed the bar in February.

Without the family history, Addison said he probably would have never thought of pursuing a career as an attorney.

Its definitely [Kyles] nudging that at least got me to look into it, he said. Once I started looking into it, I became excited about it. I actually enjoyed law school. Its by no means that easy, and the bar [exam] is a beast, but its a profession Im excited to be a part of.

Cletus also took a long route to a career in law. He said he graduated from the University of Texas-El Paso with a bachelor of science degree in geology and a minor in math.

After I went to work as a geologist over in Lafayette, Louisiana, I decided that I really did not like the solitary experience of working as a geologist, he said. He was able to take advantage of his GI Bill from his time in the U.S. Army to pay his way through South Texas College of Law in Houston.

Though none of the three originally planned for a law career, Cletus said they all enjoy the practice.

Addison will be practicing law at a firm in Dallas. He said that his family now jokes that if he ever has kids they need to carry on the tradition.

Addison is a family name, he said. Both my dad and grandpa, thats their middle name. And we were joking this morning that if I have a son, his middle name will need to be Addison, and Ill need to ship them off to law school as well.

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DALLAS  Anna schools Superintendent Michael Comeaux says his police department is barely keeping up with the districts booming growth. The Collin County district has one officer for every 1,000 students. As the districts enrollment hits 5,000, it is adding a fifth officer  but Anna has seven campuses.

If Comeaux had to staff an officer at every school, he would have to cut elsewhere. Anna now receives about $40,000 from the state for security. But the cost of one officer, equipment and a vehicle is roughly triple that amount.

Its really difficult. Were adding basically a campus a year in our district now, Comeaux said. Its not only adding all the teachers and the staff to that, but then also adding the security measures.

Districts like Anna face even more pressure to increase security  and particularly law enforcement presence. Many Texans are calling for a police officer at every school after the tragedy in Uvalde. But limited money and staffing shortages make such a feat difficult.

Texas schools dont have the resources to place officers at every campus. Even if they did, experts question whether boosted police presence would prevent shootings, or whether it could negatively impact students as some research suggests that their presence can lead to more children of color facing criminal charges for minor misbehavior.

Following Uvalde, Gov. Greg Abbott asked the states education commissioner to encourage districts to increase the number of trained law enforcement officers or armed educators in schools. He also directed the state education agency to create a new chief of school safety position to oversee security efforts.

Last week, the chairman of Dallas City Councils public safety committee, Adam McGough, sent a memo to the city manager and the Richardson ISD superintendent asking for more officers in that districts schools and to explore creating a police department in RISD, whose boundaries include parts of Dallas.

Texas school leaders worry about where money for more policing will come from as the funds the state provides for campus security dont stretch far enough. They also note that not enough officers are available as it is.

A push for more campus police is a common response in the wake of school shootings.

Florida  which experienced the deadly Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018  now requires all its campuses to have a police officer, deputy sheriff, armed educator or school security guard. Other states have followed suit as the frequency of mass shootings at schools has increased in recent years.

Still, such occurrences are quite rare, noted F. Chris Curran, an associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Florida.

Most school resource officers, on a day-to-day basis, are not responding to an active shooter situation, Curran said. They are engaged in other roles.

And the presence of law enforcement does not necessarily deter or prevent school shootings.

In Parkland, Florida, an armed school resource officer  a deputy sheriff  failed to respond, staying outside of a building for 45 minutes as a gunman killed 17 and wounded 17. Last month at Robb Elementary, police officers were on scene for more than an hour as a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers inside a classroom.

Many schools in Texas already had added officers or increased security efforts after the deadly 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting.

Even with the successful agenda that moved forward  where ultimately [Gov. Greg Abbott] was able to get more funding for police in schools, still this happened, said Andrew Hairston, the director of the Education Justice Project at Texas Appleseed. Still we are facing Uvalde.

On patrol

The way Texas funnels officers onto campuses varies, but its hard to guarantee one per school  especially with limited funds.

Around 300 districts in Texas  including Uvalde  have their own police force. Dallas ISD, for example, has a department of about 200 officers for its 220-plus campuses, at the cost of $17 million annually.

Following Santa Fe, Texas lawmakers passed a major school safety law that gave schools money for security through a new safety allotment. Districts receive $9.72 per student  based on average attendance rates  which amounted to just under $50 million this school year, according to preliminary state budget records.

For Anna ISD, that $40,000 for security doesnt cover one full officers costs. The salary midpoint for its officers is about $69,000, Comeaux said. On top of that, the district must provide them equipment and a vehicle  all of which can add up to $125,000 in the first year of bringing one in, he said.

Sunnyvale ISD, a district on the eastern edge of Dallas County, enrolls about 2,000 students. Its share of the safety allotment  about $20,000  would pay for about a third of the base salary for one school resource officer  not including benefits, noted Superintendent Doug Williams.School resource officers are sworn law enforcement officers from a local police force or sheriffs department who work full time or part time on campus. Their salaries are typically paid in part or in full by the school district. Sunnyvale, for instance, partners with the local police department to cover the cost of its officers.

Blue Ridge ISD, a rural district about 27 miles northeast of McKinney, relies on its partnership with the Collin County Sheriffs Department, which provides one deputy who serves as a school resource officer for its three campuses.Blue Ridge Superintendent Matt Kimball has talked with the sheriffs department about possibly adding another school resource officer next year, but the district, which has three schools and 970 students, must figure out where to carve out funding.

A priority for such officers is building relationships with kids so students feel safe about reporting suspicious activity they think might place someone in danger, Kimball said.Many administrators  especially in rural or smaller districts  say Texas doesnt give schools enough money to have their own police departments or even to afford school resource officers at each campus.

More funding from the Legislature to beef up school safety would alleviate pressure for many districts, the educators said.

If funding stays the same, then youve got to make some concessions in the budget, Kimball said. You can never get comfortable with school safety, and anything that the governor or the Legislature can do to support us and that measure will help.

Florida law

Floridas response to Parkland may provide a blueprint for Texas leaders who want more police officers on campuses.

Florida lawmakers passed legislation requiring all campuses to have a safe-school officer, mandating the presence of a police officer, deputy sheriff, armed educator or school security guard. Other states have enacted similar laws.

Curran, the Florida education professor, noted that others adopted similar measures as Florida. Maryland passed a law requiring all schools to have adequate law enforcement presence. In Kentucky, legislation states that police presence is required, budget dependent, Curran said.

But police have often been present on campuses where school shootings have taken place. Even in 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado, law enforcement was present when two shooters opened fire, killing 13 people, he said.Research suggests that the presence of law enforcement or school resource officers does not reduce the number of casualties in the case of a shooting, Curran said. There are times when officers have responded effectively during school shootings, the professor added, knowing that its complicated to know what would have happened if an officer had not been present.

Staffing issues complicate the matter further. Some Florida districts struggle to hire enough officers. For instance, in Palm Beach County School District, 70 positions were vacant this spring, nearly a quarter of its force.

That follows national trends, noted Tarleton State University associate dean and criminologist Alex del Carmen.Locally, staffing shortages across police departments is a hurdle that prevents getting more officers on campuses, administrators said.

Princeton ISD has two school resource officers provided by city police. The district itself also has three school marshals, civilians employed by the district as teachers or staff members who have access to a handgun on campus.Meanwhile, the increased presence of law enforcement on Florida campuses has shown an increase in student discipline.

A 2020 report by the Florida chapter of the ACLU highlighted that the number of youth arrests at school increased 8%, while the number of youth arrested in the community declined by 12% in 2018-19. Meanwhile, the number of students expelled from school increased by 43%.

Texas Appleseeds Hairston said he wasnt surprised by that data. A 2016 report from the group found that Texas students were arrested, sent to adult criminal courts or referred to juvenile probation often for relatively minor misbehaviors.

Advocates worry about the school-to-prison pipeline, which they describe as practice of punishing kids in a way that funnels them to the criminal justice system rather than graduation.Texas schools dealing with finite funds would likely have to decide whether adding an additional officer would mean the loss of another role elsewhere, Hairston said.

Budgets are moral documents, Hairston said. Were choosing to fund a very punitive response to what is a period of incredible suffering for young people.
AMES, Iowa  Approximately 9,500 Iowa State University students have been recognized for outstanding academic achievement by being named to the spring semester 2022 Deans List. Students named to the Deans List must have earned a grade point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.00 scale while carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded course work.

Grand Island students on the list include: Elizabeth Elliott, senior, veterinary medicine; Kaitlan Godfrey, junior, management; Joshua Phillips, senior, biology; and Mackenzie R. Vogt, junior, English

Other Central Nebraska students on the list are: Brandon Burruss of Clarks, senior, veterinary medicine; Abigail Schaefer, sophomore, Materials Engineering, and Kimberly Spartz, senior, Veterinary Medicine, both of Hastings; Lillian Bombeck, junior, animal science, Brandt S. Groskreutz, junior, statistics, and Marissa Kegley, senior, veterinary medicine, all of Kearney; and Kara Valasek of Palmer, senior, veterinary medicine.

Academic honors

Two Grand Island students earned academic honors for the spring semester at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kan. Rans Sanders was named to the Presidents Honor Roll. To be named to this honor roll, Sanders had to be enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours of college coursework and earn a semester grade point average of 3.9-4.0. Shayna Fila was named to the Honor Roll. To be named to this honor roll, Fila had to be enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours of college coursework and earn a semester grade point average of 3.66-3.899.

*****

Three Morningside University students from Central Nebraska were named to the Deans List for the spring semester at Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. They are Audra K. Witmer of Grand Island, Hayden M. Stephenson of Hastings, and Jeremiah J. Horacek of Kearney. The Deans List recognizes students who achieve a 3.67-grade point average or better and complete at least 12 credits of coursework with no grade below a C-.

*****

Lucy Bartee of Kearney has been named to the Deans List for the spring semester at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.C. The Deans List recognizes full-time students who have a minimum of 12 credit hours with grade-point averages at 3.5 or above.

*****

Kaleb Luke of Kearney, majoring in management, was named to the Deans List at Cedarville (Ohio) University for spring 2022. This recognition requires the student to obtain a 3.5 GPA or higher for the semester and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours.

*****

Alexis Barth and Braylen Luke of Kearney were named to the Deans Honor List at Cedarville (Ohio) University for spring 2022. This recognition requires the student to obtain a 3.75 GPA or higher for the semester and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours. Luke also was among the colleges spring graduates, earning an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice.

*****

Caleb Hofer of Kearney was named to the Spring 2022 Deans List at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. The engineering major had to achieve a grade point average between 3.50 and 3.99 for the semester to be included on the list.

*****

Easton Bruce from Kearney was named to the Presidents List for the spring semester at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. To qualify for the Presidents List, a student must complete at least 12 hours of graded credits and earn a semester grade point average of 4.0.

Graduates

Rebecca Fischer of Ord graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Ministry and Theology and Biblical Studies from University of Sioux Falls. Fischer and more than 400 students were celebrated for graduation in the spring commencement ceremony last month.
How would Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top describe the bands journey since 1969, when the blues-rock trio was formed?

Its been a fine ride across the board, Gibbons wrote in an email to The Independent. We got to hang out with people we follow and admire (B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones), play loud music for hundreds of thousands if not millions of people and saw the world while we were at it. No complaints!

In the process, ZZ Top has sold close to 50 million albums, producing such hits as Legs, Sharp Dressed Man and LaGrange, and earned a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The group will roll into Grand Island on Wednesday night, bringing its Raw Whiskey Tour to the Heartland Events Center.

Long known as Tres Hombres, the band is now Dos Hombres, at least in terms of its most recognizable figures. Bassist Dusty Hill passed away July 28, 2021, leaving Gibbons and Frank Beard to keep ZZ Top spinning. They are now joined onstage by Elwood Francis, who served as the bands guitar tech for 20 years.

In conjunction with the groups Grand Island appearance, Gibbons responded to e-mailed questions from The Independent.

How is Hill being acknowledged during the show?

The strident directive from The Dust to Elwood to play that git-tar! says it all, Gibbons wrote. And with that, there remains a loyal presence with the band that supplicates the blessing with our endeavor.

The band is promoting its new album, Raw, recorded in connection with a 2019 Netflix documentary about ZZ Top called That Little Ol Band From Texas.

Gibbons was asked if the successful documentary has expanded ZZ Tops following or changed peoples understanding of the band.

Hard to say at this juncture, yet it stands as something quite new and patently unexpected: a Grammy nomination, he wrote. We think serving as a Netflix feature, it offered the wave of ZZ Top friends, fans and followers a chance to spend time with a behind-the scenes, personal feel along with the band. As far as an understanding with the folks  its a rather simplistic foray into the primitiveness of a rock n roll band. The film of ZZ Top steals a view of how we got together, how we plugged in, and how we turned it up and thrashed it on out  continuing doing so following five decades (and counting  )

What will Wednesdays concert be like?

Its like a rolling mish-mash of the ancient adage: something old (we usually do a song from ZZ Tops first album), something borrowed (maybe Sam & Daves I Thank You or Foxey Lady from Jimi Hendrix) and definitely something blue(s)  !

What does the future hold for ZZ Top? Will people have a chance to see the band again?

Why ask? We dont get to think where were going  ! Although, our plan is to turn it up and keep rocking the house for the foreseeable and unforeseeable future.

In which foreign country does ZZ Top enjoy performing the most?

Spain is right up there, Gibbons wrote. Its where the guitar came into its own, the cuisine is stunningly superb and the folks from coast to coast and border to border are ready to party. That being said  New Zealand, Germany, Japan, Finland, Sweden and points beyond are great, too!

What is the bands favorite whiskey?

The new release of ZZ Tops Tres Hombres from Balcones Distilling, Gibbons wrote. Thanks for asking. Cheers!
Happy Father's Day to all you fathers and grandfathers out there.

And it's the real Juneteenth, too. (Tomorrow is the Federal holiday.) It celebrates the emancipation of the slaves. It's been an official holiday in Texas since 1980 but only became a Federal holiday last year.

A group photograph of thirty-one people at an 1880 Juneteenth

Celebration at Emancipation Park in Houston's Fourth Ward.

The best article I found on Juneteenth is "What is Juneteenth, and how is it celebrated?" at BBC History Magazine (requires signup for free trial). Did you know that there are Emancipation Parks in cities all over the U.S., on land originally purchased for Juneteenth celebrations? Seems some white people in certain cities tried to block Juneteenth gatherings. The original Emancipation Park, in Houston, now the oldest park in the city, was purchased with $1,000 raised by formerly enslaved people specifically for Juneteenth celebrations. Another thing I just learned: red food is a Juneteenth tradition.

I choose to not celebrate Juneteenthbut to celebrate Black people celebrating it. It's their holiday, not minebut I hope everyone has a fine, and fun, and peaceful and satisfying day. And for Black fathers, it's a twofer.

Mike

Book o' the Week:

The Beatles: Get Back. The story of the band's last year, coinciding with the release of Peter Jackson's documentary Get Back.



The book link is your portal to Amazon from TOP, should you wish to support this site.

Heeeeere's...B&H Photo

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

John Krill: "Every time I picked up a camera I have the ghost of my father standing behind me. Every time I work on a computer I have the ghost of my father standing behind me. My dad was an early photographer, the 1920s, he was also an early computer designer, the 1950s. I worked at fixing and repairing computers for 30 years. And I have been a serious amateur photographer since 1959. So, you see, everyday is Father's Day for me."
President Joe Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia's economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine. The United States generally imports about 100,000 barrels a day from Russia, only about 5% of Russia's crude oil exports, according to Rystad Energy. Last year, roughly 8% of U.S. imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia. Gas prices have been rising for weeks due to the conflict and in anticipation of potential sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The U.S. national average for a gallon of gasoline soared 45 cents a gallon in the past week and topped $4.06 on Monday, according to auto club AAA. Should the US ban Russian oil imports over Ukraine war?

You voted:
Calhoun County Council unanimously approved a $16.3 million budget last week that includes a tax increase.

The budget will increase the countys millage rate by 3.36 mills to 118.36 mills.

The millage increase will mean a $33 annual tax increase on a $100,000 home in the county, Calhoun County Administrator John McLauchlin said.

The 118.36 mills are expected to bring $7.6 million in property taxes to the county. The budget is balanced by carry over funds and other county and state revenue, according to county officials.

Council approved the countys seven separate budget ordinances last week for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

In related matters, the county received a clean opinion for its 2020-2021 finances.

That is the best you can do, Mauldin and Jenkins Senior Manager Brian Nicholson said.

The county ended with a total fund balance for the fiscal year of $5,257,868, which was an increase from the previous year of $13,462.

I believe that is the first increase in the last three years in the general fund balance, Nicholson said. That is really good for the county.

Total revenues for the county's general fund for the 2020-2021 fiscal year were $13.2 million and expenses were $12.9 million.

Nicholson said the county did have a material weakness having to do with cash that required an adjustment to correct.

Cash is a sensitive issue, Nicholson said. We consider that to be a material weakness.

A significant deficiency was also found. Nicholson said a significant deficiency is not as severe as a material weakness.

This relates to segregation in duties mainly for elected officials, magistrate courts, Nicholson said. There is a lot of cash coming in and out of those elected officials and there just needs to be some sort of controls in place to where not one person is opening up the checks and making deposits. Just a checks and balances.

This finding is a repeat from the previous year's audit, Nicholson said.

Councilman Ken Westbury asked Nicholson to explain the repeat finding.

Do you not find that a lot in smaller organizations? Westbury said.

It varies, Nicholson said, noting that elected officials are responsible themselves to implement controls. We find it in a lot of other counties. Unless they are corrected by themselves (the elected official), there probably would be repeat findings every year unless that is addressed.

Nicholson said the county is encouraged to put in place stronger controls as it relates to cybersecurity and to do a better job of accounting for capital leases.

In other matters, Lower Savannah Council of Governments Executive Director Dr. William Molnar encouraged the county to make sure it gets its fair share of the approximately $900 million in American Rescue Plan Act money that will be distributed through the S.C. Department of Commerce's Rural Infrastructure Authority.

The money will be distributed across the state and can be spent on sewer, water, broadband and stormwater projects, Molnar said.

He encouraged the county to be proactive in applying for money.

This is real important stuff, Molnar said. This is once-in-a-lifetime money. The reality is this is the kind of stuff that is community changing.

The deadline to apply for the money is Sept. 12.

Do your preliminary engineering as a basic minimum. Understand what you are looking for, what you are looking to expand, what the actual cost is going to be, Molnar said.

In other business:

 Council gave unanimous first reading to a resolution entering into an incentive agreement with an existing industry in the county. The industry plans to invest additional dollars at its plant

Council later unanimously gave first reading by title only to a fee-in-lieu of taxes incentive for Project Augusta. The name of the company and extent of the investment was not provided on first reading. County officials promised more details would be provided on second reading.

 Council unanimously passed a resolution agreeing to proceed with plans to participate in the state insurance benefits program.

The new program will become effective Jan. 1, 2023.

County officials say going with the state plan will save the county about $300,000 next year.

Council had previously tabled a resolution to participate in the state insurance benefits program in order to be able to present the matter to county employees.

The county has used a private provider for the last 11 years.

 Council passed a resolution to enter into a joint county industrial park agreement with Lexington County.

The joint county industrial park agreement is a tax incentive mechanism and not a physical park. Under the agreement, Calhoun County will receive 1% of the revenues generated by the company, which is located in Lexington County.

 Council gave unanimous first reading to an ordinance adopting amendments to the county's zoning ordinance.

The main change creates a table of all the permitted and nonpermitted uses in the county.

No new information, Calhoun County Deputy Administrator and Building Official Richard Hall said. No changes to what was permitted and not permitted.

An amendment would also include a mobile home ordinance in the county's overall zoning ordinance. A parking table was also added regarding parking requirements.

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Scholarship

recipients named

COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina State Fair has named its Ride of Your Life Scholarship recipients for 2022.

Area residents receiving the scholarships are JoCobe D. Fields of Orangeburg Wilkinson High School, Riley Mae Johnson of Bamberg-Erhrardt High School, Raj Patel of Denmark-Olar High School and Lauren Knight of Swansea High School.

The S.C. State Fair annually awards scholarships to South Carolina high school students planning to pursue their studies at any public or private college, university or technical college in the state.

The $6,000 scholarships are awarded at an annual rate of $1,500 and are based on academic and extracurricular achievement, communication skills, need and completeness of the application. The scholarships may cover tuition or other educational expenses like on-campus housing, a computer, or textbooks.

Recipients must retain a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale and enroll in no less than 30 credit hours each academic year to receive funding for that year.

Davis names

to GSU spring

honors list

STATESBORO, Ga. -- Ariel Davis of Orangeburg has been named to Georgia Southern Universitys spring 2022 President's List.

To be eligible for the President's List, a student must have at least a 4.0 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester.

CCTC names

honor students,

graduates

SUMTER -- Central Carolina Technical College recently honored students who were named to the spring 2022 President's and Deans lists for part-time students.

Emily Mueller of Orangeburg qualified for the Presidents List and Jasmine Floyd-Bowman of Orangeburg was named to the Deans List.

Also, three area residents graduated from Central Carolina Technical College in May.

They are Jeffry Birkland of Cameron, Jacqueline Simmons Felder of Orangeburg and Lauren Weatherford of St. Matthews.

Black receives

scholarship

from NMSC

EVANSTON, Ill. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced that Emmeline M. Black of North is among more than 2,600 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities.

Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners, who plan to attend their institution, from the finalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

Black plans to attend the University of South Florida.

Funchess graduates

from Spartanburg

Methodist College

SPARTANBURG -- Abigail Funchess of Rowesville graduated May 7, 2022, from Spartanburg Methodist College.

Local students

graduate NGU

TIGERVILLE -- Two local students graduated from North Greenville University during its spring commencement on April 29.

They are William Austin Ehrhardt of Cordova and Stephen Brandon Antley of Orangeburg.

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2 area students

graduate from

Governors School

Andrew Williams of Orangeburg and Marquez Turner of Denmark were among the graduates of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities 2022 commencement ceremony on May 27

Williams, a creative writing student, previously attended Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School. He will attend the University of South Carolina to study biology.

Turner, a music student in the vocal program, previously attended Denmark-Olar High School. He will attend Appalachian State University.

The Governors Schools residential high school program provides pre-professional training in the arts as well as a nationally recognized academic education. Artistically talented students from across the state are selected through an application and audition process and attend during their sophomore, junior and senior years depending on their selected art area. Upon successful completion, graduates receive a South Carolina high school diploma and a Scholar Diploma.

As a public school, tuition is free. Students only pay for meal plan and housing costs. Financial assistance is available through the Governors School Foundation. Applications for the 2023-2024 school year will open in the fall at SCGSAH.org.

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COLUMBIA  The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) and Dominion Energy recognized Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School senior Shaniya Jeffcoat and four other students from across the state for their outstanding submissions in the second annual Strong Men & Women in S.C. History writing contest. Winners were selected from each of South Carolinas five regions: Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), Lowcountry, Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate.

The contest, which builds on the SCDEs annual South Carolina African American History Calendar, encourages South Carolina high school juniors and seniors to write a 500-word essay about an African American with ties to the Palmetto State who has also been an inspiration in their life.

Jeffcoats essay reflects on the life and impact of Sumter native Charlotta Bass. Born in 1879, Bass was an outspoken journalist and political activist during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Jeffcoat writes, The heroine, Charlotta Bass, has placed South Carolina on the map and has influenced many individuals from here, including me. She exemplifies how no limitations are imposed on you regardless of your origins or race unless you set them on yourself. She continues, The dedication and hard work she demonstrated in the past motivates me to continue pushing forward to make my dreams a reality.

State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman and Dominion Energy South Carolina President Keller Kissam presented each student with an Apple MacBook Air. Their school or homeschool association will receive $1,000.

We are proud to continue our partnership with Dominion Energy, recognize the Strong Men & Women who contribute to the state and further recognize the winners of this years contest, said Spearman. As a grandmother, I am encouraged by the writings of the students that we honored today. Their words of gratitude and acknowledgement to those who have inspired them give me great optimism in the future of South Carolina, where the contributions of our communities interweave to create the wonderful tapestry of the state that we call home.

Keller Kissam, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina, said, These outstanding students wrote about strong African American men and women who have inspired their lives in meaningful ways. I was so moved when I read their essays, which were unique yet had common cornerstones to live by like tenacity, persistence, empathy and compassion. Their essays are an acknowledgment of greatness past and present, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for this outstanding group of students from our great state.

The other 2022 Strong Men & Women in S.C. History student essay contest winners:

 Tyleigh Spiller, junior - Homeschool/Edgefield (CSRA)

 Hayley Hylton, junior - Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Lowcountry)

 Jayla Jones, junior - Lake City Early College High School (Pee Dee)

 Sarai Winkler, junior - Governors School for the Arts and Humanities (Upstate)

View the winning essays: https://scafricanamerican.com/2022-student-writing-contest-winners/.

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CHEYENNE  In the 2020 elections to the Legislature, Democrats took a devastating bath.

The results reflect the Republicans coup. The Democrats won only two Democratic spots in the 31-seat Senate and seven seats in the 62 member House.

Of the nine women elected to the house two years ago, three were Democrats. No female Democrats serve in the Wyoming Senate today.

The 2020 toll included 11 women who ran on the Democratic ticket for seats in the House and Senate, including two incumbents.

Unfortunately for the minority party, the prospects for 2022 look no better.

The number of registered Wyoming voters total 281,159 this year, up from 221,549 two years ago. Clearly most of the newcomers registered as Republicans.

The new tally shows Wyoming with 197,868 Republicans, up from 156,000 in 2020. The ranks of Democrats grew to 44,643 from 39,369. The class ranked unaffiliated, including independents, total 35,200, up from 23,900.

Members registered with the Libertarian and Constitutional parties trailed.

The voter registration numbers show not only the dominance of the Republican party but why Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney needs lots of Republican votes to win reelection.

Even, as expected, a large number of Democrats cross over to vote for Cheney in the primary, it will not be enough to win the nomination. The independent voters classed as unaffiliated cannot vote in political primary elections.

Because she has become the No. 1 enemy of former President Trump and his followers, the GOP U.S. House primary is one of the most watched contests in the nation.

Anyways, 15 Democratic women are bucking the odds and are running for the Legislature again this year, two for the senate and 13 for the house.

They deserve credit for having the guts to struggle against the relentless wind.

All told, however, the state is improving a bit in the number of women it is electing to office. Except governor, of course, but thats another story.

The numbers fare better in the Legislature with five women in the Senate and nine in the House going into the elections.

Wyoming was doing pretty well with the number of women in leadership positions in the Legislature back in the 1990s.

In the 1991 session, in fact, women were chairmen in five of the 13 house standing committees.

Cynthia Lummis, now a U.S. senator, was head of the revenue Committee; Marlene Simons chaired agriculture; Peg Shreve ran travel; Patti Macmillan, corporations, and Dorothy Perkins was chairperson of labor, health and social services.

All those chairwomen were Republicans. The Democrats have not had a majority in the Legislature since the 1960s; hence no Democratic committee chairs.

This year, one of the surprises (to me, anyway) was the decision of House Speaker Eric Barlow of Gillette to run for the senate.

After his emotional goodbye to the house I figured he intended to quit politics at least for while, but he didnt shut the door entirely.

Barlow advised that he had intended to leave the Legislature. But after the session the learned that Sen. Jeff Wasserburger, another Gillette Republican, was leaving the Senate, that changed the picture.

Wasserberger asked him if he would run for the seat and he agreed after both talked to other potential candidates.

Part of the discussion was about the relative short tenures many of the legislators from NE Wyoming currently have and how to keep some level of longer term experience at the table, Barlow wrote in an e-mail.

He cited his experience and ability to help his constituents.

I am not sure what temperament is most effective in the legislature, or if I have it, but I do believe that respecting the institution and building relationships is essential and that has always been a priority for me. It is unfortunate some seem unwilling to do so these days, he added.

Barlow was calm and controlled in the last session in the way he handled some touchy issues related to members who do not respect the institution and are not there to built relationships. He was pretty cool.

So Campbell County and northeast Wyoming will lose one grade A legislator, Wasserberger, but will get another one, Barlow.

He is unopposed in the election, barring a write-in ballot.

Joan Barron is a former capitol bureau reporter. Contact her at 307-632-2534 or jmbarron@bresnan.net.

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The Wyoming Oil & Gas Conservation Commission recently applied for $25 million in federal funds to plug and remediate the approximately 1,300 orphan oil and gas wells on state and private lands. These funds are part of the bipartisan infrastructure package signed into law back in November, which included $4.7 billion American tax dollars to plug and clean up orphan wells nationwide.

These funds will certainly help Wyoming residents living near old and leaking oil and gas infrastructure by exposing them to benzene and other harmful pollutants. And the program will provide jobs to energy workers throughout our state. But the funding also bails out oil and gas companies who were obliged to clean up their own messes but have dodged that responsibility.

Wells become orphaned when companies that have drilled wells and profited from them declare bankruptcy or simply walk away. Unfortunately, this has become standard operating procedure for many in our oil and gas industry. Orphan wells often leak methane and pollute water, threatening people and the environment. For a long time now, Wyomingites have been left holding the bill for such grifter operators throughout the state. We have a long and ugly history of orphaned wells left on our landscape. Most recently, the coal-bed methane boom in the Powder River Basin left thousands of orphan wells and millions of gallons of irresponsibly discharged water  a blight on landowners and on ranchers and farmers property. And the state inherited a handful of human health and environmental liabilities.

Previous requirements that drillers provide bonds to pay for cleanup if they leave orphan wells have proven inadequate to protect the state and landowners. These requirements need to be strengthened. We need to require adequate bonding for each well at the very beginning  when initial permits to drill are issued  to prevent future wells from being orphaned without funds for cleanup.

Wyoming regulators have recently made great headway on improving our bonding and financial assurance standards that ensure companies clean up their operations after drilling. But our federal government has yet to follow suit. The federal government owns 40.7 million acres of mineral (subsurface) estate in Wyoming. Nearly half of that is under private surface estate. None of these 40.7 million acres are adequately bonded.

Improved bonding is but one small change that needs to be made in the federal oil and gas leasing program if Wyoming is to benefit as we should from development of the vast store of federal minerals in our state. A 2020 Taxpayers for Common Sense study showed Wyoming citizens missed out on more than $4 billion over the last decade because of outdated federal oil and gas leasing policies. These included lowball royalty and rental rates, noncompetitive leasing, and other practices. Reformed federal leasing policies would increase revenue to our state and help fund our public services and educational system when we need it most.

Last November, the Department of Interior released a report that identified multiple reforms to update the federal bonding system and hold oil and gas operators accountable to ensure taxpayers arent left holding the bill for their operations. These reforms have not been enacted, so we are still at risk for future avoidance of cleanup responsibilities. But the injection of cash by the bipartisan infrastructure bill does promise to partially pay for industrys past sins.

The $25 million Wyoming applied for is only a first piece of the pie. The Wyoming BLM office will have the opportunity to apply for more funds to put to use on public and split-estate lands. Lets urge BLM to put these taxpayer dollars to good use in Wyoming. But lets also insist that BLM reform federal leasing policy to replace the broken system that has prioritized oil and gas companies over our people, our children, our environment and our government services.

Bob LeResche ran Alaskas oil and gas leasing program as Commissioner of Natural Resources for that state. He was Executive Director of the Alaska Energy Authority, an investment banker and CEO, and is a member of the Boards of Directors of Powder River Basin Resource Council and the Western Organization of Resource Councils. With his wife Carol he operates a ranch and organic heirloom vegetable farm near Clearmont, Wyoming.

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When I received my law license nearly three decades ago, I swore an oath to support and defend our Constitution. It was the same oath taken by the Representatives we elect to the U.S. Congress. I am a civil rights lawyer, fortunate enough to stand up for the constitutional rights of folks from all walks of life in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West. I honor that oath every day when I walk into my office or into a court room.

The fabric of our country and our republic  our Constitution  is under attack. At stake are Americans most cherished freedoms. Presently, these include our freedom to meaningfully vote and our freedom of speech. More than two centuries of peaceful transfers of power and respect for truth have left many taking these freedoms for granted. Our votes have always been tallied and respected by those running for office who come up short. We have been free to speak out against tyrants  foreign and domestic  and enjoy a press which reports truth about such tyrants.

But, our peace of mind about these and other freedoms has created fertile ground for opponents of our republic. The attack on our Constitution and republic is being mounted by a faction which has decided these rights are disposable if the right leader says they are. History has shown that when republics allow the erosion of some rights out of blind loyalty to an autocrat, other democratic freedoms meet the same fate, and it is the beginning of the end of the republic. This faction attacking our freedoms has taken over leadership of the Republican party.

Wyoming has been fortunate. Historically we have elected officials unafraid to do what is right, even in the face of national or populist scorn. Nationally, a handful of courageous Republicans deeply regard our Constitution and republic, regardless of any proclaimed leaders demand for loyalty. Wyomings Liz Cheney is one of those courageous individuals. Cheneys service on the Select Committee in the face of such scorn from her political party, reveals the depth of her courage.

The Committees recent public hearings have revealed some good work. Newspapers in the most conservative regions of America have declared so, with front page headlines announcing that the former presidents most trusted campaign advisors, his attorney general, and his family members warned him in advance of election night  November 4, 2020  not to claim victory, nor that the 2020 election was stolen by fraud, because such claims were false.

Perhaps more shocking has been the committees finding that, in just a few short weeks at the end of 2020, the former president raised $250 million in small donations from his supporters for an official Election Defense Fund that never existed and, that the money his supporters gave him went to other things and people completely unrelated to any election defense.

What should not be lost in the Committees revelations is the fact that, in defending the Capitol on Jan. 6th, five law enforcement officers lost their lives, and dozens more were severely injured; or, that many of the former presidents loyal followers are serving, or will serve, jail or prison sentences for the attack on the Capitol.

Liz Cheneys service as Vice-Chair of the Select Committee and support for the Capitol Police is nothing short of tremendous service to the United States. Her service on the Committee is for all of us and an act to preserve our republic.

Cheneys service on the Select Committee led to her selection for the 2022 Profile In Courage Award. When she received the award, Cheney spoke of those in our great nations history who exemplified the courage to defend our constitution. Her speech was profound. I have asked my children to read and cherish it, including her citation to President Kennedy: In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger.

Her concluding remarks signaled an urgent call to action and a vow: As we leave here tonight, I ask all of you to remember this sacred duty that has passed to us; to remember that in our republic some things have to matter. The defense of our republic, the defense of the constitutional foundations of our nation have to matter. In a republic, there are no bystanders, there are no spectators. As citizens, every one of us has a duty to set aside partisan battles and stand together to perpetuate and preserve our great republic.

Partisan battles are appropriate for policy disagreements  which exist in a functioning republic. The battle we face will take courage. At the heart of the battle is not who wins or loses, but rather which freedoms will survive. Our republic hangs in the balance. The stakes could not be greater.

I am a lifelong Democrat. I proudly support Liz Cheney  a courageous Wyoming Representative who has honored her oath and defended our Constitution.

John Robinson is an attorney based in Jackson. A graduate of the University of Wyoming College of Law, he has been practicing law since 1993. He worked as an attorney in Casper from 1995 to 2013 before moving to Jackson.

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The story of Wyoming is one of expansion and progress. Whether it was settlers pioneering westward, or citizens more fully bringing equality to our democracy by becoming the first state or territory to grant women the right to vote, or emerging as a global leader in cryptocurrency in recent years, residents have always looked to the horizon and strived to advance their own lives, and those of others. In that tradition, this week the University of Wyoming will host an event aimed at expanding a new frontier critical to the Mountain West and the nation: innovation.

For the last half-century, innovation in the United States has been concentrated in a handful of cities located primarily on the coasts. While breakthrough ideas and transformative technology could emerge outside of these cities, there are systemic challenges that prevent Americans with the intellect and eagerness to develop the next big thing from doing so. Unfortunately, without adequate resources, technologies, partnership opportunities and accessibility, new discoveries and great ideas languish.

For the U.S. to maintain its global competitive position, every community must participate in the innovation ecosystem. Thats the belief of the heads of the Hess Corporation, Idaho National Laboratory, University of Wyoming, the Council on Competitiveness, the National Science Foundations new Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIPS) directorate and Gov. Mark Gordon. They, along with many other leaders from across the region and nation, are gathering this week at the University of Wyoming for the Mountain West Innovation Summit, where Laramie will become the center of a national dialogue on the need to expand the geography of innovation.

As outlined in the Council on Competitivenesss 2020 Competing in the Next Economy report, the U.S. needs a coordinated national strategy to help leadership in underutilized regions identify and leverage their local competitiveness drivers. The strategy includes establishing regional centers dedicated to innovation fields that align with the specialized expertise, capabilities or natural resources specific to the area. With the Mountain West region as the summits backdrop, keynotes speakers and breakout panels will focus on cultivating a culture of innovation and providing more access to the talented people who live in places like Laramie  and throughout the region. They will also examine what regional factors lead to breakthroughs in innovation, and how those can be implemented in other regions.

Additionally, the summit will explore areas where Wyoming can have the biggest, most forward-looking impact, such as sustainability, energy and cryptocurrency. In all of these areas, partnerships among industry, academia, national laboratories and critical stakeholders will be imperative, which is why the summit is bringing in prominent leaders from each of these spaces.

The Mountain West Innovation Summit is happening at a crucial juncture for the nation. Other countries have made up ground, if not surpassed, the U.S. in several vital industries, prompting both chambers of Congress to act. Congress is currently debating competitiveness legislation that aims to boost various national industries, like semiconductors, to meet the challenge of overseas competitors, such as China. Critically, the competitiveness legislation also looks to enhance and expand American innovation to new regions  in places like Wyoming, which is working to align all of its public institutions of higher education to advance the state through an initiative called the Wyoming Innovation Partnership.

The reality is we can no longer rely on a few small pockets to drive U.S. innovation. If we do, our global competitors will reap the rewards from dominating the next transformative industries. We as a nation  from coast to coast  must start acting, innovating and creating. Fortunately, experts from across the economy are discussing and developing policy recommendations for how to expand the geography of innovation. This is happening at the highest levels, and here in the Mountain West where it may matter most.

Ed Seidel is the 28th president of the University of Wyoming. Deborah Wince-Smith is the president and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness.

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TIRED: A woman sits on the steps of the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Port of Spain, visibly tired, during the first day of recruitment by the Royal Caribbean Group in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, earlier this month, for jobs on board the companys cruise ships. Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell said Royal Caribbean is making available to T&T nationals thousands of jobs in over 500 categories, catering to various skill levels.

Photo: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANK
A 16-year-old is expected to appear before a master of the Fyzabad Childrens Court on Monda
Police use pepper spray on a man in a still from a video taken by a patron of an altercation after the Jam Naked fete at the Paddock, Queens Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on Thursday.
Xi Focus: Xi leads China's fight against desertification with historic change

Xinhua) 10:05, June 19, 2022

* Chinese President Xi Jinping has led resolute combat against desertification, with "a historic change" made amid the country's passionate exploring for ways to curb the expansion of deserts.

* Xi, who knows desertification control well, has always emphasized the holistic conservation and restoration of mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, grassland, and desert ecosystems. Under his thoughts, China has been prominent globally in combating desertification and actively contributing to the global sand control.

* "We do everything we can to conserve the ecological system, intensify pollution prevention and control, and improve the living and working environment for our people," Xi has said.

BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has led resolute combat against desertification, with "a historic change" made amid the country's passionate exploring for ways to curb the expansion of deserts.

More than half of China's manageable desertification land has been restored over the past decade, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) said on Friday, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

A historic change happened simultaneously. People were no longer forced into a corner by the desertification but managed to contain it through afforestation.

The desertified land area in China has been reduced by more than 4.33 million hectares since 2012. A series of significant projects gradually built a green ecological barrier along the sandstorm line in northern China. In particular, the three primary sandy areas of Maowusu, Hunshandake, and Horqin, and the surrounding areas of the Kubuqi Desert, have been transformed into an oasis.

Sand control workers make straw checkerboard barriers in the Baijitan national ecological reserve of Lingwu on the southwest edge of Maowusu Desert, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, June 16, 2022. (Xinhua/Yang Zhisen)

Such achievements came along as President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to adopt a holistic approach to the conservation and restoration of mountain, river, forest, farmland, lake, grassland, and desert ecosystems.

He emphasized bringing "deserts" into the work for ecological conservation when joining a deliberation with national lawmakers from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 2021.

China has bolstered sand control credentials by making tremendous efforts to improve relevant laws, exploring new techniques, and launching greening projects.

Xi personally walks the talk, devotes himself to the groundwork, and pushes the agenda in person.

KNOWING DESERTIFICATION CONTROL WELL

Sand control is always a topic during Xi's discussions with lawmakers from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region during the country's annual national legislative meetings.

He urged the region boasting of forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and deserts to take an integrated approach to improve local ecology in 2019 and debriefed a lawmaker last year on preventing deserts in Bayannur from encroaching the Yellow River in the east.

During these discussions, he underlined the importance of creating top-level designs in ecological treatment and doing good research work, warning that inadequacy could lead to results poles apart from what was supposed to be achieved.

Xi has conducted multiple field trips to areas severely hit by sand damage, including Ningxia, Gansu, and Hebei.

During a 2019 visit to Babusha Forest Farm in the northwestern province of Gansu, he joined local people plowing the sandy land. Using a trench digger skillfully, Xi plowed a two-meter-long trench in the sandy area with the workers in a few moments.

Babusha Forest Farm, located in northwest China's Gansu Province, had long been plagued by severe sandstorms. After years of sand control, the dry and barren land is now covered by vegetation.

Guo Xi (L), sand control worker of Babusha Forest Farm, makes straw checkerboard sand barriers in Gulang County, northwest China's Gansu Province, March 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Fan Peishen)

Seeing the enormous transformation in this place, Xi praised the workers as "modern-day Yu Gong" for their persistent efforts in controlling sand and transforming the desert into an oasis. Yu Gong, the protagonist of an ancient folktale, determinedly tried to move mountains blocking the path in front of his home and eventually succeeded.

When the president delivered his New Year's speech in 2020, Guo Wangang, a worker from the forest farm, felt a warm flow through his heart as he saw on the screen the picture he had taken with the president and other farm workers on the bookshelf in the back.

Like Babusha Forest Farm, green miracles have been seen in many other deserts in the country over the years. Thanks to afforestation efforts, 64 million hectares of trees have been planted in China over the past decade. The country's forest coverage has reached 23.04 percent, up 2.68 percentage points from 2012.

Earlier data showed the area of desertified land in the country has shrunk by an annual average of 242,400 hectares. It indicates a reversal from the late 1990s when desertified land expanded by 1.04 million hectares annually.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 22, 2021 shows the scenery of Saihanba forest farm in north China's Hebei Province. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

CONTRIBUTING TO A GREEN WORLD

Desertification remains one of the most pressing issues facing humankind. Data shows that more than 2 billion people from 167 countries and regions are still under desertification threat.

Thanks to years of sand control efforts, China has been quite prominent globally, with the Kubuqi Desert being an excellent case.

The Kubuqi Desert is China's seventh-largest desert, situated in Inner Mongolia autonomous region. About 30 years ago, the desert was a "sea of death" for even birds. The constant expansion of the desert forced many people to migrate. Those who remained lived mostly under the poverty line.

But years of greening efforts made more than 646,000 hectares of desert lush green, with restored biodiversity and noticeably improved ecology. These efforts also lifted more than 100,000 people out of poverty.

In 2015, the Kubuqi afforestation community won the Champions of the Earth award, the highest environmental honor of the United Nations.

Aerial photo taken on Sept. 14, 2020 shows a view of Kubuqi Desert in Dalad Banner of Ordos, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)

"Containing desertification in the Kubuqi desert offers China's experience in environmental treatment as well as achieving the 2030 Agenda goals," Xi said in a congratulatory letter to the 7th Kubuqi International Desert Forum in 2019.

The Kubuqi model has been the epitome of China's years of exploration in scientific desertification control. Over decades, China has enacted laws to prevent and control desertification. These include the world's first law to tackle desertification and the ban on natural forest logging, building a green barrier in the legal system.

Key ecological projects, including protecting shelterbelt and natural forests, especially those in the northwest, northeast, and northern China and along the Yangtze River, have also been carried out, turning more barren soil into oases.

In addition, China actively fulfilled its obligations under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, carried out exchanges and cooperation with Belt and Road countries, and established an international knowledge management center for desertification prevention and control.

Aerial photo taken on July 14, 2021 shows the Arxan Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) in the Arxan National Forest Park, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)

"We do everything we can to conserve the ecological system, intensify pollution prevention and control, and improve the living and working environment for our people," Xi said at the Annual Meeting 2022 of the World Economic Forum.

Looking forward, China will continue to ban the use of the most vulnerable desertified lands, strengthen the development of national desert parks, and optimize the compensation system for desert ecological protection.

By 2025, China will have a total of 2 million hectares of desertified land sealed off for protection, with more than 6 million hectares of sandy land newly treated and 1.3 million hectares of rocky-desertification land harnessed, said the NFGA.

(By Xinhua writers Luo Qi and Cheng Yunjie. Video reporters: Su Chuanyi, Tang Yameng, Zhao Qian, Ma Sijia, Dong Bohan; video editor: Yang Zhixiang, Luo Hui, Yin Le)

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
Will the 3,300 loaves of bread baked for distribution to the poor in Trinidad by the Progres
Few people have heard of Edna Landin, but her presence in Tombstone made a significant difference to the popularity of the town today, even though she did not arrive in Arizona until she was over 50 years old.

Born April 27, 1897, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Edna graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in finance and business administration. She made her mark as the first female credit manager in the wholesale clothing business. She also met her future husband, Thure Ted Landin, through her work, and the couple married in 1939.

In 1947, after successful careers in Ohio, Edna and Ted retired to the small community of Warren, Arizona, now a suburb of Bisbee. Two years later, they relocated to Tombstone.

We were after sunshine, Edna said, fresh clear air, distant views and a community small enough so that we might become identified as part of it. The minute we saw Tombstone, we knew how Brigham Young felt when he said, this is the place.

Unfortunately, Ted died 2 years after they settled in Tombstone.

With an avid interest in her adopted town, Edna involved herself in community activities. She served on the Tombstone Chamber of Commerce and was selected president of the chamber twice (1952-1955 and 1966-1967). In 1959, she became the first woman elected to the Tombstone City Council, serving for 2 years.

During this time, Edna also became involved with the Tombstone Restoration Commission and was elected president of the commission from 1955 to 1960.

The Tombstone Restoration Commission was organized in 1949 to preserve the towns buildings, many of which were built prior to 1900. One of the stateliest structures was the old two-story, red-brick courthouse that had been built in 1882 when Tombstone was the seat of government for Cochise County. At one time this Victorian style building housed not only the jail and courtroom but also the towns sheriff, recorder, treasurer, and board of supervisors.

In 1929 when the county seat was relocated to Bisbee, the courthouse was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Edna began a campaign to raise the capital necessary to save a shrine to our pioneers who helped in building the West.

Edna was not content to keep her project on a local level. She started the fundraiser by writing over 12,000 solicitation letters to leaders across the country. She wrote editorials and articles for newspapers, gave speeches, and requested donations from national foundations. She asked Arizonas leading citizens, including Senators Carl Hayden and Barry Goldwater, to throw their influence toward the project.

In two years, Edna raised $35,000 from 34 states and the Territory of Alaska, as well as donations from England and Sweden, enough money to begin restoration of the first floor of the courthouse, which was finalized in 1959 and included a museum and library.

To assist with the second-floor restoration, she initiated an auction that attracted donations from such notables as movie mogul Cecil B. DeMille and comedian Bob Hope, along with several state governors.

Edna was aware that the Arizona Legislature had recently passed a bill creating a state park system. She encouraged the donation of the Tombstone Courthouse to the newly formed park organization. The Restoration Commission agreed and on Aug. 1, 1959, the Tombstone Courthouse fell under the auspices of the Arizona State Parks Board, becoming the states first operational state park.

Watch now: Who lies in Tombstone's Boothill Cemetery? Along with some of history's more notorious gunslingers, like some of the Clanton gang, are those whose survivors could spin a tale on the headstone.

Urged to run for mayor, Edna refused and threw herself into restoring not just the Tombstone Courthouse but the entire town. Her efforts paid off when the U.S. Department of Interior identified Tombstone as a National Historic District in 1962.

No city in the world causes more raising of eyebrows when mentioned than Tombstone, said Edna. Many people doubt that such a town actually exists.

To attract more visitors, Edna donated 20 acres of land to build the Cochise Historical Amphitheater that would bring theatrical shows, concerts and historic dramas to the old town.

Today visitors come to Tombstone because of its wicked past, she said. And what do they see?  the Palace Saloon where badmen drank, fought and died; a cemetery where badmen are buried. True there are landmarks and museums, but they have all to do with the past when Tombstone was wild and wicked. But Tombstone has another side. It has played its part in the development of Arizona. It was a great mining town. It has been a rich ranching center and with Fort Huachuca so close it is within the orbit of national interest. It has tremendous and exciting pioneer stories to tell as well as Apache wars. It has felt the influence of our neighbor to the south. There are tales of international intrigue and romance. So where could one find a better region or setting to tell the fabulous pageant-like story of our state?

Edna set out once again to raise money for the project, but the funds did not materialize as expected, and the amphitheater project had to be abandoned.

Back in 1959, Edna, now boasting the title of Mrs. Tombstone, was named Woman of the Year by the Tombstone Business and Professional Womens Club. The following year she decided to run for a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives. She was defeated but by 1965, she was again serving as president of the Tombstone Chamber of Commerce.

On Nov. 22, 1967, Tombstone celebrated Edna Landin Day, honoring the woman who spent her retirement years working to restore the town to its former glory. She was named honorary mayor and deputy marshal. Landin Park, situated on the land Edna had donated for the amphitheater, was dedicated. Her old friend, Sen. Barry Goldwater, speaking at the celebration, lauded her contributions in rebuilding the town too tough to die. What you have done will never be forgotten, he said.

Less than a month later, on Dec. 18, 1967, Edna died at the age of 70. In 2010, she was inducted into Tombstones Founders Day Hall of Fame, and this past April, Edna was inducted into the Arizona Womens Hall of Fame.

Jan Cleere is the author of several historical nonfiction books about the early people of the Southwest. Email her at Jan@JanCleere.com. Website: www.JanCleere.com.

Sources Sources: Thanks to Jan LoVecchio for her assistance with this article. Auction Will Aid Tombstone Plan. Arizona Daily Star. April 23, 1957. Heald, Phyllis. Mrs. Tombstone. Arizona Highways. Vol., XXXVII, No. 10 (October 1962). Landin, Edna. A Legend Lives. Desert Magazine. Volume 26, No. 1 (January 1965). LoVecchio, Janolyn. A Tale of Two Cities: Preserving History in Yuma and Tombstone. Smoke Signal. Vol. 107 (December 2020). Tucson: Tucson Corral of the Westerners. Tombstone CofC to Build Arena Without State Aid. Tucson Daily Citizen. April 2, 1962. Tombstone Courthouse State Park. Accessed at https://tombstonechamber.com/directory/tombstone-courthouse-state-park/. Tombstone Honors Edna Landin. Arizona Republic. November 22, 1967.

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Pima Federal Credit Union: Pima Federal awarded $10,000 in scholarships to five high school graduates. The $2,000 awards are to be used to help offset the cost of college expenses. The winning students are: Portia Cooper, Rosie Geisler, Jessica Madrid, Andrew Pegnam and Addison Sanora.

Valle Verde Rotary Club of Green Valley: The club awarded $6,000 in scholarships to three graduating seniors from Sahuarita High School. The $2,000 awards went to Abigail Pannell, Makayla Hammerquist and Adam Villalobos. Valle Verde Rotary is a part of Rotary International, an international service organization whose purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace.

Arizona Transportation Builders: ATB is accepting donations for its fourth annual Support the Troops event through June 24. Donated items will be delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The collection is done in honor of Robert William Jones, Jr., a 21-year-old from Tucson who gave his life serving in Kosovo, and others who have lost their lives in service. Community members can donate money to purchase items, including hygiene items, snacks and activities to pass the time, for troops who are deployed and those returning from deployment. For more information, visit facebook.com/movingoureconomy.

Submit items about charitable donations by businesses or nonprofits to business@tucson.com.

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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP)  Four non-scientific buildings at the Kitt Peak National Observatory southwest of Tucson were lost in a wildfire, but early indications show other buildings on the property didnt appear to be damaged, authorities said Saturday.

Buell T. Jannuzi, who leads the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona, said the fire didnt appear to have damaged the telescope and science buildings at the observatory, though a closer examination of the site hadnt yet been made due to safety concerns.

This is the most threatening fire I can remember at Kitt Peak in the last 25 years, Jannuzi said.

The fire reached the observatory early Friday. Crews were planning to assess the damage at the observatory later Saturday if conditions allowed for safe entry into the area.

Kitt Peak National Observatory is operated by NOIRLab, the National Science Foundations center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy. The University of Arizona, which has had a telescope at the site since 1962, is a tenant of the observatory.

The lightning-caused fire, which led to an evacuation of the observatory earlier this week, had grown to 27 square miles (71 kilometers) by Saturday. There was zero containment of the fire, which started on June 11 on a remote ridge on the Tohono Oodham Indian Reservation.

In northern New Mexico, authorities who are concerned about the threat of post-wildfire floods as the state enters monsoon season have warned residents of San Miguel and Mora counties to be ready to evacuate due to flooding risks, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

The largest area facing flooding threats is where a fire that began two months ago has so far burned 533 square miles (1,381 square kilometers). The fire is 72% contained.

And in southwest Alaska officials say the immediate threat has passed to communities near St. Marys from a fire that by Saturday had reached 248 square miles (643 square kilometers) in size.

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

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The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

Surely, James Madison wasnt thinking about sicario hitmen terrorizing families in rural areas of Guerrero, Mexico, when he wrote the Second Amendment.

Yet Mexican criminal organizations routinely take advantage of the freedoms protected by the Second Amendment to buy firearms and ammunition at stores in Tucson, Phoenix and Green Valley and smuggle them across the border. Mexican officials estimate a staggering 200,000 firearms are smuggled from the United States into Mexico every year.

Federal law enforcement officials in the United States work hard to stop firearm smuggling, but they dont have the tools they need. That could change now that a bipartisan group of senators agreed on a framework for reforms in the wake of the horrific mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas. As lawmakers work out the details, they should keep in mind that firearms from the United States directly fuel violence in Mexico.

Ill never forget the slumped shoulders of a man from Guerrero telling me about a local mafia shooting his father to death after his father refused to give up the familys land, located near one of the many rural towns the mafia had taken over. The man and his family decided to flee to the United States, as thousands of others from Guerrero have done in recent years to escape widespread violence.

As he spoke to me in early 2020, he and his family were waiting for their chance to seek asylum at the port of entry in Nogales. It didnt occur to me at the time, but the firearm used to kill his father may have come from a store not far from Nogales.

When Mexican police find firearms at crime scenes, they send identifying information to U.S. officials. The overwhelming majority come from the United States, including about 15% that Mexican officials say came from Arizona, as my colleague Danyelle Khmara reported in February.

The reforms proposed by the group of 10 Republican senators and 10 Democratic senators, including Arizonas Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, focused on mass shootings in the United States. But the framework also cracks down on criminals who illegally straw purchase and traffic guns, the senators said in a June 12 news release.

The term straw purchase refers to buying a firearm on behalf of someone else, usually someone who is prohibited from buying firearms. In Southern Arizona, this is one of the main methods for supplying firearms to criminal organizations in Mexico.

As the senators debate how to define traffic guns and how to stop it, they should include language that directly addresses cross-border firearms smuggling. When I covered federal courts for the Star, I was amazed to learn such a law didnt exist. Instead, prosecutors use an assortment of charges, such as exporting goods without a license or making a false statement on a federal form.

The senators also need to tighten the rules for buying .50-caliber rifles, a weapon that journalist Ioan Grillo describes as firing bullets the size of small knives. It is far too easy to buy them in Arizona and smuggle them into Mexico.

My 86-year-old grandmother could walk into a store and buy a .50-caliber rifle if she wants to, a former special agent in charge of the Phoenix office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives told me in 2019.

The senators also should crack down on ammunition smuggling, a growing problem at Arizonas border with Mexico.

Most of the reforms have to be negotiated in light of the Second Amendment. The senators should remember that the Second Amendment doesnt apply to Mexico. If they dont, they will continue to be complicit in fueling violence that our nations founders never intended to protect.

Curt Prendergast is the opinion editor at the Arizona Daily Star. Prior to becoming opinion editor in 2021, he covered the border, immigration, and federal courts for the Star.

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The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

For the past year, Ive had an ongoing, mostly text-based conversation with a 40-something relative on the opposite side of the political aisle. I do this for many reasons, the most important of which is that I remember his tiny hand in mine during a walk around his neighborhood when he was 3.

Wed seen a hole in the ground and he asked, Who lives there? In retrospect, I realize the answer was probably Ground squirrel, but hed been asking questions non-stop for 15 minutes and my brain was fried. So, I said it was a mole.

Thus began many more minutes of questions.

It was both exhausting and adorable  and he never let go of my hand.

Thats what I try to remember during our discussions in a world polarized by social media memes and cable news flame-throwers: He is my family, and once, we held hands.

Some people think I should avoid the stress that comes with talking to someone who, while not having actually drunk the conspiracy Kool-Aid, is influenced by some of its biggest peddlers.

But theres no other option. Our country is collapsing because the extremes refuse to seek the middle ground, and deny any good in the other side. It has to stop. These conversations are my tiny effort toward a ceasefire.

When a bipartisan Senate committee announced June 12 that they had a proposal to address gun violence, I called Sam to find out what he thought about it. (Im using an alias and wont say where he lives because he has small children and I fear him being harassed at home.)

Like many of his friends, Sams a hunter, a target shooter and a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He is not, however, a gun nut.

He doesnt think protesting in the streets with AR-15s is responsible, nor would he ever put one in a toddlers lap, snap a photo and then caption it with a Bible quote  Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it  as the Twitter account of the Daniel Defense gun manufacturer recently did.

That said, Sam would lay down his life to protect his guns from government seizure because he takes the Second Amendment at its word.

In the Senate proposal, Sam supports enhanced background checks that include juvenile criminal records and thinks those records should also include high school disciplinary offenses.

We have to look at juvenile records because you have demented kids, he explained. Im putting blame where it needs to be  on the government doing background checks. Those checks need to be more thorough and juvenile records cant be ignored.

He also supports federal funding for increased law enforcement, school safety and school mental health services, but is less supportive of the red flag section of the proposed law because he fears someone with a grudge against a neighbor could make a false report resulting in the incorrect removal of a gun.

I, on the other hand, am a huge fan of red flag laws such as passed in Florida following the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland High School, because theyve proven effective.

In fact, according to recent reporting by CNN.com, in just the last two weeks of May, a Florida judge removed firearm privileges from a man accused of threatening to shoot everyone at his sons school, a woman who police say attempted suicide and then accidentally shot her boyfriend during a struggle for her revolver, a husband who allegedly fired multiple rounds in the street to blow off steam after losing a family member, a bullied 13-year-old (who) witnesses overheard saying, If all of eighth grade is missing tomorrow you will know why, and a mother arrested for brandishing a handgun at another mom after a school bus incident between their daughters.

If we cant get control of weapons, we need to get control of who gets weapons, is my thinking. Red flag laws help with that.

Sam supports the last two parts of the Senate proposal  a federal law against gun trafficking and straw purchasing, and clarification of who needs to register as a licensed gun dealer  but remains leery of federal overreach into family transfer of weapons.

As a fiscal conservative, hes also concerned about overspending. Me, Im all about spending whatever it takes to keep illegal guns off the streets, including restricting kitchen-table deals.

Sam and I disagree on many issues, but if we werent talking, it would be very easy to let those disagreements morph into disgust, and have us turn each other into caricatures of our side.

I dont want that to happen, even if people on the extremes encourage that very thing.

Instead, I want to keep remembering that Sam is family, and once upon a time, we held hands.

Renee Schafer Horton is a regular Star op-ed contributor. Reach her at rshorton08@gmail.com

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The Tulsa Club. Hotel Indigo. Residence Inn by Marriott. Hampton Inn and Suites. Hyatt Place. Holiday Inn Express.

The list of downtown hotels that have opened in the past few years is as long as the corridors inside them. And to the group the city recently announced an addition, a proposed 90-room boutique hotel/apartments development scheduled to start construction next year at 311 N. Boulder Ave.

All that welcome accommodation, however, comes with a caveat, a local tourism leader said.

Any time we have hotel properties come online, its helpful, said Ashleigh Bachert, interim senior vice president of regional tourism. We have just over 2,200 rooms in our downtown, which is small compared to other destinations of our size. When were going after pieces of business, they want to know how many rooms are in the downtown proper.

Any time we can add to that number, it makes a big difference. On the con side, unfortunately, small properties dont always have the ability to book large groups, and thats typically what we see.

The 411-room DoubleTree by Hilton has a sky bridge that connects to the Cox Business Convention Center, host to many of the conventions the city attracts. But it is one of only two downtown hotels with at least 400 rooms; the Hyatt Regency (444) is the other.

We continue to lose events because we dont have kind of that main or secondary convention hotel, Bachert said. The DoubleTree downtown is a phenomenal property. They are making some changes. Its going to remain, with the sky walk, the best available, along with Aloft. But again, you are looking at 400-plus with the DoubleTree, and you have another 110-plus at Aloft.

If youre looking for a thousand people, then you have to put them outside a two-block radius, which is really what people are looking for when they think convention center hotels. Were in need of a secondary convention center hotel that has 450-plus rooms to support that facility and how wonderful it is.

Pete Patel is president and CEO of Promise Hotels, which owns and operates two downtown hotels, the Hampton Inn and Suites across from the BOK Center and Holiday Inn Express near ONEOK Field.

I think we need both, he said. We need the unique boutique hotels that are being built. But we also need a large hotel.

Tourism is made up of a vast array of things. Its made up of people who want to get away for the weekend and stay in downtown Tulsa. But its also made up of the FFA group that brings in 12,000 to 15,000 people and need to be at one location or two or three locations near the convention center.

For convention and large-event dollars, Tulsa competes with cities such as Oklahoma City, Louisville, Kentucky, Omaha, Nebraska and Fort Worth, Texas. Oklahoma City is one of the best  and closest  examples of how a public-private partnership can work to attract a convention hotel.

Directly adjacent to the Oklahoma Citys new convention center, which opened early last year, is a 605-room, Omni Hotel, to which the city devoted more than $85 million in construction costs.

Why cant Tulsa look at a public-private partnership? Patel said. I think there have been some rumblings, but I dont know if there have been any formal discussions.

If its for the greater good of tourism, for the city of Tulsa, the Tulsa metro area, I absolutely think we have to look at that. As an hotelier in downtown, I would not be opposed to a convention center hotel. It would attract larger conventions that fill up the whole town.

Kian Kamas is executive director of PartnerTulsa, an organization that serves as the economic development arm of the city of Tulsa. She said the development of a convention hotel is critical to retaining current business and attracting new commerce to Tulsa.

Discussions thus far on that subject have centered on the proposed site for such a hotel and the funding strategy for its development, she said.

Broadly, there is a recognition that developing a major convention hotel will take a robust, public-private partnership approach that layers multiple public finance tools  similar to how Oklahoma City approached the Omni, Kamas wrote in an email.

Looking to other cities to assess how they also leveraged sales tax programs to complement tools like TIF (tax increment financing) will be key, which must be coupled with site-specific development strategies based upon the ultimate location of a convention hotel.

In short, there is no one single action that will need to occur to make a convention hotel a reality. It will take the collective effort of numerous stakeholders to ensure Tulsa can continue to compete in this space.

Steve Fischer, general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott downtown, also is president of the Metro Tulsa Hotel & Lodging Association.

To go that next step requires more supply of hotel rooms, he said. But being a hotelier and having come through COVID, too, its actually a little bit scary honestly knowing that youre adding more supply.

In the good times, the ideal is to have more supply to attract more business. But its a delicate balance between getting oversupplied versus needing to maintaining a good bottom line for your own hotel.

Hotel star-rating system

In the United States, hotel stars are rewarded by a variety of different groups, from travel guidebooks and national consumer travel associations to travel agencies and websites.

One star: Basic accommodations and small rooms. These properties do not guarantee in-suite bathrooms, 24-hour reception or daily cleaning. Think hostels or backpacker motel rooms.

Two stars: Often, two-star hotels are in old buildings that cant be renovated. These properties are a step up from one-star spots in that they probably offer a 24-hour reception, cleaning and a basic in-suite bathroom. Amenities are still limited but a guest might get a continental breakfast and a room with a phone and TV.

Three stars: A typical hotel in this classification will have three stars and offer room service, in-suite bathrooms, daily cleaning, a desk or table and Wifi. This is a standard hotel experience that most travelers expect unless theyre on a strict budget.

Four stars: These hotels offer an on-site swimming pool, gym, bar/restaurant or valet parking. They have nicer rooms and larger lobbies. Fast internet is standard.

Five stars: High-end, luxury hotels get this rating. Typically, a nice bar and restaurant are on-site, as well as a spa, gym, big bathrooms and comfortable beds.

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A Wagoner County electric power generating company has decided to not seek a judicial ruling regarding whether the county assessor there can levy and assess ad valorem tax on personal property while also within a tribal reservation.

Oneta Power LLC earlier this month dropped its request for a declaratory judgment regarding the impact, if any, of the Supreme Courts 2020 McGirt decision on county ad valorem taxes for properties within one of the six newly recognized tribal reservations in the state.

The Oneta Power LLC facility, 25142 E. 105th St. in Broken Arrow, is within the boundaries of the Muscogee Nation.

Wagoner County Assessor Sandy Hodges said this week that she was pleased the McGirt ruling request had been dropped.

Were just happy they have decided to dismiss that portion of the case, Hodges said.

In August 2020, the company filed a lawsuit in Wagoner County District Court after Hodges increased its personal property tax valuation nearly 42%.

The Wagoner County Assessor Office advised Oneta Power in March 2020 that the valuation of machinery, equipment and other tangible personal property at its business had increased from $282,021,000 the year before to $399,245,277.

Oneta Power protested the increase. In its lawsuit, the company also asked a judge to decide whether it is legal for Wagoner County government officials to levy property taxes at all, in light of the McGirt decision.

This raises the legal issue of whether or not the Wagoner County Assessor has lawful jurisdiction to levy and assess ad valorem tax on personal property within the territorial boundaries of the Creek Reservation, including the subject property, Oneta Power wrote in its lawsuit petition.

The Supreme Court ruled in July 2020 that Congress had never disestablished the Muscogee Nation reservation, whose boundaries include most of Tulsa and date to the 1860s.

The ruling meant that the state of Oklahoma did not have the right to prosecute major crimes within the historical boundaries of the Muscogee Nation reservation when they involved a member of a federally-recognized American tribe.

While subsequent state court rulings have expanded the McGirt decision to include five other tribes, some have suggested the decision could apply to matters beyond major crimes to include civil matters.

After Oneta Power filed its lawsuit, then-Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter joined the case against the power generating company.

A spokesman for Hunters office said at the time: The attorney generals position in this case is that McGirt doesnt affect property taxes. State and local entities may tax property on the Creek Reservation just as it has for over a century before the McGirt decision.

In August 2021, ONETA Power filed a similar lawsuit, this one challenging its 2021 tax levy.

While the tax challenge continues in court, the company has already paid the amount of taxes that are not in dispute, and it has placed the disputed amount in an escrow account.

Hodges said in an interview this week that she anticipates the company will challenge its 2022 personal property tax valuation, too, since it hasnt changed since it was increased in 2020.

I really think it was more of an intimidation factor than anything, referring to Oneta Powers request for the declaratory judgment.

Asked to elaborate, Hodges said the company was wanting to use any tactic they could to get me to lower the value of its property.

Asked to comment on the decision to drop its McGirt question, an attorney representing Oneta Power said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

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The reality of gang life was a long time coming for Quontrell Hardridge.

There were years of batting away his mothers pleas, a stint in prison and one too many funerals. Still, it wasnt until he became a husband and father that he realized just how far behind he was on the path to provide the life he wants for his family.

Its the reason Hardridge says he now mentors boys  in the hopes they dont go down the same path he did.

Most know the 28-year-old as Franchize  a gang moniker he once used to promote his rap  but he now wants to give his followers a better message.

Its called the Dont Slip program because we dont want the kids to slip and fall into this lifestyle, Hardridge said. This life is not reversible; you dont get the life back.

The we are others like him  Tulsa gangsters who have outgrown the high-risk lifestyle and found a reason to care whether they live or die.

It aint worth it, Hardridge said. Well tell you. I got partners thatll show you gunshot wounds. I know people who cant walk, cant talk. I know people who cant do so much, and I know people who can do whatever they want, buy whatever they want because they made it out the hood.

Theyre lucky, Hardridge says, to have even made it of age.

Seven men ranging from 18 to 38 years old were killed between May and September of last year in a wave of violence investigators termed a gang war that saw nearly 40 shootings span the city.

What exactly sent the tension level beyond the simmer of status quo remains unknown, but Tulsa Police Sgt. Rusty Brown, supervisor of the Strategic Intervention Unit, recently testified that investigators traced the outbreak to a shooting attack that members of one gang carried out on another in a crowded north Tulsa parking lot on May 2, 2021. The month and day is significant to the attacked gang as it alludes to the groups name, and retaliation ensued.

That started over several arguments, Tulsa Police Capt. Luke Sherman said then as the head of the departments Special Investigation Division. The next thing you know, were multiple shootings in, and people are getting shot.

A boiling pot

Tulsa Police responded with a violent crime initiative that netted nearly 80 arrests and more than 200 gun seizures before the year came to a close. But those who know gang life say the cycle will just start over.

And it has: Corlin Jones, 17, died in a shootout just last month east of downtown. Charging documents in his homicide point to rival gang members.

Were looking at the end result  not the start of something, said Charles Wilkes, a native Tulsan and champion of Black opportunity. Whenever its quiet, were not talking about these things as much.

Hardridge agreed, saying that in the midst of violence, calls for it to stop come off as bogus. He compared the situation to a boiling pot.

Everybody lets the pot boil and then gets mad when it overflows, he said. Youre watching it. Youre watching the pot boil.

The only way to turn down the heat, Wilkes said, is to address at-risk youth and the societal systems in which they grow.

We cant blame the community, who are just as much victims in that situation, Wilkes said. When you have a community that has a lot of lack of opportunities and lack of directions to go, (people) get into a place of survival and make decisions that they wouldnt ordinarily make.

It should be our job as people with resources to create those opportunities to avert creating situations like those we deal with.

The disparities between affluent Tulsans and those in poverty has been well-documented, and while many organizations are working on that, there remains room for improvement in equitable access to quality education, health care, housing, nutritious foods and career opportunities.

As for the children, every home is different, Wilkes said. Some parents work so much or so late theyre not able to be present for their kids, and others suffer crippling substance abuse or mental health issues, which leaves Wilkes wondering whos keeping watch.

Its a connectivity thing, he said. Is that kid connected to something thats going to grow them? It takes a sustained environment and atmosphere to grow a child properly, and we have a lot of gaps in our community. A lot of kids dont make it.

(Gangs) pick up the kids that fall through the gaps.

Grown-man decisions

Born and bred in north Tulsa, Hardridge joined a gang when he was 16, an age some would consider a late bloomer, he said.

There were gangsters in his family, but he grew up with a hard-working, single mom and a grandma who tried to steer him right, he said.

A move out east in his middle school years set him on uneasy footing as he grappled with a different culture.

I started messing up in school and getting into fights at school because of who I was associated with, he said. And that started to cost me, so I was just like, hell, I might as well join a gang  they treat me like (Im in) one; I dress like one.

What began as a childlike desire to dress with diamond rings became a means to scratch an itch of teenage rebellion, and a couple of years later, Hardridge was headed to prison on a robbery conviction as a youthful offender.

He sat there for six years of a split 15-year sentence with the latter nine suspended.

I thought about it the whole time like, Aw, Im a kid, Im a kid, Hardridge remembered. And then it hit me, like No, youre a grown man because youve been making grown-man decisions.

The more than two dozen funerals he attended for his friends the year after he got out of prison only served to solidify his thinking.

The way Hardridge sees it, there was little chance of stopping him from the path he chose. But for those who still have that choice to make, he hopes to be the difference.

Hardridge aims to help the children he mentors make a healthy transition from childhood to adulthood, keeping them young at heart while also preparing them for their future and expanding their dreams.

Many kids are already doing right, he said, but they often get overshadowed by those who do wrong.

And thats just not fair because its way harder to do right than it is to do wrong, Hardridge said. We have to reward these kids. We have to show them that, as long as Im doing good  even if my mama works too hard to notice  Franchize is going to notice.

Hardridge is not aiming to make any parents feel less than, he emphasized; he wants to help them. He encouraged parents with at-risk kids to take advantage of programs like those at the Tulsa Dream Center, 200 W. 46th St. North, and he encouraged otherwise unaffected residents to get involved with the nonprofit and similar programs.

My mama did the best she could, and I know a lot of mamas that did the best they could for their children, too, Hardridge said. I feel like if you have access to (the Dream Center), you should take advantage of it. The parents have to be less prideful and say OK, (Ill) get my son involved into all this, because I know what could be, instead of saying, No, my baby aint going to do this; my baby not going to do that.

You have to be really mindful because I had women that loved me all in my family and that didnt do it, and now that I have a relationship with my father, I dont feel like that wouldve done it either.

Renegade stuff

Tulsa Police Department officials have long held that their reach goes only so far as the badge. Despite some efforts stunted by a staff shortage to cast a community policing curriculum across the department, police maintain that their responsibility remains one of reaction to crime.

Were reacting to a lot of criminal behavior and using evidence-based and data-based police work to try to go and identify it and try to stop that behavior, Capt. Luke Sherman, now retired, said in a January interview. Law enforcement doesnt necessarily really jump into seeking to understand some of the dynamics of why these things occur  that, to me, is not our expertise.

Were not going to get a gang member to really give us the deep dive into what his beef was because theres, a lot of times, criminal actions and charges attached to that.

Tulsa gangs breed crimes that run the gamut from vandalism and property crimes to homicides and human trafficking. In recent testimony in a preliminary hearing, a Crime Gun Unit investigator said most of the citys shootings are gang-related.

Violence is often the result of disputes over girls, money, stolen property, drugs or honor insulted in a public sphere  the latter particularly exacerbated in an age of social media.

Lamar Norman, 13, was gunned down near 61st Street and Peoria Avenue in late December after making a live Instagram post with others intentionally (meant) to disrespect a rival gang, affidavits in his murder case state.

A 14- and 15-year-old were charged in his death.

These kids are different  way different, Hardridge said. When they get involved in this gang stuff, theyre way ruthless.

Gangs in Tulsa are not what they used to be, he and other community members say.

The old order of initiation, affiliation and hierarchy has faded into a wave of youngsters who start their own, loose groups with their friends and are quick to point high-powered firearms in the face of any upset.

Anything they do can start a war, Hardridge said. Thats why most of the big homies have removed themselves and what people call OGs (original gangsters) ... because theres a lot of renegade stuff going on.

Contrary to Hollywood depictions, Sherman said there are no OGs showing up at gang functions to talk to the younger guys in wise, sage ways.

Its not like the movies where they have this overarching influence, Sherman said. Most people, when they get done and decide Im checking out from Bloods or Crips, theyre just doing their thing. Its just life. Then the younger generations are just pressing through what they assume the responsibilities are and the street response of how youre supposed to act.

Hardridge said he doesnt even waste (his) time trying to turn back kids who have already sought out and embraced the gang lifestyle. Its no use, he believes, as they have to realize for themselves as he did. But hes heard of some who are abandoning otherwise stable homes to live in violence-ridden apartment complexes with their friends and talking as if they have the upper hand on the justice system.

You got these young kids saying, Well, I know Im going to get out when Im this age; it dont even matter if I kill somebody, Hardridge said. They know what theyre doing. They know exactly what theyre doing, and I hope they get the help they need.

Seeing good kids throwing gang signs and getting tossed into a dangerous mix with friends they still have faith in is part of why Hardridge said he felt the need to speak out.

Weve got to stop the kids from even joining into these activities, he said.

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Uno, dos, tres: Starting in August, Springdale Elementary School will begin transitioning to a two-way dual-language site.

Currently home to a one-way dual language program for English and Spanish, students in the two-way program will learn to read in their stronger language first while they develop academic skills in both Spanish and English. Classes are taught in both languages.

Starting with all of the sites prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms in 2022-23, Springdales two-way program will add a grade annually through the 2027-28 school year.

Other Tulsa Public Schools sites with two-way dual language programs are Celia Clinton, Cooper, Disney, Felicitas Mendez and Kendall-Whittier elementary schools and Will Rogers College Middle School.

Board vacancies: Skiatook Public Schools Board of Education has two vacant seats to fill.

At its June 13 meeting, the board accepted the resignations of Seat 3 representative Mike Mullins and Seat 4 representative Jay Schnoebelen. Neither one included an explanation in his one-sentence resignation letter, and neither could be reached for comment.

Seat 3 represents the districts northwest side and is up for election in 2023. Seat 4 represents Skiatook Public Schools far eastern side and is up for election in 2024.

Eligible individuals interested in filling either seat may send a cover letter and resume to the districts Education Service Center by 4 p.m. on July 1.

Help wanted: At its June 13 meeting, Union Public Schools Board of Education approved increased sign-on bonuses for nurses and special education, secondary math and secondary science teachers.

For the 2022-23 school year, sign-on bonuses for certified special education staff will increase from $1,000 to $2,500, while the other positions will jump from $1,000 to $2,000. The district has about 20 open positions that are eligible for the extra funds.

The increased bonuses are considered a one-time stipend and are paid for through a combination of grant money and federal COVID-19 relief funds.

More help wanted: Broken Arrow Public Schools Transportation Department is hosting a hiring event Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lobby of the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center. Participants are asked to bring a resume and a copy of their drivers license.

Four day week: District buildings for Sapulpa and Tulsa are closed Monday in observance of Juneteenth. Their summer feeding sites will resume meal service on Tuesday.

Additionally, the administrative offices for Allen Bowden Public Schools are closed on Fridays through the end of July.

Gun safety: Citing the May school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Tahlequah Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution at its June 13 meeting directing incoming Superintendent Tanya Jones and district staff to collaborate with local law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations and public health agencies to develop a plan to educate parents on how to securely store firearms.

This is not meant to be pro-gun or anti-gun, resolution sponsor Chrissi Ross Nimmo said. This is not about praising or condemning guns. We know there are lots and lots of homes in our community that have guns in them.

I was shocked when I started reading the statistics  and thought this was the perfect opportunity and the perfect avenue for a public school to wade into an issue that we know is an issue without it being some huge political thing because it was focused on educating our community, specifically educating caregivers.

School board calendar: The boards of education for Allen Bowden, Bartlesville, Catoosa, Owasso and Tulsa all have meetings scheduled on Monday.

The Tahlequah school board has a special meeting on Tuesday.

Broken Arrow Public Schools Board of Education is scheduled to meet Wednesday and Thursday for a board retreat.

The State Board of Education is scheduled to meet Thursday in Oklahoma City.

 Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton, Tulsa World

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Bill Inhofe: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofes last National Defense Authorization Act was reported out of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week with his name in the title of the bill.

In his 27 years on the committee, and before that in the House, Inhofe has made the defense bill a chief priority during a 36-year congressional career.

I always felt the most important things for me were defense and transportation, Inhofe said. I focused on them almost to the exclusion of other things.

Inhofe declared himself pleased with this years product. It weighs in at $857.64 billion, $45 billion more than requested by President Joe Biden.

That increase was necessary, Inhofe said, because were at war with opponents with, in some cases, better equipment than we have.

Not everyone agreed with Inhofe. The United States spends more on defense than the next 10 nations combined, according to some estimates, and quite a few observers believe it is not getting its moneys worth.

Expensive weapons systems such as Ford-class aircraft carriers and F-35 combat jets have drawn heavy criticism for costing too much and delivering too little.

Inhofe himself has leveled such criticism. But he insists the U.S. military is on the verge of being outstripped by China and Russia  Russias problems in Ukraine not withstanding.

I consider it to be war anytime the other side is suiting up and rattling their armor, Inhofe said, indicating he believes Chinese as well as the Russians are doing a good deal of that.

The James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Bill is still a long way from becoming law. It has to be passed by the full Senate, then a reconciliation process with the House version will occur before another round of votes.

Asked when he thinks it will be signed into law, Inhofe replied, Probably down toward the end (of the year). Thats the nature of the institution.

VA benefits: U.S. Sen. James Lankford took some flak for being one of 14 senators, all Republicans, to vote against a bill intended to give more veterans exposed to toxins access to health care and benefits.

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe voted for the bill.

Lankford, though, said he believes the measure will prove detrimental to veterans health care overall.

This bill will add more delays to service-connected veteran care by increasing care requirements for complications that may not be service connected, Lankford said. The bill does not increase community care for veterans or increase beneficial information from community care. It simply expands eligibility without increasing capacity.

All veterans should be evaluated by medical professionals to determine their ongoing treatment needs relating to their service. We must do better at serving those who have given their lives for our nation. We cannot worsen the VA backlog and make it even harder for Oklahoma veterans to get the care they need.

Guns: Lankford hasnt signed onto a compromise Senate gun bill, but he did tell Politico hes OK with Majority Leader Mitch McConnells willingness to talk about it.

His issue has been: Weve got to be engaged in conversations. Typically were not. This time we are, said Lankford. In this conversation, it seems to be more circling around that: What do we both agree on? OK, lets move on that. That doesnt offend me. In fact, I think thats helpful long-term.

Indian affairs: Four Oklahomans were named to the first Interior Secretarys Tribal Advisory Council.

The Oklahoma members are Choctaw Chief Gary Batton, Muscogee Second Chief Del Beaver, Pawnee Chairman Walter Echo-Hawk and Cheyenne-Arapaho Gov. Reggie Wassana.

Pulling rank: Lankford told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that putting a colonel instead of a three-star general in a key Middle East position is a bad idea.

Lankford is not alone in his concern about reports that the organizational slot for the U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority may be downgraded from lieutenant general.

According to protocol, lieutenant generals have direct access to the secretary of state and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Colonels do not.

There is also concern that a downgrade in rank will signal a downgrade in priorities in the region.

I am concerned that downgrading the USSCs rank will weaken the USSCs mission and imperil U.S. security interests in the Middle East, Lankford wrote to Austin.

The change is proposed because the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 ordered a reduction of general and flag officers.

Dots and dashes: Reuters reported that Lankford was among six Republicans complaining to TikTok that it has allowed Russian state media to flood the platform with dangerous pro-war propaganda. In a floor speech, 3rd District Congressman Frank Lucas said the Biden Administration and House Democrats have just about everything wrong on agriculture and energy policy and urged them to see the light.  Fifth District Congresswoman Stephanie Bice said she supports legislation requiring baby formula manufacturers to apprise the Food and Drug Administration of potential supply interruptions.

 Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World

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Correction: This notebook originally listed the incorrect first name of Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow. It has been corrected.

Primarily speaking: With Oklahomas June 28 primary elections approaching, a campaign to replace them with an open primary similar to those in California, Alaska and other states has been launched.

Unmute Oklahoma has an online petition organizers say will be used to build support for open primaries. A mobile billboard, debuted Thursday in Tulsa, will set up in locations across the state over the coming weeks.

Unmute Oklahoma is associated with a national organization called Open Primaries.

In open primaries, all candidates go on a single ballot. Generally, there is a runoff if no candidate receives a majority. Some open primaries used ranked choice voting, in which voters list their top choices in order, to facilitate what is sometimes called an automatic runoff.

The main argument for open primaries is that it gives everyone a chance to vote and more candidates to choose from. A large share of Oklahomans, for instance, will have no say in choosing their legislator this year because the outcome will be decided in a primary.

The main argument against open primaries is that it tends to favor parties with fewer nominees to split the vote.

Former Oklahoma Congressman Mickey Edwards, now a Princeton University professor and an advocate of open primaries, said thats the point.

Its the peoples government, not the parties, he said by telephone on Friday.

Edwards, and others, argue that closed primaries leave general election voters with candidates, usually two, chosen by partisan extremists. In many cases, people have to switch party affiliation to have any say at all.

People ought to have as many choices as possible, Edwards said. They ought to have options. Instead theyve got to choose between a couple of people the parties have picked.

Campaigns and elections: The Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce announced several Republican legislative primary endorsements, including State Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, in SD 10, which includes part of Sand Springs; Todd Gollihare in SD 12, which includes Sapulpa and far west Tulsa County; Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow; John Kane in HD 11, which includes northernmost Tulsa County; Rep. Logan Phillips, R-Mounds, whose newly-drawn district includes Glenpool and Bixby; state Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, whose districts includes western Tulsa County; and Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow.

One of the three candidates in the GOP state treasurer primary is in trouble.

David Hooten resigned as Oklahoma County clerk last week following allegations of harassment and the broadcast of a recording in which he tells employees theyre going on a team-building exercise that includes alcohol and gambling. Hooten also says hes genetically altered to make him impervious to alcohol.

National Right to Life endorsed U.S. Sen. James Lankford, Gov. Kevin Stitt and Attorney General John OConnor.

Americans for Prosperity Oklahoma endorsed Ryan Walters for state superintendent of schools.

Barry Goldwater Jr. endorsed OConnor.

Eight of the 14 Republicans in the 2nd Congressional District primary have signed a pledge to support term limits.

Lunch pails: Oklahoma had 40,200 more people on non-farm payrolls in May than during the same month a year ago, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. That was an increase of 2.5%, to 1.68 million.

Nevada had the largest year-over-year increase, 7.1%, and Wisconsin the smallest, 1.9%.

Bottom line: Receipts to the general revenue fund, state governments primary operating account, came in at 39% above projections in May, and are 25% ahead of expectations for the first 11 months of fiscal year 2022.

Meanwhile, the states Board of Equalization certified a balanced fiscal year 2023 budget, with revenue of $11.9 billion and expenditures of $10.9 billion.

 Randy Krehbiel,

Tulsa World

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Although the physical freedoms of Black Americans were recognized when Juneteenth became a federal holiday last year, vendors at this weekends Tulsa Juneteenth Festival said they are still fighting for economic freedom and equitable representation.

Tents lined historic Greenwood Avenue from Thursday to Saturday, representing a community of local and national organizations who gathered to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States in 1865.

The almost 100-degree heat didnt deter crowds of festivalgoers; instead, it encouraged kindness as people shared their fans, passed out water bottles and invited others to enjoy the shade of their tents.

Yvita Fox-Crider, the statewide engagement director for Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, said she was at the festival to advocate for reduced mass incarceration rates and an equitable justice system through policy. She said the state ranks third in U.S. prison incarceration, first for women and first for Black men and women.

There are a lot of people sitting in our prisons that dont need to be in prison, Fox-Crider said. They need those shackles set free  just like on the historic Juneteenth day.

Hosting the festival in Greenwood meant a lot to Fox-Crider, as the location represents a once-prosperous community of Black Tulsans who were forced to regroup and rebuild following the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921.

She said she valued the supportive community of Black-owned businesses attending the festival, as they represent their families and their ancestors while they continue building a legacy for their descendants.

Brittani Savage and Teri Jordan from the Foundation for Womens Cancer  a Chicago nonprofit dedicated to increasing public awareness of gynecologic cancers  said they stopped in Tulsa to meet people where they are and bring education into the hands of marginalized communities.

The mortality rate for uterine cancer is highest among Black women and twice that of white women, according to a Uterine Cancer Evidence Review Conference report. Savage said education is incredibly important, especially during Juneteenth.

The more you know, the more you have the potential to do something with that knowledge, Savage said.

Registered medical assistant and care coordinator Brettina Frieden represented Tulsa CARES, a provider of prevention and care programs serving low-income individuals living with HIV, AIDS and hepatitis C.

Frieden said there is often stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS in Black communities, putting those patients at a disadvantage for care. Tulsas Juneteenth Festival presents an opportunity for offering education on the history of the day and various issues currently affecting Black communities, she said.

As Frieden and her Tulsa CARES colleagues passed around a gray electric fan to beat the heat, Frieden said it makes her happy to see people traveling from across the U.S. to Tulsa to celebrate Juneteenth.

Vendors were having fun, enjoying the sense of community and appreciating how Tulsas Black community was being represented in a positive light through the festival, Frieden said.

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For American troops in Vietnam, knowing your friend from your foe often was no easy thing.

But where Sam Rice and his unit were located, they never had to worry about it.

We loved working in the mountains, because everybody was the enemy, he said.

That made it simpler. You didnt have to stop and think.

These days, Rice, who was awarded three Bronze Stars for valor, prefers focusing more on his friends than his foes, though.

Thats what he was doing during a visit last week to Tulsa, where he joined other Vietnam veterans for the 26th reunion of the Hill 4-11 Association.

The event, which drew 85 veterans from all over the country, many of them bringing family, wrapped up on Saturday with a memorial service and wreath-laying at Veterans Park, followed by a banquet in the evening.

Hill 4-11 Association members include veterans who served with or in support of the Armys 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment during the Vietnam War.

The battalion, which was in Vietnam from December 1967 to October 1971, lost almost 300 men during that time and had one of the highest casualty rates of any unit.

Rice, from Toulon, Illinois, said the groups name, Hill 4-11, is taken from the site of a firebase the unit established and operated near Quang Ngai City, South Vietnam, an area that had a heavy enemy presence.

We had four companies, and they rotated off and on the hill, said Rice, who was there in 1969. So one company would be on the hill to rest and recuperate while the other three were out patrolling and running ambushes on the trails.

The units on patrol were in constant danger.

Tommy Thompson, a veteran from Bristow who served as the reunion host, had barely set foot in Vietnam when he was cut down in an ambush.

It was seven days after I arrived in the field, he said, adding that he was evacuated with shrapnel wounds all over his body.

They ended up removing what was left of my spleen, he said.

Although his time was brief, the 21-year-old private first class absorbed enough war to last a lifetime.

Just four days before he was knocked out of action he saw three soldiers from his company killed in front of him.

Four more died in the ambush in which he was wounded.

Thompson knows the names of those seven fallen soldiers by heart, he said.

Every night before I go to sleep, I say them aloud, he said.

Buried every memory

Rice, who achieved the rank of sergeant, lost his share of comrades, as well.

After he got home, he wanted nothing to do with the war, he said.

Hed had a camera with him in Vietnam, he said, and had taken random photos of unit life.

My mom saved every one and put them in a shoebox, he said. But it was probably 10 years before I finally opened it.

I just didnt want to relive it again, Rice added. I was done.

The 4-11 reunions have helped the veterans process the terrible things they saw and find solace in reconnecting with comrades.

The first reunion was held in 1984. It was held annually for a while before moving to every other year.

Its been in different cities, and this was the first time in Tulsa. It was originally scheduled for last year but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thompson said he discovered the group about 10 years ago.

When I got discharged, I buried every memory, he said. And 10 years ago it just start eating at me. So I started getting on the internet, googling this and that.

Thompson, who was recently married when he was drafted in 1968, soon discovered the 4-11 association. Hes attended every reunion since 2015.

Our numbers are dwindling, but those who can keep coming, he said.

The friendships that were forged in war have stood the test of time.

Thats what its all about, Thompson said.

Rice added, Its like we can be talking and one guy stops, and the other guy can just carry on like it was the same sentence.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister faces former state Sen. Connie Johnson in the June 28 Democratic primary for governor.

Hofmeister, who is finishing her second term as state superintendent, switched from Republican to Democrat in November.

Gov. (Kevin) Stitt has hijacked the Republican Party, Hofmeister, 57, said. He is running this state into the ground. I want to get back to Oklahoma values of common sense, working together, respect for one another and actually getting things done.

Stitt is seeking a second term. He is among four Republicans vying for the nomination.

Johnson, 70, is a consultant who is making her second attempt at governor after an unsuccessful attempt at the U.S. Senate. She served nine years in the Oklahoma State Senate and also served on staff.

Only in Oklahoma could the Republican Party run a Republican in the Democratic primary and the Democrats say OK, Johnson said. Nowhere else.

She said there is nothing to prevent Hofmeister from switching back to Republican after pulling this big hoax.

Hofmeister graduated from Eastwood High School in Tulsa. She holds a bachelors in education from Texas Christian University and is working on a masters at the University of Oklahoma.

She is a former teacher who owned a Kumon Math and Reading Center in Tulsa.

Hofmeister said her top issues are building a stronger, competitive education system, safe and healthy communities and creating high-paying jobs.

Families shouldnt have to work three jobs and still have homeownership out of reach, she said.

The state needs more students to graduate from high school and be ready for CareerTech, the military or college, she said.

Oklahoma also needs to solve its teacher shortage, something few were talking about until she took office, she said.

Gov. Stitt is threatening all of our schools with his voucher scheme, which is a rural school killer, Hofmeister said.

She has plenty of criticism for Stitt.

I have had a front-row seat to Gov. Stitts self-dealing, cronyism and lack of transparency, Hofmeister said. It has to stop.

It has only benefited his friends and his own business, she said.

She said Stitt is out of touch with regular Oklahomans and is reading off a national script.

This is more than a slogan of top 10, she said. Oklahomans need a governor who knows how to get there.

Johnson said one of her top issues is to provide funding for a quality education.

In addition, she believes reinvesting in roads, bridges, broadband and environmental needs will create good-paying jobs.

Johnson said health and mental health services are a basic human right and health care systems need to be restructured to make them more accountable.

She also supports reforming the criminal legal system and sentencing guidelines.

She said a good old boy system has led to the overincarceration of certain groups of people. The state needs a uniform sentencing system, she said.

She also wants to empower marginalized groups in underserved communities with information about voting as a way to improve their circumstances in life.

She is a staunch advocate of a womans right to choose abortion.

Johnson is a graduate of Frederick A. Douglass High School in Oklahoma City. She holds a bachelors in French from the University of Pennsylvania and a masters in rehabilitation counseling from Langston University. She holds a doctorate in political science from Larry Love University.

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Oklahoma officials failed in responding to COVID-19, landing at No. 50 among states and the District of Columbia, according to a new report from an independent research nonprofit.

The Commonwealth Fund is a respected foundation focusing on health policy reform and a high-performance health system. It released a scorecard last week  the State Health System Performance  that shows only Mississippi had a weaker response.

This should not be a surprise to any Oklahoman who has been following the data since the pandemic began. The state consistently exceeded national rates in deaths, hospitalizations and new infections. Now, it lags in vaccination rates.

At its height, patients had to be transported out of state, ventilators were in short supply and hospitals scrambled for staff.

State and local officials politicized public health by squabbling over recommendations on masks, school shutdowns and business restrictions.

The Oklahoma State Health Department went through three directors and four state epidemiologists and tinkered with data reporting. The agency halted releasing city and ZIP code level information to the surprise of health care workers, pre-paid for $5.4 million in PPE that was never received and ordered $2.6 million in the unprovenand now discreditedhydroxychloroquine drug. A pandemic center never got off the ground.

Oklahoma was fortunate to have other institutions step up to give accurate and full information to the public. Those include officials from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Tulsa Health Department, Oklahoma State Medical Association and area hospitals.

Infections spread so swiftly that deeper shades of red were needed on maps. As of June 14, Oklahoma has reported 14,458 COVID-related deaths.

The scorecard ranked states by the rate of several measures.

Oklahoma ranked 50th in hospital admissions, 47th in days of hospital staffing shortages, 45th for days of high ICU stress, 40th for excessive deaths and 19th for deaths of nursing home residents. The state is 45th in adults who are vaccinated and have one booster.

To date, Oklahoma hasnt reached a 70% full-vaccination rate for individuals ages 12 and up, and according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, only 57.7% of Oklahomans have two shots. Pockets of the state still have outbreaks.

Oklahomans died from this pitiful pandemic response, and there is plenty of blame to go around. History will not be kind to this era and the behavior of some of our leaders.

We appreciate all the health care workers, advocates and people who stepped up as helpers. Our hope is that much can be learned to save lives in the next public health emergency.

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Monsoon rains caused widespread flooding in northeastern Bangladesh and India, stranding nearly 6 million people and killing at least 19 people in Bangladesh, authorities said on Saturday, warning the situation could worsen.

Lightning strikes have killed at least 15 people in eight districts in Bangladesh since Friday, and four people were killed in landslides, police officials said.

The flooding in Bangladesh, described by a government expert as potentially the country's worst since 2004, was exacerbated by the runoff from heavy rain across Indian mountains. Rain continued on Saturday, with more forecast over the next two days.

Indian Army soldiers evacuate people from flooded area to a safer place after heavy rains at a village in Hojai district, in the northeastern state of Assam, India, June 18, 2022. Photo: Reuters

"Much of the country's northeast is underwater and the situation is getting worse as heavy downpour continues," said Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, chief administrator of Bangladesh's Sylhet region.

Seasonal monsoon rains, a lifeline for farmers across South Asia, also typically cause loss of life and property every year.

Bangladesh and India have experienced increasing extreme weather in recent years, causing large-scale damage. Environmentalists warn climate change could lead to more disasters, especially in low-lying and densely populated Bangladesh.

People wade through the water as they look for shelter during a flood, amidst heavy rains that caused widespread flooding in the northeastern part of the country, in Sylhet, Bangladesh, June 18, 2022. Photo: Reuters

The worst-hit Sunamganj district in Bangladesh is almost disconnected from the rest of the country, Hossain told Reuters, adding that authorities helped by the army were focused on rescuing those trapped and distributing relief.

"There is shortage of boats, which makes it harder to move people to safer places," he said. "Today the navy is joining us in rescue efforts."

Television footage showed Bangladesh roads and railway lines submerged, with people wading through chest-high brown churning waters, carrying their belongings and livestock.

People wade through the water as they look for shelter during a flood, amidst heavy rains that caused widespread flooding in the northeastern part of the country, in Sylhet, Bangladesh, June 18, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Many of Bangladesh's rivers have risen to dangerous levels, said Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, head of the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre.

Syed Rafiqul Haque, a former lawmaker and ruling party politician in Sunamganj district, said a humanitarian crisis could emerge if the floods did not recede and proper rescue operations were not conducted.

"The situation is alarming," he told Reuters. "There is no electricity, no road connection, no mobile network. People are in desperately in need of immediate shelter and food."

People get on a boat as they look for shelter during a flood, amidst heavy rains that caused widespread flooding in the northeastern part of the country, in Sylhet, Bangladesh, June 18, 2022. Photo: Reuters

In neighbouring India's northeastern state of Assam, armed forces were called in for rescue efforts after landslides killed at least nine people and displaced nearly 2 million from their homes in the last 10 days, officials said.

"Soldiers are helping police and civil authorities in several parts of Assam in evacuating trapped villagers," Jogen Mohan, the state's revenue minister, told Reuters.

Torrential rains lashed 25 of the state's 33 districts for a sixth day.
Thailand hastily issued a raft of new regulations for cannabis use this week after a long-planned decriminalisation raised alarm at the potential for unchecked use of the substance anywhere and by anyone - including children.

Soon after the country became the first in Asia to legalise growing and consumption of cannabis in food and drink on June 9, businesses began openly selling marijuana, with strains called "Amnesia" and "Night Nurse" on offer from a truck in Bangkok.

The rapid rise in cannabis sales sparked concern from a Bangkok city official: Deputy Permanent Secretary Wantanee Wattana said at least one person had died and several were hospitalised this week after consuming or smoking marijuana.

A draft cannabis bill is making its way through parliament, but could be months away from becoming law.

"There are no control measures other than word of mouth," lamented Mana Nimitmongkol, head of the Anti-Corruption Organization (Thailand), in an online post earlier this week.

This week, the central government has been issuing piecemeal rules to try to bring some order to cannabis use.

On Friday, new regulations went into effect forbidding all public smoking of cannabis as well as the sale of marijuana to people under the age of 20, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. The rules were published overnight in the Royal Gazette.

Several other rules included banning cannabis from schools, requirement for retailers to provide clear information on usage of cannabis in food and drinks and the application of a health law that defined smoke from marijuana a public nuisance punishable by jail and a fine.

Critics have said the government rushed to remove criminal penalties on marijuana before passing a law to ensure the substance is regulated.

Thailand's health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, a leading advocate for the legalisation of cannabis, has defended the government's approach to legalisation.

"We legalised cannabis for medical use and for health," Anutin said at Government House on Friday.

"Usage beyond this are inappropriate... and we need laws to control it," he said.

Anutin's Bhumjaithai Party campaigned on legalisation of marijuana ahead of 2019 election and is a main partner in the ruling coalition.
Australian authorities made no accusation against nine Vietnamese flight attendants after finding them bringing along a total amount of over US$41,000 before a flight from Australia to Vietnam last month, according to national carrier Vietnam Airlines.

Australian authorities inspected nine out of eleven Vietnam Airlines flight attendants before they were on duty on the VN780 flight from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City on May 23, the carrier cited its representative in Melbourne as saying in a report to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) on Saturday.

After the inspection, the authorities allowed eight of the nine attendants to serve the flight while continuing working with the other, Nguyen Vuong Phuong Anh, until 6:00 pm the same day before ending their questioning.

Vuong returned to Vietnam on another Vietnam Airlines flight departing two days later.

This was a random inspection and Australian authorities made no allegation against these flight attendants, the representative said.

Vietnam has yet to receive any official report from Australian authorities about this case, said CAAV general director Dinh Viet Thang.

Thang added that the agency had directed the airline to keep staying in touch with Australian agencies for relevant information.

On June 14, Australias 7News channel reported that nine flight attendants of an airline had been questioned by Australian authorities after they were found bringing a total of AU$60,000 (US$41,600) hidden among their personal luggage before the aforementioned flight.

They were suspected of money laundering during a raid by the Australian border force and police, 7News said, without mentioning the name of the carrier or particulars of the attendants involved.

But the 7News report showed Vietnamese passports and Australian cash.

After a verification process, Vietnam Airlines determined that these attendants are its staff, the CAAV said.

As per Australias regulations, any foreigner bringing along AU$10,000 (US$6,935) or an equivalent amount in other currencies when they enter or leave the country must make a declaration, otherwise they can be subject to fines or imprisonment.

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A gymnastic teacher in Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam, has been offering free swimming lessons to more than 1,600 local kids for the past decade in a swimming pool simply set up on a canal, significantly contributing to the prevention of drowning among children.

Nguyen Viet Tuoc, a physical education teacher at Hai Vinh Elementary and Middle School in the provinces low-lying Hai Lang District, has long used a section of the irrigation canal in the district as a swimming pool, where he provides free swimming courses for the schools students as well as other local children.

The 47-year-old teacher erected a hut along the canal bank and spent his money on equipping the makeshift swimming pool with all facilities necessary for children to practice swimming safely.

Tuoc teaches the kids swimming techniques and skills to give first aid to drowning victims.

Every summer, the teacher usually spends six hours per day in the natural swimming pool with local children.

To date, Tuoc has taught more than 1,600 children, whose parents are willing to pay the teacher, but he always turns them down politely.

I just hope that after such swimming courses, they will be skillful in swimming to keep them safe in rivers so that there will be no more heartbroken cases of drowning among children, Tuoc said.

Tuocs teaching efforts have brought safety to thousands of students when they wade across rivers or face floods. His heart is boundless, said Vo Van Minh, deputy director of the provincial Department of Education and Training.

Children practice swimming in a makeshift swimming pool created by their PE teacher Nguyen Viet Tuoc on a canal in Hai Lang District, Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Quoc Nam / Tuoi Tre

Children practice swimming in a makeshift swimming pool created by their PE teacher Nguyen Viet Tuoc on a canal in Hai Lang District, Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Quoc Nam / Tuoi Tre

Children practice swimming in a makeshift swimming pool created by their PE teacher Nguyen Viet Tuoc on a canal in Hai Lang District, Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Quoc Nam / Tuoi Tre

PE teacher Nguyen Viet Tuoc is seen repairing a part of his swimming pool on a canal in Hai Lang District, Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam. Photo: Quoc Nam / Tuoi Tre

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Collin Reeves was suffering from depression when he killed his neighbours Stephen and Jennifer Chapple, two psychiatrists agreed (Elizabeth Cook/PA) (PA Wire)

A former soldier who stabbed his two neighbours to death had depression but was not otherwise mentally ill, two forensic psychiatrists agreed.

Collin Reeves admitted stabbing Steven and Jennifer Chapple in their home in Norton Fitzwarren outside Taunton in Somerset, on November 21 last year, but denied murder.

The Afghanistan veteran instead admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Jurors were asked to decide whether Reeves depression  which was diagnosed as moderate by one psychiatrist and mild by another  amounted to an abnormality of mental functioning in law.

On Friday, Reeves was convicted of murder.

During the trial at Bristol Crown Court, the jury heard Reeves and his wife Kayley had been involved in a dispute with the Chapples about parking since the previous May.

The Reeves also had problems in their marriage, and around 40 minutes before the killings Mrs Reeves had asked her husband for a trial separation.

The defendant later said he had almost no memory of the incident, and that he did not have the depth of feeling about the Chapples that would explain why he killed them.

Tributes laid for Stephen and Jennifer Chapple in Norton Fitzwarren (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Archive)

Forensic psychiatrist Dr Lucy Bacon, who assessed Reeves on behalf of the defence team, concluded that he had been suffering from moderate depression at the time of the attacks.

Dr Bacon said she had explored the possibility that he had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his tour in Afghanistan, and concluded that he was not.

The defendant reported being anxious in crowds but was not hyper vigilant  a symptom of PTSD often seen in soldiers where they feel a constant sense of threat.

He was also not suffering from nightmares or flashbacks.

Instead, Reeves told her that since leaving the Army in December 2017 he had been suffering from low mood and tiredness and wanted to avoid people.

Reeves said he had been considering suicide, and also about packing his bag and going missing to get away from his life.

Story continues

A police tent at the scene in Dragon Rise in Norton Fitzwarren (Andrew Matthews/PA) (PA Archive)

While at the police station, Reeves gave his name as Lance Corporal Collin Reeves and gave his service number, and seemed confused as to why he was there.

Dr Bacon said it appeared that the defendant had regressed to his training.

Hes spent many years as a soldier and hes gone back into that mode of answering questions with his service number, that sort of thing, she said.

I think that was caused by the shock of having killed the Chapples.

Both Reeves wife and his mother Lynn Reeves described Reeves looking very different on the night of the attack, something Dr Bacon attributed to extreme shock.

Reeves told Dr Bacon that life before the stabbings felt dark all the time.

He told her he had felt scared a lot of the time growing up due to episodes of domestic violence against himself and his mother by his father, but had never sought help for his mental health.

Reeves said Im a soldier and I need to toughen up, so I dont discuss it, Dr Bacon said.

She diagnosed his depression as moderate, because he was still able to function in some aspects of his life, such as going to work or going for a run, and worried about providing for his family.

Dr Bacon said depression was an abnormality of mental function because it affects how someone sees the world and their own behaviour.

But she said in her opinion it did not meet the criteria of diminished responsibility in law.

Dr John Sandford, for the prosecution, said Reeves loss of memory of the killings was consistent with dissociative amnesia  where an incident is so traumatic the brain erases it.

This is nothing to do with depression  its a reaction to a traumatic act, something that is usually a reaction to something youve done rather than something done to you, Dr Sandford said.

The witness diagnosed Reeves with mild depression, adding that it was a normal response for someone who was unhappy in his job and unhappy in his marriage.

Dr Sandford said Reeves demeanour of shock, confusion and memory loss when he was arrested were a consequence of the killings, not pre-existing mental conditions that drove his actions.
By Jamie Freed

DOHA (Reuters) -Qantas Airways and Airbus said on Sunday they would invest up to $200 million to accelerate the development of a sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) industry in Australia to help meet the airline's goal of lowering carbon emissions.

The agreement, announced on the sidelines of global airline industry body IATA's annual meeting in Doha, is in line with Qantas' target of using 10% SAF in its fuel mix by 2030 and comes after it placed a multi-billion dollar order for Airbus narrowbody and widebody planes last month.

The global airline industry, aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2050, is relying on SAF usage to rise from around 100 million litres (26 million gallons) a year in 2021 to at least 449 billion litres a year within three decades, a mammoth and costly undertaking.

Qantas is sourcing SAF in London and Los Angeles but not in Australia.

"The problem is there is no sustainable aviation fuel industry in Australia and we would like to buy this in scale," Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce told reporters. "We think the way to do that is to put our money where our mouth is."

The investment, which includes A$50 million ($35 million) of funding previously committed by Qantas, could go to a mix of start-up firms and more established operators and could include equity investments, Joyce said.

The funding will be split between Qantas and Airbus with a smaller contribution from Raytheon Technologies-owned engine maker Pratt & Whitney, he added. Qantas has ordered Pratt & Whitney engines for its new Airbus narrowbody fleet.

Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury said the deal with Qantas was "unique" due to its recent plane order and Australia's isolated location and was not expected to be replicated with other airlines.

The SAF investment partnership will last for an initial five years with an option to extend, the companies said.

Joyce said he hoped it would encourage the Australian government to improve the policy framework and help fund the development of a local SAF industry.

Story continues

He said Qantas had held promising initial talks with the new centre-left government elected last month.

($1 = 1.4430 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Jamie Freed in Doha; Editing by William Mallard and Louise Heavens)
2006: Celebrating World Book Day at St Ursula's School in Wigton pupils and staff dressed up as their favourite fictional characters.

FOR this week's Nostalgia, we have been looking at old memories of World Book Day and we must admit it's a real page-turner!

Each year schools all over the county dress up as their favourite book characters and celebrate their favourite authors and literature.

World Book Day was created by UNESCO on April 23 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is bookmarked in over 100 countries around the globe as an annual day.

The first World Book Day in the UK and Ireland took place in 1997 to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading.

From Disney princesses, to dinosaurs and angels to action men, children across the county love getting involved.

Take a look at some of the early 2000s memories of World Book Day and see if you can spot yourself amongst the pics.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak (centre) and PM Boris Johnson (left) (PA)

A Norway-based company is reportedly threatening to pull its funding of a new 4.5bn oil extraction project off the coast of Scotland in protest of the British governments windfall tax on energy company profits.

Norwegian state energy company Equinor has privately revealed to its industry contacts that its reconsidering its plan to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea, in the Rosebank field near the Shetland Islands, according to The Telegraph.

Equinor said that, before it commits to the project, it wants the government to change the terms of its energy profits levy  which was imposed to raise funds to help households with sky-high gas and electricity bills in a cost of living crisis partly stoked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said about 5bn would be raised through the additional 25 per cent one-off levy on the extraordinary profits that energy companies have made since 26 May this year.

It has been reported that the levy has caused friction within the Cabinet. Its understood that business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng wrote to Mr Sunak last week to warn that the levy  and lack of consultation with the sector  risks losing investment for the North Sea project.

Shortly after the windfall tax was announced, a senior Equinor executive had warned the Rosebank project was in jeopardy  an industry source told the Telegraph.

Equinor had also pushed back its decision for the project to 2023, according to the newspaper.

The source reportedly said: The biggest one up for debate now is the Rosebank project. Rosebank in particular is definitely up for grabs. Equinor has privately said that its under review, but theyve not done so publicly.

Rosebank is a big project, but for Equinor frankly it has bigger projects elsewhere. It would be pretty relaxed about saying we dont want to do that project.

A spokesperson for Equinor has said: Equinor welcomes the North Sea Transition Authoritys decision to extend the licence on the Rosebank development project. We will continue to work with our partners and stakeholders to ensure we progress and deliver the Rosebank project to strengthen UK energy security.

Story continues

Energy firms are pushing for changes to the windfall tax through industry body Offshore Energies UK.

The trade body wrote to Mr Sunak last week to ask for six urgent amendments, a clear termination date for the levy, and an urgent meeting with Downing Street.

Meanwhile, Shell has separately told analysts it is also less likely to develop the 2bn Cambo project in the North Sea after the introduction of the windfall tax.

Earlier this month, Shells chief financial officer Sinead Gorman told analysts at RBC Capital Markets that progress on the Cambo field was less likely in the wake of the 25 per cent additional levy.
Lok Chan Wins 2022 WSOP Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet on First Trip to WSOP ($144,338)

June 19 2022 Matt Hansen

After three days of mixed game action, Lok Chan defeated Drew Scott in heads-up play to win Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet at the 2022 World Series of Poker in its new home at Ballys and Paris Las Vegas. The popular mix of big bet variants attracted 281 runners to generate a prize pool of $625,225.

Chan took home the top prize of $144,338, along with his first bracelet, on his maiden trip from Hong Kong to Las Vegas for the WSOP.

Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet Final Table Results

Place Name Country Prize 1 Lok Chan Hong Kong $144,338 2 Drew Scott Canada $89,206 3 Rami Boukai United States $61,675 4 Michael Trivett United States $43,378 5 Christopher Smith United States $31,045 6 Galen Hall United States $22,617 7 Aaron Kupin United States $16,777

Winners Reaction

The champ is only 22 years old, but he has played poker for quite some time.

I have played for seven years after I learned from my brother when I was 15, Chan said in his post-win interview with PokerNews.

Chans first trip to Las Vegas for the WSOP is also his first opportunity to play mixed games in a live tournament format. His interest in variants has increased over the last couple of years after playing online.

Im not winning that much in holdem these days, so I play mixed games online a lot. Its my first time Ive ever played live.

When I turned 17 or 18, I would go to Taiwan and play live tournaments and I would play cash online. This is my first time coming to Las Vegas for the WSOP. I was lucky enough to stay alive and have a chance to get a bracelet.

The newly-crowned champion plans to spend much more time at the 2022 WSOP and perhaps get a shot at a second bracelet.

I am definitely playing the Main Event because thats what I came here for. I may take a one-day break and have a rest with my friends and my wife. We are going out and I will rest up for the rest of the series.

2022 World Series of Poker Hub Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2022 WSOP is here. Click here

Day 3 Action

Day 3 got off to a fast start when Andrew Robl was eliminated on the very first hand of play. Robl attempted to draw to a straight flush in No-Limit Five Card Draw High, but Richard Ashbys two pair held to score the knockout.

Several players were lost in the opening levels of the day, including Schuyler Thornton, Michael Savakinas, and Craig Chait. Keith Lehr bowed out in 13th place to bring the tournament down to two tables.

Soon to hit the rail before final table action were Ashby, Scott Bohlman, Renan Bruschi, Patrick Leonard and Ryan Moriarty, who fell to Scotts nine-eight in lowball to send the final seven players to an unofficial final table.

Out in seventh place was Aaron Kupin, who got it in while drawing one with eight-seven in No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw, but he drew a queen and was knocked out by Rami Boukai. Following in sixth place was Galen Hall, who was knocked out when Scott made a wheel in Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better.

Christopher Smith was out in fifth after he drew to an eight-five in lowball, but he peeled an ace and lost to Chans nine-six. Following closely in fourth was Michael Trivett after he got scooped by Scott in Omaha 8 or Better.

Michael Trivett

Three-handed play ended quickly when Boukai attempted to make a straight in No-Limit Five Card Draw High, but he missed his draw and Scotts two pair sent him off in third place.

The final two battled for less than an hour, and the big moment came when Chan caught runner-runner tens to beat Scotts pocket kings in No-Limit Holdem.

This concludes coverage of Event #35: $2,500 Mixed Big Bet. Congratulations to Lok Chan on his first WSOP bracelet! Be sure to keep it with the PokerNews team throughout the rest of the 2022 WSOP for live updates on all of your favorite tournaments.

Lok Chen and his rail.
Pathum Nissanka drove Sri Lanka to a six-wicket victory over Australia in Colombo as the young batsman made his first ODI century.

The 24-year-old Nissanka was out for 137 just as Sri Lanka approached the winning line, but by that point it was too late for Australia.

Chasing down Australia's 291-6, Sri Lanka reached their target with nine balls to spare, posting 292-4 to achieve their highest successful run chase against Australia in ODIs.

Captain Aaron Finch made 62 for Australia, with Alex Carey weighing in with 49 and Travis Head cracking three sixes in his 70 not out.

Yet it proved well within Sri Lanka's reach as Nissanka shared a stand of 170 for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis, before Mendis retired hurt on 87 at the end of the 38th over, seemingly troubled by a leg muscle injury. It ranks as the highest second-wicket stand by a Sri Lanka pair against Australia in ODI games.

Australia won the opener to the five-match series at the Pallekele International Stadium on Tuesday, but Sri Lanka got back on level terms with victory at the same ground in the Kandy suburbs on Thursday.

Both were rain-affected games, but the wet weather held off at the R Premadasa Stadium and the home crowd relished the sight of Nissanka and Mendis setting about a largely impotent bowling attack.

There was a late wobble as Dhananjaya de Silva (25), Nissanka and Dasun Shanaka (0) were dismissed, with David Warner taking a terrific one-handed catch on the run and over his shoulder to dismiss the century maker, but Australia's hopes were soon extinguished as they slipped 2-1 behind in the series.



Nissanka shows he belongs

In 14 previous ODIs, Nissanka had a best score of 75. In his first nine matches at this level, he scored a not-so-grand total of 86 runs; however, he found his feet with two half-centuries against Zimbabwe in January, and after making 56 followed by 14 in this series, he turned it on in grand style on Sunday.

Happy hunting ground

Sri Lanka's men have now won three of their last four ODIs against Australia at the R Premadasa Stadium, and nine of their last 12 at the venue against all opposition. This win, following the victory on Thursday, means Sri Lanka have won back-to-back ODIs against Australia for the first time since January 2013.
It is hard to ignore a 20-feet-tall bronze mammoth tossing his tusks and trunk skyward, and for Baylor Universitys Mayborn Museum that is precisely the point.

The museum recently announced the selection of Australian sculptor Tom Tischler to design and cast a family trio of mammoths  bull, cow and calf  to stand in front of the museum as an eye-arresting symbol of its collections and ongoing work with the Waco Mammoth National Monument. The national site showcases the fossils of 24 Columbian mammoths and other Pleistocene Epoch mammals found outside Waco.

The bronzes, a $1.2 million project underwritten by an anonymous donor, are part of the museums $14 million master plan to upgrade the facility, museum Executive Director Charlie Walter said. The museum will mark its 20th anniversary in 2024.

The visibility of the mammoths when installed in December 2023 may help spur support for the museums multi-year improvement plan, said Rebecca Nall, the museums assistant director for exhibits.

Its nice to have mammoths out in front of the building, Nall said.

Director Walter agrees.

We have a wonderful, beautiful building, but without the mammoths, we look like the economics building, he said.

Walter said the mammoths not only will provide a memorable visual signature for the Mayborn, but they will remind visitors of the museums ongoing relationship with the Waco Mammoth National Monument and the active research continuing at the site. The Mayborn is the official repository for artifacts and fossils recovered in research at the national monument.

The selection of Tischler for the project caps weeks of work in soliciting, then choosing proposals.

The sculpture selection committee, which included representatives from the Baylor art department, the Waco Mammoth National Monument and Creative Waco, winnowed a field of about 30 entries to three finalists, who then made presentations to committee members.

Museum planners had envisioned a life-size bronze sculpture of a mammoth or perhaps a mother with her calf, but Tischler topped them with his proposed trio led by a bull with arching tusks and trunk.

He said by adding the bull, it becomes world-class, Walter said. We agree.

Tischlers portfolio and experience backed up his design for committee members. His three-decade career in casting bronze animals, including a few mammoths, showed an expertise in animal anatomy and large-scale casting. He also had worked closely with Bastrop-based Pyrology Foundry and Studio and with foundry owner Clint Howard of Howard Designs, also based in Bastrop.

Both the artist and the foundry have works in Waco. Tischler has statues of a reclining tiger, a lioness with cubs and a group of meerkats in the Waco Sculpture Zoo. The foundry cast those animals as well as the larger-than-life bronze cattle drive of Robert Summers Branding the Brazos tribute to the Chisholm Trail in Indian Spring Park.

Tischlers attention to detail will bring him to the Mayborn Museum and the Waco Mammoth National Monument this summer to measure fossilized bones taken from the Waco site to get the correct proportions of actual mammoths for his bronzes.

Howard said the mammoths will be among the largest sculptures the foundry has cast to this point, but it also has plans for something even larger in its future: a 40-foot bronze Buddha for a New York client.

Tischler will design the mammoths from his studio in Perth, sending the plans online to the Bastrop foundry, using a 3D printer to craft scale models, Walter said. The sculptures will be cast in pieces that the foundry will assemble when finished and ship to Waco. Heads will turn even before the mammoths take their position in Waco, said Trey Crumpton, the Mayborns visitor experience manager.

It should be quite a sight seeing that come down the highway and being dropped in place, Crumpton said by text message.

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WATERLOO  A former Waterloo man awaiting trial for a shooting outside a night club in 2021 has been sentenced to prison on weapons charges.

Kalon Deon Bruce, 29, recently of Atlanta, Ga., was sentenced to two years in prison on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm Friday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Under the sentence, Bruce will spend three years on supervised release following the prison time.

The charge stems from a June 2, 2021, search of a home at 308 Courtland St. where police found a .45-caliber Springfield XD pistol with a laser sight.

Bruce is scheduled to go on trial in July on charges of intimidation with a weapon and willful injury for allegedly firing a gun outside Club Legacy, 120 Sumner St., on March 21, 2021.

The shooting left Oliver Washington with a gunshot wound to the leg, and it came after Bruces had been involved in an altercation with Washington, according to court records.

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CEDAR FALLS  The City Council has a long list of impactful decisions to make Monday night.

The 7 p.m. meeting inside the Cedar Falls Community Center, 528 Main St., will include possible votes on:

Confirming Craig Berte as the citys next public safety director.

Setting a hearing on plans for a $2.2 million infrastructure project.

Creating a new diversity, equity and inclusion specialist position.

Approving the first of three readings of an ordinance prohibiting parking on portions of South Lawn Road.

Adopting the Cedar Falls resilience plan.

Awarding the Center Street streetscaping contract for $1.54 million.

Accepting the resignation of longtime Human Rights Commissioner Susan Langan.

Cedar Falls Historical Society making 'fresh' fundraising push for new museum COVID-19, rising construction costs caused 315 Clay St. project estimate to soar to $2.5 million, requiring more fundraising and pushing back a tentative groundbreaking to 2024.

Thats only a piece of the potential action and discussion. There are 41 items on the agenda.

The night begins when councilors convene as the administration committee at 5:50 p.m. to talk about procedural rules and how business is conducted.

There are notable changes included within a memo from Mayor Rob Green, one being the addition of the Pledge of Allegiance and a second public comment period at regular meetings.

Adding rules regarding the referrals process, but also other changes more generally is the motion made for the discussion earlier this month.

7 p.m. meeting

After a selection committee  made up of several high ranking city officials  interviewed and discussed the candidacy of two internal finalists and one external finalists for the permanent replacement for Jeff Olson, the retired public safety director, Administrator Ron Gaines and Rob Green agreed on recommending Berte, who has been serving in the interim since early March and employed by the city since 1991.

The salary will be between $124,951 and $164,005. Lynn Al Fear, who spent 25 years working at the Cedar Rapids Police Department, and Acting Police Chief Mark Howard were the other two finalists.

The plans that would be the subject of a July 5 hearing are for a $2.2 million infrastructure project removing the structurally deficient bridge on Olive Street and extending the College Street box culvert through to Olive Street, according to Engineer Matt Tolan.

As a result, the Pettersen Plaza will be extended over the top of the new box culvert. The cost will be covered by general obligation bonds, which City Council just authorized be sold, and tax increment financing.

Additionally at the unusually busy meeting, councilors will consider formally creating the full-time diversity, equity and inclusion specialist position and finalizing the job responsibilities.

The future employee would work in the Human Resources Department, which is led by another fairly recent hire, Bailey Schindel. The cost of the new position is estimated at $95,000 per year.

The Engineering Division is recommending a current no-parking prohibition on the east side of South Lawn Road, covering 240 feet to the south, be extended to Melendy Lane.

There is a 60-feet section north of Melendy Lane where parking is currently allowed on the east side of South Lawn. This area creates concerns of a congested corridor that can lead to single lane traffic and also potential vehicular movement conflicts onto and from Melendy Lane, Engineer Dave Wicke wrote in a memo to the council.

Cedar Falls River Recreation Project lands needed $1.5M from Department of Commerce The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that Cedar Falls has been given the final OK for a grant to fund future 'visitor-friendly infrastructure on the Cedar River.'

Up for final adoption is the Cedar Falls resilience plan, a guiding document and a blueprint to identify actions to support a community collective goal to be a resilient community.

Per Planner Thomas Weintraut: The plan will not only help in planning for the future, but also to prepare for events which may happen in the future. The plan has a set of action items to help guide the community, whether it is the city, CFU, or citizens, on future decisions and to continue the quality of life in which the community prides itself.

It focuses on three important topic areas: local economics and community, weather and nature, and energy and mobility.

On the Center Street improvements from Clair Street to West Lone Tree Road, Owen Contracting Inc. of Cedar Falls submitted the only bid for $1,540,597.

The North Cedar Neighborhood Association, which raised more than $50,000 to help cover the project costs, hopes the improvements slow down traffic, better accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists, improve drainage, beautify the corridor, and attract private investment and families to the area.

Langan, a former HRC chair and current longtime member, has resigned.

I really wanted to serve out my term (expiring July 2023), but it just doesnt work for me to do that at this time, she wrote in her resignation letter. My time on the commission was something I valued and I worked hard throughout the years. I wish the current commission all the best as they navigate through fulfilling the mission and helping serve the people of Cedar Falls.

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WATERLOO  Major changes to the Waterloo Regional Airport will be discussed Monday by the City Council. Police spending and wage increases will also be on the agenda.

The meeting is at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall.

There will be a public hearing on fulfilling police body armor and ammunition requests. A five-year contract will be considered to replace the departments current ballistic vests for every police officer.

A proposal from CCG Safety Gear of Olathe, Kansas, lists the body armor for $927 per piece. A council memo states federal grant money pays 50% of the cost for each vest.

For ammunition, a proposal from Kiesler Police Supply of Jefferson has a sale quote of $51,963 for six different types of bullets.

Councilors also will vote on a resolution asking for an increase in pay for nonbargaining employees, as well as the assistant chief of police, fire chief, police captains and battalion chief.

Human Resources Director Lance Dunn is recommending a majority of nonbargaining employees receive a 2% salary increase. The recommendation says the same increase would be granted to a majority of the bargaining unit employees under the various collective bargaining agreements.

Dunn is also recommending the Assistant Chief of Police Joe Leibold and Fire Chief Pat Treloar receive 12.1% increases in their pay. Police captains could receive a 10.3% increase and battalion chiefs could receive a 6% increase.

These increases cost about $476,611, with $379,496 coming from the general fund. The money to fund the raises was included in next years budget, except for the increases for police captains and battalion chiefs.

A resolution to approve a subordination agreement with All-in Grocers also will be considered. If the developer doesnt finish construction, the city will be third in line to receive a return of its grant money. Community Planning and Development Director Noel Anderson said the city has granted the grocery store $900,000.

Construction of All-in Grocers at 207 Franklin St. could resume in about two weeks, according to Anderson. The grocery is set to close next week on the land.

The airport will see new construction if the council accepts a $2.2 million grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation Commercial Airport Infrastructure Fund. The airports director is looking to add a canopy structure over the terminal parking lot. Another item on the agenda is a resolution to set the bid to improve Hangar No. 4.

Other items coming before the council include:

Establishing a commission on opportunity for children, youths and young adults in Waterloo, as well as a task force on gun violence.Approving plans for Veterans Way lighting project. Approving use of TIF funds for construction of the Cedar River Marina and Recreational Enhancement.

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Saturday, 10-11 a.m., Nates Triumph, Meeting Room AB, part of the Adult Summer Library Program. Nate Trainor, born with Joubert syndrome, could not communicate with words until he was 21 years old and found himself stuck in a system that prematurely labeled him profoundly retarded. He will speak about his experience growing up with Joubert syndrome, his battles with the public school system to be included, his incredible efforts to prove his intelligence, and the breakthroughs that finally helped him find his voice. Trainor will be selling his book after the event for $17 and will accept cash, check, or credit card.
CEDAR RAPIDS  As federal lawmakers hash out details of bipartisan gun laws in the wake of recent mass shootings, a new coalition of gun safety advocates warn a pro-gun amendment to the Iowa Constitution will prohibit reasonable gun safety measures that Iowans support.

Republican state lawmakers passed legislation last year to add language to the state constitution that the right to keep and bear arms is fundamental and that any restraint on that right is invalid unless it meets the stringent demands of strict scrutiny.

The language, which will go before voters for approval this November, states: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The sovereign state of Iowa affirms and recognizes this right to be a fundamental individual right. Any and all restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.

Republicans have argued for the measure for years, saying Iowa is one of only six states without protections in its constitution for the right to keep and bear arms.

Democrats and gun-safety advocates say Republicans are misleading Iowans when they say the amendment is equivalent to the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The strict scrutiny language, they say, could prohibit reasonable safety measures that Iowans support, like firearm safety training, universal background checks and a license to carry a gun in public.

Polling conducted by RABA Research on behalf of Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence shows more than 80 percent of Iowans support requiring background checks on all gun purchases, prohibiting felons from possessing firearms and requiring gun safety courses before the purchase of a handgun.

Reckless

The reckless gun amendment that Iowans will vote on in November has the strong possibility of weakening Iowas common-sense gun laws, placing Iowans safety in an even more precarious situation, Connie Ryan, executive director of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, said at a Thursday news conference at the Cedar Rapids Public Library announcing formation of the Iowans for Responsible Gun Laws coalition.

Inserting gun rights with strict scrutiny into the (Iowa) Constitution would tip the balance of power, elevating access to guns above public health and safety, Ryan said. This is unacceptable and, quite frankly, it is dangerous.

High hurdle

Strict scrutiny is the highest legal hurdle for legislation to clear. It would require any restrictions on gun rights to be narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government interest, University of Iowa law professor Todd Pettys said.

It is the most demanding standard of review. Its a highly skeptical standard of review  and one that often leads to statutes being struck down, said Pettys, who published an article in the Iowa Law Review in 2020 about the National Rifle Association urging states to pass strict scrutiny amendments.

Courts, he wrote, can reasonably conclude that the right protected by the amendment is narrow in scope, encompassing little or no more than what federal courts today protect under the Second Amendment. Therefore, it may merely prove to ensure that, at the state level, gun rights cannot be reduced below what the U.S. Supreme Court has already clearly established.

Theres no question that its going to make it harder for legislators to enact any kind of restrictions on weapons, he said. It doesnt make it impossible, but it makes it harder, by design.

Currently, state and federal courts when looking at gun restrictions  whether background checks or other safety measures  review them fairly deferentially.

And so a lot of those laws get upheld, Petty said. And the NRA has not liked that and said that courts need to be much more skeptical and need to be striking down more of these laws.

Firewall

Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, who sponsored the gun amendment in the Iowa House, said it serves as an important firewall to protect Iowans fundamental right to keep and bear arms to protect themselves.

The argument that the amendment would lead to courts overturning gun restrictions already on the books  including background checks and prohibitions on felons owning firearms  is an utterly ridiculous argument, and I believe voters in Iowa will reject it, Holt said.

Their argument is to stop mentally ill people from killing people  (by taking away) an inanimate object that law-abiding citizens use to protect themselves and their families, Holt said. Thats not going to solve the problem.

The problem we have is mental illness in this country. The problem we have is a loss of values that is resulting in these kinds of shootings and that is what we need to talk about.

Vote for safety

If the amendment is approved by voters, Iowa would join three states that have passed strict scrutiny gun rights amendments  Alabama, Louisiana and Missouri  which are among the five states with the highest rates of gun deaths in the United States, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

This amendment will make it almost impossible to pass any sensible gun laws in the future in Iowa, Christine Lehman-Engledow, from Moms Demand Action of Cedar Rapids, said at the Thursday news conference.

It is trying to weaken gun-safety legislation without telling the people what theyre doing. Peoples Second Amendment rights are already protected under the United States Constitution. When did an individuals right to bear arms become more important than the safety of the people?

A no vote is a vote for greater safety for yourself, your family and everyone in your community.

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The father of our country, George Washington, had a resume beyond impressive: commander of the Continental Army (1775-83,) president of the Constitutional Convention (1787) and first president of the United States (178997.) By every historical account he was one of the most influential leaders in the formation of our country and in shaping our ideals and precedents. He was also a man of tremendous courage, of common sense and decency.

Ironically, the father of our country was not himself a father, a biological one anyway. He was a stepfather and raised two of his stepgrandchildren, one whom was named after him. His 14-year-old stepdaughter, Patsy, died of a seizure in his arms. He and his wife never recovered from the loss. Parents in Newton, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas  some of the many communities enduring mass school shootings  would understand his grief, although they deal with an additional burden. Their children were senselessly murdered.

As all people are influenced by their times, so too was Washington. He owned slaves. So far, theres been little discussion of bulldozing his bust off Mount Rushmore or renaming the capital of the United States. In the time and place Washington lived, slavery was accepted. Although our nations conscience was changing, it would take a Civil War, lead by the man with whom he shares Presidents Day, to outlaw slavery. A long and continuing struggle, yet that which was morally reprehensible was outlawed. We are capable of change.

It is time for the misaligned and much-touted defense of our Second Amendment rights to be reevaluated. While there are many legitimate reasons for gun ownership and the majority of gun owners are responsible citizens, these rights are now twisted into interpretations our forefathers could never have envisioned. It is unconscionable not to scrutinize them in the light of the 21st century, especially as firearms related deaths are now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. (New England Journal of Medicine, May 19, 2022).

Sen. Charles Grassley, in an appeal for campaign contributions, writes: I know the Second Amendment to the Constitution is not a relic from the past  its a God-given constitutional right to protect  and safeguard our homes and property. How about a childs God-given right not to be assassinated in his kindergarten classroom?

Expressing the viewpoint of many legislators more intent on protecting these convoluted rights than their constituents, Grassley also writes, Our God-given rights are under attack in Washington every day. So, being allowed to buy an AR-15 without a waiting period is a God-given right? What about parents God-given right to protect their children? Or what about protecting our citizens human rights? This is not a liberal attack, as Grassley claims. What is under attack are human rights.

It is ludicrous to quote, or more likely, misquote our forefathers on their views of Second Amendment rights. The most advanced weapon of the late 18th century was the flint-lock musket. It required three steps and about a minute to load, lock, stock and barrel. An AR-15 can fire a 30-round clip in seconds.

Washington did not promote arming the population as a matter of course, but as a means of national defense. The United States was a struggling new country, its sustainability unproven, and the threat of war very real. Although that threat may be no less prevalent today, an AR-15 is not effective against a cyber-attack.

Before any more children die at the hands of gun-wielding assassins, lets insert common sense into this debate. It is time to stop citing the Second Amendment as the reason not to take action. It is only a smokescreen obscuring the horrific reality. The call to arms to heed is to arm ourselves with the facts, and to demand those who represent us at the local, state, and federal level also do so.

There is hope. A coalition of congressmen, Democrats and Republicans, are now proposing changes to gun laws. While these changes are not monumental, they are a move in the right direction. We cannot let this momentum die, as our countrys children have, on the floor of a public building.

Bob Dylan had it right:

Come senators, congressmen

Please heed the call

The battle outsides ragin

For the times they are a-changin

So must our gun laws.

Amy Lockard is a parent in Cedar Falls.
Fearmongering Republicans contend Americans are undergunned, but overfruited.

Dastardly guns laws have limited U.S. civilians to only 400 million firearms  1.2 guns per person, twice No. 2 Yemen.

A 2015 University of Alabama study found Americans were 4.4% of the world population with 42% of the guns.

Republicans maintain guns deter crime. Yet from 1966-2012, gun-wielding Americans committed 31% of the worlds mass murders, making us No. 1 in thoughts and prayers.

But fear the fruit, not firearms.

The Daily Beast recently reported gun advocate Donald Trump ordered security to knock the crap out of protesters at a 2015 Cedar Rapids rally, fearing pelting with perishable projectiles.

You can be killed if that happens, Trump said, adding, pineapples, tomatoes, bananas, stuff like that. Yeah, its dangerous stuff.

In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court in D.C. v. Heller disregarded the Second Amendments opening 13 words A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed  to give handguns unprecedented protection.

Invoking the nonexistent popularity clause, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the Constitution doesnt permit banning the most preferred firearm in the nation to keep and use for protection of ones home and family. But that didnt extend to carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons.

Another court case determined the Founding Fathers enacted the Second Amendment when militia members were required to possess their own firearms if they complied with accountability and maintenance regulations and the right to firearm possession came with obligations to ensure public safety.

Pretty sound stuff. Instead, the Iowa Republican Party has a fall constitutional amendment to deter gun restrictions using the legal concept of strict scrutiny.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, firearm death rates for strict security states are: Missouri, 23.9 per 100,000; Alabama, 23.6; and Louisiana 26.3. Iowa is 11.2.

Texas  home of five of the 13 worst recent U.S. mass shootings  is another Iowa role model for omnipresent and unregulated guns, including stand your ground legislation, and constitutional carry, eliminating permits to carry a handgun in most public places.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blamed the Uvalde massacre on mental health, after cutting $211 million in resources, not lax gun laws. California gun laws, he claimed, werent a deterrent.

California has an 8.5 per 100,000 firearm mortality rate. Texas is 14.2.

California banned assault weapons in 1989. Firearms are purchased from a registered dealer after a background check. You must be 21 to buy a handgun  after at least a 10-day waiting period and a firearms safety course. Open carry is largely prohibited, ditto concealed carry without a license.

Compare firearm mortality rates in liberal states  Hawaii, 3.4; Massachusetts, 3.7; New Jersey, 5, and Connecticut, 6  to gun-loving Mississippi, 28.6; Wyoming, 25.9; Alaska, 23.5; Arkansas, 22.6, and the strict security trio.

Come fall, Iowans will choose between fear and facts.

Saul Shapiro is the retired editor of The Courier, living in Cedar Falls.

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Even maintaining the status quo by voting down a constitutional amendment would count as a victory for protecting lives.

Everybody purports to want something to be done about the circumstances that permitted the rifle slaughter of 19 schoolchildren and two educators in Texas last month.

In a familiar pattern, something isnt happening.

The massacre implicated questions about entrance security at schools and police competence, but the bulk of debate has focused on this question: Can laws make it less likely for dangerous people to procure instruments of mass murder without compromising the Bill of Rights? Congress answer for years has been an emphatic no.

In Iowa, we have an opportunity this year to do something without the aid of our government representatives: At the ballot box in November, we can reject a proposed constitutional amendment that could frustrate even broadly popular efforts to keep Iowans safer from gun violence.

Even maintaining the status quo in this way would count as a victory for protecting lives. A no vote would indicate that most Iowans want to preserve at least the possibility of some limits on access to deadly weapons and dont want to tie the hands of lawmakers and the judiciary.

Supporters have pointed out that adding The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed to Iowas constitution would bring us in line with almost every other state by including a mirror of the federal Second Amendment in the state charter. Thats fine.

But the amendment would do more, prescribing that any restriction on gun rights be subject to strict scrutiny. This legal term requires courts to evaluate laws with the highest skepticism, striking them down as unconstitutional unless they serve a compelling government interest and are narrowly tailored to achieve that end.

This provision would complicate even modest regulations. For example, suppose lawmakers, in response to two executions outside an Ames church, wished to make it less likely that people suspected or convicted of domestic abuse would be able to shoot their victims. A fraught undertaking, to be sure  people who assault partners might very well ignore demands to hand over their weapons, and the accused always have rights to due process. But under strict scrutiny, even if the peoples elected representatives thoughtfully balance these competing interests and arrive at a solution with the aim of saving lives, their efforts could be cast aside for not meeting every prong of the judicial test.

Of course, existing regulations could face challenge, too.

Three other states  Alabama, Louisiana and Missouri  already require strict scrutiny of arms restrictions. Todd Pettys, a University of Iowa law professor, concluded in a 2019 law review essay that strict scrutiny amendments were proving less meaningful than expected, with courts in those states sometimes concluding that strict scrutiny protections didnt apply in certain circumstances. Further, Louisiana and Missouri courts have applied strict scrutiny and still upheld laws restricting felons from possessing firearms.

Thats a little reassuring. On the other hand, when the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments last year about New York states discretionary system of granting licenses to carry firearms, Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked a Justice Department lawyer about restrictions on people who are mentally ill or have been convicted of felonies: Can any of those pass strict scrutiny on their face? I dont know, answered acting solicitor general Brian Fletcher.

Iowa need not risk the possibility of dangerous outcomes here.

There are limits on free speech. There can, and should, be limits on the right to bear arms.

The Legislature in the past dozen years or so has incrementally chipped away at barriers to acquiring, traveling with and using weapons. Lawmakers stripped sheriffs of their discretion to deny weapons-carrying permits and later did away with permit requirements, and have allowed the use of deadly force in more situations.

Iowans are free today to obtain, keep and carry guns and rifles. When children are slaughtered by firearms  in Des Moines, in Texas, around the country  its fair to debate whether a modest concession of that freedom might help avert a tragedy.

We shouldnt make that debate any harder than it already is. The choice is ours. Vote no on this amendment.

Copyright 2022 Tribune Content Agency.

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In his book The Brethren, reporter Bob Woodward wrote that Justice Harry Blackmuns draft of the Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision was so flawed that one Blackmun law clerk upon reviewing it, was astonished at its lack of constitutional foundation. Other clerks privately dubbed it Harrys abortion. Justice Sandra Day OConnor would later warn: The Roe framework  is clearly on a collision course with itself.

James Madison and others who framed the Constitution wisely established distinct, co-equal branches of government. The legislative branch makes law. The judicial branch interprets law. On Jan. 22, 1973, seven Supreme Court justices became legislators by inventing a fundamental right to abortion. Dissenting Justice Byron White criticized the decision as an act of raw judicial power. Translation: Guys, you just jumped the shark. He warned that deciding abortion policy was historically the proper role of the legislative, not judicial branch, and would prove to be unworkable.

Abortion policy should be returned to we the people, through our elected state representatives. Americas second great national sin has claimed over 60 million innocent unborn human lives. How best resolve this issue? Madison might respond: That is in your hands, precisely as we intended it.

Steve Kapler, Waterloo

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The car with the Americans is running away deep into Ukraine, away from the line of contact with Russian troops.

A reporter from the States spoke about the losses among mercenaries and the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The author of the video talks about the wounded man: Hold on, well be there soon. Wounded in both legs, bleeding, we need to cut the clothes higher and see if there is bleeding anywhere else.

It is worth noting that American mercenaries often avoid a direct and long fire contact. It is more important for them to record video reports and then quickly leave the hot spot. Therefore, they rarely record such videos as this, only in a state of adrenaline fear

Normally the Americans are posting fake videos about set up and fake information. This group, is somewhat lucky, hundreds of Americans are dead already. Being and American does not give any blessings in this war. Russia sees them as war criminals and illegal. Thus, Americans are trophy kills. Just like when they capture huge American arsenals of weapons. Trophy time

Information about the successful promotion of the united group is hushed up by the Ukrainian media. It is understandable, because before the West you need to paint a favorable fake picture. Or not be allowed to post anything

But the fact remains. This group almost met the Grimm Reaper and a couple more of them might yet. One definitely met his maker, shown at the very end of the video

They met their maker on the battle field and are now running for their lives

Americans, since Vietnam have no idea about war at this level. Russia is a superior war machine and Ukraine is serious business to the Russians

All Americans need to get your asses out of Ukraine. We have no reason to be there. If we (Americans) are, we are war criminals. The issue is that these men are paid to be there and being paid by the USA GOV

WtR
Offensive towards Severodonetsk is being successfully developed. Units of Peoples Militia of the Lugansk Peoples Republic supported by the Russian Federation Armed Forces have liberated the settlement of Metyolkino.

Several units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are abandoning the operation area due to low moral and psychological condition, as well as lack of munitions and logistic supply. Thus, a plattoon of the 1st company of the 1st battalion from the 57th Mechanised Infantry Brigade that had been defending near Lisichansk left heavy armament and abandoned its position.

Russian Federation Armed Forces continue launching attacks at military facilities located in Ukraine.

At 12.30 PM, Kalibr high-precision long-distance sea-based missiles were launched at a command post of the Ukrainian troops near the village of Shirokaya Dacha (Dnepropetrovsk region) at the moment when there was being held a working meeting of the commanders of Aleksandriya operational-strategic group.

The attack has resulted in eliminating more than 50 generals and officers of the AFU, including those of the General Staff, the Kakhovka group, airborne assault troops and units that operate towards Nikolayev and Zaporozhye.

At 08.20 AM, Kalibr high-precision long-distance missiles destroyed 10 M777 155-mm howitzers and up to 20 armoured combat vehicles delivered by the West to the Kiev regime over the past 10 days that were located in a transformer plant in Nikolayev.

At 07.20 AM, high-precision air-based missiles neutralised an echelon of personnel, armament and military equipment of the 1st battalion from the 14th Independent Mechanised Brigade that arrived from Vladimir-Volynskiy to the operation area in Donbass.

The attack at the disembarkment point near Gubinikha railway station (Dnepropetrovsk region) has resulted in eliminating more than 100 servicemen of the AFU, 30 tanks and armoured combat vehicles.

At 02.05 AM, the AFU 56th Mechanised Infantry Brigade manpower and military equipment have been neutralised near Selidovo (Donetsk Peoples Republic). The attack has resulted in the elimination of up to 20 militants, including foreign mercenaries that formed part of the abovementioned brigade, as well as 2 combat vehicles equipped with Grad multiple rocket-launching system, 10 infantry combat vehicles and armoured personnel carriers.

7 Grad system plattoons and 1 artillery plattoon have been neutralised at their firing positions towards Donetsk within counter-battery warfare.

Operational-tactical and army aviation have destroyed 4 artillery missile and munitions depots near Maksimilyanovka, Avdeyevka, Zelyonoye Pole and Georgiyevka (Donetsk Peoples Republic), as well as 1 launching ramp of Buk-M1 air defence missile system near Seversk (Lugansk Peoples Republic).

Missile troops and artillery have neutralised 22 command posts, 48 artillery units at their firing positions, the AFU manpower and military equipment in 123 areas.

An attack launched by Iskander operational-tactical missile system at Kharkov tank reparation plant has resulted in destroying 2 launching ramps of Uragan multiple rocket-launching system.

Ukrainian Armed Forces suffer considerable losses caused by counter-battery warfare. A serviceman from the 22nd Mechanised Infantry Brigade of the AFU captured near Peremoga has told that the artillery units involved in operation towards Kharkov had lost 380 servicemen, including 90 who resulted dead over the past 10 days.

Attacks launched by aviation, missile troops and artillery over the past 24 hours have resulted in eliminating more than 400 nationalists, 10 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 11 field artillery mounts, 11 launching ramps of multiple rocket-launching systems and 28 special vehicles.

Russian air defence troops have shot down 1 Su-25 airplane of the Ukrainian Air Force near Chervonnaya Dolina (Nikolayev region).

In addition, 8 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down near Zavody, Chervonniy Shakhtyor, Dementiyevka, Glubokoye (Kharkov region), Krinitsa (Kherson region), Popasnaya (Lugansk Peoples Republic) and near the Snake Island.

3 Tochka-U tactical missiles have been intercepted near Novozvanovka and Novoaleksandrovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), 2 projectiles launched by Uragan multiple rocket-launching system near Bolshiye Prokhody (Kharkov region) and Chervonnaya Dolina (Nikolayev region).

In total, 207 airplanes and 132 helicopters, 1,249 unmanned aerial vehicles, 344 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,683 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 562 combat vehicles equipped with multiple rocket-launching systems, 2,043 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 3,715 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

Big losses of the AFU in manpower force the Ukrainian command to involve unprepared personnel in combats, despite their lack of necessary skills in using armament and military equipment.

At 01.30 PM, 2 Su-25 assault fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force launched an attack at the positions of its units near Shirokoye (Dnepropetrovsk region).

#MoD #Russia #Ukraine #DailyReport

@mod_russia_en

WtR
The Russian Federations Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response, in cooperation with the competent federal executive authorities and law enforcement agencies, continues to record the facts of criminal actions by Kievs regime against the civilians of Ukraine and Donbass republics, as well as the use of civilian infrastructure by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Ukrainian nationalist fighters for military purposes:

in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region, AFU and territorial defence units are stationed in school (Shevchenko st.), and military equipment and artillery are deployed in the immediate vicinity of the school;

in Parkhomovka, Kharkov region, soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries are stationed in the building of the cultural centre, while armoured vehicles, artillery and multiple rocket launchers are located on the adjacent territory;

in Nikolaev, Ukrainian nationalists have equipped firing positions on the lower and upper floors of residential buildings (Kosmonautov st.), with an anti-aircraft gun mounted on the roof of one of the buildings. Local residents are forcibly detained in said residences;

in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Peoples Republic, nationalists have equipped firing positions and sniper points on the territory of kindergarten No. 93 (Proizdnaya st.), and approaches to the building are mined, but the local population is deliberately not informed about this;

in Odessa, Ukrainian militants have equipped a stronghold in school No 113 (Black Sea Cossacks st.) and placed heavy weapons and equipment in the courtyard;

in Toretsk, Donetsk Peoples Republic, AFU servicemen have equipped barracks and firing positions on the territory of the power plant, boarding school (Glinka st.), young technicians station (Shakhteher Avenue), school No 2 (Gogol st.) and school No 5 (Liberators of Donbas Street) and a stronghold and weapons storage facilities in a multi-storey residential building (Tereshkova st.). Local residents are forbidden to leave their flats, and all attempts by citizens to evacuate to safe areas are severely curtailed.

Such actions by Kiev once again demonstrate an inhuman attitude towards the fate of its own citizens and show a complete disregard for all norms of morality and international humanitarian law. The crimes of the Kiev regime are still ignored by the world community and international organizations.

In addition, according to reliable information, it has been established that Ukrainian special services in Nikolaev have organized the preparation of video clips of allegedly destroyed private households and local residents left homeless as a result of shelling by the Russian Armed Forces. More than 40 actors were involved in the staged video filming and all participants were paid cash reward of $25. In the future, the staged footage will be distributed in the Ukrainian and Western media, accusing the Russian Armed Forces of indiscriminate strikes against civilian targets.

Once again we emphasise to the entire international community that such fakes, cultivated by the Ukrainian lie factory at the order of Western curators, do not contain reliable and objective information. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation treat civilians extremely humanely and do not strike at civilian infrastructure.

Despite all the difficulties and obstacles imposed by the Ukrainian side, over the past day, without the participation of Kiev, 29,733 people were evacuated from dangerous areas, 3,502 of them children, and in total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 1,936,911 people have already been evacuated, of which 307,423 are children.

The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 288,318 personal vehicles including 1,664 per day.

More than 9,500 temporary accommodation centres continue to operate in the regions of the Russian Federation. The refugees are dealt with on an individual basis and are promptly assisted with various pressing issues relating to onward accommodation, employment assistance, places for children in kindergartens and educational institutions, and the provision of entitlements to social benefits.

Over the past 24 hours, the hotline of the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, federal executive authorities, constituent entities of the Russian Federation and various NGOs received 52 requests from foreign and Ukrainian citizens to evacuate to Russia, the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics, as well as to the Russian Armed Forces-controlled areas of Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Kharkov and Kherson regions. In total there are 2,758,298 such appeals from 2,139 locations in Ukraine in the database.

In addition, 70 foreign vessels from 16 countries remain blocked in 6 Ukrainian ports (Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa and Yuzhniy). The threat of shelling and high mine danger posed by official Kiev prevents vessels from entering the high seas unhindered.

As a result of the measures taken by the Russian Navy, the mine threat in the waters of the port of Mariupol has been eliminated and measures are being taken to restore the port infrastructure.

The Russian Armed Forces have created conditions for the operation of two maritime humanitarian corridors, which are safe lanes for ships:

in the Black Sea  to leave Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa and Yuzhnyi ports in a south-westerly direction from Ukraines territorial sea, 139 miles long and 3 miles wide;

in the Sea of Azov, to leave Mariupol port 115 miles long and 2 miles wide towards the Black Sea.

Detailed information in English and Russian on the modus operandi of the maritime humanitarian corridor is broadcast daily every 15 minutes on VHF radio on 14 and 16 international channels in English and Russian.

At the same time, the Kiev authorities continue to avoid engaging with representatives of states and ship-owning companies to resolve the issue of ensuring the safe passage of foreign vessels to the assembly area.

The danger to navigation from Ukrainian mines drifting off their anchors along the coasts of Black Sea states remains.

The Russian Federation is taking a full range of comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of civilian navigation in the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

Demining detachments of the Russian Armed Forces and the EMERCOM of Russia are carrying out land and facility clearance tasks in the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics.

A total of 3,374.88 hectares were checked, 35 buildings (including 13 socially important facilities), 1 bridge and 9.64 km of roads. 28,176 explosives were detected and defused, 1,034 of them during the day.

Federal executive authorities, together with the subjects of the Russian Federation, various public organizations, patriotic movements, continue to accumulate humanitarian aid. More than 36,000 tonnes of basic necessities and food kits, including baby food and life-saving medicines, have been prepared at collection points.

The greatest contributors to the relief effort were:

Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport, Federal Bailiff Service, Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography, Federal Agency of Nationalities;

republics of Bashkortostan, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Crimea, Sakha (Yakutia), Tatarstan and Chechen Republic, Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar, Stavropol and Khabarovsk regions, Arkhangelsk, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga regions, Leningrad, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Rostov, Saratov, Samara, Sverdlovsk, Tula, Ulyanovsk and Yaroslavl regions, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, as well as of Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sevastopol;

among political parties and non-profit organisations: United Russia, the All-Russian Public Movement Peoples Front, the All-Russian Public Organisation of Veterans Battle Brotherhood, the autonomous non-profit organisation to support humanitarian programmes Russian Humanitarian Mission, the Open Joint Stock Company Russian Railways, the State Corporation for Space Activities Roscosmos and the All-Russian Public and Public Organisation Russian Union of Women.

Since March 2, 33,143.2 tons of humanitarian cargo have already been delivered to Ukraine, 1,183 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 5 actions in Kharkov and Kherson regions, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republic, during which 581.1 tons of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.

On June 18, 6 humanitarian actions have been planned and are currently being carried out in Zaporozhye and Kharkov regions, in Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics, during which 468 tons of basic necessities, medicine and food will be distributed.

 Top News Today

 According to reliable information, it has been established that Ukrainian special services in Nikolaev have organized the preparation of video clips of allegedly destroyed private households and local residents left homeless as a result of shelling by the Russian Armed Forces. More than 40 actors were involved in the staged video filming and all participants were paid cash reward of $25. In the future, the staged footage will be distributed in the Ukrainian and Western media, accusing the Russian Armed Forces of indiscriminate strikes against civilian targets.

 High-precision air and ground weapons in the areas of Kremenchug and Lisichansk have destroyed technological facilities for oil refining and fuel storage intended to supply Ukrainian military equipment in Donbass. Russian air defence means have shot down 1 Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft near Kamyshevakha and 1 Mi-24 helicopter of the Ukrainian Air Force near Arkhangelsk in Donetsk Peoples Republic.

 Footage of Ka-52 reconnaissance attack helicopter crews in action and work of field hospital of special forces medical unit during the special military operation is published.

 Russian servicemen have delivered around 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid to civilians in liberated settlements in Kharkov region during special military operation.

 Graduation ceremonies for officers were held at the countrys military school.

#MoD #Russia #Ukraine

@mod_russia_en

WtR
Americas intrinsic spirit of innovation distinguishes us as an unparalleled driver of progress. That spirit is driven by Americas culture of encouraged risk-taking, praise for hard work, and forward-looking optimism. Nowhere is this innovative edge greater than in Americas world-leading technology industry, which embraces Americas can-do spirit to dream big, creating an entrepreneurial environment that helps U.S.-based companies flourish.

Indeed, Americas technology industry has boosted the economies of every U.S. state and benefitted its entire population as the vast majority has relied on technology every day.

When Congress considers measures that would undercut innovation  such as S.2992 the American Innovation and Choice Online Act from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota  every American from New Mexico to Washington, D.C. should be concerned. In this case, the anti-innovation legislation currently under consideration would arbitrarily and negatively handicap Americas tech industry and hurt families, farmers and small businesses across New Mexico.

American innovation is vital for our economy. According to The Bureau of Economic Analysis, the digital economy accounted for nearly 7% of U.S. GDP in recent years as well as a driver of more than 5.1 million American jobs. Meanwhile, more than 80% of small businesses benefit from at least one major digital platform to provide information to and reach legacy and new customers.

In New Mexico, the technology sector represents nearly 8% of our total workforce. We also proudly lead the nation in Latino representation in tech jobs, with Hispanic Americans comprising 31% of all tech employees in the state.

During my time as governor, my administration worked tirelessly to make New Mexicos economy more competitive for jobs and new investments. Because of our policies, we received investments from national and global companies like Netflix, Facebook, and SafeLite  all of which moved major operations to New Mexico. At the same time, homegrown cutting-edge businesses like RS21, Skorpios, Descartes Labs and others expanded and thrived.

Its imperative that we not pursue legislation if it will harm Americas technological edge, impact our companies ability to compete with foreign competitors, or have any negative impact on hard-working New Mexicans.

As Congress considers anti-innovation legislation, they must recognize that Americas tech innovators are an essential part of U.S. economic health, national security and individual freedoms.

Technology has improved the lives of many and helped create a more connected and open world  one where the fundamental rights of freedom of expression thrive despite threats from nefarious foreign governments that seek to tear us down.

As policymakers consider the rules and laws that govern innovators, they must encourage big dreams  not big obstacles  by protecting American values of openness, accessibility and freedom of expression. These are essential contributors to Americas global competitive advantage.
Video released about a week ago that appeared to show a young person running in fear from a group of adults has turned out to be a 31-year-old woman, who has now been arrested on two felony warrants and for drug possession, according to Albuquerque police.

Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said officers arrested Sherriann Flores early Friday.

Through investigation, detectives believe Flores is the person featured in a video circulated this week that was believed to be a 10-year-old boy chased by adults, he said on Saturday.

He said witnesses identified Flores as the person being chased in the Ring security camera video  yelling that she was 10 years old.

Gallegos said Flores is believed to have been involved in attempted auto burglaries and an assault against a teenager prior to the incident caught on video.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

A whiff of marijuana spurred the U.S. Border Patrol to inspect a Ford truck with Florida plates at an immigration checkpoint outside Las Cruces in May 2020. Why it became a federal case was the $426,590 found vacuum-sealed in one of the tires being hauled in the trucks bed.

The mere presence of the money was suspicious. But a federal crime? No. At least no criminal charges resulted.

The driver, a U.S. citizen who was hired to drive the rental truck from California to Florida and back, denied knowledge of the stashed cash. He did admit to possessing $24 worth of marijuana found in the cab. No other illegal drugs were found and he was released uncharged.

But the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Mexico pursued ownership of the cash in a civil forfeiture action, claiming the bagged bulk currency wrapped in rubber bands was either furnished or delivered in exchange for a controlled substance.

When a California man came forward to say the seized $426,590 came from his inheritance, not a drug deal, the legal fight was on.

In the end, the government and the owner, Makeel S. Georges, agreed to divvy up the $426,590. A settlement agreement filed earlier this month shows Georges will get $150,000, with the government keeping the rest.

Despite having nearly two years to thoroughly investigate my client, the government was unable to produce any evidence that this currency was tied to a specific drug transaction or that my client (or driver) was involved in any drug-trafficking activity. Obviously, having $426,590 in cash in a tire is unusual, but not illegal, but it certainly aroused the suspicion of the government, said Georges Las Cruces attorney C.J. McElhinney in an email to the Journal.

The Border Patrol contended the search was warranted because one of its drug-sniffing K-9s detected the strong odor of marijuana on the plastic-wrapped money hidden inside one of the five tires in the bed of the pickup truck. The dogs handler said in one agency report that she, too, could smell the distinct odor of marijuana.

A key issue, McElhinney stated, was what the K-9 actually alerted to on the vehicle and whether the alert was valid, anyway.

Over the past year, a government expert was enlisted to check for fingerprints on the plastic wrappings containing the cash. Georges lined up a forensic chemist from Israel to testify that U.S. currency is so contaminated with drug residue these days, tracing the loot to a specific drug transaction or drug transaction proceeds was impossible.

Had the case gone to trial, the government would have had to prove in court that the money was linked to criminal activity, according to the U.S. Department of Justice website.

McElhinney said his client, a successful businessman in Orange County, California, is relieved the case is over.

As part of the settlement process, we were required to acknowledge that the seizure of the remaining $276,590 in the tires is reasonable. This, of course, is legal fiction, but required to settle the case.

The trucks driver, identified as David James Walker, told Border Patrol agents he was so desperate for a job because of the COVID-19 business shutdown in California that he agreed to drive the truck to Florida and back for $10,000. The feds are keeping his $10,000 payment and the $24 of marijuana found in his suitcase in the trucks cab.

He never made a claim (for the $10,000) because, frankly, he was scared and decided he didnt want to poke the bear, McElhinney told the Journal.

He did nothing wrong

Despite New Mexico legalizing adult marijuana recreational use in 2021, marijuana is still considered an illegal Schedule I drug by the U.S. government. And the U.S. Border Patrol has been reminding the traveling public that being in possession of marijuana while passing through a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint is illegal under federal law.

The $426,590 seized that morning in May 2020 was the single largest Border Patrol cash seizure that year in the El Paso sector, in which a total of $1.28 million was confiscated over a 12-month period.

Of the 23 currency forfeiture cases filed by federal prosecutors in New Mexico since January 2020, court records show the May 2020 seizure was five times as much as the second-largest seizure  $85,000 discovered by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents during a search of a passenger on an Amtrak train.

Asset forfeiture is a critical legal tool that serves a number of compelling law enforcement purposes. Asset forfeiture is designed to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their crimes, to break the financial backbone of organized criminal syndicates and drug cartels, and to recover property that may be used to compensate victims and deter crime, states the DOJ forfeiture website.

At least three dozen states have reformed their civil forfeiture laws since 2014, with 16 requiring a conviction in criminal court to forfeit most or all types of property in civil court, according to the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit law firm based in Virginia. New Mexico is one of four states that have abolished civil asset forfeiture entirely.

As the claimant in the federal case, Georges, 38, contended the seized cash came from an inheritance after the death of his father in 2018. He said in court filings that some of the cash could also have come from his legitimate business ventures or from his personal savings. My businesses generate millions of dollars income per year, he stated.

Georges is the owner and operator of three custom auto garages in Orange County, some of which were owned and operated by his late father, who had done well for himself in the auto mechanic industry after having immigrated from Syria in the 1980s, McElhinney stated.

Georges criminal history is minor, his attorney told the Journal. Traffic tickets and possession of a cannabis vape pen in Texas, which is legal in California.

My client had a potential business opportunity in Florida and the cash was moved there in anticipation of purchasing a business property. However, that opportunity fell through and my client had to get the cash back to California. The driver was a friend/part-time employee of my client who did not want to fly during COVID (given that the money was seized in the initial year of the pandemic in 2020), so thats why he drove.

Walker told Border Patrol agents May 18, 2020, that he picked up the rental truck close to his home near Lake Forest, California, and drove east to a parking lot near Disney World in Florida. He dropped off the truck, stayed at an Airbnb for a day and was headed back to California when he stopped at the checkpoint. An unknown individual gave him the $10,000 in cash in Orlando, Florida, as his payment.

The civil forfeiture complaint filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office stated that Walker made an extremely odd outburst after the border patrol K-9 Apace alerted to the bed of the truck and his agent handler started to inspect the tires in the bed of the truck. He yelled the tires were empty, according to the complaint. Border patrol agents believed the packaging of the currency was a smuggling tactic, the complaint added.

Walker was quoted as telling agents that he was aware he might be transporting something illegal, but knew better than to ask what it was. Georges attorney said Walker later testified he was so scared and confused after being detained that day he gave incorrect information.

After Georges put in a claim for the money, federal prosecutors required he answer numerous questions about his finances, his travel and why the currency was packaged in vacuum sealed bags. They also wanted him to explain why the money was being transported inside a tire. Court records show he objected to some of the questions as not relevant to his claim.

The government found three fingerprints on the bags that were traced to a man prosecutors asked Georges to provide contact information for.

McElhinney told the Journal his client always wanted all of the money back because he did nothing wrong. But there would have been substantial costs to go to trial, including paying witnesses to come from Israel and California.

Based on how much his businesses generate, he might have actually lost money by not being able to run his shops during the time lost to dealing with the case, McElhinney stated.

The forfeited money goes into the Treasury Asset Forfeiture Fund, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Albuquerque.

McElhinney said the case points out how unfair the federal civil forfeiture process is, especially because he said minorities like his client are likely disproportionately targeted.

Property should only be forfeited upon criminal conviction, he said, so there is sufficient procedural due process and a criminal defense attorney appointed to handle the forfeiture consequences.

The $426,590 seized is a drop in the bucket for the federal government, McElhinney told the Journal. So its kind of like negotiating with Darth Vader.

_Deck>Rental truck had $426,590 inside tire
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Second in a two-part series.

RUIDOSO  Kristen Hall remembers the day the McBride Fire started like it was yesterday.

That day, April 12, Hall was at the Canyon Hideaway & Escape RV camp, which she helps manage with family members, and the winds were blowing so hard they felt like a hurricane.

The wind knocked out the power on the grounds of the RV camp, located in Gavilan Canyon, including at a single-family home that the Hall family uses as a secondary residence. She tried calling her father-in-law Robby Hall, who owns the business, but was unable to reach him due to the cell service being out.

Hall turned her attention back to working on the house, which the family was remodeling at the time, but the smell of a fire encapsulated the structure. At first, Hall said, she thought it was a camp fire started by visitors staying on the property.

Then she turned and looked out the opaque bathroom window. All she saw was bright orange. The fire had come down the hill toward the RV camp and the residence, traveling hundreds of feet in a matter of minutes.

It just looked like being in a volcano  like just ash falling from the sky, she said. It was super scary.

The Halls lost everything  including most equipment for Robby Halls tree business, TLC Trees. In the end, Ruidosos McBride Fire burned nearly 6,200 acres, destroyed more than 200 homes and left two people dead.

Rebuilding the familys two businesses from the ground up has not been easy, said Robby Hall.

But were Halls, he said, and all Halls do is move forward.

Its an attitude on regular display in the southern New Mexico mountain town of nearly 8,000, which most years serves as a summer getaway for crowds of Texans and others seeking escape from the heat.

This community, weve been through fires before, floods before, freezes before, depressions  all that, Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford, who is serving his second term, told the Journal. We have a very eclectic group of people here in this community  from all political persuasions, from all life forces  that are having to work together.

While not the first blaze this year, the McBride Fire was one of a few that kicked off an early fire season in New Mexico. But this fire grabbed attention due to the unusually high number of structures it destroyed.

Authorities have not released information about the cause of the fire, which was fueled by strong winds, a lack of rain and high temperatures. But a lawsuit has been filed alleging the fire started after a falling tree downed a Public Service Company of New Mexico power line. The Journal filed a records request Thursday with the New Mexico State Forestry Division regarding the cause of the fire but has not received a response.

Since then, other fires have started or continued to burn throughout the state.

Up north, the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire  at one point two separate fires that started in April before merging  has burned more than 340,000 acres and has destroyed thousands of structures, signaling a tough road ahead for many in its wake.

In southern New Mexico, near Truth or Consequences, the Black Fire is quickly approaching a similar size  burning more than 320,000 acres with containment more than 50%, according to the most recent updates.

For the people of Ruidoso, life goes on.

We will bounce back and people will return  we know people will return, said Robert Duncan, owner of Upper Canyon Lodging Co. Unless theres a major, major, major catastrophe that just wipes us off the planet, people will always return to Ruidoso. There will always be business in Ruidoso.

Our turn in the dirt

The McBride Fire started near the middle school in Ruidoso, just up the ridge from where Canyon Hideaway & Escape RV camp and TLC Trees are located. It created a path  leaving some areas untouched but others, including the Halls businesses, up in flames. Kristen Hall, her animals and people camping on-site were all evacuated.

Four RVs were saved, but seven burned to the ground  as well as a bathhouse that Robby Hall renovated not long before the fire came. All of Halls tree equipment was incinerated, including his pickup truck.

A few weeks after the fire was contained, Hall stood outside the RV park and looked up the hill at the scorched earth.

Between Halls two businesses, he said losses are possibly in the hundreds of thousands. He said his woodchipper was worth about $40,000 and a trailer was about $60,000. He said much of their burned equipment and structures were covered only by liability insurance.

Hall walked up the hill and pointed at a charred and melted backhoe  one he said helped build this campground more than 30 years ago.

Robby Hall, owner of Canyon Hideaway & Escape TV camp, and TLC Trees, and his daughter-in-law Kristen Hall survey charred equipment at the familys property in Gavilan Canyon. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Charred equipment owned by Ruidoso Septic Services is seen at the business headquarters located in Gavilan Canyon. The McBride Fire, which started April 12, grew to nearly 6,200 acres, burned more than 200 homes and left two people dead. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Kristen Hall looks at the melted siding at a home the family owns situated next to their RV camp and tree company. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) A fireplace is all that is left of a cabin owned by Forest Home Cabins in Ruidoso due to heavy winds that snapped a tree onto the property. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) From left to right: Forest Home Cabins owners Jackie Collins, Nick Bagwell and Ashley Bagwell describe how one of their cabins was destroyed by a tree that snapped due to heavy winds in mid-April. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 5 Next

It was just our turn in the dirt, he said. I mean, if we lived in Florida, itd be hurricanes. If we lived in Oklahoma, itd be tornadoes.  The thing is, like, wildfires are part of living here and its going to (impact) one of us eventually.

On the other side of town, just a fireplace stood where a cabin used to be at the Forest Home Cabins lodging business, owned and run by Nick Bagwell, his wife Ashlee Bagwell and her sister, Jackie Collins. The trio purchased the place in November 2019, just months before the pandemic would disrupt business and change the world. They adapted, with business coming back little by little until a sense of normalcy came about.

But the high winds that drove the fire in mid-April snapped trees on the property, destroying one cabin entirely and dismantling parts of a roof of another.

After the fire started, business quickly dried up.

We canceled a bunch of reservations, Nick Bagwell said. We didnt have any power. It was so chaotic.

He said many customers rescheduled their vacations rather than canceling outright, which helped the business stay afloat.

They wanted to make sure that were OK, he said. And they asked about our personal homes, too, which is why we love our guests.

Resilient community

While the fire didnt touch most commercial buildings in Ruidoso, it still had major effects on business owners in the tourism-driven town.

But like the mayor said, this community is resilient  and supportive.

Parts Unknown, a Sudderth Drive outdoors gear retailer, stayed open during the fire, and a local woman opened a tab to pay for wool socks for firefighters. Store manager Travis Romero said about 100 pairs of socks were purchased, totaling about $3,000.

Duncan, who manages multiple properties through Upper Canyon Lodging Co., said his business offered evacuees lodging during the fire, though nobody took advantage since power at his business was out.

Kendra King, executive director of the Ruidoso Midtown Association, said she let a friend that lost her home stay with her.

The mayor said even in the midst what he calls the tragedy of the economic bust this summer, businesses have continued to hire people and order inventory.

Are they concerned? Of course. They would be remiss if they werent, Crawford said. Theyre planning on having a bright future.  The story of Ruidoso is one of tenacity.

Despite the turbulence the Bagwells have faced as business owners these past three years, they said theyve tried to keep a positive mindset. Nick Bagwell said the door to the cabin that was destroyed was saved  and they plan to carve words into it like a memorial as a reminder of the fire that had affected their community.

The family also plans on carving the snapped tree into a coffee table and putting it into the new cabin that will eventually be rebuilt.

For the Bagwells and many other businesses, life slowly began to return to normal.

A snapshot of normalcy came on Memorial Day weekend, with travelers crowding Ruidoso streets.

It was a welcome sight, Bagwell said.

For those who lost something to the fire, rebuilding and moving on is all they can do, said Jackie Collins of Forest Home Cabins.

I think the only thing we can do is just try to maintain what we have to, she said.  And just hope for the best.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

The Albuquerque Police Department is investigating whether the two detectives who shot at an unarmed man suspected of driving a stolen car, injuring him, did so without reasonable grounds to believe he posed a threat.

Ten days after the April shooting, detective Jerry Arnold and detective Damian Lujan were sent letters from Chief Harold Medina notifying them that it is alleged that you used deadly force against an individual without probable cause to believe an individual poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to you or anyone else. Additionally, it is alleged that you did not record a law enforcement encounter.

In response, a union attorney representing the detectives filed a petition with the citys Labor Management Relations Board alleging that the civilian investigator reviewing their actions is biased and the case should be transferred to a neutral third party instead.

The board held a meeting on the petition for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunctive relief in May.

Gilbert Gallegos, an APD spokesman, said the request was denied because the Albuquerque Police Officers Association did not meet its burden of proof. He said the investigation will proceed as it normally would and is on track to be completed within the deadlines required by the collective bargaining agreement with the union.

But advocates for police reform say they have long been concerned about the APOAs efforts to interfere with legitimate use of force investigations and shielding officers from accountability for unlawful uses of force.

We suspect its attempt to obtain a restraining order against an (Internal Affairs Force Division) investigator in this instance is another example of its obstructionist tactics, wrote Barron Jones, the senior policy strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico. Timely and thorough internal investigations help keep police from continuing past patterns of excessive force and unconstitutional policing.

For years now, APOA leaders have claimed that they support reforms taking place within the department while quietly working to undermine accountability and transparency behind the scenes, Jones added.

A team of external investigators assisting the Internal Affairs Force Division also appeared to be concerned about the unions interference in the case.

If successful, APOAs application would have seriously impacted the timetables set forth in the relevant documents regarding (use of force) investigations, the team wrote in their most recent quarterly report. However, the Citys Legal Department successfully defeated the APOAs application and the application was denied in its totality.

The man who was shot  Shannon Candelario, a 46-year-old from Algodones  was released from the hospital and booked into jail more than five weeks later on unrelated charges. He has since been released and is not facing any charges related to the shooting or the car theft but continues to suffer from his injuries.

The incident was the fifth time Albuquerque police officers have shot someone this year. The four other times were fatal.

In three of the earlier instances police say the person who was shot was armed with a gun. In the fourth, police say the person who was shot was reported to be armed and was aiming what turned out to be a cellphone  like it was a gun  at officers.

The investigation

The basis for the petition asking to re-assign the interviews with the two detectives lies in the language used in the letters they were sent notifying them of the internal investigation. They also referenced hearing rumors that the Internal Affairs Force Division does not intend to conduct a fair investigation into these officers.

Gallegos could not answer questions about the shooting or the investigation.

He did say that all use of force cases  including shootings  undergo an administrative investigation.

Target letters are sent if a potential policy violation is identified, Gallegos said. But an investigation must be conducted before concluding whether there was, in fact, a policy violation.

However, during the labor board hearing, attorney Fred Mowrer said the language used in the target letters was offensive and the two detectives were caught off guard. Mowrer did not respond to requests for comment from the Journal, but another union attorney said he had never seen a letter with language like that before.

It was showing that somebody was accusing them of committing a violent crime because it made an allegation that you have used force without the proper justification, Mowrer said. Typically the notices that come out of the department dont say it quite as bluntly as that. They reference a (standard operating procedures) section and tell the officers that theres going to be an investigation concerning this section.

Lujan, who at one point was overcome with emotion, said at the labor board hearing that he felt Candelario posed a threat and he was in fear that I wasnt going to go home to my wife and daughter that night.

He noted that hindsight is 20/20, and the investigator should not judge the actions through that lens.

But Ian Stoker, an assistant city attorney, argued that the investigator on the case was following the procedures that required officers be notified when theyre being investigated.

We can agree that if an officer is entitled to know the allegations against them, that could include potentially serious policy violations, right? Stoker asked at the hearing. The city is under no obligation to sugarcoat those allegations, are they?

Not that Im aware of, Arnold replied.

Arnold, with the auto theft unit, has worked for APD since 2003 and has not been involved in any previous shootings.

Lujan, who is with the gun violence street team, has worked there since 2007 and has shot three other people. In 2011, he shot and injured Orlando Paisano, who police say was approaching officers with a machete. In 2019, he and another officer fatally shot Daniel James Wood during a SWAT standoff in which police say Wood was holding his girlfriend hostage and pointed a gun at them when they entered the apartment. Police said Lujan was also involved in a 2020 shooting, but did not confirm the details of that case.

The incident

On the night of April 12, APD officers spotted a red Chevy Volt on Central and Pennsylvania. It had been reported stolen from Santa Fe earlier in the day.

Police say when officers tried to pull over the car the driver fled. They attached a StarChase GPS device to the car.

At a news conference last month, Deputy Cmdr. Kyle Hartsock said officers tracked the car through the streets without pursuing it and at some point a male passenger was dropped off. The passenger told officers that the driver was Candelario and he didnt know if he was armed or had any drugs with him.

Eventually the stolen vehicle, and the officers, ended up at a Motel 6 on Central near Tramway.

Hartsock said the detectives watched Candelario go into the lobby and then saw him leave and start to walk toward the stolen car.

APD released videos that showed the shooting after the news conference. Many are blurred or muted in the period after Candelario was shot. Police did not release photos of the officers, saying that they work in sensitive investigative units.

Detective Arnolds lapel camera video shows him following behind Candelario with his gun drawn, yelling I cant see whats in his hands. I think its a knife.

Detective Lujan stated that he also observed the subject reach into his pocket and pull something small out that he believed was a small black handgun, Hartsock said. The male then quickly extended his arm while yelling at detective Lujan. Detective Lujan fired his weapon at this subject striking him. Detective Arnold also fired his weapon but hit his truck and vehicle, causing only property damage.

As it turned out, the object in Candelarios hand had been a key fob with a small red padlock.

He was taken to the hospital and then booked into the county jail more than a month later on a warrant for not complying with pretrial services.

When asked about officers using force against what turned out to be an unarmed man, Chief Medina stressed that the Multi Agency Task Force is investigating whether the actions were legal and an administrative investigation is also underway. He also said he hoped the Force Review Board  made up of upper level APD staff  will make recommendations about how to deal with such situations.

Officers have very little reaction time when something occurs, Medina said. The officer thought they were pulling out a black hand gun. And so those are all the things that will be taken into consideration  and then we will look to see how we can change this in the future or if we can train officers for these situations.

He added that it may be a matter of using different tactics  such as slowing things down and establishing a perimeter  to prevent officers from having to make those quick decisions.

Multiple issues

Court documents filed against Candelario over the past two years show he was struggling with issues related to drug use. In the past year and a half he was arrested at least four times on new charges for possession of a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia.

Some of those cases were dismissed. Others are pending.

When reached by phone last week, Candelarios mother said she was with her son at the doctors office and he is not well. She said she could not discuss the shooting at this time but said that she doesnt think hell ever be the same.

Maya Lindgren, Candelarios public defender, did not want to comment on the shooting or its aftermath except to say they are very concerned about his health  which continues to suffer.

As far as the shooting coming under scrutiny, it is important that we as a community have the facts to gain a clear understanding of what happened during this encounter, Lindgren wrote in a statement. It should not be taken lightly when police officers shoot a member of our community, and the truth about what happened should not be concealed.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

RUIDOSO  In small tourist towns, a lack of affordable housing often is an issue.

Thats been the case for the Village of Ruidoso, a mountain town of about 8,000 residents, Mayor Lynn Crawford told the Journal in early June.

And the McBride Fire, which grew to nearly 6,200 acres, burned more than 200 homes and left two people dead earlier this year, only exacerbated the housing issue further.

Crawford said that after the wildfire, estimates now put the village at more than 300 apartment units short of whats needed to house workers, underscoring the need for more affordable housing  something some residents previously opposed.

There is an untrue perception, Crawford said, that affordable housing attracts crime, which has made previous housing projects difficult to complete with the blessing of the villages residents.

But after the McBride Fire, Crawford said residents began realizing that additional housing benefits those already in the community  from parents who have children enrolled in schools to workers at the local grocery store.

What its done is its brought it to the forefront of how weak we are in workforce housing, he said.

The wildfire also brought an influx of government money geared toward speeding up the process of building workforce housing  something the village has been working on since at least the 70s, according to Crawford.

Crawford said the village is now receiving two sources of funding  one from the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration and one from the New Mexico Finance Authority  to help ramp up planning and construction of at least two housing developments in Ruidoso.

It expedited the seriousness of it, Crawford said. I dont know what political pundit said this years ago, but dont let a crisis go to waste.

Combined, the money totals $1.4 million, the mayor said, and will go toward an apartment complex on Mechem Drive that would add about 98 units and a development that would add more than a dozen single- and double-wide trailers.

Both developments will be targeted at low- and middle-income residents.

Crawford said the village plans to create an enterprise fund to allow Ruidoso to purchase properties and rent them at a low rate  but high enough that the village can regain the investment money.

The village is also looking at a program that would allow renters to eventually purchase property they were previously renting.

If theyre in the house and they pay their rent on time the first, say, two years and want to purchase that house, then they can have equity that will be counted as down payment or equity through these programs, Crawford said.

Crawford said more money is needed to build out these developments and he and the village have reached out to modular home manufacturers and are in the process of putting out requests for proposals.

The most Ive got thats going to happen, say in the next three months, is going to be maybe 16 to 20 homes, he said.

Crawford added that the village is also looking at reclaiming dilapidated properties that can also, eventually, be turned into affordable housing for residents.

Weve been rewriting  our building code, which covers a lot of those things, Crawford said. But thats all part of the big plan of how do you get housing started?'
A congressional effort to beef up security for members of the U.S. Supreme Court received broad bipartisan support.

But a member of New Mexicos congressional delegation skipped the vote, which was spearheaded by members of her party.

Congresswoman Yvette Herrell, the lone Republican member of the states delegation, didnt vote on the security measure. The bill was introduced after a California man was arrested with a gun, knife, pepper spray and other tools close to the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was appointed by former President Trump.

The man has been indicted on a charge of attempted murder of a United States justice, according to the L.A. Times.

The Supreme Court Police Parity Act grants the Supreme Court of the United States security equivalent to the legislative and executive branches.

It cleared the Senate by unanimous consent and easily passed the House 396-27. All the House members who voted against the bill were Democrats.

New Mexico Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan and Reps. Melanie Stansbury and Teresa Leger Fernandez all supported the act.

Herrell was one of four representatives who didnt vote.

Her office didnt respond to emails asking why she didnt take a stance on the measure. But her Twitter account may offer some evidence as to why.

The day after the vote was taken, Herrell posted a photo on Twitter that showed her arm in some sort of cast or sling.

Ouch! The dangers of serving in Congress, she said. I gave my arm a whack while running between meetings on Capitol Hill, so Ill be working one-handed for a little bit!

VET CARE: Democrats Heinrich and Lujan on Thursday applauded the Senate passage of a bill that would provide health care to military veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals.

Heinrich was among the lawmakers who held a news conference to tout the benefits of the bill, which passed the Senate 84-14. It now heads to the House of Representatives.

These burn pits have put so many of our former service members in a position where sometimes they have to fight for a breath, Heinrich said. They shouldnt have to fight for coverage at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

ONE YEAR: Stansbury marked her one-year anniversary in Congress last week.

The Democratic representative was picked by voters in a special election to finish former Rep. Deb Haalands term after Haaland was confirmed as interior secretary.

In a news release, Stansbury said in the last year she introduced seven pieces of original legislation and co-sponsored more than 300 bills.

Im honored to serve in Congress and its been an incredible year, she said. I promise to continue working and fighting every single day to make sure every New Mexican has an opportunity to thrive.

Ryan Boetel: rboetel@abqjournal.com
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Albuquerque police officers shot and killed a man early Sunday morning after he approached those officers Downtown, told them he had a gun and refused orders to drop it, authorities said.

Chief Harold Medina said investigators have retrieved what appears to be an airsoft gun from the scene and noted that the shooting seems to be a suicide by cop. While airsoft guns often resemble regular firearms, they shoot nonlethal pellets.

We know theres been an increase of suicide across the nation and its unfortunate that that may again be the case here in Albuquerque, he said.

Medina said the shooting happened as officers were finishing up a call for service at around 3:30 a.m. at Hotel Andaluz near Second and Copper.

He said a vehicle with one person inside approached the officers.

A male subject from within the vehicle advised officers something to the effect that the individual had a firearm, a gun, and  the officers were going to have to shoot him, Medina said, adding that officers said they gave the man several commands to drop it.

The subject apparently did not drop the gun and eventually shots were fired, he said. The subject was transported to a local hospital and died of the gunshot wounds he received on scene.

Sundays shooting marks the sixth time Albuquerque police officers have shot someone this year. Five of those shootings have been fatal.

Police have said that in three of the earlier shootings, the person was armed with a gun. In the fourth, the person shot was reported to be armed and was aiming what turned out to be a cellphone  like it was a gun  at officers, according to the Albuquerque Police Department. In the fifth previous incident, police shot and injured an unarmed man suspected of driving a stolen car who extended a key fob in the detectives direction.

Medina said the officers in Sundays shooting are on standard leave and a Multi-Agency Task Force is investigating, which is standard in shootings involving officers. He asked that anyone who may have witnessed the incident call APD.

The chief also urged anyone who has a family member in crisis to reach out for help.

Its important to note that if you have a loved one or a family member who is having a mental crisis or is in need of services or having thoughts to hurt themselves, that (if) you reach out to the city of Albuquerque, the Community Safety Department, the police department, we can send resources out to help with individuals, Medina said. This is not the first case this year of an individual using officers as a means to take their own life.
By Ginger Taylor Last week in Maine an unprecedented event occurred. A mainstream media outlet hosted an extended, live debate on vaccines, invited a balanced panel and a balanced audience, let the audience questions drive the debate, and in no way biased or edited the final product. This bold media outlet, CBS affiliate WGME in Portland, Maine, along with their media partner the Bangor Daily News, hosted this as a part of a national Town Hall event series. The panelists were former pediatrician and current Medical Director for MaineCare Kevin Flanigan, MD, MBA, former pediatrician and Vice President for Clinical Affairs for the University of New England Dora Anne Mills M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P., authority on the anthrax vaccine Meryl Nass, M.D., and myself, Ginger Taylor, MS, BA, AM (autism mom). Turns out there is a good reason that public health officials and vaccine program defenders don't participate in fair, open, unedited, extended debates with critics of the vaccine program... they have dramatically different outcomes than the biased, prepackaged media pieces we are used to seeing. Public health loses control of the narrative quickly. WGME has placed the entire debate on their web site and on YouTube. We at the Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice encourage you to take an evening to watch this unique debate, and to share it widely with those who are interested in more in depth discussions on vaccine matters. In preparation for this article, I contacted my fellow panelists to tell them that we would be writing a follow up to the event and asked them to send any citations that might apply to the topics that they discussed so that those interested could continue to research the material. Below the videos you will find each of their notes. Currently there are five vaccine bills in the Maine Legislature. Two that restrict and remove vaccine exemption rights, one that adds more vaccines to the list of those mandated for school entry, one that prevents discrimination against those who are unvaccinated, and another, written by me, to create a vaccine safety office at the Maine CDC to prevent vaccine injury, and to get vaccine injuries properly assessed, diagnosed, treated and compensated via the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. These bills will be heard in the Joint Committee on Health and Human Services on May 11th. We will be holding an all day advocacy push that day which includes a scheduled visit from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who will be educating legislators on what he has learned about vaccine safety after investigating parental vaccine injury claims. We encourage Mainers who want to retain their right to vaccinate as they choose, and who want to work to prevent vaccine injury, to join our mailing list on MaineVaxChoice.org , join our group on Facebook at Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice , and to join us in Augusta on May 11th as we educate the legislators on what is really going on in the vaccine program and why parental rights must be respected. On behalf of myself, The Maine Coalition for Vaccine Choice, The Canary Party, HealthChoice.org, and the thousands of families we represent, we thank CBS 13/WGME and the Bangor Daily News for holding such an unbiased and in depth town hall discussion on vaccines. We hope that this will be a shining example of how mainstream media can restore their reputation with the public on this topic, and that it will be the first of many such events in the US.

Notes By Dr. Meryl Nass:The Pertussis DiscussionPertussis vaccine may not protect , and may enhance spread of pertussis if exposed after vaccination. This was written up in Science, Scientific American , NY Times, yet ignored and disputed during our debate. Science has a better article than Scientific American on the FDA findings on pertussis vaccine.  Here the FDA responds to those who dispute the validity of the baboon model.The Swine Flu/GBS Discussion The former head of CDC who led the 1976 swine flu vaccine program admits there was Guillain Barre Syndrome as a result. A review this month acknowledges GBS due to the 1976 program Book by National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine about the program:Richard E. Neustadt, Professor of Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard UniversityHarvey V. Fineberg, M.D., Assistant Professor of Health Services, School of Public Health, Harvard UniversityWith an introduction by Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Published by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare 1978 CDC slide show that says the relative risk was 7.6 based on 8 studies, and "several reanalyses with same conclusions" ( slide 4 ): A 2012 paper that notes the risk of GBS increased more than 6 times in vaccinees: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22582208 The CDC's admission on the matter: J Infect Dis. 2008 Jul 15;198(2):226-33. doi: 10.1086/589624. Anti-ganglioside antibody induction by swine (A/NJ/1976/H1N1) and other influenza vaccines: insights into vaccine-associated Guillain-Barre syndrome. Nachamkin I1, Shadomy SV, Moran AP, Cox N, Fitzgerald C, Ung H, Corcoran AT, Iskander JK, Schonberger LB, Chen RT. AbstractBACKGROUND: Receipt of an A/NJ/1976/H1N1 "swine flu" vaccine in 1976, unlike receipt of influenza vaccines used in subsequent years, was strongly associated with the development of the neurologic disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). Anti-ganglioside antibodies (e.g., anti-GM(1)) are associated with the development of GBS, and we hypothesized that the swine flu vaccine contained contaminating moieties (such as Campylobacter jejuni antigens that mimic human gangliosides or other vaccine components) that elicited an anti-GM(1) antibody response in susceptible recipients. METHODS: Surviving samples of monovalent and bivalent 1976 vaccine, comprising those from 3 manufacturers and 11 lot numbers, along with several contemporary vaccines were tested for hemagglutinin (HA) activity, the presence of Campylobacter DNA, and the ability to induce anti-Campylobacter and anti-GM(1) antibodies after inoculation into C3H/HeN mice.RESULTS: We found that, although C. jejuni was not detected in 1976 swine flu vaccines, these vaccines induced anti-GM(1) antibodies in mice, as did vaccines from 1991-1992 and 2004-2005. Preliminary studies suggest that the influenza HA induces anti-GM(1) antibodies.CONCLUSIONS: Influenza vaccines contain structures that can induce anti-GM(1) antibodies after inoculation into mice. Further research intoinfluenza vaccine components that elicit anti-ganglioside responses and the role played by these antibodies (if any) in vaccine-associated GBS is warranted. A sample of six vaccine and injectable medication disasters in the US during the past 60 years All have been due to failures of testing or failures in manufacturing processes. Meryl Nass, M.D. March 21, 2015 1. 1955: (Improperly inactivated) live polio vaccine caused polio in thousands of children Cutter (now part of Bayer) incident 1955This early US Salk polio vaccine contained live polio virus, which had not been inactivated in the factory. It caused 40,000 polio cases in the US due to inadequate inactivation of live virus. Cutter was the major company involved, but other companies also had problems with viral inactivation. The NIH director and others lost their jobs in the aftermath, since Bernice Eddy, an NIH scientist, had earlier found the vaccines paralyzed monkeys, but her findings were suppressed in the rush to vaccinate. Simian Virus 40, a cancer-causing virus ) contaminated polio vaccines given to tens of millions of Americans. SV-40 causes cancer in animals and has been found in human cancers, though its relationship to human cancers remains uncertain, as the research has been contradictory. http://www.sv40foundation.org/cpv-link.html 3. 1970s-1985: Factor 8 Concentrate. a pooled blood product used to prevent bleeding in hemophiliacs, was contaminated with HIV and Hepatitis C, but continued to be sold worldwide, even after manufacturers became aware of the contamination. Its manufacturers knew it was contaminated with HIV (and Hepatitis C), which spread through the injectable blood products used by hemophiliacs.About 8,000 US hemophiliacs at the time developed HIV infections this way, and an estimated 150,000 developed Hepatitis C, which frequently results in chronic liver disease, cirrhosis or death. The practice of distributing contaminated blood was widespread internationally, with many companies involved, and continued even after the problem was identified. It led to suits against pharmaceutical companies in a number of countries. It led to thousands of deaths. Doctors went to jail. Cutter/ Bayer knowingly sold HIV-contaminated products in the US and overseas, seemingly having learned nothing from its polio-contaminated vaccine disaster 25 years earlier. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/22/business/2-paths-of-bayer-drug-in-80-s-riskier-one-steered-overseas.html?pagewanted=print http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanhiv/PIIS2352-3018%2815%2900007-7.pdf 4. 1976-1977:Swine flu vaccine given to 45 million Americans for a non-existent disease, causing hundreds of cases of paralysis A new flu virus was discovered in a soldier who died at Fort Dix, NJ. Concern that the virus might cause a 1918-like influenza pandemic led to a huge federal program to develop a vaccine and vaccinate every American against the virus. But the epidemic never occurred. And the affected soldier, despite having an acute infection, had undertaken a forced march, and then died. No one knew if the flu had killed him. The vaccine manufacturers, meanwhile, were given a waiver of liability. After 45 million inoculations of the newly developed vaccine, about 400 people developed paralysis from the vaccine (Guillain Barre syndrome, at a rate 6-8 times expected during the six weeks post-inoculation) and about 30 died. The program was then ended.The Secretary of HEW, Joseph Califano, asked that a thorough investigation be done of the science, the policy and the processes involved. The result is a birds eye view of how personal and political agendas came together to supercede considerations of the public health: http://iom.edu/~/media/Files/About%20the%20IOM/SwineFluAffair.pdf http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=394635 (unfortunately now behind a paywall) 5. 1999:Rhesus rotavirus vaccine (Rotashield) caused intestinal tract damage. This oral vaccine was designed to prevent a usually mild form of gastroenteritis that kills (via dehydration) an estimated 30 US babies per year. However, it caused 22 times the expected number of cases of intussusception of the bowel, and many affected babies required surgery to repair telescoping of the guy. Several died. Four months after being licensed, the vaccine was taken off the market. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4843a5.htm 6. 2009-10 Pandemrix swine flu vaccine, used in Europe, caused about 900 cases of narcolepsy. Children aged 5-19 were about 15 times more likely to develop narcolepsy if they received the Pandemrix brand of swine flu vaccine in Europe.Other age groups were also at an increased risk or narcolepsy due to the vaccine, but to a lesser degree. Narcolepsy is caused by autoimmune destruction of cells in the locus ceruleus of the brain. It is a newly recognized vaccine adverse reaction. The narcolepsy cases were quite severe and generally associated with cataplexy. http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/publications/vaesco%20report%20final%20with%20cover.pdf The adverse effect profile of drugs and vaccines is generally not well known until millions of people have received the drug or vaccine. This occurred in each of the cases above. New federal legislation, removing manufacturer liability for (even unlicensed) products developed for emergencies, increases the speed at which these products are manufactured and tested, increasing their potential risk. citize http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Guidances/ucm125127.htm#categories http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Readiness_and_Emergency_Preparedness_Act For these reasons, citizens deserve to retain the right to choose for themselves and their children whether or not to receive medical products and procedures. State Legislators Organization (NCSL) Targets Vaccine Exemptions and Supports Meningitis VaccinesHow might state legislators be influenced/manipulated by pharmaceutical companies to remove vaccine exemptions and mandate more vaccines? Through their non-partisan national organization, which appears to provide value-free information on many subjects of interest to legislators. The NCSL (national conference of state legislatures) sponsor list includes many Pharma companies http://www.ncsl.org/aboutus/ncsl-foundation-for-state-legislatures/sponsor-list.aspx This organization (NCSL) appears to target vaccine exemptions at this site http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/school-immunization-exemption-state-laws.aspx This organization highlighted vaccinations in the February issue of their magazine http://www.ncsl.org/bookstore/state-legislatures-magazine/trends-february-2015.aspx For example: Between 2009 and 2012, lawmakers in 18 states introduced 36 bills involving vaccine exemptions, 31 of which would have made opting out of shots easier. None of the 31 passed, largely because of strong evidence that withholding vaccinations leads to outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and other diseases. States with easier exemption policies were associated with a 90 percent higher incidence of whooping cough in 2011, according to a 2013 Institute of Medicine report. (This does not make sense, since the main driver in whooping cough epidemics is the waning of vaccine immunity, not lack of vaccinationsNass) Children who are vaccinated against preventable diseases such as influenza and whooping cough also have fewer doctors visits, hospitalizations and premature deaths, say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California, Vermont and Washington now require parents who want exemptions to get a doctors signature.In Oregon, parents must get a doctors signature or watch a video about the risks and benefits of vaccines. In Colorado, where whooping cough cases have topped a 60-year high, lawmakers passed HB 1288 in 2013 requiring schools to collect and make publicly available information about their vaccination and exemption rates. With a date of 1/12/2015, this organization has a page titled Immunizations Policy Issues Overview http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/immunizations-policy-issues-overview.aspx This organization has especially highlighted meningitis vaccine legislation http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/meningitis-state-legislation-and-laws.aspx and HPV vaccine http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/hpv-vaccine-state-legislation-and-statutes.aspx legislation, even though neither vaccine is associated with herd immunity; your child will not catch either of these infections through casual contact with other children.Notes by Ginger Taylor:99 Research papers supporting the vaccine/autism link.CDC recommended childhood vaccine schedule from 1973 to 1988 as compared to the current schedule following the liability protection put in place in 1986: http://mainevaxchoice.org/images/1983v2015.gif

The CDC adult vaccine schedule:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/adult/adult-combined-schedule.pdf

The National Adult Immunization Plan Draft:

http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/national_adult_immunization_plan_draft.pdf

HHS has become a vaccine patent holder while approving, regulating and recommending vaccines, and while and adjudicating vaccine injuries, without disclosing its serious conflicts of interests to consumers.

The current Congressional investigation into the #CDCwhistleblower scandal, triggered when senior CDC vaccine scientist William Thompson admitted publicly that he and his research team had actively hidden vaccine autism links from the public.



The DOJ indictment of CDC vaccine safety researcher Poul Thorsen on 21 counts of fraud and money laundering for embezzling more than a million dollars from CDC and his university, whose research CDC is still using to support vaccine safety claims.



The US Government Accounting Office, Associated Press/NYT and American University/George Washington School of Law investigations into the failures of the VICP to properly compensate families of vaccine victims.



NYT/Pace University Environmental Law Review research showing that, although the federal government will not officially establish the vaccine/autism link, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has been quietly paying autism cases since 1991.



Full information on the proposed Maine Vaccine Consumer Protection Act.



Our opposition to the bills in Maine proposed to restrict and remove vaccine choice rights.



Johns Hopkins database of vaccine package inserts: http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/package_inserts.htm



Vaccine Injury Compensation Table:

http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/vaccinetable.html

All research into vaccine uptake shows that it is the mostly highly educated parents who are the ones choosing to opt out of vaccination.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781415/

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/01/13/peds.2014-2715.full.pdf

http://www.abqjournal.com/557820/news/los-alamos-top-in-nm-for-vaccine-exemptions.html





Notes by Kevin Flanigan



Dr. Flanigan wrote very gracious notes to both myself and Dr. Nass about our participation in the debate. He thanked us for the offer to add notes, but shared that the state of Maine believes that the debate as aired speaks for itself.





Notes by Dora Anne Mills



As of this publishing Dr. Mills has not responded to our offer to include her notes. We will amend should she forward any comments to us.





Ginger Taylor holds an MS in Clinical Counseling from Johns Hopkins University, is a co-founder of the Canary Party, and serves on the leadership of Health Choice. She has a 13 year old son who regressed into autism following his 18 month vaccines. She reciently authored legislation under consideration in Maine to create a state vaccine safety program.
". This was back when the schedule was much smaller.We were told, we don't vaccinate preemies, we don't vaccinate infants with neurological issues, we don't vaccinate infants who are sick. . . . We were told we never vaccinate women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant in the next sick months. That has changed. So much has changed. I used to write a medical exemption for children who had any kind of autoimmune issue, autoimmune issues in the family---and that has become all but impossible.

"I was the director of a large inner city a pediatric emergency room. . . in Chicago, Michael Reese Hospital, and over time, I actually saw, it became very apparent to me that children who'd been in the vaccine clinic that day getting their routine vaccinations.and return that evening in the ER . . . Children would come back with febrile seizures, occasionally death from respiratory failure, . . . severe asthma attacks. And it became apparent to me that not all children respond well to vaccination.

By Anne Dachel Recently Dr. Toni Bark from Chicago spoke at an SB 277 rally in Sacramento. Her talk was only about seven minutes, but her words were powerful.

"We have to take back our legislative process. We have industry controlling our legislators. This is terrible. We have industry controlling what goes on in our bodies. Through our legislators, we need to take back this process. And I mean it when I say they're either clueless, or bought, or both. Because when you're bought, you don't want to know the truth. They have to deal--they have to reconcile with their psyche or their conscience. They don't want to reckon with their conscience. . . . The doctors don't want to. Most doctors do not know they're giving you misinformation, they really don't. They believe what the CDC has told them. They don't know how corrupt the CDC is to its very core, how many investigations there has been around the CDC and the level of corruptness. Even with your own Kaiser Permanente, conducting experiments on African American and Hispanic children in your state of California without informing parents it was an experimental vaccine this was in the 90s; this was not the 1940s. . . . this was not Tuskegee.

We have so many issues. . . I can't even. become fully apprized of all the corruption stories, even all the stories that have been adjudicated. The CDC is in business with pharma . . . They're in business with pharma, like Merck and Glaxo and Sanofi and all these companies that have been found guilty numerous times on criminal charges . . . on criminal offenses. And they have no problem being in business with them. And Dr. Pan is a liar. He is not a doctor that is misinformed and is just blindly following the CDC, No, because he has written statements--and when you're a doctor and you put down statements as facts, you better cite your references, you better .do your research. Everything he says can e refuted If only the legislators bothered to do a Google search. How lazy are they? .how much do they get paid? They can't do a Google search? It's un(fucking)believable!

Even if we don't prevail today, even if we don't, we will have lawsuits, and the lawsuits will allow us to have discovery and we can subpoena people, they haven idea the shit storm that is coming. This is the same playbook as the GMO story.. And how stupid and smug of them ..because they will be victims of their own legislation, because the adult schedule is coming for you, it's coming for them . . .

And guess what? They will have gotten rid of exemptions, they'll have roll up their sleeve and take their shots. . . I wish Pan and Allen and all their colleagues room up their sleeves. and take all the 69 doses they want you to have. .

Today isn't the end of the battle, it's only the beginning. Thank you so much for showing up.

Dr. Bark is an incredible voice for us. I met her in 2013 at Autism One in Chicago. She talked during a luncheon and my single thought was: I need to get to know this woman who is a medical voice out there telling us the truth about autism and vaccine damage.

I have written about her three times.

January, 2015 Flu Shot Mandate

November, 2014 Pediatric Vaccination Status

August 2013 Autism

The heated debate over SB 277 has publicized some frightening aspects of vaccine oversight failure. On June 9, 2015, Tony Muhammed, from the Nation of Islam, spoke on vaccine choice in Sacramento. He was well-informed about the whistleblower scientist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who has gone public about an agency cover-up of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in African American boys.

Muhammed compared this to the notorious Tuskegee experiment, which was a forty year study of the progression of untreated syphilis in African American men in Alalbama conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service starting in 1932.

Dr. Bark brought up "experiments on African American and Hispanic children in your state of California."

She continued, "They don't know how corrupt the CDC is to its very core, how many investigations there has been around the CDC and the level of corruptness. Even with your own Kaiser Permanente, conducting experiments on African American and Hispanic children in your state of California without informing parents it was an experimental vaccine this was in the 90s; this was not the 1940s. . . . this was not Tuskegee."

This got my attention. Why is it that poor, marginalized people end up being used for scientific inquiry? Why was an "experimental vaccine" being tested on minority children? Why aren't the sons and daughters of state legislators who back the end of exemptions also the first test subjects for vaccines?

I asked Dr. Bark about what she meant by "experiments on African American and Hispanic children" in California. She referred me to the National Vaccine Information Center.

On NVIC there was disturbing information on vaccine testing.

National Vaccine Information Center and Washington Office on Haiti Call On FDA to Release All Records and Raw Data on Experiment

In an experiment to find out if they could give a high potency Edmonston Zagreb measles vaccine to babies as young as four months old in order to overwhelm their natural maternal antibodies and replace them with vaccine-induced antibodies, medical researchers at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Johns Hopkins University injected thousands of babies in the Third World with the experimental vaccine that reportedly caused chronic immune suppression and the deaths of an unknown number of babies.

With the help of Kaiser Permanente, more than 1500 six month old black and Hispanic babies in inner city Los Angeles were enrolled in the experiment starting in June 1990. The study was halted in October 1991 after repeated reports from vaccine trial sites in Africa that girl babies were dying in higher than expected numbers six months to three years after vaccination. . . .

BLACK CHILDREN IN MEMPHIS FORCED TO GET HEPATITIS A VACCINE - PARENTS PROTEST

In a classic example of how a drug company in search of a market for a new vaccine creates that market with the help of the CDC, black children in Memphis, Tennessee eligible for free vaccines under the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC) program are being targeted for mandatory vaccination with the newly licensed high potency pediatric hepatitis A vaccine. A group of Memphis parents, protesting the forced vaccination of black children without the informed consent of their parents, have filed a $500 million lawsuit against vaccine maker SmithKline Beecham, the county health department and school board citing civil and religious rights violations.

I found more.

June 10, 2013, NaturalNews.com: African children being used as lab rats in heinous vaccine medical experiments

Parents of dozens of African children severely injured by a combination meningitis vaccine known as MenAfriVac are demanding answers following a recent declaration by government officials that the vaccine was somehow not the culprit in the tragedy. According to an investigative report by VacTruth.com's Christina England, at least 500 children in the small village of Gouro in Chad were held hostage last December by so-called "humanitarian" groups, who forced them to receive the deadly MenAfriVac vaccine,, which in many of them caused severe convulsions, paralysis, or worse.



In early December 2012, the children were reportedly put on lockdown at their school and coerced into accepting the MenAfriVac vaccine for meningitis A as part of an aggressive initiative launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, PATH, and MVP (Meningitis Vaccine Project). The children's parents were not told about the vaccination efforts, nor were they sought for parental consent, and yet these children were threatened with being cut off from an education if they refused the shot.

June 13, 2015, African Children Still Paralyzed After Vaccines, Government Says "All in Their Head"

It has now been officially confirmed that in December 2012, 38 children were hospitalized after receiving the meningitis vaccine, MenAfriVac, during a vaccination campaign arranged by the Chadian government. News program France 24 stated that Saleh Ahmat Bodoumi, a former Member of Parliament in Chad, confirmed that seven of the most seriously affected children have since been evacuated from hospitals in the capital city of Ndjamena to the Republic of Tunisia in northern Africa to undergo further investigation and specialized treatment.

Sept 4, 2014, Minority Report: A Covert CDC Program Inoculated Black Babies with Deadly, Experimental Measles Vaccines

From 1987 to 1989, scientists set up a research center near 30 remote villages in central Senegal. Their stated primary objective was to study the clinical efficacy of two high-titer measles vaccines: Edmonston-Zagreb (EZ-HT) and Schwartz (SW-HT).(17) However, researchers had already done several studies demonstrating that high-titer measles vaccines produce a better immunological response than standard vaccines when given to children younger than nine months and as early as four months.(13-16; 18-21) Therefore, scientists conducting the Senegal study might have had another agenda. In fact, an elaborate "mortality surveillance" was established to check safety, evaluate the vaccination strategy, and perform "independent checks on child deaths."(17)

Researchers might have suspected the vaccine was dangerous when the results of earlier studies began to filter in. But they were probably reluctant to abandon their high-titer shot without testing it at least one more time to be sure. Senegal must have seemed ideal; the region was extremely remote, and less than 4% of the mothers who "consented" to the study were literate.(17)

To begin the study, researchers randomly assigned comparable children to three vaccine groups: a) EZ-HT administered at five months; b) SW-HT given at five months; and c) placebo at five months, followed by a standard low-titer measles vaccine at 10 months. All of the children were followed for up to three years. When the results were tabulated (using eight statistical procedures) it became clear that children who received the high-titer measles vaccines had significantly higher mortality at 41 months than children in the standard low-titer measles vaccine group. But they were not dying from measles. Most of the deaths were from other common childhood diseases. Apparently, the high-titer measles vaccines lowered overall immunity making the children fatally susceptible to diarrhea, dysentery, malaria, malnutrition, acute respiratory ailments, and other infectious diseases.(17)

Children who received the Schwartz strain (SW-HT) died of other diseases at a rate 51% higher than children who received a standard vaccine. There were 48 excess deaths for every 1000 babies vaccinated. Children who received the Edmonston-Zagreb strain (EZ-HT) died of other diseases at a rate 80% higher than children who received a standard vaccine. There were 75 excess deaths for every 1000 babies vaccinated.(17) Mortality remained consistently high in the second and third year after the EZ-HT vaccine was administered, whereas it declined substantially in the control group. One of every six babies vaccinated with EZ-HT died within three years.(17) . . .

June 17, 1996 LA TIMES: CDC Says It Erred in Measles Study

A government-sponsored study of two measles vaccines, begun in 1989 during a major U.S. epidemic and conducted on nearly 1,500 minority infants in Los Angeles, failed to disclose to parents that one of the vaccines was experimental, federal health officials said Sunday.

"A mistake was made," said Dr. David Satcher, director of the Atlanta-based federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the study sponsors. "It shocked me."

Despite the lack of standards when it comes to vaccine safety testing, legislators around the country are pushing to end a parent's right to choice to vaccinate or not. Parents need to protect their rights. If the government can force you to vaccinate your children, what can't the government do to your children?



Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism and author of The Big Autism Cover-Up: How and Why the Media Is Lying to the American Public, which is on sale now from Skyhorse Publishing.
Swedish officials are warning Ukrainian women living in refugee centers not to dress in a way that might provoke men from "other cultures"  code for Muslim migrants, who, in Sweden, are mostly of the Somali variety  who reside in the same refugee center.

And how do these hapless Ukrainian refugees dress, to prompt such a warning? According to Gitana Bengtsson, who has been helping them, "they usually dressed like us, you and me. There is nothing strange about it. They did not look like prostitutes. If those women lived in the city, no one would tell them how to dress." Even so, and now that summer is near, the site manager has advised them not to wear shorts or skirts that reveal their body parts.

There have, moreover, been several other reports of Muslim migrants attacking or making female Ukrainian refugees feel unsafe. In one instance, migrants broke into the hostels of Ukrainian women living with their children. "They said that Sweden was a safe country, but I have not seen that," one of these women said later. Another woman said that, in Ukraine, they at least understood and knew how to respond to threats: "[w]hen there are bombs, I know at least that I can go down to the basement and hide there"  whereas now a migrant would-be rapist might be lurking there.

These Ukrainian women, unused to Muslims, apparently need to get with the times and embrace "multicultural" living. The fact is, Western nations that house large Muslim migrant populations have repeatedly implied that if rapes are on the rise in their nations  Sweden is now the rape capital of the West, thanks to its Muslim population  that is because women are not doing "their part."

A few examples follow.

After a 20-year-old Austrian woman waiting at a bus stop in Vienna was attacked, beaten, and robbed by four Muslim menincluding one who "started [by] putting his hands through my hair and made it clear that in his cultural background there were hardly any blonde women"  police responded by telling the victim to dye her hair:

At first I was scared, but now I'm more angry than anything. After the attack they told me that women shouldn't be alone on the streets after 8pm. And they also gave me other advice, telling me I should dye my hair dark and also not dress in such a provocative way. Indirectly that means I was partly to blame for what happened to me. That is a massive insult.

In 2001, Unni Wikan, a female professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo, said:

"Norwegian women must take their share of responsibility for these rapes," because Muslim men found their manner of dress provocative. The professor's conclusion was not that Muslim men living in the West needed to adjust to Western norms, but the exact opposite: "Norwegian women must realize that we live in a Multicultural society and adapt themselves to it."

So much for the feminist claim that women are free to dress and behave as promiscuously and provocatively as they want  and woe to the man who dares cite this as justifying male sexual aggression. Apparently, this feminist refrain does not apply to Muslim men.

And who can forget when Muslim migrant mobs sexually assaulted as many as one thousand women on New Year's Eve 2016 in Cologne, Germany? Then, the city's mayor, Henriette Reker, called on the women  the victims, not their male abusers  to make changes: "women and young girls ... should go out and have fun, but they need to be better prepared, especially with the Cologne carnival coming up. For this, we will publish online guidelines that these young women can read through to prepare themselves."

In yet another instance, seven Muslim migrants raped a teenage German girl in a park, after drugging her at a disco in Freiburg. (She at least survived; in a similar case that occurred a week earlier in Italy, the drugged rape victim was left murdered.) Bernhard Rotzinger, the police chief of Freiburg, responded by saying, "We cannot offer citizens an all-risk insurance [against crime], but I can advise this: don't make yourself vulnerable by using alcohol or drugs."

"Advice" against alcohol, drugs, and reckless behavior would be much more welcome had it not been made under duress. As things stand, it is a cop-out. Or, as another report discussing the aforementioned rape in Freiburg puts it, "[t]he focus on prevention is a good thing, but also shows how German authorities and media barely hold the migrant crisis responsible for the disaster that is unfolding in Germany. Political correctness has caused officials to put the blame for the criminal acts on the women instead of Merkel's guests."

The greater irony of all these excuses is that, from the very start of Islam 14 centuries ago, European women  even completely continent nuns  have always been portrayed by Muslims as sexually promiscuous by nature, and how they dressed had nothing to do with it. This article discusses the historic roots of this phenomenon. Modern-day examples indicating that this motif is still alive and well follow:

In short, the ancient Islamic motif concerning the alleged promiscuity of European women is alive and well  irrespective of the latter's behavior or dress  and continues to drive the Muslim rape of Western women.

Yet, even in this, Islam can turn to those "progressive," godless elements that dominate Western society for cover. For, just as "the left" has worked long and hard to portray Islamic intolerance, violence, and terrorism as the West's fault  because of the Crusades, because of colonialism, because of cartoons, because of Israel, because of freedom of speech  it now adds and legitimizes Islam's worldview concerning Western promiscuity to the list of reasons that "provoke" Muslims to attack.

Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood against Islam, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.

Image via Max Pixel.
According to news reports, Representative Liz Cheney is spending 2023 in Wyoming, or somewhere other than the U.S. House. In other words, she is losing. Wonder how many of her Democrat colleagues are going to apologize for refusing to certify the 2000 or 2004 results that made her father the vice president?

So what happened? How did Liz Cheney, a popular conservative with a wonderful name in Wyoming, end up like this?

The answer is that Trump is living rent-free in her head. She let her hatred of Trump guide her decision-making.

What if Rep. Cheney had said something like this? January 6 must be investigated, but it cannot be a one-sided investigation. The minority leader should be free to choose a GOP team, and all sides must be represented for the sake of the country and Congress's credibility.

So Rep. Cheney now faces two realities:

First, she won't win her seat, and second, and worse, no one is watching the hearing, and no hearts and minds are changing a bit.

Maybe Liz Cheney should have read this post over at 538.com:

There are certain moments in congressional history that have lived on even longer than the octogenarians who stalk the halls of Capitol Hill. They are the scenes that feel torn from the pages of a political drama: Sen. Howard Baker Jr. repeatedly asking during the Watergate hearings, "What did the president know, and when did he know it?" Army lawyer Joseph Welch excoriating Sen. Joseph McCarthy with a rhetorical question during the Army-McCarthy hearings: "Have you no sense of decency?" A panel of tobacco executives testifying one by one before Congress, incredulously, that nicotine is not addictive. Under the right circumstances, a congressional hearing can be a satisfying resolution to a tense political conflict, one that allows society to move forward. Doesn't that sound nice right about now? The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is hoping its hearings will be remembered in the same light.

Forget that!

Someone will eventually write a book with a cover photo of Rep. Cheney and the slogan "she did that." Yes, she killed these hearings because she got a bad case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

She is going to lose her seat and always be remembered for a failed and partisan hearing. Honestly, I expected a lot more from Liz Cheney.

PS: Check out my videos and posts.

Image: NBC News via YouTube.
The Atlantic, a far-left magazine and multi-platform publisher, recently ran a story by Danya Ruttenberg, a self-proclaimed rabbi and scholar in residence at the National Council of Jewish Women. The piece was titled My Religion Makes Me Pro-Abortion, and proudly trumpets the fact that the NCJWs Rabbis for Repro network includes more than 1,800 Jewish clergy of every branch committed to supporting abortion access for all. Ruttenberg is in favor of not only preserving the right to abortion but of expanding access to it.

And she (I profess I dont really know what her preferred pronouns are) cites stories from the Hebrew Bible to support her beliefs. She notes that, in the Book of Exodus, Two people are fighting; one accidentally pushes someone who is pregnant, causing a miscarriage. The text outlines the consequences: If only a miscarriage happens, the harm doer is obligated to pay financial damages. If, however, the pregnant person dies, the case is treated as manslaughter. The meaning is clear: The fetus is regarded as potential life, rather than actual life.

Um, Rabbi Ruttenberg, if one must pay financial damages for doing something, that obviously doesnt mean its a good thing. The word damages should be a clue. How can you possibly get from there to pro-abortion?! And the Exodus example was an accidental push, not a deliberate dismembering or taking of life. It simply does not follow that because someone is fined for the inadvertent death of an unborn child God would approve of the intentional killing of an unborn child via abortion. And on a mass scale.

The ridiculous rabbi then cites an ancient ones statement in the Talmud in which she says that he says the fetus should be regarded as part of the pregnant persons body until the end of the pregnancy. You know the Talmud did not use the phrase pregnant person, which tells you much about Ruttenberg.

Ruttenberg goes on to say: I believe that we serve the divine when we care for those created in the divine image. By killing them? Or by helping them kill their babies?

She cites quotes by other allegedly religious people, including the Reverend Katey Zeh, a Baptist minister (and more importantly the CEO of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice) who she said once told her Abortion justice is holy work for me because its aligned with the most sacred values of my faith: compassion, kindness, and love.

Tearing a sensate yet defenseless baby limb from limb for your own convenience is compassionate, kind, and loving? Only if you are clinically insane.

Even more repulsively, Ruttenberg notes that Jamie Manson, the president of Catholics for Choice, expressed a similar sentiment in a speech she gave last December: In the Gospel, Jesus tells us the truth shall set us free. Here is the truth: One in four abortion patients in this country is Catholic, and for them, abortion is a blessing.

It might be true that one in four abortion patients in the U.S. is Catholic, but it is not true that abortion is a blessing.

Near the end of the piece, Rabbi Ruttenberg stated that people of faith like Zeh and Manson serve as crucial reminders: Being Christian doesnt necessarily equate to holding an anti-abortion position. She also noted that other sects of Christianity have changed their stance on abortion over time, adding that the reason for the shift over time cant be pinpointed.

For the love of God, Ms. Ruttenberg, does being Christian no longer equate to holding an anti-murder position? Can Christians now be pro-adultery, too? Pro-theft? Is it okay now to bear false witness against our neighbor?

The reason for the shift in beliefs over time can, in fact, be pinpointed. It is because we have eschewed adherence to Biblical principles and instead decided to worship ourselves and our every weakness and desire.

Progressives/Leftists/Democrats now routinely tell the biggest lies possible and try to force others to believe them -- or risk being shamed, canceled, or worse. Is that compassionate, kind, and loving? Pro-choice groups routinely vandalize the property of pro-life groups and are now declaring open season on them. Is that, too, aligned with the most sacred values of your faith, Rabbi Ruttenberg?

I will end with these questions: what if Jesus Christ had been aborted, for Marys convenience, instead of crucified? Should that have been okay withChristians?
Bret Stephens recently took to the pages of the New York Times to summarize the war in Ukraine:

The Russians are running out of precision guided weapons. The Ukrainians are running out of Soviet-era munitions. The world is running out of patience for the war. The Biden administration is running out of ideas for how to wage it. And the Chinese are watching.

Apparently, this is what passes for deep geopolitical thought at the Times. Mackinder, Spykman, and Mahan are turning over in their graves.

Bret Stephens in 2015

Someone at the editorial page desk at the Times should ask Stephens a few questions. First, who exactly is the world that is running out of patience for the war? Stephens does not identify this entity he calls the world because he cant -- in the context of international politics it does not exist. Stephens inhabits an intellectual universe, however, that pays obeisance to the world community or the global community or mankind, which usually translates into the small class of elites that write for the Times, Foreign Affairs, the Economist, the Financial Times and similar highbrow journals.

Second, what is the Biden administration doing waging war in Ukraine? What vital U.S. national security interest is at stake there? Stephens in the article admits what is patently obvious -- Russia poses no serious challenge to NATO. Unlike during the Cold War, we do not have to fear Russian tanks sweeping across the north European plain on their way to the English Channel. So why should we wage war in Ukraine? Stephens answer is: Taiwan.

Stephens writes that Ukraine must do more than slow down the Russian army, it needs to break its spine as quickly as possible. And that means, according to Stephens, that Biden needs to emulate Richard Nixons massive, urgent airlift of supplies to Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War that enabled the Israelis to stave off defeat and go on the offensive against Egypt and Syria. Stephens also advocates challenging Russias maritime blockade of Odesa by escorting cargo ships to and from the port and seizing $300 billion in Russian central bank assets held overseas to fund Ukraines military and reconstruction needs -- in other words, seize Russian money and use it to help Ukraine wage war against Russian soldiers. Stephens admits that these moves would entail risks, but he believes that the risks are worth taking because if we dont help Ukraine against Russia, China will attack Taiwan. And if we succeed in Ukraine, China will not attack Taiwan. The war in Ukraine, Stephens writes, is either a prelude or a finale.

So, in Bret Stephenss geopolitical worldview, the next domino to fall after Ukraine would be Taiwan. If the war ends with Putin comfortably in power and Russia in possession of a fifth of Ukraine, Stephens counsels, then Beijing will draw the lesson that aggression works. And we will have a fight over Taiwan -- with its overwhelming human and economic toll -- much sooner than we think.

That is how Bret Stephenss world views the war in Ukraine. He and the other globalist elites that inhabit that world are willing for the U.S. to take risks -- risks, mind you, that will be borne not by Stephens and his crowd, but rather by the sons and daughters of middle-class America who make up the bulk of our fighting forces -- because the world is running out of patience with this war.

Throughout history, the independence of Ukraine has never been considered a vital national security interest of the United States. Indeed, American foreign policy practitioners and theorists have always consigned it to Russias sphere of influence due to historical and geographical factors.

Stephens argument that Russian control of the eastern provinces of Ukraine would result in China attacking Taiwan is reminiscent of all of those brilliant minds in Washington -- the best and the brightest -- who told us that the consequences of the loss of South Vietnam to the communists would be incalculable to the free world, leading to the communization of all of Indochina, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, and increasing the threat to Australia and New Zealand. And while parts of Indochina did indeed fall to communist forces -- some, like those in Cambodia, later fought a war against Vietnam -- Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand did not become fallen dominoes in the Cold War. Some 58,000 American soldiers, sailors, and airmen lost their lives, and many more were wounded, in fighting a war that the Kennedy and Johnson administrations told us was vital to U.S. national security interests.

Now, Bret Stephens and other American war hawks want to risk war with Russia in Ukraine to save Taiwan because China is watching. What China is watching, however, is a Biden administration that cannot make up its mind whether to recognize Taiwan as an independent country and adopt a policy of strategic clarity in defense of the island or to continue the policy of strategic ambiguity. Mackinder, Spykman, and Mahan would likely say: If your goal is to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan and to defeat such an invasion if it occurs, arm, support and defend Taiwan, not Ukraine. China is watching what we are doing -- and not doing -- in the South China Sea, not in Eastern Europe. We should focus, as Clausewitz said, on the center of gravity, which is Taiwan, not Ukraine.

China should be watching U.S. military aid and supplies pouring into Taiwan; a significantly enhanced U.S. naval presence in the South China Sea; visits by high-ranking U.S. defense and foreign policy officials to Taiwan; diplomatic solidarity among the U.S., Japan, and other regional allies; and the use by U.S. officials of quiet diplomacy to make it unmistakably clear to Chinas leaders that the U.S. and its regional allies will defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack or invasion. That is Geopolitics 101-- and Bret Stephens gets an F.

Photo credit: Grant Wickes CC BY 2.0 license
N. Macedonia protesters call for early elections Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched in Skopje

(ANSA-AFP) - SKOPJE, JUN 19 - Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched in the North Macedonian capital Skopje on Saturday calling for early legislative elections, an AFP reporter witnessed. The protest was called by the main opposition VMRO-DPMNE, a rightwing nationalist party, and the marchers waved Macedonian flags and placards denouncing the leftwing SDSM-dominated government. The VMRO-DPMNE has been calling for early elections practically since the government in 2018 settled its longruning name dispute with Greece, clearing a serious obstacle in the way of EU and NATO membership. While the VMRO-DPMNE condemned the deal, it meant an end to Athens' veto on Skopje's efforts to join the two organisations. The Prespa agreement added "North" to Macedonia's name to distinguish the Balkan state from Greece's neighbouring northern region of Macedonia. (ANSA-AFP).





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Four men serving prison time at a federal lockup in Virginia escaped early Saturday morning.

Corey Branch, Tavares Lajuane Graham, Lamonte Rashawn Willis and Kareem Allen Shaw were discovered missing around 1:45 a.m. from a minimum security camp in Hopewell, Va. The camp is a satellite facility from the nearby Federal Correctional Complex in Petersburg.

Corey Branch, left, and Tavares Lajuane Graham are pictured in photos from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.



Corey Branch, left, and Tavares Lajuane Graham are pictured in photos from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The Bureau of Prisons did not say how the four men escaped. All four men were serving time on gun and drug charges. The Hopewell facility usually holds 185 men.

Branch, 41, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. He was sentenced to 13 years.

Lamonte Rashawn Willis, left, and Kareem Allen Shaw



Lamonte Rashawn Willis, left, and Kareem Allen Shaw

Graham, 44, was sentenced to 10 years for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm while drug trafficking.

Willis, 30, was sentenced to 18 years for possessing and concealing a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Shaw, 46, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute heroin and sentenced to more than 16 years.

With News Wire Services
Apple Store workers in Maryland on Saturday became the first group of U.S. employees in the retail giant's 46-year history to win the right to union representation.

The union victory, with 65 in favor of a union and 33 opposing one, comes as workers across tech and retail sectors ramp up petitions for labor representation. The victories threaten decades-old business models that have allowed many large corporations in the U.S. to operate without concerns over collective bargaining.

Ballots from Apple's (AAPL) Towson Town Center tallied on Saturday evening at the end of a four-day vote resulted in votes overwhelmingly in favor of joining the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, according to a union representative.

The workers originally organized into a group called the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (CORE), though they petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to join the larger, established International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers trade union.

Apple CEO Tim Cook poses in front of a new MacBook Airs running M2 chips display during Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, U.S. June 6, 2022. REUTERS/Peter DaSilva

I applaud the courage displayed by CORE members at the Apple store in Towson for achieving this historic victory, IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. said in an email to Yahoo Finance. I ask Apple CEO Tim Cook to respect the election results and fast-track a first contract for the dedicated IAM CORE Apple employees in Towson. This victory shows the growing demand for unions at Apple stores and different industries across our nation.

Apple did not respond to Yahoo Finance's request for comment on the vote.

Last month, Apple workers in Atlantas Cumberland Mall represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) withdrew a petition to hold a scheduled labor election. And retail store employees in the companys Grand Central location in New York are reportedly working to gain enough support to hold an election.

'There's a revolution coming'

The victory follows other high-profile wins for unions working for big-name retailers. In April, Amazon (AMZN) warehouse employees in Staten Island, New York became that company's first group of U.S. workers to win a union election. Amazon is challenging the election results.

And since December, Starbucks (SBUX) baristas from more than 150 U.S. stores, represented by Starbucks Workers United, have successfully unionized their retail locations.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 18: The Apple Store signage is seen at Grand Central Station on April 18, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook prior to this weeks election, Towson store workers said their decision to form a labor union was aimed at gaining access to rights that we do not currently have."

In a video further explaining their concerns, pro-union employees from the store who interviewed with pro-union organization More Perfect Union said its average employee compensation wouldn't be enough to pay for a one-bedroom apartment in the Baltimore metro area where the store is located. The workers also criticized the company for boosting Cook's compensation 569% last year to $98.7 million, and discussed challenges associated with handling the emotions and demands of retail customers.

In recent months, Apple increased starting retail store employee pay from $20 per hour to $22 per hour. According to the Towson employees, the $22 hour wage remains insufficient to qualify for and afford basic local housing.

Theres a revolution coming. And its going to be one retail store at a time, Towson store worker Kevin Gallagher said in the video.

Clarification: This article was updated to clarify that this was the first union for Apple workers in the U.S.

Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed.

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Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) speaks during an Iowa GOP reception this month in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)

The polls were closed in Iowa for less than 48 hours when South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott was shaking hands and posing for pictures with eastern Iowa Republicans at a Cedar Rapids country club last week.

Scott, one of the many Republicans testing their presidential ambitions, hardly has the state to himself.

At least half a dozen GOP presidential prospects are planning Iowa visits this summer, forays that are advertised as promoting candidates and the state Republican organization before the midterm elections. But in reality, the trips are about building relationships and learning the political geography in the state scheduled to launch the campaign for the party's 2024 nomination.

While potential presidential candidates have dipped into Iowa for more than a year, the next round of visits marks a new phase of the ritual. With Iowa's June 7 primary out of the way, Republicans eyeing the White House can step up their travel and not worry about stepping into the state's intraparty rivalries.

Now that its done, its full-bore," state GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said. "Its unfettered.

Beyond Scott, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is expected to visit late this month, and plans to campaign with as many Iowa congressional Republican candidates as she can in a little more than two days.

Haley, who is also a former governor of South Carolina, another early-voting state in the presidential calendar, plans to begin her trip in eastern Iowa on June 29 with first-term Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. She'll also headline a state GOP fundraiser in Dubuque.

Working from the Mississippi Valley westward, she plans to keynote a fundraiser for Gov. Kim Reynolds. Haley will also campaign with Zach Nunn, chosen to face two-term Democratic Rep. Cynthia Axne, who is among the most vulnerable House members this year. Haley's schedule also includes attending Rep. Randy Feenstra's annual fundraiser in GOP-heavy western Iowa.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who visited several times in 2021, is expected the first week in July to speak at the county GOP dinner in Story County in central Iowa.

Former Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, who has visited Iowa more often than any GOP prospect, is working out details for a late summer return, aides said, likely timed to the Iowa State Fair in August, a storied draw for would-be candidates.

Pompeo endorsed Nunn before the primary, a nod to their shared military experience, Pompeo aides said.

The plans also come in light of the Republican National Committee's unanimous decision in April to open the 2024 presidential selection sequence in Iowa, a question still hanging over Iowa Democrats.

In 2020, a smartphone app designed to calculate and report the Democratic caucuses results failed, prompting a telephone backlog that prevented the party from reporting final results for nearly a week after the Feb. 3 contest. The Associated Press said it could not declare a winner after irregularities and inconsistencies marred the results.

Stripped of their automatic special status in April, Iowa Democrats are trying to salvage their leadoff spot with a plan to allow early participation by mail and streamline the sometimes time-consuming process.

With Joe Biden in the White House, Democrats with White House ambitions have largely kept their distance from Iowa.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who won the 2016 caucuses and was the final candidate to withdraw from the 2020 Democratic contest, was in southeastern Iowa on Friday to rally support for United Auto Workers striking at a CNH agricultural machinery plant.

Sanders plans, which included a stop in southeastern Wisconsin, sparked questions about whether the 80-year-old has a third White House bid in mind. He has said he wouldnt challenge Biden if the president sought reelection, and Sanders advisors said there had been no stated changes in his plans.

On the GOP side, Scott's return was not only timely; it reflected the dual aims of these early appearances, part introduction and part demonstration of support for the local party.

The 56-year-old sketched his childhood as one influenced by grandparents who helped raise him. Of his grandfather, Scott said, For a guy who picked cotton in the 1920s, he lived long enough to watch me pick out a seat in the United States Congress.

Sprinkled with lighthearted contrasts of his Southern home and Midwestern hosts, Scott also wasted no time noting he had contributed money from his campaign fundraising account to Iowa Republican candidates, including targeted eastern Iowa GOP House freshmen members Miller-Meeks and Ashley Hinson.

It's going to take us all pulling together," he told a table of about 10 eating barbecue sandwiches, as he worked the dining room before the event.

Even before Scott's arrival, former Vice President Mike Pence was on the phone that day to Chairman Kaufmann and Steve Scheffler, Iowa's Republican National committeeman, to talk about the primaries and the summer ahead, they said.

Pence was planning a summer trip to Iowa, though the date was not yet confirmed, a senior aide said.

Notably missing from the Iowa travel schedule is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, among the most often mentioned rising national Republican figures in conversations with Iowa party activists this year. DeSantis' priority is running for reelection this year, aides said.

I love DeSantis, said Emma Aquino-Nemecek, a Linn County Republican Central Committee member who attended the Tim Scott event. Can you imagine if he comes? He would pack the place."

DeSantis got within shouting distance of Iowa in September, when he helped headline a fundraiser for Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, but he did not cross the Missouri River to touch Iowa soil.

Even more notably missing from the summer schedule so far is former President Trump, who staged a massive rally in Des Moines last year at the Iowa state fairgrounds, and has endorsed several Iowa Republicans.

Kaufmann said he had not heard from Trumps team. Iowa operatives for Trump did not return messages.

Still, Trump sent signals to Iowa Republicans by paying for print ads in the program circulated at the Iowa Republican Partys state convention Saturday, as did Scott, Pompeo and Florida Sen. Rick Scott.

Scheffler said non-Trump Republicans may feel emboldened in light of Georgia Republicans' resounding rejection in last month's primary elections of the former president's endorsed candidate for governor.

Gov. Brian Kemp won the GOP primary comfortably over David Perdue, whom the former president endorsed after Trump narrowly lost Georgia in the 2020 presidential election, claiming without evidence the results were invalid due to voter fraud.

The speed bump for Trump's influence in the primary elections could signal to other 2024 prospects that the former president is not invincible, Scheffler said.

If Trump keeps making these endorsements and they go south, like he did in Georgia, who knows?" Scheffler said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers remain far apart on the most important gun safety issues now under debate in Congress, a Republican senator said Sunday, casting doubts on hopes that the United States could pass the first federal gun legislation in decades.

"The issue that we have here is that we dont have a bill," Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee told Fox News Sunday.

"I kept asking to see text and it became apparent that they didnt have a bill and in fact they dont have a deal at all, Lee said.

Lawmakers have been under pressure to reduce gun violence after two mass shootings last month at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

Last week, John Cornyn, the lead Republican negotiator in U.S. Senate efforts to craft a bipartisan gun safety bill, walked out of the talks, while the lead Democrat remained optimistic that lawmakers could vote on legislation before leaving for a two-week July 4 recess.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have an agreement on a series of "very broad promises, Lee said. "But on the most contentious, controversial, potentially impactful provisions there is no language."

(Reporting by Heather Timmons; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Sara Duterte takes her oath as vice president of the Philippines in her hometown of Davao on Sunday. (Manman Dejeto / Associated Press)

Sara Duterte, daughter of the outgoing populist president of the Philippines, took her oath Sunday as vice president following a landslide electoral victory she clinched despite her fathers human rights record that saw thousands of drug suspects gunned down.

The inauguration in their southern hometown of Davao, where shes the outgoing mayor, comes two weeks before she assumes office on June 30 as specified in the Philippine Constitution. President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Dutertes running mate, will take his oath in Manila on June 30.

President Rodrigo Duterte, 77, led VIPs in the heavily guarded ceremony at a public square in the port city of Davao, where he had also served as a longtime mayor starting in the late 1980s. His family, hailing from modest middle-class background, built a formidable political dynasty in the restive southern region long troubled by communist and Muslim insurgencies and violent political rivalries.

Dutertes presidency has been marked by a brutal anti-drugs campaign that has left thousands of mostly petty drug runners shot dead by police or vigilantes. He is being investigated for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.

The electoral triumph of Sara Duterte and Marcos Jr. has alarmed left-wing and human rights groups because of their failure to acknowledge the massive human rights atrocities that took place under their fathers, including late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte campaigned on a vague platform of national unity, without clearly addressing activists calls for them to take steps to prosecute the elder Duterte when he retires from politics.

One of the presidents sons, Sebastian Duterte, will succeed his sister as Davao mayor, and another son, Paolo Duterte, won a seat in the House of Representatives in the May 9 elections. The outgoing presidents late father was a former Davao governor.

Philippine elections have long been dominated by politicians belonging to the same bloodlines. At least 250 political families have monopolized power across the country, although such dynasties are prohibited under the constitution. Congress  long controlled by members of powerful clans targeted by the constitutional ban  has failed to pass the law needed to define and enforce the provision.

Although Sara Duterte, 44, refused calls by her father and supporters to seek the presidency, she has not ruled out a future run. She topped pre-election surveys for the presidency last year and won with a huge margin like Marcos Jr.

Aside from being vice president, she has agreed to serve as education secretary, although there were talks that her initial preference was to head the Department of National Defense, a traditional springboard to the presidency.

Still, the education portfolio would provide her first often-problematic national political platform, especially with plans to resume physical classes soon after the country was hit hard by two years of coronavirus pandemic outbreaks and lockdowns.

Our constitution does not specify any particular job for the vice president except to be a president in waiting and except when he or she is assigned a Cabinet position, she told reporters.

She thanked her Davao supporters and said she decided to hold her inauguration in one of the country's most developed cities to show her pride as a southern provincial politician who rose to a top national post.

A mother of three, Duterte finished a medical course and originally wanted to become a doctor but later took up law and was prevailed upon to enter politics starting in 2007, when she was elected as Davao vice mayor and mayor three years later.

In 2011, she drew national attention when she was caught on video punching and assaulting a court sheriff who was helping lead a police demolition of a shanty community despite her plea for a brief deferment. The court official sustained a black eye and face injuries and was taken by her bodyguards to a hospital.

Despite public feuds with her father, Sara Duterte had her hair shaved a year before the 2016 elections as a show of support for his campaign.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A family who escaped the war in Ukraine were moved to tears after a British man raised more than 5,000 to help their diabetic daughter.

John Rice, 56, who is from Northampton but has lived in Slovakia for a decade, opened up his home to the family after they were forced to flee their home in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine.

Mr Rice set up a GoFundMe page to cover the cost of an insulin pump for Dasha Makarenko, 10, who has type 1 diabetes and urgently needs medication.

After the original fundraising goal of 5,000 was met in just seven days, Mr Rice said Dashas father, Yehevny Makarenko, 39, was visibly shaken with relief.

Mr Rice has since decided to increase the fundraising target to 8,000.

He told the PA news agency: I was amazed we reached our first target so quickly and when I told Yehevny, I saw tears in his eyes and he was visibly shaken with relief for Dasha.

The whole family are stuck in what I call the refugee cycle now, because its hard to get a job without residency and impossible to get health care unless you have a job or youre resident  so you can see how difficult it is for them to fund Dashas medication themselves.

It felt great when all those donations came in and a lot of them were from people I didnt know which was even nicer.

Dasha Makarenko urgently needed medication after her family fled their home in Ukraine (John Rice/PA)

Dasha, her father and her mother, Svetlana Makarenko, 45, travelled by car for five days with their two cats before they settled near Trencin, Slovakia.

Mr Rice contacted the family through Facebook and opened up his home to them after learning they had a daughter a similar age to his own.

Dasha was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2020 and has to have at least four injections of insulin a day.

Injections of insulin with a syringe only allow for a set dosage which means Dasha will sometimes receive too little or too much.

When this happens she is forced to repeat the injections or compensate for the low level of blood sugar with food.

Yehevny (right) and Svetlana Makarenko, with their daughter Dasha (John Rice/PA)

While escaping Ukraine the family almost ran out of food and Dashas parents had to stop eating to ensure there was enough food left to raise her blood sugar levels when needed.

The money raised by Mr Rice will mean the family can purchase an insulin pump which, combined with a continuous glucose monitor, will automatically deliver exact doses at the right time.

Mr Makarenko told PA: As soon as we reached the first fundraising goal, my first thought was now my child can have a life like other children.

This will change both her life and ours. She will be able to sleep well at night without having to check her glucose levels every two hours.

We will not be in constant fear that she will fall into a hypoglycaemic coma, as almost happened recently.

Before her illness she attended dance lessons and performed on stage, the disease put an end to that but now she will finally be able to take up dancing again.

Makarenko, her parents and their two cats travelled by car for five days before they reached safety in Slovakia (John Rice/PA)

The Makarenko family have remained close to Mr Rice, despite now having moved into their own home, and Dasha has been enrolled in a local school.

Before the war Mr Makarenko was the head of key accounts for a large Ukrainian electronics store and Mrs Makarenko worked in an accounts department.

Mr Makarenko was allowed to leave Ukraine because he is his daughters carer, but her dependence on her parents has made it difficult for them to find work.

It is a vicious circle, Mr Makarenko said.

Due to the fact that we are on the territory of Slovakia as refugees, we are not able to get insurance, in order to get insurance we must have a job, but we cannot work because of the illness of our daughter.

The success of the fundraising will mean Dashas parents can now focus on finding work and Mrs Makarenko has already set up an online shop selling her artwork.

To donate to the fundraiser, visit: https://gofund.me/8ee255c5
Mamata Banerjee may send her nephew MP Abhishek Banerjee

A file photo of NCP President Sharad Pawar, West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee during a meeting at the former's residence in Mumbai. NCP leader Prafull Patel and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee are also seen. (PTI Photo)

Kolkata: Trinamul Congress chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend the Opposition parties' meet called by NCP chief Sharad Pawar on June 21 to decide the candidature for the Presidential election which will take place on July 24, sources said on Sunday. She has informed him about her inability to attend after getting his invitation in email on Saturday evening.

She is likely to send her nephew, party general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee, to represent her and get a feel of the pulse at the meeting, according to sources.

While a section of TMC leaders claimed that Mamata Banerjee was upset with the agenda mentioned in Pawar's letter, another group pointed out her preoccupation on that date as the reason for her skipping the meet.

TMC insiders alleged that there was no mention in Pawars letter of a future deliberation of the decision to field a candidate on the basis of a consensus among Opposition parties, which was taken at the previous meeting initiated by Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi on June 15.

This hurt her and prompted her to decide to skip the meet despite sharing cordial relations with the NCP chief, revealed a party leader on Sunday.

Last week, 17 out of 22 Opposition leaders from the Congress, DMK, NCP and the Samajwadi Party among others had attended the June 15 to decide a Presidential candidate against the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Pawar had met Mamata Banerjee on that day.

Pawar declined to be the joint Opposition candidate at the June 15 meeting while J&K National Conference leader Dr Farooq Abdullah, one of the names mentioned at the meeting, also said he was unavailable.
Transformation always means wholescale uprooting of the old and planting of the new. Agnipath is a subset of the transformational approach

There is anger in the streets of India, almost as intense as during the caste-based agitation in 2015. That agitation too was about rozi-roti (daily bread) and this too is the same; the question of jobs. With pragmatic intent, the Central government has assumed responsibility for the creation of additional jobs in the country. One of the ways is by changing the terms and conditions for recruitment in the armed forces. The aim is financial saving by reducing the pension outflow, achieving a younger age profile of service personnel, compensating enhanced technological footprint by optimising manpower, bringing terms and conditions in sync with international norms and understanding, and giving more young people a chance to serve the nation.

All this needs to be explained properly. It is a complex issue as are most human resource management issues concerning the Armed Forces.

When a system existing for 75 years is suddenly altered and that too drastically, there is bound to be consternation, bewilderment and disappointment if the new initiatives are not clearly understood. We need to be clear that there is no cleaner and more motivating job in the country than the profession of soldiering. Thus far all those selected to be soldiers followed a career path which lasted at least 15 years and could take them up to 30 years with a pension to boot (for life), with ownership of welfare and medical treatment also taken by the Armed Forces. Both the comfort level of those selected and the aspirations of those seeking to join the Armed Forces were extremely high. The Agnipath scheme has probably upset that comfort level. The youth and many others are perceiving the scheme with limited imagination and unable to perceive the positives for them in the scheme. Before explaining that, its also important to mention an important observation. The Agnipath recruitment scheme was probably supposed to be initiated in 2020 or so. The Covid-19 pandemic prevented that happening for two years and created a set of youth who probably have got left behind due to becoming overage. The government has been quick to respond when this was probably pointed out and has shown a proclivity towards flexibility and reason by enhancing the upper limit of the entry age from 21 to 23 years.

That should rest some of the angst although it will increase the number of aspirants for the 46,000 recruitment slots that have been announced.

The average age of the soldier at the level of other ranks is being reported as 32, which many concede is way too high and must be reduced. This was one of the factors which probably influenced the terms and conditions to make it contractual for four years, including a 24- weeks period for entry level basic training (down from 36 weeks). We will in due course hear more about specialised training for the technical and equipment-intensive components in the case of the Army. If that too is kept at anything between 12-24 weeks, the availability of an Agniveer soldier to his unit will be reduced to about three years. In those three years count the leave period, and effectively a trained soldier in which the government is investing a fair amount would be available for physical duty for just about two years and six months. The question being asked by many is whether this is sufficient bang for the buck being invested. In the spirit of feedback and flexibility with which the government has correctly responded, it could reconsider the period of engagement. Seven years would be a workable duration; it would mean a little less than half the current contractual period for colour service, of course minus the pension and medical benefits. The latter are linked to the financial aspects for which this scheme has evolved in the first place. The impact would be that the intended reduction in average age would not take place. The latter could be acceptable to the armed forces even if it came down marginally below 30 years.

Another factor being pointed out is that the scheme is being rolled out without a trial, a pilot project or a test bed, which is the usual system to optimise the proposal by taking full feedback from the ground and bringing to light the glitches. Perhaps its the two-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that there was no recruitment for that period which has triggered the decision to go ahead without a testbed trial. This issue can be overcome simply by ensuring that the first two years of the implementation are treated as a pilot scheme, with various formations and units serving in different operational environments nominated to give focused feedback with recommendations. The flexibility shown in amending the age limit for 2022 gives a lot of hope that feedback from the ground will be given a serious look.

It is battle effectiveness that we are most concerned about. Any decision on the management of the Armed Forces has ultimately to weigh all innovations and changes against the overall impact on operational effectiveness or the ability to achieve victory in the battlefield for the nation. That is what the analyses of the Agnipath scheme should be looking at in great detail.

Different forms of modelling should be used, factoring awareness, skill and technological proficiency, training and motivation to determine whether any compromise will take place. While on this, some observers are pointing out that the Armed Forces may have bitten off too much in terms of the changes that are being attempted, from HR-related complete change in the recruitment policy to atma nirbharta in terms of weapons and equipment and many doctrines needing organisational restructuring, changes in order of battle and redeployment, and finally theatrisation there is a sea change afoot in Indias security domain. All this is happening in the face of live and developing threats from both China and Pakistan and the continuing internal security issues. However, when cumulative threats are building against the nation, it is perhaps best to assume a transformational approach to national security. Transformation always means wholescale uprooting of the old and planting of the new. Agnipath is a subset of the transformational approach.

A progressive feedback-induced system to implement it will perhaps meet the requirements, but first, the angst among Indias youth population should be doused through a more comprehensive information campaign to convince them to give the new scheme a chance.
The pontiff makes another appeal during the Angelus after Myanmars military latest violence. On the feast day of Corpus Christi, Francis urged the faithful not to limit the Eucharist to a vague, distant dimension, perhaps bright and perfumed with incense, but rather distant from the restrictions of everyday life. He also mentioned that next Wednesday, the World Meeting of Families starts in Rome and the dioceses.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis issued an appeal about Myanmar, saying that, human dignity and the right to life [ought to] be respected in that country. He made his plea at the end of the Angelus prayer, recited from his window in front of the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square

Echoing the latest tragic news from that country, Francis noted that, Again from Myanmar comes the cry of pain of so many people who lack basic humanitarian assistance and who are forced to leave their homes that have been burnt down and to flee violence.

Thus, I join the appeal of the bishops of that beloved land, that the international community does not forget the Burmese people, that human dignity and the right to life be respected, as well as places of worship, hospitals and schools.

The pope gave a special blessing to the Myanmar community in Italy, which was represented today in St Peter's Square.

Before this appeal, in introducing the Marian prayer, Francis focused on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which is celebrated today in Italy and elsewhere.

In the Eucharist, Francis said, everyone can experience this loving and concrete attention of the Lord. Those who receive the Body and Blood of Christ with faith not only eat, but are satisfied.

In the passage from the Gospel of Luke for todays liturgy, The miracle of the loaves and fish does not happen in a spectacular way, but almost secretly, like the wedding at Cana  the bread increases as it passes from hand to hand. And as the crowd eats, they realize that Jesus is taking care of everything. This is the Lord present in the Eucharist. He calls us to be citizens of Heaven, but at the same time he takes into account the journey we have to face here on earth.

Sometimes, the Pope explained, there is the risk of confining the Eucharist to a vague, distant dimension, perhaps bright and perfumed with incense, but rather distant from the restrictions of everyday life. In reality, the Lord takes all our needs to heart, beginning with the most basic.

Indeed, We can evaluate our Eucharistic adoration when we take care of our neighbour like Jesus does. There is hunger for food around us, but also of companionship; there is hunger for consolation, friendship, good humour; there is hunger for attention, there is hunger to be evangelized.

The Gospel tells us that the crowd was also satisfied by Jesus. We certainly need to nourish ourselves, but we also need to be satisfied, to know that the nourishment is given to us out of love. In the Body and Blood of Christ, we find his presence, his life given for each of us. He not only gives us help to go forward, but he gives us himself  he makes himself our traveling companion, he enters into our affairs, he visits us when we are lonely, giving us back a sense of enthusiasm.

At the end of the Angelus, the pontiff spoke about members of the Dominican family, killed in hatred of the faith during a wave of religious persecution during Spains civil war. Their beatification took place yesterday in that country. For Francis, Their witness of union to Christ and forgiveness for their killers show us the way to holiness and encourage us to make their lives an offering of love to God and their brothers and sisters.

Francis also spoke of the World Meeting of Families, scheduled to start next Wednesday in Rome and in the dioceses, thanking couples who will offer their testimony on how family life can be the way to holiness.

Lastly, he said: let us not forget the suffering of the Ukrainian people at this moment, a people who are suffering. I would like you all to keep in mind a question: What am I doing today for the Ukrainian people? Do I pray? Am I doing something? Am I trying to understand? What am I doing today for the Ukrainian people? Each one of you, find an answer in your own heart.
El Salvadors Bitcoin-boosting president is asking people to be patient after the price of the cryptocurrency fell below $20,000 _ less than half the price the government paid
EV

We started manufacturing our #IDBuzz & ID. Buzz Cargo at the Hanover plant, deliveries to the first customers will begin in autumn. In the future, up to 130,000 units per year are to be built at the main plant of @VWCV_official.



???? Take a look how #VWCV is transforming: pic.twitter.com/T9sN4hA582  Volkswagen Group (@VWGroup) June 19, 2022

If youre looking forward to getting your hands on a Volkswagen ID. Buzz, then you will surely appreciate the chance given here. You can watch it being made! Being a legacy automaker, the German brand decided to continue the tradition of manufacturing the next-gen and rebirthed VW Type 2 in the same place that gave the world one million vans in 1962. At the time, VW was rolling off the production line over 700 Buses every day!With the all-electric era on the horizon, VW decided to revive the Bus (or Transporter) legacy. This has proven to be a very smart idea since a lot of people are showing interest in the van. Moreover, making the Bus successor anmeant they had to change the Hanover plant that was originally built in the 1960s solely for Type 2. Thats why the company spent over 680 million ($713.7 million) two years ago and is now ready to show what it did with the money.The Hannover plant youll see in the video down below will very soon be able to push out 130,000 ID. Buzz units yearly . This is set to happen in 2023. The automaker hopes it will reach as many individuals as possible, but its also hoping to attract other businesses with the ID. Buzz Cargo.The factory is also turning into a major production point for other brands within the Volkswagen Group. The company has some catching up to do. Teslas production, for example, has reached an impressive number this quarter and is set to be maintained at a stable level until the current year ends. Volkswagen said that deliveries of the 2022 ID. Buzz will begin in the autumn of this year. Now watch the footage that shows whats going on at the Hanover factory.
In fact, Cypriot art collector Dakis Joannous superyacht Guilty is not artsy in the basic sense  and not just because every superyacht adheres to certain principles that make it so. Guilty is the only yacht in the world recognized as contemporary art, a floating contemporary masterpiece, and a floating gallery all at once. It is also the biggest and most expensive piece by American artist Jeff Koons, whom you probably know for his extended involvement with BMW art cars Guilty is the culmination of a lot of things, including a years-long friendship between Joannou and Koons. It is irreverent, eye-popping, and overwhelming for onlookers, but for Joannou, it remains his most prized possession because its the only thing he has that allows him to travel by sea while surrounded by his art Delivered in 2008, Guilty was built by Cantieri Navali Rizzardi from Italy, with an exterior and interior design by Ivana Porfiri of Porfiristudio. The pop-art camouflage paintjob is by Jeff Koons, who volunteered to do it for his friend the moment he heard about the idea. At that point, Porfiri had already been working on the design for three full years of a briefing that called for a yacht that would double as an art gallery , where no rules or restrictions applied.As Joannou himself explained in a 2013 interview , the goal of Guilty was to get the boat of his dreams, controversy be damned . We did what we wanted; style was irrelevant, he explained. We designed a boat in an antistyle method. We have no rules, no programs, no plans.They did have a starting point, though. For the exterior, that was the Razzle Dazzle technique of camouflage employed by WWI British ships, which served not to hide vessels from sight but to make their features indiscernible. Its hiding in plain sight, a ship that you can see clearly, but whose size or specs you cant make out, so you cant even guess its purpose. The same happens with Guilty, whose size and apparent sharp edges change depending on the light or the angle.For the interior, the starting point was a single art piece for each room. The walls and roof are white Corian serving as background for the colorful artpieces and installations, all of which are chosen to match or play off against a single piece that sets the tone. Guilty is packed with works from artists like Koons, Sarah Moris, David Shrigley, or Urs Fischer, all of whom have a close connection to Joannou, who is also their patron.At 35.3 meters (116 feet), Guilty offers an interior volume of 314 GT spread across three decks; its small compared to some of todays most mediated superyachts but more than enough for an art gallery slash family boat . The layout is non-standard as well: 8-guest accommodation on the lower deck, with 6-crew quarters on the forward part; the wheelhouse on the main deck towards the bow, and a lounge and service area, with a salon located aft; and the upper deck dedicated entirely to the owners suite. Accommodation on board is for 10 guests and amenities are scarce  again, by comparison to most superyachts , and not including the generously-sized beach club.The hull and superstructure are GRP, and power comes from twin MTU 16V 4000M90 engines taking Guilty to a top speed of 29 knots. Pricing for this unusual superyacht was never revealed or hinted at, and it was never offered for charter.Ask Joannou about it, and he plays it coy, the way youd expect a multi-millionaire art collector too, though he insists this is not a vanity project he did for bragging rights. In the art world, someone has to take intellectual responsibility, he says. Price? I'm not interested in that. I care about value, something no dealer can add or take away. In the long term, time is the ultimate judge.
SUV

AMG

While there are a huge bunch of little crossover SUVs that reside on the cheap side of the equation  such as Hyundais pocket-sized Venue (it has a $19k starting MSRP for the 2022MY), I am not going to refrain from spending big because this is an entirely hypothetical discussion.And I am also not going to join the truck fan base (not on this occasion, at least) because over there a decision is simpler than ever  just hedge all your bets and secure an EV like the F-150 Lightning , for example, if you only haul on rare occasions and the rest is family business and commutes.Instead, I want to talk about the middle portion of the crossover,, and truck love exhibited by the automotive industry. Well, sport utility vehicles may be in the middle, but let us just head toward the flagship category and imagine that huge spending money is no longer an issue. This is because, finally, there is a third niche that just got opened across the ultra-luxury SUV stratosphere.Yes, I am highlighting the apparition of the 2023 Mercedes-AMG G 63 4x4 Squared (the all-new W463A iteration, of course) as a necessary source of traditional dune-bashing, rock-crawling, and mud-faring 4x4 baller comfort in the face of high Rolls-Royce Cullinan ultra-luxury and Lambo Urus super-SUV adversity.Sure, there are not a lot of details regarding the actual capabilities of this off-road hoot at the time of writing, but one thing is for certain: you can use this as your Italian Opera ride and then just (I almost said swipe) turn right and reach your destination via a straight line, no matter the terrain you are going to encounter. Sure, I was exaggerating, as even this G 63 4x4 Squared will not play along nicely with city skyscrapers and whatnot, but you get the point. Or, perhaps, not  so let me explain.Let us take the posh Cullinan for example, which has turned into the darling of the American aftermarket society and seems like no one will get enough of it anytime soon. I think that while it is not a case of badge engineering like the Bentley Bentayga , this Rolls is still way too awkward from a design standpoint to just accept that it rules undefeated and be done with a custom unit for your garage. Sure, the 2023 Mercedes-G 63 4x4 Squared may be equally bulky and  well, squared  but that has been the gist of having a G-Class around since the late 1970s.Thus, you have massive off-road capabilities plus a huge legacy, against suicide doors and Black Badges. Sorry, that is not enough for me  and I also bet the new G 63 version is also going to be a tad more exotic in terms of actual sales, so it also earns collectability points. As for the Lambo Urus, which is going to face an uphill battle in the face of the upcoming Ferrari Purosangue naturally aspirated V12 apparition (though, only since September, when it will be officially unveiled), there is nothing you can do against its super-SUV capabilities Alas, I would have the G 63 Squared today, play with it for a few months to a year everywhere I can  from Alaska to Florida  and then perhaps contemplate the possibility of a change. And believe it or not, the choice would be to buy a Urus Evo, at least considering that Lambo does the smart thing and gives us an impressively full-of-changes facelift when it is finally time to update this supercar slash crossover. Hopefully
Without going as far as saying the image we have here shines a powerful light on all that hard work, it does go a long way in at least giving us a glimpse of what getting an F-15 Strike Eagle ready for (mock) combat entails.What we see here is an F-15E, sitting on the runway of the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, just before taking off and heading out for the Raging Gunfighter 22-2 exercise, held at Hill Air Force Base in Utah in the last ten days of May.We see three maintenance professionals, as the USAF calls them, at work, one checking the airplanes hardpoints attachments, the other going the length of the plane, checking its underbelly, and a third getting ready to get in there as well.The image is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what it takes to service and prepare a fighter jet for operations, especially when it comes to a plane that was born several decades ago.The dual-role fighter came to be over at McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) back in the late 1980s as an offshoot of the even older F-15 Eagle, and the present fleet is not that large, comprising just a little over 200 of them.Each is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines and is capable of flying at speeds of over Mach 2.5 (1,875 mph/3,018 kph), thus being at the top of the list of fastest military planes out there.With a single load of fuel (including in three external fuel tanks), the Strike Eagle can fly for as much as 2,400 miles (3,840 km).
Vertical Take-Off and Landing

They mostly used horses for their task, but were also known to fly, and their collective name is so cool, that even today it is used. Generally, by the civilian world, which has things like that Aston Martin car that comes as close as possible to a Formula One car without being restricted to the track.The companies doing military stuff use the moniker too, with the most famous example being that of the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie drone  as a side note, Kratos was the name of the Greek God of strength, and that Famous God of War character, and that makes this particular drone triple-cool, at least in name.But soon enough, the name will stand for even more capable tools, also to be used by the military. All thanks to a company called Valkyrie Systems Aerospace , and two hoverjet drones called Guardian and Eagle.The company describes itself as a group created by Special Operations military leaders, and the drones as state-of-the-art command and remote flight control systems for manned and unmanned air, land, and sea surface missions, destined for all military branches as well as domestic federal partners.The name really popped into the news back in February, when the company announced it was moving on to the next phase of the AFWERX High-Speed(HSVTOL) Concept Challenge. With entries allowed until exactly a year ago, the competition aims to come up with drones that maximize the "trade space of speed, range, survivability, payload, size, and flexibility to carry out missions across the full spectrum of conflict and political scenarios."In words we can all understand, that means drones capable of performing exfiltration of Special Operations Forces, personnel recovery, aeromedical evacuation, and Tactical Mobility operations.The Valkyrie ideas check all the above boxes, as theyre not traditional drones, but can operate as aircraft, hovercraft, and amphibious vehicles, depending on needs. Most importantly, they can reach speeds of over 400 mph (644 kph).The two solutions envisioned by Valkyrie are capable of taking off and landing vertically, on land, water, ice, and rough terrain. They can operate in almost all kinds of weather conditions, are stealth, and are packed with interchangeable interior modules so that they could carry both cargo and personnel. Additionally, sling loads could be attached to either of them.The Guardian is described by its maker as a full-size, optionally piloted aircraft. It can be used to transport 6,000 lbs (2,722 kg) of cargo, either under the supervision of a pilot, or autonomously. The plane is to be powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney engines that should give it a speed of 450 mph (724 kph), and an autonomy of about 15 hours.The Eagle on the other hand is a much smaller UAV, capable of carrying 600 lbs (272 kg) of cargo thanks to the two PBS powerplants it comes fitted with. This one can travel at a maximum speed of 400 mph, but that only in sprint mode. Its cruising speed is rated at just 138 mph (222 kph), and can keep flying for 7 hours.Back in February, when Valkyrie announced it was one of the eleven companies (out of 200) to have been selected for the second phase of the AFWERX program, it also said the drones will be further developed over the next six months.That means well probably be updated on progress pretty soon, so keep an eye out to see how the next toy of the American military is shaping up to be.
Robert Price is a journalist for KGET-TV. His column appears here on Sundays; the views expressed are his own. Reach him at robertprice@kget.com or via Twitter: @stubblebuzz.
BIKITA, Zimbabwe, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday officiated the launch of China's Sinomine's 200-million-U.S. dollar project to build a processing plant and increase lithium output at Bikita lithium mine, about 320 km from Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.

The development follows the acquisition of mining entity Bikita Minerals by Sinomine Resource Group, a Chinese mineral exploration engineering technical services company, in January.

"My government cherishes the willingness of companies from the People's Republic of China to invest in Zimbabwe. This has led to a number of top-tier Chinese conglomerates investing in various sectors of our economy, with win-win benefits for all," Mnangagwa said.

In addition, he said the investment solidifies Zimbabwe's position as a diversified mineral producer and as a major player in the battery minerals supply chain.

"It is my expectation that the development of lithium mining sector in Zimbabwe will lead to growth of value chain linkages in the manufacturing industry," said Mnangagwa.

Given Zimbabwe's vast lithium deposits, the country is well-positioned to become a center of research, development and manufacturing of green energy and lithium-based solutions in Africa, Mnangagwa added.

Wang Pingwei, director of Sinomine Group, said the company is poised to play a bigger role in the development of a lithium value addition in Zimbabwe.

"In order to promote resource value, generate tax income and bring employment opportunities for the local communities, Sinomine has decided to invest 200 million U.S. dollars in phase one to renovate the existing facilities, will build a new processing line with a capacity of up to 2 million metric tons per year," Wang said. "When fully operational, Bikita Minerals will achieve an annual income of approximately 600 million U.S. dollars, over 15 million U.S. dollars in taxes, and create more than 1,000 job opportunities."

Speaking on the same occasion, Zimbabwe's Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said the country should maximize its rich lithium deposits to position itself as a player in new technologies.

"The lithium subsector should prioritize the development of a lithium-ion battery value chain. This would accelerate Zimbabwe's transition to clean energy while also ensuring the strategic position in the global lithium-ion battery markets," he said.

Chiwenga said the lithium subsector gives numerous opportunities to explore, which would create jobs and generate income for the country.

Zimbabwe possesses Africa's largest lithium reserves and the fifth-largest globally. The growing global demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy has seen Chinese companies investing in lithium mining in recent years.

Earlier this year, a Chinese firm, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, purchased the Arcadia lithium mine near Harare from Australia-listed Prospect Resources in a deal.

In 2019, Zimbabwe set out an ambitious drive to increase revenue from mining to 12 billion U.S. dollars by 2023, with Chinese investments contributing immensely toward achieving that goal.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
To the lingering question of what to do with woody ag waste and other forms of Central Valley biomass, carbon scientists and investors agree o
Chinese president addresses 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum

Xinhua) 10:36, June 19, 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends and addresses the plenary session of the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in virtual format upon invitation, June 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday attended and addressed the plenary session of the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in virtual format upon invitation.

Xi pointed out that the world is faced with major changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, economic globalization is facing headwinds, and there are unprecedented challenges to the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At a time when the international community is so keen about achieving more equitable, sustainable and secure development, we should seize opportunities, meet challenges head-on, and work on the implementation of the Global Development Initiative to build a shared future of peace and prosperity.

Xi said that, first, we need to foster an enabling environment for development. It is important that we follow true multilateralism, respect and support all countries' pursuit of development paths suited to their national conditions, build an open world economy, and increase the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries in global economic governance, with a view to making global development more balanced, coordinated and inclusive.

Second, we need to strengthen development partnerships. It is important that we enhance North-South and South-South cooperation, pool cooperation resources, platforms and networks of development partnerships, and scale up development assistance, in order to forge greater synergy for development and close the development gap.

Third, we need to advance economic globalization. It is important that we strengthen "soft connectivity" of development policies and international rules and standards, reject attempts at decoupling, supply disruption, unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure, remove trade barriers, keep global industrial and supply chains stable, tackle the worsening food and energy crises, and revive the world economy.

Fourth, we need to pursue innovation-driven development. It is important that we unlock the potential of innovation-driven growth, improve the rules and institutional environment for innovation, break down barriers to the flow of innovation factors, deepen exchanges and cooperation on innovation, facilitate deeper integration of science and technology into the economy, and make sure the fruits of innovation are shared by all.

Xi pointed out that the fundamentals of the Chinese economy - its strong resilience, enormous potential and long-term sustainability - remain unchanged. "We have full confidence in China's economic development. China will continue to promote high-quality development, expand high-standard opening-up with firm resolve, and pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation," he said.

China stands ready to work with Russia and all other countries to explore development prospects, share growth opportunities, and make new contributions to deepening global development cooperation and building a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi added.

The plenary session of the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was held in an online plus offline format in St. Petersburg, Russia on June 17. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart K. Tokayev, among others, attended the event.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends and addresses the plenary session of the 25th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in virtual format upon invitation, June 17, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Qiang)

(Web editor: Xue Yanyan, Bianji)
A worker operates on the production line at a textile company in Nanmo Township of Hai'an City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Feb. 28, 2022. (Photo by Zhai Huiyong/Xinhua)

BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- China's consumption recovery has gained impetus from the mid-year online shopping spree amid the country's efforts to improve domestic market demands and upgrade consumption.

During the "618" festival, a large online shopping event held in the run-up to June 18, the value of orders on JD.com totaled 379.3 billion yuan (about 57 billion U.S. dollars), up from 343.8 billion yuan in the same period last year, latest data showed.

Trading in offline shopping malls also picked up momentum boosted by pro-growth policies and sales promotions during the shopping fest.

Intime Department Store saw the highest customer flow in the second quarter during the period, with sales of some brands rising over 30 percent year on year, according to the company.

China's retail sales went down 6.7 percent from a year ago in May, narrowing by 4.4 percentage points from April. "The recovery of consumption will pick up pace as people's lives return to normal," said Fu Linghui, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics.

A breakdown of the consumption data showed that high-end purchases such as smart home appliances and health care posted stellar performances, echoing the country's consumption upgrade trend.

Sales of gaming TV and large-capacity double door refrigerator soared by 87 percent and 65 percent, respectively, data from the retailer Suning.com showed. Health products have also been favored by consumers, with significant sales increases on varying trading platforms.

In the medium to long term, consumption will continue to transform toward high quality and diversification, said Wang Yun, a researcher with the Academy of Macroeconomic Research.

"Consumption will play a more important role in driving the economic cycle," Wang said.

Thanks to sustained policy support, China's domestic vehicle market became brisk in May with production and sales up 59.7 percent and 57.6 percent, respectively, from a month earlier, boosting related service consumption such as car maintenance and repair.

China's service consumption has seen rapid growth in recent years, Wang noted, calling for introducing targeted policies to further tap the potential of the super-large market.

In the face of challenges brought about by the COVID-19 epidemic, enterprises have leveraged digital technologies to improve the resilience of the supply chain.

The shoe brand Onemix launched customized products on JD.com in the run-up to the "618." To catch young customers, the firm has used big data to find users' needs, and design product styles and colors based on the findings.

Supported by the resilience of supply chains provided by the e-commerce platform, the company was able to regulate production and reorder in a targeted manner, effectively easing inventory risk that is common for clothing brands.

Digital capabilities of new entity companies will help small businesses to break through constraints concerning capital, technologies and talents, thus improving supply quality and promoting consumption upgrade, said Zhao Ping, vice president of the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

To facilitate the symbiosis of small, medium and large companies, China has detailed measures to encourage large firms to build digital service platforms suitable for smaller companies.

Looking ahead, technological innovation will improve supply and demand matching for online consumption, and play an important role in promoting high-quality economic development, said Zhang Chunyu, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 
ICHAs purpose is to provide foundational knowledge, whether for someone who is working at a refugee camp or as an administrator at an NGO in Londonor for a student who is interested in humanitarian work. Those who go through the program learn about international standards for humanitarian assistance, best practices, common responses, and other aspects of the field. It provides a solid base that is useful in and of itself, while also creating a pipeline for potential future areas of academic and professional development.



These introductory modules are designed to prepare graduates for an understanding of the basic frameworks that inform practice as well as international standards, guidelines, and policies, said Loughry.



Ironically, said Loughry, even as COVID caused numerous complications in education and training across disciplines, it pointed the way to an innovative approach for the ICHA.



In the original planning for a program in humanitarian assistance, we had envisioned in-person training, she explained, but COVID helped us to see that online learning, done right, is possible and effective.



BCSSW Assistant Director for Global Field Education Lyndsey McMahan said the online format offers other advantages.



Course costs can be prohibitive for a lot of the world and we have been very intentional in trying to design a program where the content is relevant and timely, but also accessible to practitioners working in low- and middle-income countries. Most importantly though, we wanted to make sure the content was from a social work lens which differs a bit from traditional international development and humanitarianismwhich I think will help build out the field of global social work, and also increase name recognition for BCSSW among NGOs and other organizations.



Creating a program that could be useful to such an array of constituencies, including both undergraduate and graduate students, took careful planning, the co-organizers notedthreading a needle, as Crea put it. The ICHA, he said, is of a piece with other areas of interest among this generation of college students, such as global public health and climate change, that are now reflected in the BC undergraduate curriculum and service opportunities.



Added Loughry, We recognize that at BC we have both undergraduate and graduate students engaged in immersion programs as well as internships, and we wanted to ensure that both groups can be equipped with an introductory understanding of some of the core topics on international humanitarian assistance.



Fr. Olayo-Mendez noted that the earlier initiative from which the ICHA later emerged in-person teaching complemented by a set of online moduleswas funded by a grant and received design support from the Universitys Center for Digital Innovation in Learning, and involved discussions across BC academic units. Those efforts coincided with another project to develop a humanitarian training institute, funded by the BCSSW, but that plan was scuttled by the pandemic.



This exemplifies the benefits of collaboration, whether within or outside the University, he said. An idea can begin, grow, and evolve, but there is always the need to keep fostering dialogue and bring together different skills and expertise.



Crea said the program is an affirmation of the global vision of social work BCSSW has cultivated for years. One of our great strengths as a school is our international partnerships, and the ICHA is an ideal way to leverage these in a way that can benefit professionals in the humanitarian aid and development fields, and those who may wish to follow that path.



Sean Smith | University Communications | May 2022


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LONDON (AP)  Kevin Spacey strenuously denies allegations of sexual assault, his lawyer said Thursday, as the Oscar-winning actor appeared in a London court to face five charges of offenses against three men.

Photographers and television camera crews thronged Spacey, 62, as he arrived at Londons Westminster Magistrates Court for the preliminary hearing, walking into court accompanied by members of his legal team and two police officers.

Spacey sat in the glass-fronted dock during the half-hour hearing, standing to give his full name  Kevin Spacey Fowler  as well as his birthdate and a London address.

He was not asked to enter a formal plea, but his lawyer, Patrick Gibbs, said: Mr. Spacey strenuously denies any and all criminality in this case.

He has returned to the U.K. in order to establish his innocence," Gibbs said. "He needs to answer these charges if he is to proceed with his life.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram granted Spacey unconditional bail until his next appearance, a plea hearing scheduled for July 14 at London's Southwark Crown Court. He is free to return to the U.S. in the meantime.

The former House of Cards star is accused of four counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.

The alleged incidents took place in London between March 2005 and August 2008, and one in western England in April 2013. The victims are now in their 30s and 40s.

In a statement issued last month, Spacey said he would travel to Britain to face the charges and was confident he would prove my innocence.

Spacey was questioned by British police in 2019 about claims by several men that he had assaulted them. The two-time Academy Award winner ran Londons Old Vic theater between 2004 and 2015.

Spacey won a best supporting actor Academy Award for the 1995 film The Usual Suspects and a lead actor Oscar for the 1999 movie American Beauty.

But his celebrated career came to an abrupt halt in 2017 when actor Anthony Rapp accused the star of assaulting him at a party in the 1980s, when Rapp was a teenager. Spacey denies the allegations.
LIMESTONE, Maine (AP)  Maine is launching a new push to revitalize a former Air Force base in the northern part of the state.

Loring Air Force Base in Limestone closed in the 1990s. It was redeveloped into Loring Commerce Centre.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us

We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.
Dalton police ask for public's help identifying man and woman allegedly linked to car break-in
Israeli soldiers stop a vehicle at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Qaliqlya, on June 19, 2022. A Palestinian was killed on Sunday by Israeli soldiers when he tried to cross the security fence between the northern West Bank city of Qaliqlya and Israel, according to Palestinian health authorities. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)

RAMALLAH, June 19 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian was killed on Sunday by Israeli soldiers when he tried to cross the security fence between the northern West Bank city of Qaliqlya and Israel, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Palestinian liaison office reported that Nabil Ghanim was killed after Israeli soldiers shot him near the security fence close to the city, according to a press statement from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

An Israeli army spokesman said in a statement that a Palestinian tried to sabotage the security fence between the city of Qalqilya and Israel, adding that Israeli soldiers had first opened warning gunshots, and then hit him when he didn't respond.

The spokesman clarified that the Palestinian man was critically wounded and was transferred to an Israeli hospital, but succumbed to his wounds.

Palestinian local sources said that Ghanim is a Palestinian worker from the West Bank city of Nablus and was trying to enter Israel for work there.

Shaher Saad, secretary-general of the Palestine Trade Union Federation, accused the Israeli army of adopting a new approach of targeting Palestinian workers near the separation wall in the West Bank.

The Israeli government practices "murder and violence against the Palestinians, including workers, to win votes in any upcoming elections," he condemned, adding that the union will follow up all attacks against workers in all international forums.

The worker's killing came two days after three Palestinian men were killed by Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been flaring recently, as the Israeli army launched repeated incursions into the West Bank in response to attacks carried out by Palestinians in Israel.

On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets bombed military facilities belonging to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, in response to a rocket firing at southern Israel, according to Hamas security sources. 

Israeli soldiers stop a vehicle at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Qaliqlya, on June 19, 2022. A Palestinian was killed on Sunday by Israeli soldiers when he tried to cross the security fence between the northern West Bank city of Qaliqlya and Israel, according to Palestinian health authorities. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)

Israeli soldiers search a car at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Qaliqlya, on June 19, 2022. A Palestinian was killed on Sunday by Israeli soldiers when he tried to cross the security fence between the northern West Bank city of Qaliqlya and Israel, according to Palestinian health authorities. (Photo by Nidal Eshtayeh/Xinhua)
My mom and I were having a light argument in the kitchen recently. She had some leftover food that she wanted me to take home, and I said no. It wasnt a serious argument at all, and as we went back and forth, she finally pulled out her trump card: Im your mother and the Bible says to honor your father and mother! So you have to do what I say!

I (respectfully) stuck my tongue out and told her that I did not, because I am financially independent from them. (Reader, I definitely ended up taking home whatever leftovers she was offering.)
Each new year, the month of June rolls around I am afforded yet another opportunity to reflect on my identity as a queer person.

For me, Pride has become a time to appreciate how far Ive come in my own journey but also to appreciate my wider supportive community.

Pride is often a time for parties and gatherings and obviously, endless rainbow-everything, everywhere.

While its good to see support during Pride Month in the form of a flag in a window, or rainbow-themed items, I often wonder how often these businesses and conglomerations actually continue supporting LGBTQ+ issues and initiatives outside of these 30 days in June.

This would be a good time to get familiar with the term rainbow-washing, which describes when a business publicly shows support for the LGBTQ+ community but privately engages in practices that are detrimental to those who identify as LGBTQ+.

I did some research on larger conglomerations and LGBTQ+ allyship actions within them, and the results for many were glaringly poor. Especially in the donation distribution, some of the larger companies have shown consistently poor records in recent years.

According to The Skimm, over the last two years, AT&T donated to the sponsors of anti-trans legislation in Arkansas ($12,950), Tennessee ($4,000), North Carolina ($5,000), Texas ($22,500), and Florida ($17,500).

Since 2019, according to federal campaign finance reports, Walmart has donated at least $442,000 to 121 politicians who received a zero rating from the Human Rights Campaign.

Comcast has donated more than $1.1 million to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians since 2019. This includes more than $30,000 to the sponsors of anti-trans legislation introduced in 2021 in Florida and Texas.

These are just a few examples of companies failing to follow through, and in many cases actively donating directly to anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives and campaigns. Google for yourself some of the other examples, some of them may surprise you.

It has always been easy to slap a rainbow flag on a product or event and call yourself an ally, but its much harder to prove yourself worthy of being recognized as one.

To me, Pride Month is a great time to show support, but that support should extend past the month of June.

Being a good ally means being active about it on a daily basis, not just during one month of the year, or to just get a rise in sales by putting a rainbow onto products.

One thing is clear to me, paying attention to where these corporations are donating money and what initiatives they support or oppose matters. These conglomerations have massive financial sway for many of the politicians who vote on the bills that can strip rights away from LGBTQ+ individuals. We are seeing this happen on a regular basis in several states, which is why getting educated on issues like these is an important part of being an ally.

Getting active about good allyship can be done in so many ways, both large and small. Whether its a business keeping a rainbow or a sticker in their window indicating that they are a safe space for LGBTQ+ people, donating to pro-LGBTQ+ initiatives and causes, or regularly advocating for the rights of the people within the community.

This Pride Month, be sure to pay attention to where youre getting your Pride Month rainbow swag. There are many small businesses that are queer-owned and in need of support this month, and Ill be doing some shopping (and donating) myself.

Every day, I get to connect and engage with queer history and current issues facing the community. One of my favorite things is helping others do the same. Utilizing this month to highlight important work being done to make positive change is important, as there are so many examples of the continuing attacks and legislation aiming to strip human rights away from members of the community.

Each small action taken to support the community is a good one, and we need a lot of action to be able to continue fighting for rights and support. Its necessary to ask these large companies to do better and follow through on their statements of allyship with visible steps that show improvement.

Holding the people who control our freedoms and rights accountable is a big part of advocating for the LGBTQ+ communitys wellbeing. I hope this month to see more people stepping up to speak out or take action in support of LGBTQ+ people. Whether its your first time or your thousandth, every persons support can be valuable. With many individual voices, waves can be made.
House Bill 4996, Require governor announce legislative vacancy election date within 30 days: Passed 23 to 14 in the Senate

To require the governor to announce the election dates to fill a vacancy in the legislature within 30 days of the seat becoming open.

Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33

Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35

Senate Bill 744, Authorize subsidies to shipping and port interests: Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate

To add a selective state subsidy program that would give private developers and corporations $2.5 million in Great Lakes Maritime grants for a variety of improvements and uses related to port facilities, including pursuing more business.

Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33

Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35

House Bill 5696, Let minors age 16 stock liquor store shelves: Passed 34 to 1 in the Senate

To permit minors age 16 and older to stock shelves and do related functions in a business that manufactures or sells liquor. Current law prohibits this for anyone under age 18.

Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33

Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35

House Bill 4884, Revise governor removal of corrupt or neglectful school board members: Passed 61 to 43 in the House

To revise provisions of the state school code that prescribe a process for a governor exercising the authority granted by the state constitution to remove a local public official from office, in cases when that official is school board member or intermediate school board member. House Bill 4883 would amend the process for removing other local officials, which is authorized for neglect, corruption or malfeasance.

Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97

Y Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100

Y Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102

House Bill 4416, Remove restrictive covenants from condo and homeowner association deeds: Passed 105 to 0 in the House

To make it unlawful to record in the county deeds office a property owners or condominium associations governing documents that contain a restrictive covenant that violates the federal Civil Rights Act, and establish that existing ones are void and unenforceable. The bill would also require associations that receive a member request to delete the restrictive covenants to act on it, and empower courts to enforce this.

Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97

Y Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100

Y Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102

House Bill 5560, Revise domestic violence confidentiality detail: Passed 105 to 0 in the House

To establish that a police officer or a prosecuting attorney may provide a domestic or sexual violence service agency with the name and pertinent information of a victim of domestic violence for the purpose of offering supportive services.

Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97

Y Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100

Y Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102

House Bill 6013, Give teachers stipend for mentoring colleagues: Passed 101 to 4 in the House

To give $1,000 annual stipends to public school mentor teachers as defined in the bill, and also give $90 daily stipends to prospective teachers who are filling the teacher licensure requirement to obtain a prescribed number "apprenticeship and internship" hours.

Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97

Y Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100

Y Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102

House Bill 6108, Raise age to buy tobacco: Passed 79 to 26 in the House

To raise the minimum age to buy tobacco in Michigan, from 18 to 21.

Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97

N Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100

N Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102

House Bill 5681, Permit remote courtroom victim rights statements: Passed 105 to 0 in the House

To revise a law that permits a crime victim to appear and make an oral impact statement at the sentencing of the defendant, by also allowing this to be done from a remote location.
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BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities on Sunday issued this year's first red alert for possible mountain torrents in parts of the country.

From 8 p.m. Sunday to 8 p.m. Monday, northeastern parts of east China's Jiangxi Province will be highly prone to mountain torrent disasters, according to the alert jointly issued by the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration.

An orange alert was issued for east China's Zhejiang Province as the region's western areas are also likely to see mountain floods.

Local authorities were advised to strengthen real-time monitoring and flood warnings and brace for evacuation.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather-warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. 
Globalist and political opportunist Canadian PM Justin Trudeau recently announced across-the-board handgun sale bans for the entire nation.

BREAKING: Justin Trudeau announces a national freeze on handgun ownership. Acccording to Trudeau, it is now illegal to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns in Canada. pic.twitter.com/E5EzzXloEG  True North (@TrueNorthCentre) May 30, 2022

The economic sanction should come as no surprise, since Trudeau has openly professed his deep admiration for the Chinese government specifically because of  not in spite of  its totalitarian nature. The authoritarian human rights trampling is the feature, not the bug.

Justin Trudeau: "There's a level of admiration I actually have for China because their basic dictatorship is allowing them to actually turn their economy around on a dime." pic.twitter.com/Vxwn2DhpgZ  Harrison Faulkner (@Harry__Faulkner) April 11, 2022

The Canadian police and military that protect the politicians, though, will keep their guns. And theyll certainly use them to enforce draconian COVID vaxx mandates or carbon lockdowns or whatever other social engineering program comes down the pike next.

The Biden/Harris administration has been looking north  and across the pond at the multinational WEF globalists who really run the show  for guidance.

9mm bullets  which law enforcement officers carry as their standard-issue ammo  are now high caliber, according to Joe Bidens handlers who script his talking points. So you shouldnt be allowed to have them.



Mao, Stalin, Hitler, and rest of the roster of infamous dictators of 20th-century have a few common threads. One is a central pillar of their respective governing principles: gun control  for thee, not for me.

Yes, above is an unhinged rant in classic Alex Jones fashion  thats just what he does. But the bombastic delivery doesnt detract from the salient point: when you allow a monopoly of power in the hands of a concentrated class of sociopathic political elites, what you get is dictatorship, and possibly genocide.

Between the Big Three alone, those dictators have literally hundreds of millions of civilian deaths  not to mention the military casualties of their various wars  on their bloody hands.

Mass murder isnt restricted to so-called communist or fascist dictators. The liberal US government is historically murderous itself. As Martin Luther King Jr. noted, the US government is indisputably the biggest purveyor of violence in the post-WWII world.

Below is the infamous Collateral Murder video that put Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on the map and rendered him the #1 journalistic target of the US security state. It depicts US government personnel gunning down unarmed civilians on purpose and then mopping up first responders when they arrive on the scene:

Estimates put the civilian casualty death count in Iraq alone since the 2003 US invasion (based on WMD lies) at around 200,000. Some put the potential death count much higher, possibly exceeding a million.

Hundreds of thousands of innocent lives were lost  all justified by documented, premeditated government lies and war propaganda to feed the military-industrial complex war machine.

Internally, the largest federal policing agency, the Department of Homeland Security, buys bullets by the billions.

As a domestic law enforcement agency, not a foreign-facing military force, for whom do you suppose those billions of DHS bullets are intended?



Even if  out of either naivety or a sense of charity they dont deserve  you dont want to believe that government actors have evil intent, then consider their incompetence.

For example, during yet another recent mass shooting at a public school, the government proved its unwillingness to protect and serve.

A lone incel-type teenager with a single rifle and no body armor killed children one by one uninterrupted in an elementary school classroom. Meanwhile, 19 uniformed cowards with badges and guns and tactical body armor and all kinds of military gear sat on their hands in the hallway because they didnt want to put themselves in harms way.

But the truth is even worse than that: the cops outside the school formed an exclusion zone and handcuffed one mother trying to go in to save her child.

The cowardice and moral depravity  not to mention the dereliction of duty  is almost inconceivable. It boggles the conscience.

This underscores the dark reality: police exist to protect the social and political order, not to serve the interests of average people. They are the Praetorian Guard of the ruling class.

The grassroots right, which unfortunately has traditionally licked the boots of the police, is slowly waking up to that reality as the national security state trains its sights on domestic extremists (code for anyone not on board with the neoliberal multinational WEF model of governance).

What transpired in Uvalde, and worse, will happen on a macro scale when the only lawful weapons carriers left are so-called law enforcement.

Sitting ducks: the corporate states wet dream

The central point cant be emphasized strongly enough: the government doesnt want to protect anyone but the elites who pull the strings behind the scenes. They want a submissive, complacent, defanged populace.

What they want is a pack of sitting ducks, unable to defend themselves, kept in a state of continual terror via the Permanent Emergency, waiting to be herded to and fro from crisis to crisis via trauma-based conditioning.

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.

-H.L. Mencken

Until the weaponized global corporate Deep State now pointing its guns at Americans heads is disarmed, no sane American should consider complying with unconstitutional gun bans  regardless of the proffered justification.

Ben Bartee is an independent Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs. Follow his stuff via Armageddon Prose and/or Substack, Patreon, Gab, and Twitter.

Bitcoin public address: 14gU3aHBXkNq8bDqmibfnubV7kSJqfx5LX
USA Today, which is used as a fact checker by social media platforms, was forced to delete 23 articles from its website after an investigation found one of its reporters had fabricated sources.

Well, this is awkward.

The news outlet has an entire section of its website dedicated to fact checking and is used by Facebook to fact check stories published by other outlets, downranking them in algorithms in a form of soft censorship.

However, it appears as though USA Today should have devoted more resources to fact checking itself before publishing articles by its own staff.

USA Todays breaking news reporter Gabriela Miranda fabricated sources and misappropriated quotes for stories, the news outlet confirmed on Thursday. The outlet conducted an internal audit after receiving an external correction request on one of its published stories, reports Breitbart.

The 23 articles which were removed for not meeting the papers editorial standards included pieces on the Texas abortion ban, anti-vaxxer content and Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Miranda, who has now resigned from her position, took steps to deceive investigators by producing false evidence of her news gathering, including recordings of interviews, according to the New York Times.

After receiving an external correction request, USA TODAY audited the reporting work of Gabriela Miranda. The audit revealed that some individuals quoted were not affiliated with the organizations claimed and appeared to be fabricated. The existence of other individuals quoted could not be independently verified. In addition, some stories included quotes that should have been credited to others.

As we previously highlighted, USA Today was also forced to hastily delete a series of tweets which critics said were tantamount to the normalization of pedophilia after the newspaper cited science to assert that pedophilia was determined in the womb.

The newspaper was also lambasted by critics after it fact checked as true claims that an official Trump 2020 t-shirt features a Nazi symbol.

In February last year, the news outlet published an op-ed which denounced Tom Brady for refusing to walk back his previous support for Donald Trump and for being white.

The newspaper also had to fire their race and inclusion editor Hemal Jhaveri after she falsely blamed the Boulder supermarket shooting on white people.

In summary, USA Today has a severe bias problem and shouldnt be used as a non-partisan fact checker.



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It is the kind of letter you increasingly fear as you grow older.

It is the kind of letter you increasingly fear as you grow older.

A few weeks ago, a family member living in another city received a letter from his doctor, saying that the doctor would no longer be seeing patients. The letter went on to say that his name would be added to a wait list for a new doctor.

The family member who received the letter has a complicated medical history, and has been on multiple medications for a number of years. To say that a letter like this can cause immediate panic is probably an understatement.

Whats even worse, though, is when you dont get a letter like that and only find out that your doctor has retired or moved when you try to make an appointment or have a prescription refilled. That happened to my mom twice in the years before she died.

The anxiety, helplessness and abandonment she felt each time was palpable. After numerous walk-in visits, she eventually found a doctor who cared for her in her final years. That was a matter of luck, not the result of winning the wait list lottery.

I say all of that, first, because I am sure that many Canadians have had the same thing happen to them. But I also say it because of a story that appeared in this newspaper a couple of weeks ago.

The report (Study: Half of Prairie Mountain doctors feel burnt out, June 3) revealed that Almost half of the physicians in Prairie Mountain Health are reporting burnout from job demands and a lack of resources, according to the preliminary results of a study looking specifically at the health region. The study, conducted in partnership with Prairie Mountain Health and Doctors Manitoba, indicated 49 per cent of respondents reported experiencing high or very high levels of burnout.

According to the report, reasons for the burnout include excessive job demands, such as working more than 40 hours a week, and being on call for more than 60 hours a week. Abuse and mistreatment were also included, with 49 per cent reporting mistreatment by patients, 39 per cent by workplace colleagues and 26 per cent by workplace leadership.

Finally, the report quoted Doctors Manitoba communications director Keir Johnson as saying that Much of the burnout reported can be traced back to physician health and wellness. Recent incidents such as emergency room closures due to staffing issues are the end result of this burnout.

He added that burnout among physicians was already an issue before the pandemic in Manitoba, and its no surprise the numbers have worsened since then.

I thought of that report when I saw a tweet on Twitter last weekend from a Calgary doctor. He said this: Most Canadians may not realize our health-care system is sick. But the day they need care, they will.

Earlier that day, a Toronto doctor had tweeted that For healthcare workers who ask themselves why they are so tired at the end of the week, I would reframe the question to: what is wrong with the system that leads to this kind of exhaustion and burnout?

That study and those tweets follow years of reports about growing shortages of doctors, nurses, therapists and other health professionals. That goes along with terrifying ER, diagnostic and therapeutic wait times that are resulting in desperately ill people not getting the care they need until its too late.

What can we do as ordinary Manitobans to make this worsening situation better?

Some will say a new provincial government would improve things, but remember that we also had doctor shortages, rural ER closures and some of Canadas longest health-care wait times when the NDP were in power.

Vote however you like, but there are other things we can also do, starting with treating our health-care workers with more respect. When one of the primary causes of their burnout is the abuse and mistreatment they experience on the job, we need to do more to prevent that abuse from happening.

Second, we have to stop taking them for granted. Nobody is forcing them to show up for high-stress work in Brandon. Never forget that they have skills that are in high demand, and they can take those skills anywhere in the world.

Third, think about what will happen if more of them decide to prioritize their own health and choose to leave the profession, work fewer hours or move to a less stressful place. If you think wait times and quality of care are serious problems now, just imagine how much worse it could get with even fewer doctors, nurses and therapists.

Fourth, we all have to stop doing things that make their lives harder. Dont go to the ER if the problem can be addressed at a walk-in clinic. Take care of your health and show up for your tests and appointments. Dont take risks that could put your health in jeopardy. Get vaccinated and boosted.

Fifth, lets see things from the perspective of our health-care workers, and think about the crushing stress many of them experience every day. They dont control our health-care system. They are trying hard to make the best of a bad situation.

Most importantly, how about we get serious about caring more about the people who care for us?

 deverynrossletters@gmail.com

 Twitter: @deverynross
BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, presided over the 40th group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday afternoon to discuss the issue of making coordinated efforts to ensure officials do not dare, are not able, and have no desire to commit corruption.

Combating corruption is the most important political issue that concerns the people's trust and support. It is a fight that we cannot afford to lose. We must deepen our understanding of improving Party conduct, building clean government, and fighting against corruption under the new circumstances, enhance our ability to advance coordinated efforts to ensure that officials do not dare to engage in corruption and that they have neither the opportunity nor the desire to do so, and thus win this tough and prolonged battle in all respects, Xi stressed.

Liu Meipin, director of the Case Supervision and Management Office of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, explained the issue and put forward suggestions. Then members of the Political Bureau conducted a discussion.

Presiding over the study session, Xi made important remarks. To have the courage to carry out self-reform is the most distinctive part of our Party's character tempered during century-long struggles. Throughout different historical periods, our Party has stayed committed to strict self-governance. Upon entering the new era, we have put forward a series of new concepts, ideas, and strategies to incorporate the Party's strict self-governance in all respects into the Four-pronged Comprehensive Strategy, and we have explored an effective approach to avoiding the historical cycle of rise and fall through self-reform. With unmatched efforts to combat corruption and uphold integrity and as a Party with unity and solidarity at the forefront of the times, our Party has seized the historical initiative in maintaining close ties with the people and winning their wholehearted support and in leading the Chinese people toward national rejuvenation.

Xi noted that since the Party's 18th National Congress in 2012, we have seen marked achievements in combating corruption and accumulated valuable experiences. First, we have set up the work system for fighting corruption under the Party's overall leadership. We have improved systems and mechanisms under which the synergy of efforts makes a difference. They are characterized by unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, command and coordination of Party committees at different levels, organization and coordination of discipline inspection commissions and supervision commissions, effective cooperation between functional departments, and participation and support of the people.

Second, we have started from addressing the symptoms of corruption and incorporated the incremental achievements into the fight to eradicate the root causes, to ensure that Party members and officials are deterred from abuse of power, are not able to be corrupt as confined by the system, and have no desire to commit corruption because of their clear conscience and political awareness.

Third, we have maintained the severity in our discipline and punishment that are meted out to corrupt elements, with zero tolerance toward corruption. We have worked hard to resolutely contain the increase of corruption while cleaning up the remains of corruption. We have strictly dealt with corruption that hampers the implementation of the Party's theories, guidelines, principles, and policies and that undermines the Party's governing foundations. We have showed no mercy in ridding our Party of the corrupt elements who feigned compliance and practiced duplicity. To further anti-corruption work in key areas, our attitude has remained unchanged, determination undiminished, and discipline unabated.

Fourth, we have built tight the cage of institutions that prevents corruption by forming a relatively complete system of intraparty regulations and anti-corruption laws. We have enforced Party discipline and laws more stringently to prevent some from taking advantage of loopholes in the systems and made sure that all the laws, regulations, and institutions work effectively and produce a synergy to make anti-corruption mechanisms bite.

Fifth, the ideological defense against corruption has been built up. Party members and officials have been equipped with correct ideals and convictions, and the whole Party has been armed with its new theories. Party members and officials have also cultivated their conduct and mind with fine Chinese cultural traditions. As such, they have developed moral integrity and correct political convictions.

Sixth, we have strengthened checks on and oversight over the exercise of power and deepened reform of the Party's discipline inspection system and the national supervision system. We have ensured that internal oversight covers the whole Party, and that supervision covers everyone working in the public sector, strengthened the Party's self-supervision and subjected ourselves to public oversight, and integrated identifying problems, promoting rectification, boosting reform, and improving institutions. We have educated and guided Party members and officials to exercise power for public affairs only, in accordance with the law, and for the interests of the people and never to abuse the power in their hands.

Xi stressed that corruption takes place because various unhealthy factors inside the Party have been accumulating and deteriorating for a long period of time, and that crackdown on corruption is to combat all pathogens that undermine the Party's advanced nature and purity. Such battle is so complex and tough that we can hardly allow even the slightest concession or compromise. We must have the courage to face problems squarely and be braced for the pain, and remain firm in fighting corruption, removing its roots, and clearing away its negative influence, so as to ensure the Party's nature remains unchanged and our socialist country stands forever.

Xi noted that although we have won overwhelming victory in the fight against corruption and fully consolidated what has been achieved, the situation is still tough and complex. We should never underestimate the stubbornness and harm of corruption. We must carry the anti-corruption campaign through to the end. To make coordinated efforts to see to it that officials have no audacity, opportunity, or desire to engage in corruption, actions in the three aspects must be taken at the same time, to the same direction, and in an all-round manner. In this way, the deterrence of discipline and punishment to ensure that officials do not dare to abuse their power, the cage of institutions to ensure that officials are unable to do so, and the ideological defense to ensure that officials have no desire to be corrupt can be integrated. A "full cycle" management mode can be used to ensure that all measures coordinate with each other in terms of policy orientation, complement each other in the process of implementation, and bring out the best in each other in terms of effects.

Xi stressed that we must strengthen the CPC Central Committee's centralized, unified leadership over anti-corruption work, give full play to the Party's political, organizational, and institutional strengths, and ensure Party committees and leading Party members' groups of all levels take on their responsibilities in strengthening Party self-governance in all respects, with particular emphasis on the responsibilities of heads of Party and government bodies. We must make sure that relevant functional departments coordinate and fulfill their supervisory duties, so as to perfect the accountability framework for Party self-governance in which all sectors carry out their respective responsibilities and coordinate with each other. The anti-corruption campaigns should be coordinated with the Party's political, ideological, organizational, conduct, disciplinary, and institutional development. We should launch a comprehensive offensive against corruption, with political supervision, ideological education, organizational management, improvement of Party conduct, discipline enforcement, and institutional improvement all playing important roles in preventing and curbing corruption.

Xi noted that we should stay vigilant and strike hard with zero tolerance of corruption, and coordinate our efforts in various fields to reduce recurring problems until they are eliminated and prevent new ones from spreading. We should resolutely contain the emergence of new corruption cases and eliminate the existing ones. We need to have an accurate understanding of the characteristics of corruption in different stages and its changing patterns, focus on major areas and key links, take firm actions to "take out tigers," "swat flies," and "hunt down foxes," eliminate high-risk industry-specific and institutional corruption, and effectively prevent and defuse the risks of corruption and economic and social risks related to it. In light of their actual conditions, all localities and departments should conduct in-depth analysis of their own political ecology, identify prominent features, key areas, and vulnerable links of corruption, and carry out targeted rectification with all-out efforts so as to achieve results.

Xi stressed that we should address the source of corruption by improving mechanisms and systems for the use of power and management of officials, so as to realize regular and long-term prevention and control of corruption. We should try to reduce opportunities for corruption and, for those exercising powers such as of policy-making, decision-making, administrative approval and supervision, and law enforcement, we should impose strict regulations on their duties and jurisdictions, introduce standard work procedures, tighten checks on their exercise of power, and reduce illicit interference in micro-economic activities. We should take effective actions to prevent corruption from growing, introduce prevention measures in the earlier stage, enhance everyday management and oversight, and make precise use of the four forms of oversight over discipline compliance, so that problems can be identified early and rectified while they are nascent and layers of prevention against corruption can be in place. We should carry forward the Party's glorious traditions and fine conduct, launch targeted education on the Party spirit and campaigns to enhance Party members' awareness of the need to combat corruption, nurture our body and mind with a probity culture, establish an evaluation system of officials that meets the needs of the new stage and new era, and pay close attention to educating and guiding young officials. A mechanism must be established between early warning against corruption and the punishment of corrupt elements. We should strengthen analysis and research on new features of corruption such as deeply-hidden ways of abuse of power and varied methods of rent-seeking and improve our capability to promptly detect and effectively deal with corruption.

Xi called for deepening the reform of the oversight systems of the Party and the state, with intraparty oversight as the mainstay, for promoting the integration of various oversight forces and oversight work, and for improving the coverage and effectiveness of the oversight of power in order to ensure that it is not abused in any way. Xi required that intraparty regulations and the national legal system must be optimized and anti-corruption laws and regulations involving foreign countries improved at a faster pace. We must strictly implement our institutions and internalize the compliance with rules and disciplines into the ideological and political consciousness of Party members and officials, Xi said. When carrying on self-reform, we should rely on people's support and help to solve our own problems.

Xi stressed that comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline and fighting against corruption must start with the management of leading officials, especially senior officials. The higher an official's position is, the more power he or she has, the more he or she should hold in veneration his or her work and be self-disciplined. Leading officials, especially senior ones, should strictly discipline not only themselves, but also their family members and people around them. They should make efforts to create a clean environment in the sectors under their immediate or indirect supervision. They must set a good example themselves in creating a clean political ecology, building a clean work relationship among colleagues and between ranking officials and their subordinates, and drawing a clear demarcation line between government departments and businesspeople. Their good example should help create a social environment where social morals prevail.

Members of the Political Bureau must uphold the highest standards as far as self-discipline is concerned. They must be the first to do what the Party requires its members to do, and resolutely refrain from doing whatever the Party prohibits its members from doing, Xi said.

Xi stressed that discipline inspection and supervision agencies must take the initiative to respond to new situations and new challenges in the fight against corruption, deepen their understanding of the laws governing Party management and the anti-corruption struggle, constantly improve their capabilities and work performance, and accept, of their own accord, oversight from the Party and all sectors of society. With the spirit of self-reform, they must never be blind to their own problems.

Discipline inspection and supervision officials must be loyal to the Party, have firm political convictions, remain selfless and fearless, always uphold the Party spirit, enforce discipline impartially, exercise power prudently, dare to and be good at fighting against corruption, and truly ensure that the CPC Central Committee is rest assured and people are satisfied with their work, Xi noted. 
For a bloke who clipped the wings of an entire state for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, WA Premier Mark McGowan has taken to the open skies with some gusto.

It was hard to miss McGowans sojourn to Canberra last week as Mr 91 per cent did the rounds of east coast media. Now, hes getting ready for an official trip to Rome - on the first flight of Qantas new non-stop service between Perth and the eternal city.

Guests celebrate the end of Kim Beazleys tenure as WA Governor - minus Premier Mark McGowan

Then hes off to London where, among other things, McGowan will be the star attraction at a Showcase WA reception at the citys historic Ironmongers Hall which will feature a range of produce and delicacies unique to WA and Australia, the Premiers office tells us.

Organisers had wanted to add a First Nations presence to the evening with a didgeridoo playing as guests arrived.
Doctor explains Victoria's eased COVID-19 rules

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Maybe the darkest film ever made in the classical Hollywood system  I still cant believe [Alfred] Hitchcock got it made  is Vertigo, which is essentially about this older man who fantasises about a woman and what she should be like, a young, beautiful, erotic object, he says. In the 1958 thriller, James Stewart, then 49, plays a retired police officer who convinces a woman he meets (Kim Novak, then 24) to change her clothes and dye her hair so that she can resemble another woman with whom he is obsessed. For us, it leaps out at us and we go, thats very strange. Back then, it was something that even mainstream female audiences would not have been as quick to identify.

The reason more people are now calling out the massive age differences between men and women is because filmmakers  though still largely men  simply cant get away with it so easily any more, says Dr Lauren Rosewarne, who specialises in gender at the University of Melbourne.

[Alfred] Hitchcock made an entire career of this, says film scholar Bruce Isaacs of films like Vertigo, starring James Stewart and Kim Novak, pictured, in which an older man lusts after and controls a younger woman. Credit:Getty

Filmmakers are more cognisant of expectations of audiences, but also backlash from audiences, that dodgy casting decisions or big age gaps in relationships, unless its essential to the plot, are going to be called out [on social media], she says, noting that this has dovetailed with more women making films and the #MeToo movement.

Yet even in the absence of Hitchcocks  and other filmmakers  perverse male characters who control their younger, female counterparts, the trend with regard to male and female stars remains problematic.
Dozens of towns across the state are at risk of not having a single GP available in coming years as experts warn the exodus of hundreds of doctors from the workforce has left the system in a perilous state.

The Herald can reveal the locations of 60 towns and regions across NSW identified by authorities as being at risk of critical doctor shortages, including larger population centres such as Cessnock, Singleton, Moree and Gunnedah.

Suburbs on the outskirts of Sydney, including Katoomba and Blackheath in the Blue Mountains and Kurrajong in the Hawkesbury, are also in danger following an unprecedented decline in workforce supply.

The reality is there isnt a town in rural NSW that isnt at risk of being able to sustain viable primary care right now, said Richard Colbran, the chief executive of the NSW Rural Doctors Network.
Seven people have been charged after NSW police clashed with members of a climate activist group in the Blue Mountains on Sunday.

Police said they were conducting investigations into planned unauthorised protest activity at a property in Colo when they were surrounded by a group of people who damaged the tyres of the police vehicle and prevented them from leaving.

Two people were arrested immediately after the altercation, while it is alleged about 30 fled to surrounding bushland. Five others were later arrested and escorted to Windsor Police Station.

Seven individuals, all under the age of 40 and from three eastern states, were charged with an array of offences and were refused bail before their appearance in Penrith Local Court on Monday.
Queensland is set to have a new youngest member of the current state parliament after the LNP claimed victory in its safe central Queensland seat of Callide in the weekends byelection.

LNP candidate Bryson Head claimed victory less than four hours after the polls closed at 6pm on Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon, with about 40 per cent of the vote counted, Head was out in front on his own with more than 45 per cent, equated to 6269 votes.

Bryson Head is set to become to new MP in the Queensland state seat of Callide. Credit:Facebook

Former state LNP backbencher and previous Callide MP Colin Boyce resigned in March after he was picked to run for the federal seat of Flynn in the election in May. He won the seat, despite an almost 5 per cent swing against him.
Anthony Albanese has made a cautious start as prime minister with early action on some domestic policies, successful visits overseas and a promise to pass laws to deliver on his election promises when parliament meets at the end July.

Four weeks after the election, things have gone smoothly since May 21 and the prime minister is drafting a timetable to minimise risk. Parliament will not meet until July 26 and will only sit for four weeks before the October 25 budget.

Anthony Albanese has been cautious, and necessarily slow off the mark in his first four weeks. Credit:Rhett Wyman

The pace is steady, but it is only a matter of time before something goes wrong. It is impossible for a new cabinet to take control without crunching the gears.

The great success of the first four weeks has been on the international stage, with Albanese meeting leaders in Tokyo and Jakarta while Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong mended fences in the Pacific with a diplomatic offensive around the region to manage the growing influence of China.
London: Beachgoers in Ukraine should watch out for hazardous mines that lie underwater, Ukraines national guard warns, after the death of a man who was diving in the Odesa region moments before a device exploded and killed him instantly.

As summer kicks off in Ukraine, officials are calling the threat explosive-dangerous beach season. They are urging people to stay away from coastal destinations that were once places to unwind and cool off - but are now home to hidden munitions.

The 50-year-old man, who has not been identified, was diving for sea snails moments before the explosion happened, officials said on Sunday. The blast flung his body into the air as his wife, child and a friend unpacked their bags on the shore.

People rest in front of taped barriers blocking people from swimming at the beach in Odesa. Credit:Getty

The national guard warned that although the mines lurk underwater, they can also be brought to shore by the current at any moment.
JERUSALEM, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday warned Iran against "attempts to orchestrate attacks against Israelis overseas," threatening that Israel will exact a price for attempts to harm its citizens.

Making the remarks at the weekly cabinet meeting, Bennett said "we are currently witnessing Iranian attempts to attack Israelis in various overseas locations," adding that "Iran's plans focus on Turkey" while Israeli security services "are working to thwart attempted attacks before they are launched."

Israel will "strike those who send the terrorists and those who send those who send them," Bennett warned, saying "our new rule is: whoever sends -- pays," according to a statement issued on his behalf.

The prime minister also reiterates a call for Israelis to avoid traveling to Turkey, especially Istanbul, if it was not necessary.

Also on Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked over phone about the "Iranian intentions to perpetrate terror attacks against Israelis in Istanbul," Herzog's office said in a statement.

Herzog thanked Erdogan for Turkey's efforts to thwart attacks on Turkish soil, stressing that the threat to Israelis has not yet passed and "the counterterror efforts must continue."

The two leaders also highlighted the great contribution of this cooperation to the trust being built between the governments and nations, the office said.

On Saturday, Israel's Channel 12 TV news reported Israel's intelligence agency Mossad and Turkish intelligence services thwarted an attack earlier on the day. There was no official confirmation for the report.

Israel's National Security Council on Monday raised its travel warning for Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, to the highest level, citing possible attacks by Iran, said a statement from the council.

The council called on Israelis currently in Istanbul to leave the city and Israelis planning to travel to Turkey to avoid doing so until further notice.

Iran has not commented on the Israeli allegations.

Iran has accused Israel of killing on May 22 Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps colonel, and has vowed to avenge his death. Khodaei was shot and killed by two motorcyclists in the east of Tehran, Iran's capital. 
In early October 2013, the committee was preparing to announce the winner of its award in physics. The leading candidate  as pretty much everyone knew  was an 84-year-old Scottish scientist named Peter Higgs, who was not feeling nearly as joyful as you might think. Yes, he wanted to win the award, yes, he wanted to be recognised for his pioneering insights into how subatomic particles build our universe. He just wanted to be recognised for it quietly.

But as a theorist already heralded for his 1964 work predicting the Higgs boson (sometimes called the God particle), he knew he was pipe-dreaming. He could almost hear the thunder of microphone-wielding journalists advancing on his Edinburgh apartment. So he made a pre-emptive decision: I decided not to be home. On the morning of the announcement, Higgs crept out his back door, caught a bus to a nearby town, tucked himself into a pub and hunkered down with a medicinal pint of ale.

Thus, when Higgs did win the Nobel (along with the French physicist Francois Englert), neither journalists nor fellow physicists could find him. We dont know where he is, one University of Edinburgh colleague sadly explained to an exasperated reporter. One is left to wonder if Frank Close chose the title for Elusive as a reference to the glimmering subatomic particle of Higgss theory  or to the theorist himself.

As Close notes, Peter Higgs has managed to avoid much of the pace of modern life. He does his best to avoid both email and cell phones. Close, a physicist himself and the author of numerous popular science books, is a long-time colleague and friend of Higgss, but to research this volume he was forced to mail reminder letters to confirm appointments. Their conversations, not entirely revealing, were mostly conducted via Higgss treasured landline phone. As a result, although his publisher describes Elusive as the first major biography of Peter Higgs, Close seems less sure of that, describing his book as not so much a biography of the man but of the boson named after him.

Closes description is more accurate. The biographical facts add up to more of a brisk sketch than a richly detailed portrait. This is not to deny that there are moments of sharp and even bitter insight: Higgss belief that his antisocial personality developed during a sickly and lonely childhood in northern England  I grew up a rather isolated child; his marriage and its failure because of his workaholic habits; a resulting, paralysing depression; his dedication to social justice causes, which at one point led him to suspect that he had become an embarrassment to some of his colleagues. After all, Higgs notes modestly, The portion of my life for which I am known is rather small  three weeks in the summer of 1964.

It is those three weeks that anchor the real story in this book, a clear, vivid and occasionally even beautiful portrait of a scientific breakthrough: the tale of how a relatively obscure Scotland-based physicist developed a stunning theory, one that would help illuminate the invisible, particulate web that holds our universe together. And how in the following decades, the research community would argue, debate, build and expand on his idea, setting out on a quest to confirm the existence of the Higgs boson and with it our own understanding of the universe.

At a basic level, Higgss theory belongs to a fundamental and puzzling question: Where does the mass of the universe come from? Using the known rules of physics, from electromagnetism to quantum mechanics, Higgs raised the possibility of an unstable subatomic particle that, through a series of fizzing interactions, could lend mass to other particles. He predicted this particle would be a boson  a notably massive subatomic particle that helps hold matter together  and that it would exist in an energy field that enabled the interactions. Higgs suggested a path to confirming the existence of the boson and the eventual measurement of its decay products. In doing so, Close writes, the theory issued a subtle challenge: Is this just a clever piece of mathematics or does nature really work this way?

Close uses that question as a launching point, taking the reader through much of the history of particle physics and introducing the key players, the insights by others in the field who moved the ideas forward and the eventual decision to build a machine in Switzerland  the Large Hadron Collider  to test the possibilities. The LHC would find confirmation for the bosons decay products in 2012. Close brings to this story an insiders knowledge and a combat-ready willingness to defend Higgs against his occasional critics, at one point dismissing the high-profile British physicist as a man with a singular genius for playing the media.

In other words, this is a very human telling of the ways that weve figured out at least some of the mysteries of our universe since the mid-20th century. What does the discovery reveal about the cosmos and our place in the universe? Close wonders, and he ends his book on a note of additional mystery, reminding us that there are great achievements in physics to come and that tantalising questions still shine in front of us, their answers still out of reach, ever elusive.

2022 The New York Times News Service
Tata Group-owned is considering buying more than 200 new planes with 70 per cent of them being narrow-bodied aircraft, aviation industry sources said on Sunday.

While has zeroed in on Airbus's A350 wide-bodied aircraft for the procurement, the talks with and Boeing for narrow-bodied aircraft is still on, they said.

A wide-bodied plane like A350 has a bigger fuel tank that allows it to travel longer distances such as the India-US routes.

has not bought a single aircraft since 2006 when it placed orders for purchasing 111 aircraft 68 from the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing and 43 from European aircraft manufacturer .

The Tata Group took control of Air India on January 27 after successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8 last year.

On the sidelines of 78th annual general meeting of International Air Transport Association, aviation industry sources said Air India is considering buying 200 new planes. The share of narrow-bodied aircraft to that of wide-bodied planes will be 70:30.

They said that the decision on which narrow-bodied plane to buy to go for Airbus A320 family aircraft or Boeing's 737Max aircraft is yet to be taken.

According to Air India's website, the airline has a total of 49 wide-bodied aircraft - 18 Boeing B777, 4 Boeing B747 and 27 Boeing B787 - in its fleet. The carrier has 79 narrow-bodied planes in its fleet too.

(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.)
is clearly reorganising itself under the "able stewardship" of the and wants to invest in new planes to regain international passenger market share, the Chief Commercial Officer of Airbus said here on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) held here, Christian Scherer was asked whether had finalised the A350 aircraft order with Airbus.

"I will not comment on that," the Chief Commercial Officer of the European Aerospace company said in response.

His remarks came after it was reported last week that the Tata Group-owned Air



India has decided to procure its maiden batch of wide-bodied A350 aircraft from Airbus and the first plane is likely to be delivered to the airline by March 2023.

However, it was not immediately clear how many A350 aircraft will be purchased by .

"Air India is clearly reorganising itself under the very able stewardship of the Tatas and as such, it is very natural that they contemplate an investment in new fleets, new airplanes, if only to regain more sovereignty, more market share, for an Indian carrier in the international market," Scherer said.

Air India has not bought a single aircraft since 2006 when it had placed orders for purchasing 111 aircraft - 68 from the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing and 43 from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

A wide-bodied plane like Airbus A350 has a bigger fuel tank that allows it to travel longer distances such as India-US routes.

The took control of Air India on January 27 after successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8 last year.

Sources told PTI on June 15 that Air India had started asking its senior pilots if they will be interested in getting the "conversion training" to operate A350 aircraft.

Air India's pilots are trained to operate the wide-bodied aircraft of Boeing. Therefore, they have to undergo "conversion training" to operate the A350 aircraft of Airbus.

According to Air India's website, the airline has a total of 49 wide-bodied aircraft - 18 Boeing B777, 4 Boeing B747 and 27 Boeing B787 - in its fleet. The carrier has 79 narrow-bodied planes in its fleet too.

Sources had said Air India was purchasing A350 aircraft and is likely to get its first A350 plane by March 2023.

Since April, airline's chairman N Chandrasekaran - who also is the chairman of the - has rejigged the top management of the airline, bringing in senior and middle-level executives who have worked in other of the Tata Group such as Tata Steel and Vistara.

(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 former female engineer of (AWS), the Cloud arm of commerce giant Amazon, has been found guilty of into more than 100 million customers' cloud storage systems and stealing data linked to the 2019 Capital One breach.

Paige Thompson, 36-year-old former tech worker, was convicted in the US District Court in Seattle of seven federal crimes connected to her scheme to hack into cloud computer data storage accounts and steal data and computer power for her own benefit.

She was arrested in July 2019 after Capital One alerted the FBI to Thompson's activity.

Thompson is scheduled for sentencing by US District Judge Robert S. Lasnik on September 15, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

"Thompson used her skills to steal the personal information of more than 100 million people, and hijacked computer servers to mine cryptocurrency," said US Attorney Nick Brown.

"Far from being an ethical hacker trying to help with their computer security, she exploited mistakes to steal valuable data and sought to enrich herself," Brown added.

Thompson was found guilty of wire fraud, five counts of unauthorised access to a protected computer and damaging a protected computer. The jury found her not guilty of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.

"She wanted data, she wanted money, and she wanted to brag," Assistant US Attorney Andrew Friedman said.

The intrusion to Capital One accounts impacted more than 100 million US customers. The company was fined $80 million and settled customer lawsuits for $190 million.

--IANS

na/dpb

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A year after the government headhunter failed to find any suitable candidate for top job at ONGC, the has proposed raising of eligibility age as well as a shorter tenure for the new chairman and managing director of India's top oil and gas producer.

The ministry has proposed that any candidate to be eligible for consideration should not be more than 60 years of age on the date of occurrence of vacancy, according to the ministry's office memorandum sent to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on June 17.

The vacancy arose after Shashi Shanker superannuated on March 31, 2021.

Presently, the minimum age prescribed for being eligible for the top job is 45 years. Besides, internal candidates need to have two years of residual service as on the date of vacancy and three years for external candidates.

What the ministry has proposed now is that any eligible candidate who is not more than 60 years of age at the time of occurrence of vacancy which was April 1, 2021, should be considered eligible. This would essentially mean that the current acting chairman, Alka Mittal, who otherwise would retire in August-end and was ineligible, would come under the zone of consideration.

The ministry has also proposed appointment for a period of three years from the date of joining instead of the present five-year term, according to the letter.

The selection will be done through a three-member search-cum-selection committee headed by PESB chairman and composed of oil secretary and former Indian Oil chairman B Ashok (outside expert).

The panel was formed on February 4, 2022 but the terms of reference are being framed only now.

Most board-level appointments at public sector are done on the basis of recommendations of the Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) but the government headhunter in June last year did not find anyone suitable among nine candidates, including two serving IAS officers, to head Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

"Keeping in view the strategic importance and vision for the company and its future, the board did not recommend any candidate and decided to constitute a search committee," the ministry letter said referring to PESB's interviews on June 5, 2021.

The panel was constituted after eight months of that recommendation on February 4.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved "consideration of central government officers, including those of the armed forces of the Union and the all India services for the post on immediate absorption basis."



"Energy security is critical for the nation. plays a pivotal role in exploration as India's National Oil Company (NOC). Its activities need to be scaled significantly and rapidly. As an NOC, it is necessary to have a specially designed 'sui generis' job description for in order to attract the best talent available," it said.

If accepted, the proposal will throw open the field for ONGC's former director (finance) Subhash Kumar as well as current acting chairman Alka Mittal, who otherwise were ineligible for the post.

As per the practice, PESB recommends a name for a board-level position at least three months prior to arising of the vacancy. However, in the case of ONGC, PESB advertised and interviewed candidates after the retirement of Shashi Shanker on March 31, 2021.

After Shanker retired, Subhash Kumar, director for finance and senior most director on board, was given the additional charge of chairman and managing director.

Kumar retired on December 31, 2021 and Alka Mittal, Director for Human Resources, ONGC, was given additional charge. She will superannuate in August.

Other internal directors of ONGC would also become eligible due to the age relaxation.

The committee route for appointment of PSU board members has very sparingly been used in the past. In 2016, current NTPC chairman Gurdeep Singh was appointed through the route. Last appointment using the route was that of Sanjeev Kumar as the chairman of Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL).

PESB had on June 5, 2021, interviewed nine out of the 10 candidates who had applied for the post of chairman and managing director of ONGC. Those interviewed included senior bureaucrats Avinash Joshi and Niraj Verma.

Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) director-finance Pomila Jaspal and ONGC director for technology and field services Om Prakash Singh were the other prominent names who were interviewed, as per the PESB notice.

Both the bureaucrats are from the 1994 batch of IAS officers belonging to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

Others interviewed by PESB were ONGC executive directors Sandeep Gupta, Pankaj Kumar and Omkar Nath Gyani, ONGC additional director general Anand Gupta, and Container Corporation of India director-finance Manoj Kumar Dubey.

Security Printing and Minting Corp of India Ltd director-finance Ajay Agarwal, who had applied for the job, did not appear for the interview.

This was the second time in one-and-a-half decades that a suitable candidate was not found among those who had applied.

In August 2006, PESB chose R S Sharma to head the company but the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in February 2007 vetoed his appointment as it wanted the selection process to be widened by inviting candidates from the private sector.

In June 2007, PESB again selected Sharma and his candidature was this time endorsed by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC).

While a replacement to the PSU board position is often selected before the incumbent retires, PESB did not hold any interviews for almost seven months as its chairman wasn't appointed. The government in April 2021 named Mallika Srinivasan, chairman and managing director of Tractors and Farm Equipment (TAFE) Ltd, as the new chairperson of PESB.

She is the first person from the private sector to be appointed as the head of PESB.

(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.)
Vistara will be happy if the lower and upper limits on airfares are increased but the best solution would be for the airlines to have absolute freedom to price, its CEO Vinod Kannan said on Sunday.

On June 16, Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices in India were hiked by the steepest-ever 16 per cent to catapult rates to an all-time high in step with hardening international oil rates.

IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta said on June 1 that the civil aviation ministry should consider increasing the upper limits on domestic airfares as the rising ATF prices have become a real problem.

SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh said on June 16 that the sharp increase in ATF prices and the depreciation of the rupee have left the domestic airlines with no choice but to immediately raise airfares.

The civil aviation ministry had imposed lower and upper limits on domestic airfares based on flight duration when services were resumed on May 25, 2020, after a two-month lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, airlines currently cannot charge a passenger less than Rs 2,900 (excluding GST) and more than Rs 8,800 (excluding GST) on flights with duration of less than 40 minutes.

The lower caps are there to protect the financially weaker airlines and the upper caps are to protect the passengers from high fares.

The price of ATF -- the fuel that helps planes fly -- was on June 16 increased by Rs 19,757.13 per kilolitre, or 16.26 per cent, to Rs 1,41,232.87 per kl (Rs 141.2 per litre) in Delhi, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers.

When asked here on Sunday if he believes that upper caps on airfares should be increased amid rising ATF prices and weakening rupee, Kannan told reporters, "Our position, as well as Vistara is concerned, we have always said the best solution or the best open market is where there is absolute freedom to price. That is the ideal situation."



However, Vistara knows why the fare caps are there, he said.

Kannan was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 78th annual general meeting of International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Doha.

"They (fare caps) are there for certain reasons. I believe that they are needed to protect the airlines but also the customers (passengers)," Kannan noted.

He said Vistara's airfares are hitting the upper caps occasionally.

"We are nowhere (in a situation) where we are hitting the (upper) cap 80-90 per cent of the time because as you know demand is also the function of the day of the operation. It is also fiction of other factors as well," he added.

He said, "Yes, I will be happy if the fare cap is increased right through, not just the ceiling but also the floor. At the end of the day, our position remains that market pricing is the most optimal.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As many as 35 groups that were allegedly spreading about the Agnipath military recruitment scheme were on Sunday banned by the government, officials said.

The move came amid violent protests against the scheme in different parts of the country since it was announced a few days ago.

As many as 35 groups were banned by the government for allegedly spreading about the Agnipath scheme, the government officials said.

However, information about these groups or if any action has been initiated against their administrators was not immediately known.

Ruling out the rollback of the 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme despite widespread protests, the three services of the military on Sunday came out with a broad schedule of enrolment under the new policy and asserted that it was aimed at bringing down the age profile of the armed forces.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A police vehicle was torched and two Roadways buses vandalised in Jaunpur as the agitation against the Centre's Agnipath scheme spread in the state.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers protested in Meerut over the issue.

As many as 340 people have been arrested till now, including those who have been taken in custody as a preventive measure.

In Kannauj, youths staged a protest at Saurikh on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway demanding the withdrawal of the scheme.

Jaunpur District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said hundreds of youths gathered on the Jaunpur-Prayagraj highway on Saturday morning and damaged vehicles, including two roadways buses and a police car.

Around 9.30 am, one of the damaged buses and the police vehicle were set ablaze.

Some motorcycles were also torched in the Lal Bazar area, he said, adding the protesters were chased by police.

According to Superintendent of Police Ajay Sahni, the protesters resorted to stone pelting and a vehicle of a local BJP leader was damaged.

Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agarwal and Inspector General K Satyanarayan inspected the spot.

Officials said the protesters are being identified and if needed, the Gangster Act may be imposed against them. Police force has been deployed at the railway and bus stations.

In Kannauj, youths protested at Saurikh on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and handed over a memorandum to officials.

Additional District Magistrate Gajendra Singh said the protesters were sent back after explaining the Agnipath scheme to them.

Leaders of the Rashtriya Lok Dal and Aam Aadmi Party staged in Meerut and demanded that the recruitment scheme for defence services be withdrawn.

As many as 340 people have been arrested and police have lodged 29 FIRs in connection with the protest till Saturday, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said.

The number included 145 those who have been arrested as a preventive measure under Section 151 of the CrPC.

"They can be kept in police custody for a maximum of 24 hours," explained Kumar.

The arrests have been made from nine districts, including Ballia (109), Mathura (70), Jaunpur (41), Varanasi (36), Aligarh (35).

The 29 cases have lodged in 12 districts, the maximum seven in Jaunpur (7), four cases each in Aligarh, Mathura and Varanasi and two cases each in Ballia Mirzapur.

A case each have also been lodged in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Chandauli, Agra and Firozabad.

The Centre on Tuesday unveiled the ambitious scheme for recruitment of the youth aged between 17 and a half and 21 in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis.

The youth recruited under the scheme will be known as "Agniveers". After the completion of the four-year tenure, 25 per cent of the recruits from each specific batch will be offered regular service.

(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.)
reeled under devastating floods caused by incessant rain affecting nearly 31 lakh people in 32 districts, while eight more people lost their lives on Saturday taking the toll to 63, officials said.

Prime Minister called up Chief Minister to take stock of the situation. The CM also visited a few relief camps sheltering affected people in Kamrup and Darrang districts.

A total of 18.94 lakh people were affected in 28 districts of the state on Friday.

The toll in the current second wave of floods and landslides in the state has increased to 63 as two deaths each were reported from Barpeta and Karimganj while one each died in Darrang, Hailakandi, Nalbari and Sonitpur districts.

Eight people, including three children, were reported missing after a boat capsize in Hojai district on Friday night. They are from the districts of Hojai, Bajali, West Karbi Anglong, Kokrajhar and Tamulpur. Altogether 21 people were rescued there.

Prime Minister rang up the chief minister to enquire about the current flood situation in the state and assured him of all help from the Centre.

Sarma visited the inundated Rangia town in Kamrup district, with state BJP president and local MLA Bhabesh Kalita. He also visited relief camps at Fatima Convent School and Kolajal where affected people have taken shelter.

Speaking to media persons, Sarma said that the district administration is ready to face any exigency and to help the flood-affected people.

''The administration has been directed to ensure relief supplies and evacuate people from vulnerable areas to relief camps. The Army is ready to provide assistance and the deputy commissioners have been asked to take their help when required. NDRF and SDRF personnel are evacuating affected people to safer places,'' he said.

The CM assured the inmates of the relief camps that all steps are being taken to help them.

In Darrang district, Sarma waded through flood waters and examined the breached embankments at Patharughat and Bor Athiabari. He directed the officials concerned to repair it after the water recedes.

The army has deployed 11 columns to assist in rescue and relief operations in Hojai, Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Darrang, Tamulpur and Kamrup districts and has so far evacuated 3000 people to safety.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) bulletin on Saturday stated that the river Kopili is flowing above 'High Flood Level' in Nagaon district, while other rivers such as the Brahmaputra, Jia-Bharali, Puthimari, Pagladia, Manas, Beki, Barak and Kushiara are flowing above the danger level at different places.

A population of 30.99 lakh have been affected in 32 districts, according to a report by the State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Saturday.

Altogether 118 revenue circles and 4,291 villages have been impacted by the calamity.

Barpeta, Darrang, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Kamrup(M), Nalbari, and Udalguri districts have also been affected severely by urban flooding, according to the bulletin.

A total crop area of 66455.12 hectares has been inundated while 441 animals have been washed away in the current wave of floods, according to the ASDMA.

Landslides were reported from Cachar, Dima-Hasao, Goalpara, Hailakandi, South Salmara and Kamrup (Metro) districts during the day.

More than 1.56 lakh people have taken shelter in 514 relief camps. Relief materials were also distributed to other affected population that are not in such camps.

Infrastructure damage was also reported from various parts of the state as 216 roads, five bridges and four embankments were damaged during the day.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The (COAI) has demanded imposition of tough conditions for allowing enterprises to set up captive non-public networks.

The move comes just a few days after the Cabinet, despite opposition from telcos, permitted enterprises to set up private networks, with the department of telecom (DoT) assigning them spectrum directly.

In a letter to DoT secretary K Rajaraman on June 18, the demanded non-assignment of spectrum in the non-International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) (5G) bands reserved for telcos.

It also made a demand for restricting the scope of such private networks for only machine-to-machine (M2M) communications and plant automation within the premises of a plant.

also wants to ensure that they have no connection to public switched telephone networks (PSTN), internet cloud platforms, another private network or multiple offices and buildings.

has also said that the spectrum assigned to end users should not result in creation of third parties or intermediaries operating on behalf of the enterprise.

The reason they said is that creation of third parties or intermediaries installing and operating the network for private networks would result in backdoor entry for third parties to act as telecom service providers (TSPs) without obtaining the spectrum through the same process (auctions) as TSPs.

Therefore, like the unified licensees, private network owners must own all equipment installed for the purpose of private networks and not obtain them on lease/rental from the third party players. If they want to do so they must obtain the spectrum through the same process as TSPs.

The move  if implemented  could keep out any other competitors like global tech companies Google, Amazon or IT companies to provide the services.

It would restrict the collaboration for enterprises only to a few telcos.

In the letter, the telcos have also said that use cases meant for the masses cannot be part of a captive network.

They have argued that there has been demand from many stakeholders that captive networks could create use cases for financial inclusion and agriculture sector connectivity.

But telcos have demanded that since financial inclusion by design intends to include 100 per cent of the population, and agriculture sector would need interconnection of 70 per cent of the population, such use cases cannot be undertaken by captive networks.

Also, demand from some stakeholders for allocating spectrum to set up private networks for vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity, controlling drones and M2M connectivity from devices cannot be allowed, it said.

Justifying its stand that no IMT band spectrum should be assigned to captive networks, COAI has said there is already a shortage of harmonised spectrum for TSP networks.

At present, only the 3.3 Ghz mid-band and the 2.85 Ghz have been put for auction in 5G.

However, if other bands that are likely to be identified for IMT are not reserved, it would constrain TSPs.

They would then not be able to properly plan their networks to meet customer demand.

It said that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has ignored the issue while recommending 3.7-3.8 GHz and 28.5-29.5 GHz for private captive networks.

The COAI letter also asked private networks to ensure no interference to other networks. Also, it said that they should ensure compliance to electro-magnetic field (EMF) norms, subscriber verification rules and follow all security norms, among others.

It added that they should also come under lawful interception requirements and follow roll out obligations like telcos.
CAIRO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday held a meeting with visiting Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Jordanian King Abdullah II in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh on cooperation in various fields as well as regional and international issues.

The three leaders discussed "mutual coordination towards various issues of common concern in addition to the latest developments on the regional and international arenas and the challenges facing the region," said the Egyptian presidency in a statement.

They stressed it is important to bolster the "brotherly and strategic" relationship between the three countries to higher levels to achieve common goals and interests.

They also welcomed the upcoming summit to be hosted by Saudi Arabia in July, comprising leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and the United States, said the statement. 
Nearly 200 people on board a Delhi-bound aircraft had a close shave on Sunday as the plane caught fire soon after take-off from the airport here and made an emergency landing minutes later, officials said.

The Spice Jet aircraft took off at around quarter past noon and, according to District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh, local administration began receiving calls soon afterwards that it has caught fire.

"Many people, mostly residents of the nearby Phulwari Sharif locality, began making frantic calls upon watching the plane in flames. Thankfully, all 185 occupants are safe," he told reporters at the airport.

Director of Jaiprakash Narayan International Airport, Anchal Prakash, said arrangements were made for the affected passengers' travel to their destination by an alternative plane.

The Spice Jet said in a statement, "B737-800 aircraft was operating SG-723 (Patna- route). On takeoff, during rotation, cockpit crew suspected bird hit on engine 01. As a precautionary measure and as per SOP (standard operating procedure), the captain shut down the affected engine and decided to return to ." "The aircraft landed safely in and the passengers deboarded safely. Post flight inspection showed bird hit, with three fan blades damaged," said the airways.

It, however, did not share in its statement the number of persons on board the Patna- flight.

Many passengers shared their experience with media persons, with a mix of horror and relief.

"I had come to the airport groggy and dozed off before the plane took off. Within a few minutes, a judder woke me up. It was only after landing that I realised how lucky I was," recalled a young man.

"The entire plane was trembling. We were petrified and crew members were busy pacifying us. We were initially told that the plane would land at an airstrip in Bihta or Arrah. Thankfully, it landed at the airport itself, said an elderly woman who also showered blessings on the pilot, whom she has not met, for showing presence of mind.

There seemed to be some confusion, though, about the duration for which the plane remained airborne.

Airport officials said the emergency landing took place within 10 minutes of the takeoff while many passengers claimed they spent "15-20 minutes" inside the plane.

Safety concerns have always been associated with the airport here, which is surrounded by densely populated localities, including markets selling meat, fish and poultry which often increase the risk of bird hits.

On July 17, 2000, the airport had hit the headlines when a Delhi-bound Boeing 737 aircraft, coming from Kolkata, ploughed through a residential colony soon after take-off killing more than 60 people, including six local residents.

The court of inquiry, which was subsequently ordered, said in its report that the runway was too short.

Work on shifting the airport from the city to Bihta, about 30 km from here, has since been hanging fire.

(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 Eastern Railway on Sunday cancelled or rescheduled several trains connecting Kolkata and other places in West Bengal with northern parts of the country, including the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, owing to the stir against the Centre's Agnipath' scheme.

An ER official said the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express departed Howrah station at 3.15 pm, while the Poorva Express will leave at 4.50 pm.

A number of express trains, including the Howrah-Kalka Netaji Express, Kolkata-Amritsar Express, Yog Nagari Rishikesh Doon Express, Sealdah-Jaynagar Gangasagar Express and the Kolkata-Gorakhpur Purvanchal Express have been cancelled for the day, the official said.

There have been protests at various places against the government's new short-term contractual recruitment programme in the armed forces.

The official said the Howrah-Dibrugarh Kamrup Express has also been cancelled for Sunday due to operational constraints.

Assam has been hit by floods in several districts, which has crippled transportation services.

(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.)
Amid violence over the 'Agnipath' scheme, Union minister and former Army chief General (retd) on Sunday slammed the protesters saying if they don't like the new policy for recruitment into the armed forces they shouldn't opt for it.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Maharashtra's Nagpur city, Singh said the doesn't conscript soldiers and that aspirants can join of their own volition.

"Joining the Army is voluntary and not a compulsion. If any aspirant wants to join, he can join as per his will, we don't conscript soldiers. But if you don't like this recruitment scheme ('Agnipath') then don't come to (join). Who is asking you to come? You are burning buses and trains. Who told you that you will be recruited into the armed forces. You will be selected only if you fulfil the eligibility criteria," he said.

He also hit out at the Congress over party leader Priyanka Gandhi's statement against the Agnipath scheme and alleged that the grand old party is finding fault with even the best work of the Modi government as it is upset with Rahul Gandhi's questioning by the ED.

Replying to a question over Priyanka Gandhi's statement made earlier in the day in Delhi that the Agnipath scheme will destroy the youth as well as the army, Singh said, "Congress is upset because Rahul Gandhi is being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Hence, the party finds fault with even the best of the best work of the government."



"The Opposition, particularly the Congress, is trying to mislead the youngsters. The only work that the Opposition is left with is to criticise and stop any government schemes. They want to create unrest in the country to defame the government," he said.

The Agnipath scheme, announced on June 14, provides for the recruitment of youths in the age bracket of 17-and-half to 21 years for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years. Later, the government extended the upper age limit to 23 years for recruitment in 2022.

However, massive protests have erupted in many states, including Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, with youths taking to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the scheme.

Anyone involved in protests, arson and vandalism against the Agnipath scheme would not be allowed to join the three services under the new recruitment model, a senior military official had said on Sunday.

Singh said the concept of the 'Agnipath' scheme was conceived when the Kargil Committee was formed after the 1999 war.

"The primary idea was that a soldier can join the armed forces for a short period....which will solve two things," he said in an apparent reference to the demand for compulsory military training in India and maintaining the young age profile of the armed forces.

Singh said the demand for compulsory military training for the youth and other citizens of India had been made for the last 30 to 40 years.

"In the past, it was said that the training can be imparted through the NCC but the demand for military training was always there," he added.

Singh said the short-period recruitment scheme was thought about wherein the service period will be for four years and performers will be retained. Besides, the remaining 75 per cent of retirees would be adjusted in employment at various places.

He said the Army is neither an employment agency nor a company or a shop.

People join the Army out of their interest to serve the nation, he added.

When asked if the discontent over the 'Agnipath' scheme will discourage aspirants from turning up at recruitment rallies to join the armed forces, the former General said the government relaxed the entry age limit to 23 years (for one time) because the recruitment to the armed forces remained stalled due to the pandemic for two years.

"If a person had missed out on earlier recruitment opportunities he is still eligible to apply. This is a voluntary scheme and anyone who fits the criteria can apply," 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.)
India promotes tolerance and inclusion, and deals with any aberration within the legal framework, the country's top envoy at the UN has said, asserting that the country does not need "selective outrage" from outsiders amidst condemnation by a dozen Muslim countries over the controversial remarks made by two now-suspended functionaries against the Prophet.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said this on Friday during a high-level event to make the celebration of the 1st anniversary of the International Day on Countering Hate Speech titled Role of education to address the root causes of hate speech and advance inclusion, non-discrimination, and peace'.

India's multicultural edifice has, over centuries, made it a safe haven for all those who seek refuge in India, whether the Jewish community or Zoroastrians or Tibetans or from our own neighbourhood, Tirumurti said.

It is this underlying strength of our nation that has withstood radicalisation and terrorism over time, he said.

It is with this sense of history that India has continued to play a defining role to combat radicalisation and terrorism, and promote tolerance and inclusion, Tirumurti said.

Aberrations are dealt with within our legal framework and we do not need selective outrage from outsiders, especially when they are self-serving - even communal in nature, and pursuing a divisive agenda, he said.

The event was organised by the Permanent Mission of Morocco and the Office on Genocide Prevention and Responsibility to Protect.

Tirumurti said the greatest bulwark against intolerance and hatred is embracing the principles of democracy, where there are necessary checks and balances and where any aberration is addressed within the confines of the rule of law.

Further, a society based on pluralism, where every religion is respected, is a sine qua non of tolerance and harmony.

India has embraced both these principles - democracy and pluralism. And we call on all countries to adhere to these principles to ensure that intolerance is addressed within a Constitutional framework, he added.

Earlier his month, over a dozen Muslim countries, including Iraq, Libya, Malaysia and Turkiye, condemned the controversial remarks made by two now-suspended functionaries against the Prophet.

The on June 5 suspended its spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks against the Prophet.

Amid by Muslim groups over the remarks, the party also issued a statement aimed at assuaging the concerns of minorities and distancing itself from these members, asserting that it respects all religions and strongly denounces the insult of any religious personality.

The Ministry of External Affairs has said that India accords the highest respect to all religions.

The offensive tweets and comments denigrating a religious personality were made by certain individuals. They do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the Government of India. Strong action has already been taken against these individuals by relevant bodies, the MEA Spokesperson said last week.

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India will not allow any unilateral attempt by China to change the status quo or alter the Line of Actual Control (LAC), External Affairs Minister said on Saturday, while asserting that through an enormous logistical effort, the country had countered the Chinese at the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

Talking about the eastern Ladakh border row, Jaishankar said China, in violation of the 1993 and 1996 agreements not to mass troops on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), chose to do so, and added that its attempt was obviously to unilaterally change the LAC.

"Even though we were in the midst of COVID-19 at that time, through an enormous logistical effort, which I think sometimes has not been adequately recognised by people, by analysts, even in our politics in this country, we were actually able to counter them at the LAC," Jaishankar said at a town hall organised by CNN-News18.

Elaborating on the row, he said some people have a simplistic idea of the border and one does not typically deploy at the patrolling point and that troops are in depth areas.

"What has happened as a result of this is because they (China) had forward deployments which were new and we counter-deployed, we also had forward deployments. You ended up with a very sort of intricate mix...which was very dangerous because they were too proximate, the rules of engagement were not being observed and then, exactly what we apprehended happened at Galwan two years ago. It became violent and there were casualties," Jaishankar said.

"Since then, we have had a situation where we negotiate the friction points. When you say have you yielded results, many of those friction points have been resolved," he said.

"There are areas where they pulled back, we pulled back. Remember, both of us are very much in advance of what our pre-April positions were. Has it all been done? No. Have we made substantial solutions? Actually, yes," Jaishankar said.

"It is hard work. It is very patient work, but we are very clear on one point, which is, we will not allow any unilateral attempt by China to change the status quo or alter the LAC," he said.

"I do not care how long it takes, how many rounds we do, how hard we have to negotiate -- this is something we are very clear of," Jaishankar said.

He also said the talks with China have not come to an end.

At the Delhi Dialogue on Thursday, Jaishankar had asserted that the development of India-China ties has to be based on mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutuality of interests. He had also said the state of the border will be reflected on the state of the Sino-India relationship.

The remarks came amid a standoff between India and China that began in early May of 2020. As a result of military talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process last year on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

India has been consistently maintaining that peace and tranquillity along the LAC are key for the overall development of the bilateral ties.

In his remarks at the town hall, Jaishankar also said India's history with the United States is a troubled one.

"A lot of our problems with Pakistan are directly attributable to the support which the United States gave to Pakistan," he added.

But today, there is a US that is able to take a long view, which is actually able to say "India has a different history with Russia and we have to take that into account", he said.

"Part of the reason why Quad has worked is that the four of us have given each other that degree of latitude and understanding," Jaishankar said.

India's history with Russia is different from the latter's history with the US, Japan or Australia, and everybody in the Quad does not have an identical position on everything, he said.

"Had it been the case, we would have expected everybody to have the same stand on Pakistan as ours," Jaishankar said.

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In view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to and Mysuru on June 20, and his participation in several events, the government declared a holiday for the higher education institutions located in the proximity of his travel route due to security reasons.

Minister for Higher Education CN Ashwath Narayan said that a government order to this effect has been issued on Saturday.

"This will be applicable to higher educational institutions in the vicinity of IISc, Goraguntepalya, CMTI, Ring Road, Dr Rajkumar Memorial flyover, Laggere bridge, Nayandahalli, Mysuru Road RV College, Nagarabavi, Sumanahalli flyover, MEI junction, Govardhan Talkies, Yashawantapura, and Jakkuru Aerodrome route," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had said that the preparations to make Prime Minister's visit to and Mysuru "a grand success" are in full swing.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit the state on June 20.

According to Bommai, PM Modi is scheduled to arrive at Yelahanka airbase at 11.55 am and reach the Indian Institute of Science by helicopter to participate in two programs. There, he will inaugurate the Brain Cell Research Centre established at a cost of Rs 450 crore by Kris Gopalakrishnan and lay the foundation stone for an 850-bed Research Hospital being built by the MindTree.

He also informed that the Suburban Rail project for will also take off on the same day as the Prime Minister would lay the foundation for a Rs 15,000 crore project to provide mass transit connectivity from the heart of the city to many localities in the outskirts.

Apart from this, PM Modi would also launch six railway projects. He is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the Satellite Town Ring Road connecting Dabaspet on Tumakuru road with Old Madras Road near Hosakote.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has agreed to provide special concessions for the project after Bommai convinced him of the project's importance. "After launching these development projects the Prime Minister would address a public rally at Kommaghatta," Bommai said.

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on Saturday issued summons to case accused Swapna Suresh to appear before it on June 22 for interrogation.

Summons were issued to Swapna on the basis of the 164 statement that she was given in the sessions court earlier.

According to the ED sources, Swapna informed that she will appear before its Kochi office.

Suresh had revealed that she has declared in court about the involvement of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his wife and daughter in the matter.

"I have already given 164 statement in court about a threat to my life. I have declared in court about all the people involved in this case. I have also filed a petition seeking protection in court. They are considering it. I have declared in the court about what is the involvement of M Sivasankar (then principal secretary to CMO), the Chief Minister, CM's wife Kamala, CM's daughter Veena, his secretary CM Raveendran, then Chief Secretary Nalini Netto IAS, then minister KT Jaleel," she said.

Swapna claimed that a baggage containing currency was sent to Vijayan when he was in Dubai in 2016.

The affidavit submitted by Swapna Suresh alleged that 17 tonnes of date imported to from UAE 'went missing' with the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and former Minister KT Jaleel's knowledge.

The Kerala case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019.

After spending 16 months behind bars, Swapna was released from jail in November last year.

The case is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, Investigation Agency (NIA) and the customs department.

Earlier this year, Swapna Suresh had alleged that she was exploited and manipulated by M Sivasankar, principal secretary of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The statements came after Sivasankar in his upcoming autobiography "Aswathamavu: Verum Oru Aana" alleged that Swapna had trapped him by gifting him an iPhone.

Sivasankar was arrested on October 28, 2020, after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail petition.

Sivasankar was released on bail on February 4, last year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi recorded 1,534 new Covid cases and three more deaths on Saturday, while the positivity rate stood at 7.71 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department. On Friday, the national capital had logged 1,797 cases, the highest in nearly four months, along with one fatality while the positivity rate had stood at 8.18 per cent.

Assam reeled under devastating floods caused by incessant rain affecting nearly 3.1 million people in 32 districts, while eight more people lost their lives on Saturday taking the toll to 63, officials said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take stock of the situation. The CM also visited a few relief camps sheltering affected people in Kamrup and Darrang districts. A total of 1.89 million people were affected in 28 districts of the state on Friday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister on Sunday hit out at the Centre over its 'Agnipath' military recruitment scheme and said it was wrong to play with the lives and ambitions of the country's youth.

Addressing Shiv Sena MLAs and senior leaders on the occasion of the party's 56th foundation day, Thackeray said if the youth do not have jobs, there is no use of speaking only about Lord Ram.

He said farmers were the first to take to the streets against some the of the Centre's agri laws.

"You must assure only what you can deliver, " the chief minister said.

Why give names like 'Agniveer' and 'Agnipath' to schemes which have no meaning? What will the youth aged 17 to 21 years get after four years? he asked.

"Having soldiers on contract is dangerous, and playing with the ambitions and lives of youth is wrong. There is no use of only speaking about Lord Ram, if the youth do not have jobs," the Sena president said.

He said Maharashtra was calm, despite violent protests in some parts of the country against the 'Agnipath' scheme.

"Today may be my day, tomorrow some one else will emerge as a better alternative," he added.

The Centre had on Tuesday announced the scheme, saying youth between the ages of 17 and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted for a four-year tenure in the armed forces, while 25 per cent of them will be subsequently inducted for regular service.

The youths to be recruited under the new scheme would be called 'Agniveer'.

Later, in an attempt to pacify the protesters, the government on Thursday increased the upper age limit for recruitment under the 'Agnipath' scheme to 23 years from 21 for the year 2022.

As the protests intensified in various parts of the country, on Saturday approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the jobs in various organisations under the ministry for recruits under the 'Agnipath' scheme if they meet the requisite eligibility criteria.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP president J P Nadda held a meeting with the party's 14-member management team for the July 18 presidential election and deliberated upon the poll strategy, sources said on Sunday.

Nadda met the party leaders, including the team's convener Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat, at his residence here.

Other leaders of the team, including Union Ministers G Kishen Reddy and Arjun Ram Meghwal, and BJP general secretaries Vinod Tawde and C T Ravi, were also present at the meeting.

According to sources, the BJP's strategy for the presidential election was discussed in detail in the meeting.

The BJP had authorised its president J P Nadda and Union Minister Rajnath Singh to consult with other political parties, including those in the opposition, for building a consensus on a presidential candidate.

Both Nadda and Singh have already reached out to several opposition leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Naveen Patnaik, and Farooq Abdullah, to reach a consensus candidate for the presidential election.

With numbers on its side, the BJP-led NDA is expected to ensure the victory of its candidate in the .

(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.)
TEHRAN, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Iranian foreign minister has called the U.S. approach to the Vienna talks "unconstructive," Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday.

Making the remarks in a telephone conversation with the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who also serves as EU coordinator of the Vienna talks, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticized the United States for "its unconstructive and hasty moves to get a resolution (recently) approved at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s Board of Governors."

"After the approval of the resolution at the IAEA's Board of Governors, we showed that we would not retreat from the rights of the (Iranian) people and if the U.S. wants to continue behaving unconstructively, it will be met with an appropriate response from our side," Amir-Abdollahian was quoted as saying.

In the meantime, the Iranian top diplomat welcomed "logical and result-based talks," saying that Tehran still believes that diplomacy is the best way to resolve the issue.

For his part, Borrell stressed the EU's continued efforts in the run-up to a deal in Vienna talks which aims at the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, adding that the only way out of the current situation is the pursuit of diplomacy and avoiding unconstructive actions.

"We are not far from a deal in Vienna and time is now to resume the talks swiftly and to make an effort to prevent an escalation," he said, adding that "I am ready to make necessary efforts to pave the way for a deal that would be agreed upon by all sides."

Last week, the IAEA passed a resolution drafted by the United States and the European troika of France, Britain and Germany, criticizing Iran for what they called its "failure" to respond to the IAEA questions concerning the "undeclared" nuclear sites.

Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in the Austrian capital of Vienna between Iran and the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, including China, Britain, France, Russia and Germany, to revive the pact.

However, the Vienna talks have stalled since March this year due to reported major differences between Iran and the United States. 
The Police has arrested 415 people and registered 20 FIRs so far in connection with the violent protests that erupted in the state over now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma's remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

Violence broke out in Kanpur on June 3 and in nine other districts of the state on June 10 after protests against Sharma's remarks during a TV debate spun out of control. At least 40 people, including 20 police personnel, were injured in the violence in Kanpur.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar on Sunday said that a total of 415 people have been arrested and 20 FIRs registered in 10 districts so far in connection with the violence on June 3 and June 10.

Three FIRs each have been registered in Kanpur Police Commissionerate and Saharanpur, seven in Prayagraj and one each in Firozabad, Aligarh, Hathras, Moradabad, Ambedkarnagar, Kheri and Jalaun, he said.

The ADG said 97 people have been arrested in Prayagraj, 85 in Saharanpur, 58 in Kanpur, 41 in Ambedkarnagar, 40 in Moradabad, 35 in Hathras, 20 in Firozabad, eight in Kheri, six in Aligarh and five in Jalaun.

On June 10, mobs pelted police with stones during the violence in Prayagraj and Saharanpur.

In Prayagraj, a mob set on fire a few motorcycles and carts, and also attempted to set ablaze a police vehicle. Police used tear gas shells and lathis to disperse the protesters and restore peace. A policeman was injured in the violence, according to officials.

In Saharanpur, protesters raised slogans against Nupur Sharma and demanded the death sentence for her.

There were protests in Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur and Lucknow as well.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As violent protests against the Centre's new short-term recruitment policy for armed forces continue in parts of the country, the Rajasthan Cabinet has passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the Centre's Agnipath scheme keeping in mind the "larger public interest and the sentiments of the youths".

A meeting of the State Council of Ministers was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at the Chief Minister's residence here on Saturday where concerns were expressed over the nationwide protests against the Agnipath scheme of the Central Government.

"In the meeting of the State Council of Ministers, it was discussed that the Indian Army is the bravest in the world and is known for its indomitable courage. Whole country takes pride in the Indian Army's glorious history. To maintain dignity and prestige of the Indian Army, it is necessary to have skill, experience and stability in the forces. To increase efficiency in the Army, it is crucial to have permanent soldiers instead of short-term recruits, so that the country can reap the benefit of their experience. The Army must be equipped with all the resources and must be continuously strengthened," read a statement by the .

Noting the massive protests across the country regarding the provisions in the scheme, the State Government said it is of the view that the Central Government should have had a comprehensive discussion with all the stakeholders before introducing any such scheme.

"It was discussed in the meeting that, many military experts are of the opinion that the Agnipath scheme will neither secure the future of the youths nor will the country's Army face the challenges with full confidence Experts say that there should be regular recruitment in the country's Army, along with better training soldiers must get all the benefits so that their future and their family's future can be secured," the statement added.

AGNIPATH scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. Soldiers who are recruited under this scheme will be known as Agniveers. A total of 46,000 Agniveers will be recruited this year. Following protests, the Central government announced an increase in the upper age limit for the recruitment of Agniveers from 21 years to 23 years for the recruitment cycle of 2022.

While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the 'Agnipath' scheme gives a golden opportunity to the youth to join the defence system and serve the country, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the recruitment policy is controversial, carries multiple risks, subverts the long-standing traditions and ethos of the armed forces and there is no guarantee that the soldiers recruited under the scheme will be better trained and motivated to defend the country.

Congress has urged the government to keep the Agnipath scheme in abeyance, hold wide consultations with serving and retired officers, and address the issues of quality, efficiency and economy without compromising on any of the three considerations.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the Ministry of Defence for 'Agniveers' meeting requisite eligibility criteria. Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that his ministry has decided to give priority to 'Agniveers' in the recruitment of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
on Saturday said that the party will protest all over the state at mandal and block-level on June 20 and 21 over the "political vendetta" of the Centre against party leaders.

It said the protest will also be held over the alleged "attack" by Delhi Police on party headquarters following protests against ED giving notice to party leader in the Herald case.

alleged that Gandhi has been given notice by ED on "instructions of the central government on fabricated allegations" and there was political vendetta.

It alleged that Delhi Police personnel entered the AICC office and beat up party workers.

The party said the central government is using force to suppress peaceful protest.

A party circular issued on June 17 asked block presidents to send coverage of protests to the party headquarters.

(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 candidate for the Rajinder Nagar Assembly bypoll in Delhi, Prem Lata, has filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against AAP nominee Durgesh Pathak for "using money power" during campaigning.

Lata alleged that Pathak and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are resorting to "lies, using money power and misusing the official machinery" to "influence" and "mislead" the voters.

"The AAP candidate has been openly violating the Model Code of Conduct as Kejriwal has put the official machinery for his campaigning. Money is being squandered like water, though people are thirsting for drinking water in Rajinder Nagar," she alleged.

However, the candidate also claimed that the voters are coming out in large numbers in support of her party.

Lata has been carrying out a door-to-door campaign. She interacted with people in C Block of Naraina village and held a corner meeting at the Swadeshi Lal Chowk on Saturday.

"The voters are fed up with the negligence shown by both the (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for years. I have complained to the EC about the AAP's unfair tactics to influence the voters with various inducements," she said.

The candidate flagged water shortage, garbage, damaged roads and water-logging as some of the concerns of the voters of the Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency, and said she would focus on these issues if given a chance.

Voting for the bypoll will be held on June 23 and the counting of votes will be taken up on June 26.

(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.)
Downplaying the violent protests against the Agnipath scheme that continue to rock Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Sunday fielded the militarys top manpower planners in a press conference to send out the message: Agnipath is here to stay.

Meanwhile, as many as 35 WhatsApp groups that were allegedly spreading fake about the Agnipath military scheme were on Sunday banned by the government, officials said.

Lieutenant General Anil Puri, additional secretary in the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), who was at the forefront of conceiving and structuring the Agnipath Yojana and is now the militarys frontman in defending the scheme, told the press conference in Delhi: "The Agnipath scheme will not be rolled back. Why should it be rolled back?"

Conveying the impression of a strong government, Puri said the concessions that the MoD had made in the Agnipath scheme were not forced by protests and arson, but because they were already in the works.

The generals spelt out a schedule that made it clear it was too late to backtrack on this pathbreaking scheme.

Lieutenant General C Bansi Ponnappa, the Armys Adjutant General and top manpower planner, said recruitment to the Army would start in the first half of August and the first Agniveers will come in by the first week of December, followed by a second lot in February.

Ponappa said the Army would hold 83 recruitment rallies and touch "every village" in the country. With the 2011 census placing the countrys village count at 6,40,930, this requires each rally to carry out recruitment from an average of 7,722 villages. This is clearly an exaggeration.

The Air Force too said it would enrol the first batch of Agniveers by December and training would begin before the New Year.

The Navy, however, will be the first service to get off the blocks. The first batch of Agniveers would reach the Chilka Lake in Odisha for training by November 21.

The unanticipated protests have forced the government to announce several ad hoc concessions. These include a 10 per cent quota in MoD jobs, which include the Coast Guard, defence civilian posts, and all 16 defence public sector undertakings. This reservation would be over and above the existing job reservations for ex-servicemen.

In addition, the government hastily announced a 10 per cent quota for retired Agniveers in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), which include the Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force, the Central Industrial Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Seema Suraksha Bal and the Assam Rifles, the last of which comes under the MoD.

From the outset, Puri has been instructed to convey the message that saving money, by reducing the number of pensioners, or by lowering the salary payroll of serving soldiers, was not a key objective of Agnipath. Instead, the main aim was to lower the age profile of the military from the current average of 32 years to a more sustainable average of 27 years.

Puri also used the lure of Agniveer jobs to quell public unrest and stop arson on the streets. He said any candidate who faces a police case cannot apply for Agnipath.
Muktangan, a group for "inclusive education", said its work in eight years helped more than 1,400 children in to appear in Maharashtra State Board exams. Out of them, 110 children have special needs.

Muktangan said it empowers ordinary people with skills to achieve "extraordinary outcomes" for children from their communities. It offers child-friendly through seven municipal lab schools and a teacher centre in Mumbai's G-South Ward.

"Since its inception in 2003, we have been driving educational change through our integrated teacher and school and outreach programmes," said the group in a statement.

"We strongly believe that every individual has potential which if tapped can lead to long-lasting impact. We have witnessed successful results since the last 8 years with 1,400+ children appearing for the Maharashtra State Board exams, it said.

Muktangan said children it supported got 100 per cent pass percentage in examinations this year. "The efforts and dedication of our children, teachers and teams have borne fruit with 90 per cent children securing first class and above, it said.
store employees in a Baltimore suburb voted to unionise by a nearly 2-to-1 margin on Saturday, a union said, joining a growing push across US retail, service and tech industries to organise for greater workplace protections.

The retail workers in Towson, Maryland, voted 65-33 to seek entry into the Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union's announcement said.

The vote could not immediately be confirmed with the National Labour Relations Board, which would have to certify the outcome.

An NLRB spokesperson referred initial queries about the vote to the board's regional office, which was closed late Saturday.

declined to comment on Saturday's development, company spokesperson Josh Lipton told The Associated Press by phone.

Union organising in a variety of fields has gained momentum recently after decades of decline in US union membership.

Organisers have worked to establish unions at including Amazon, Starbucks, Google parent company Alphabet and outdoors retailer REI.

The Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the Apple employees who wanted to join said they sent Apple CEO notice last month that they were seeking to form a union.

The statement said their driving motivation was to seek rights we do not currently have. It added that the workers recently organised in the Coalition of Organised Retail Employees (CORE).

I applaud the courage displayed by CORE members at the Apple store in Towson for achieving this historic victory, said IAM President Robert Martinez Jr. in the statement.

They made a huge sacrifice for thousands of Apple employees across the nation who had all eyes on this election. Martinez called on Apple to respect the election results and to let the unionising employees fast-track efforts to secure a contract at the Towson location.

It remained unclear what steps would follow the vote in Towson. Labour experts say it's common for employers to drag out the bargaining process in an effort to take the momentum out of union campaigns.

The IAM bills itself as one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defence, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.

The Apple store unionisation comes against a backdrop of other labour organising nationwide  some of them rebuffed.

Amazon workers at a warehouse in New York City voted to unionize in April, the first successful US organising effort in the retail giant's history.

However, workers at another Amazon warehouse on Staten Island overwhelmingly rejected a union bid last month.

Meanwhile, Starbucks workers at dozens of US stores have voted to unionise in recent months, after two of the coffee chain's stores in Buffalo, New York, voted to unionise late last year.

Many unionisation efforts have been led by young workers in their 20s and even in their teens.

A group of Google engineers and other workers formed the Alphabet Workers Union last year, which represents around 800 Google employees and is run by five people who are under 35.
store workers near Baltimore voted for a union Saturday, becoming the first organized store in the US in a landmark decision that could change the face of the tech giants retail operation.

As of 8:30 p.m., 65 workers who voted at the Towson, Md., store had sided with the union, outnumbering anti-union votes 2 to 1. The bargaining unit includes about 100 workers and is affiliated with the Association of Machinists.

The decision could spark a wider unionization movement among store workers, similar to the first union vote last year that has since prompted nearly 300 other stores to file for elections.

The union victory is likely to breathe new life into the labor movements mission to organize and the wider tech sector, which suffered a setback after a store in Atlanta canceled its election last month. Those workers, organized by the Communications Workers of America, blamed an alleged union-busting campaign by Apple and said it planned to re-file for an election later.
The war in could last for years, the head of NATO said on Sunday, calling for steadfast support from Ukraine's allies as Russian forces battle for territory in the country's east.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said supplying state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukrainian troops would boost the chance of freeing its eastern region of Donbas from Russian control, Germany's Bild am

Sonntag newspaper reported.

After failing to take the capital Kyiv early on in the war, Russian forces have focused efforts on trying to take complete control of the Donbas, parts of which were already held by Russian-backed separatists before the Feb. 24 invasion.

"We must prepare for the fact that it could take years. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine," Stoltenberg was quoted as saying.

"Even if the costs are high, not only for military support, also because of rising energy and food prices." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who visited Kyiv on Friday with an offer of training for Ukrainian forces, also said on Saturday it was important Britain provide support for the long haul, warning of a risk of " fatigue" as the war drags on.

In an opinion piece in London's Sunday Times, Johnson said this meant ensuring " receives weapons, equipment, ammunition and training more rapidly than the invader".

A top target in Moscow's offensive to seize full control of Luhansk region - one of the two provinces making up the Donbas - is the industrial city of Sievierodonetsk.

said on Sunday its offensive in the city was proceeding successfully.

Luhansk Governor Serhiy Gaidai told Ukrainian TV that fighting made evacuations from the city impossible, but that "all Russian claims that they control the town are a lie. They control the main part of the town, but not the whole town." Russia's defence ministry said it had taken control of Metyolkine, just southeast of Sievierodonetsk, with Russian state news agency TASS reporting that many Ukrainian fighters had surrendered there. Ukraine's military said had "partial success" in the area.

KHARKIV STRIKES

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, wrote in a note that "Russian forces will likely be able to seize Sievierodonetsk in the coming weeks, but at the cost of concentrating most of their available forces in this small area".

In Sievierodonetsk's twin city of Lysychansk, residential buildings and private houses had been destroyed, Gaidai said.

"People are dying on the streets and in bomb shelters," he added. He later said 19 people had been evacuated on Sunday.

In Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv, northwest of Luhansk, Russia's defence ministry said its Iskander missiles had destroyed weaponry recently supplied by Western countries.

Russian forces were trying to approach Kharkiv, which experienced intense shelling earlier in the war, and turn it into a "frontline city", a Ukrainian interior ministry official said.

Kharkiv's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said he would cancel a planned trip to Madrid to discuss the city's reconstruction with Norman Foster and other architects due to the uncertainty caused by increased bombardment.

In southern Ukraine, Western weaponry had helped Ukrainian forces advance 10 km (6 miles) towards Russian-occupied Melitopol, its mayor said in a video posted on Telegram from outside the city.

Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield accounts.

'MOOD ASSURED'

has said it launched what it calls a "special military operation" to disarm its neighbour and protect Russian speakers there from dangerous nationalists. Kyiv and its allies dismissed that as a baseless pretext for a war of aggression.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has rallied citizens with daily filmed messages, said he had visited forces in the southern Mykolaiv region, about 550 km (340 miles) south of Kyiv.

"Their mood is assured: they all do not doubt our victory," he said in a video on Sunday that appeared to have been recorded on a moving train. "We will not give the south to anyone, and all that is ours we will take back."

In Mykolaiv and Odesa regions, Zelenskiy said he had heard reports on destruction from Russian strikes.

"The losses are significant. Many houses have been destroyed; civilian logistics have been disrupted," he said.

Ukraine received a significant boost on Friday when the European Commission recommended it for candidate status, a decision EU nations are expected to endorse at a summit this week.

Though actual membership could take years, the speaker of Ukraine's parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said the move put a common Ukrainian dream at hand.

"Whole generations fought for a chance to escape from the prison of the Soviet Union and, like a free bird, to fly to European civilisation," he said in a statement.

Such sentiments fly in the face of one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's stated goals when he ordered his troops into Ukraine: to keep Moscow's southern neighbour outside of the West's sphere of influence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sergey Brin, the co-founder and worlds sixth-richest person, filed for a from his wife of three years, making him the third mega-billionaire to do so in as many years. Brin filed a petition for dissolution of his marriage to Nicole Shanahan this month, citing irreconcilable differences, according to court documents. The couple, who have a three-year-old son, took steps to keep the details of the split private, requesting that documents be sealed by the court.

Because of the high profile nature of their relationship, there is likely to be significance public interest in their dissolution case and any potential child custody issues, according to the filing in Santa Clara, California. Business Insider earlier reported on the split.

Brin, 48, has a fortune of $94 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, derived largely from his holdings in Google, the company he co-founded wth Larry Page in 1998 that later formed the holding company Alphabet. Both he and Page left Alphabet in 2019, although they remain on the board and still are the controlling shareholders.

Brins earlier marriage to 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki ended in in 2015.

His most recent split comes a year after Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates announced the dissolution of their marriage and about three years after Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott divorced. At the time, Gates and French Gates had a $145-billion fortune to divide, while Bezos and Scott had $137 billion at stake when they broke up.

Its likely Brin and Shanahan have a prenuptial agreement since the relationship began long after he became a billionaire, said Monica Mazzei, a partner at Sideman & Bancroft LLP in San Francisco. But because the case is being handled by a private judge, we will never know the details of the divorce, she said.

Bia-Echo Foundation

Philanthropy could also play a role in the agreement, Mazzei said. Shanahan created the Bia-Echo Foundation, whose focus is on longevity and equality, criminal justice reform and a healthy and livable planet, according to its website. The foundation reported $16.7 million in assets and made $7.4 million in grants, according to its 2019 tax filing, the most recent available.

Mazzei said divorce agreements often include the support of an ex-spouses philanthropy because its mutually beneficial: The grantor gets a tax break and the grantee gets agency over their charitable giving. Brin was the only contributor to the foundation, according to the tax form, with a gift that year of more than $23 million. Scott has become the worlds most prolific philanthropist since her split from Bezos, granting billions of dollars to a wide range of causes thanks to the 4 per cent stake in Amazon.com she ended up with in 2019.

Following the Gateses divorce, their focus has also turned to philanthropy. Unlike Scott and Bezos, the former couple had already made their name as mega-donors with their Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and there were questions about how the $50-billion charitable engine would be affected.

French Gates has since turned attention to her own philanthropic investment firm Pivotal Ventures, which was started in 2015 with a focus on implementing innovative solutions to problems affecting US women and families.
BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Water Resources said Sunday that major flooding has occurred in south China's Pearl River basin due to heavy rainfall.

The floods in the basin's main rivers of Xijiang and Beijiang came just days after torrents in the region on Tuesday prompted the ministry to raise the emergency response from Level-IV to Level-III to strengthen flood prevention work.

China has a four-tier flood-control emergency response system, with Level-I being the most severe.

The ministry has urged the relevant authorities to closely monitor the flood situations and has stepped flood-control efforts in rain-battered reservoirs, small and medium-sized rivers and mountainous areas. Five work groups have been dispatched to south China's Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where the emergency response is maintained at Level-III.

Given the strong downpours expected, rivers in provincial-level regions including Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Zhejiang will likely see floods exceeding alert levels, with major torrents in some small and medium-sized rivers. 
The has claimed responsibility for the deadly terror attack on a gurdwara in Afghanistan's capital Kabul that killed two persons, including one Sikh community member, calling it "an act of support" for the Prophet.

Several blasts tore through Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul's Bagh-e Bala neighbourhood on Saturday while Afghan security personnel thwarted a bigger tragedy by stopping an explosive-laden vehicle from reaching the place of worship of the minority community.

In a statement posted on its Amaq propaganda site late Saturday, the  Khorasan Province (ISKP), an affiliate of the militant group, said the attack targeted Hindus and Sikhs and the "apostates" who protected them in "an act of support for the Messenger of Allah".

The dreaded terror group said one of its fighters "penetrated a temple for Hindu and Sikh polytheists" in Kabul, after killing the guard, and opened fire on the worshippers inside with his machine gun and hand grenades.

It was the latest targeted assault on a place of worship of the Sikh community in Afghanistan.

The three attackers were killed by the Taliban forces.

The terror attack on the gurdwara came days after the ISKP in a video message warned of an attack against Hindus to avenge the remarks against Prophet Mohammad by two former BJP functionaries.

In the past too, the ISKP had claimed responsibility for attacks on places of worship of Hindus, Sikhs and Shia Muslims in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the attack on the gurdwara in Kabul drew severe criticism from Afghan leaders and the UN.

Afghanistan's former president Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and called it a "terrorist incident." Abdullah Abdullah, former chairman of the Afghan High Council National Reconciliation, also condemned the attack.

I strongly condemn...heinous and cowardly terrorist attack on our Sikh community Gurdwara in Karta-e Parwan, Abdullah Abdullah was quoted as saying by Tolo news.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Twitter said it strongly condemns today's attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul." "Attacks on civilians must cease immediately," the UNAMA said and called for the protection of all minorities in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan was once home to tens of thousands of Sikhs and Hindus, but decades of conflict have seen the number dwindle to a tiny handful.

In recent years, those who have remained have been repeatedly targeted by the local branch of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.

In March 2020, at least 25 worshippers were killed and eight injured when a heavily armed suicide bomber stormed his way into a prominent gurdwara in the heart of Kabul, in one of the deadliest attacks on the Sikh community in the strife-torn country.

In 2018, a suicide bomber struck a gathering in the eastern city of Jalalabad, whilst another gurdwara was attacked in 2020.

"At the time of the attack in Jalalabad, there were around 1,500 Sikhs, after that people thought, 'We can't live here'," Sukhbir Singh Khalsa told BBC.

More left after the attack in 2020, he added, and by the time the Taliban took power last year, there were less than 300 Sikhs. Now there are just around 150.

"All our historical gurdwaras have been martyred already, and now the only one that was left has been, too," he said.

Since the Taliban took power in August last year, Afghanistan has seen continuing attacks by rival Sunni Muslim militant group Islamic State.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President on Saturday called the announcement of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recommend the first COVID 19 vaccines for kids under the age of five, a monumental step forward in the nation's fight against the virus.

"For parents all over the country, this is a day of relief and celebration. As the first country to protect our youngest children with COVID 19 vaccines, my Administration has been planning and preparing for this moment for months, effectively securing doses and offering safe and highly effective mRNA vaccines for all children as young as six months old," he said.

He said that with this, every American now is eligible for the protections that COVID 19 vaccines provide and the country is ready to build on the progress of the historic vaccination program that has resulted in over 220 million Americans fully vaccinated, more than 100 million Americans boosted, and over 2 million American lives saved.

He further said that the parents can make appointments for the vaccine at places like paediatricians' offices, children's hospitals, and pharmacies.

"In the coming weeks, every parent who wants a vaccine will be able to get one. As the vaccination program ramps up, Vaccines.gov will be live next week with vaccine availability and appointments increasing throughout the week," he added.

Biden assured that the vaccines are safe, highly effective, and will give parents the peace of mind of knowing their child is protected from the worst outcomes of COVID-19.

"If you are a parent who wants to protect your child, I urge you to speak with your child's paediatrician and make a plan to get your child vaccinated as soon as the vaccine becomes available to you," he said.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky termed it an important step in the fight against COVID 19 and said that the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines available here in the US can be used safely and effectively in children under five.

She encouraged the parents to get their children vaccinated against COVID 19 and said that with this recent authorization from FDA and recommendation from CDC, nearly 20 million children are now able to get vaccinated against COVID 19.

The US regulators, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized and recommended the first COVID-19 vaccines for kids under the age of five.

An official statement from the CDC said that the parents and caregivers can now get their children 6 months through 5 years of age vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to better protect them from COVID-19. All children, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated.

The CDC recommended parents and caregivers to sign in personalized and confidential health check-ins via text messages and web surveys for their children, in order to monitor the safety of the vaccines.

With this, they can easily share with CDC how a child feels after getting a COVID 19 vaccine, read the official statement.

(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.)
Pakistan on Saturday said it was working closely with the to schedule an early on-site visit by its experts to verify the progress made by the country in countering financing of terrorism and money-laundering activities before removing Islamabad from the grey list.

Pakistan will continue to be on the "Grey List" of countries under increased monitoring of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a statement from the Paris-based global money-laundering and terror-financing watchdog said on Friday.

It said Pakistan may be removed from the list after an on-site visit to verify the implementation of its reforms on countering terror-financing mechanisms.

"Pakistan is not being removed from the Grey List today. It will be removed if the on-site visit finds that its actions are sustainable," outgoing president Marcus Pleyer said.

He said a formal announcement on Pakistan's removal would follow an on-site inspection, which would be conducted before October.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, who led the Pakistani delegation to the plenary in Berlin, said that the government was working closely with the global watchdog to schedule the visit at mutually convenient dates so the process could be concluded prior to the FATF's plenary session in October.

Pakistan has been on the grey list of the Paris-based FATF since June 2018 for failing to check money laundering, leading to terror financing, and was given a plan of action to complete the task by October 2019.

"The on-site visit marks the beginning of the end [of the] process that will eventually culminate in Pakistan's exit from the grey list, hopefully forever," Khar said.

Regarding the dates of the on-site evaluation, the minister said the authorities concerned are closely working with the FATF to arrange their team's visit at mutually convenient dates with a view to conclude the process before the October plenary.

"The 2018 action plan has been closed and no pendency of action remains on Pakistan's part," Khar said.

She said that Pakistan had submitted three progress reports to the FATF on the action plan of 2021, which was related to money laundering.

"I am pleased to announce that Pakistan has completed the entire seven-point action plan a year ahead of the given timelines," the minister asserted.

With Pakistan's continuation on the grey list, it had increasingly become difficult for Islamabad to get financial aid from the IMF, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Union, thus further enhancing problems for the country.

Pakistan has so far avoided being on the black list with the help of close allies like China, Turkey and Malaysia.

The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the financial system.

The FATF currently has 39 members including two regional organisations -- the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council. India is a member of the FATF consultations and its Asia Pacific Group.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lanka's military opened fire to contain rioting at a fuel station, officials said on Sunday as unprecedented queues for petrol and diesel were seen across the bankrupt country.

Troops fired in Visuvamadu, 365 kilometres (228 miles) north of Colombo, on Saturday night as their guard point was pelted with stones, army spokesman Nilantha Premaratne said.

A group of 20 to 30 people pelted stones and damaged an army truck, Premaratne told AFP.

Police said four civilians and three soldiers were injured when the army opened fire for the first time to contain unrest linked to the worsening economic crisis.

As the pump ran out of petrol, motorists began to protest and the situation escalated into a clash with troops, police said.

is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence, with the country unable to find dollars to import essentials, including food, fuel and medicines.

The nations 22 million population has been enduring acute shortages and long queues for scarce supplies while President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has for months resisted calls to step down over mismanagement.

Sri Lanka's Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on Saturday was jeered by a group of farmers who protested his visit to an agriculture-related programme in Tissamaharama, a town situated in the countrys southern province in Hambantota district, forcing him to flee the premises.
A senior Russian military official said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces shot fake war footage in the southern city of Mykolaiv with the help of 40 actors.

"It has been confirmed that Ukrainian security forces shot videos that purportedly showed damage caused by Russian armed forces to private households, as well as homeless civilians. The video production used more than 40 actors who were paid USD 25 each," Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said.

Mizintsev said this and similar propaganda stunts were being directed by Western spin-doctors.

"The Russian armed forces treat civilians in an extremely humane way and do not attack civilian infrastructure," he added.

The official accused Ukrainian troops in control of Mykolaiv of moving military hardware to populated areas. A multiple rocket launcher has been installed atop a multistory residential building downtown, with firing nests set up on the upper and ground floors.

(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 US lawmakers have asked tech giant to fix searches that mislead users to "anti- fake clinics".

According to USA Today, some Democratic members of Congress have asked Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to address concerns about search and map results for information that are including "anti-abortion fake clinics".

Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Elissa Slotkin in a letter dated called "especially concerning" a report from the non-profit organisation, the Center for Countering Digital Hate.A

The CCDH report found 37 per cent of Maps results and 11 per cent of Google searches for "abortion clinic near me" and "abortion pill", in states with "trigger laws," that would take effect automatically or through quick state action if Roe v. Wade is overturned, were for "anti-abortion fake clinics".

These clinics, also called "crisis pregnancy centers" or "pregnancy resource centers" do not provide abortions and "seek to steer women away from certain health decisions," the legislators wrote.

The CCDH report also found that 28 per cent of Google ads displayed atop search results were for anti-abortion clinics, the report said.

One ad for a Mississippi clinic appeared to offer free abortion consultations, but upon looking at its website the CCDH said it found the clinic does not perform abortions or provide referrals for the procedure.

"Across our products, we work to make high-quality information easily accessible, particularly on critical health topics," the tech giant was quoted as saying in a statement to USA News.

"Any organisation that wants to advertise to people seeking information about abortion services on Google must be certified and show in-ad disclosures that clearly state whether they do or do not offer abortions," the company added.

--IANS

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(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.)
Russian President said his country was not threatening the world with nuclear weapons, but warned that Moscow will use such weapons to defend its sovereignty and declared the end of the era of the unipolar world.

Addressing the St Petersburg Economic Forum, a showcase event being held this year with almost no Western participation, he returned time and again to the theme of Russias sovereignty in a new global order: We are strong people and can cope with any challenge.

Like our ancestors, we will solve any problem, the entire thousand-year history of our country speaks of this. Putin drew applause when he reaffirmed his determination to continue the special military operation in Ukraine that has unleashed a barrage of Western economic sanctions.

Putin said the United States considered itself Gods emissary on Earth, and that Russia was taking its place in a new world order whose rules would be set by strong and sovereign states.

He called the campaign in Ukraine the action of a sovereign country that has the right to defend its security, and accused the West of active military appropriation of Ukrainian territory.

But he appeared to acknowledge the scale of destruction being wrought, while absolving Russian forces.

Shortly before Putin was due to begin speaking, the Kremlin said a denial of service cyber attack had disabled the Forums accreditation and admission systems, forcing him to delay the scheduled start by an hour.
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An India-born author based in London, who grew up reading Enid Blyton stories, has penned her own set of adventures for the Famous Five characters created by the celebrated English children's writer, more reflective of modern British life.

Sufiya Ahmed, originally from Surat, recently released the second in a four-book series commissioned by the publishers behind Blyton bestsellers and has been buoyed by the enduring popularity of the characters.

While injecting some South Asian flavour into Five and the Runaway Dog', Ahmed feels her new adventures are an ode to the much-loved writings of the 20th century children's author.

These new adventures of the Famous Five are more reflective of modern times, said Ahmed.

There are more diverse characters in Kirrin village, which is the setting of the Famous Five books, and in the second story I've written, Five and the Runaway Dog', we have Simi a girl of South Asian heritage and her family who have moved into the village. Simi plays a major part in the story and is also featured on the front cover, she said.

The first book, Timmy and the Treasure', was released in January and has been making waves not just in the UK but also in Spain and Portugal.

The third book in the series, Message in a Bottle', is now undergoing the finishing touches with illustrations and proofreading, and Ahmed is already working on book number four. All four books should be available by May 2023, including in India.

Enid Blyton is Hachette Children's Group's top-selling author in India, so it's very exciting to be part of that. I'm hoping to be invited to the Indian book festivals with my Famous Five adventures, said Ahmed.

The author feels that many adults, worldwide, feel nostalgic about Blyton's books and would want to share them with the children in their lives.

I was so delighted when Hachette commissioned me to extend this series with inclusive adventures for the beloved characters Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Tim. It's part of Hachette's strategy to keep Enid Blyton's books enjoyable, accessible and relevant for children all over the world, shared Ahmed.

Asked about some criticism of Enid Blyton in the modern-day cancel culture context over certain questionable references within her books, Ahmed points out that the editions now available are very sensitively updated while preserving the period and original setting.

Whether it's the Five, the Secret Seven or the girls at Malory Towers, these are beloved characters and I'm just making the setting for their adventures more reflective of the world that young readers live in, without changing the essence of their appeal, she explained.

The Five still love the countryside and the coast, go camping on their island, and are good-hearted children who help their friends and neighbours and of course are devoted to Timmy the dog, she said.

Earlier this year, the children's author released My Story: Princess Sophia Duleep Singh', intended to complement Britain's school curriculum for nine to 13-year-olds around the country's suffragette movement as it celebrates the royal's tireless campaign for women's right to vote.

Bringing the story of the granddaughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and goddaughter of Queen Victoria to the fore has been inspiring for Ahmed, who wants to write about more diverse female role models such as Queen Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, Razia Sultan and Nur Jahan.

(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.)
CARACAS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- The post-pandemic world should focus on "respect, cooperation and equal humanity," Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday, after returning from a visit to six countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

"A new global geopolitical vision is beginning to emerge," in parallel with "a new consensus for a new humanity without imperialism," Maduro said after his arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport, about 21 km from downtown Caracas.

The majority of the world is opposed to a global model that seeks to "govern under the aegis of command and obedience," he said.

The six countries he visited, namely Turkey, Algeria, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar and Azerbaijan, are part "of the new world that is being built," he said, adding that Venezuela reached with them "agreements in terms of investment in oil, gas, agriculture, food, tourism, and air transport." 
JOHANNESBURG, June 18 (Xinhua) -- South African Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Ebrahim Patel on Saturday welcomed the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s agreement to waive COVID-19 vaccine patents, 20 months after the African nation proposed a broad waiver to combat the pandemic.

The WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference closed Friday at dawn at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, with members agreeing on key issues such as pandemic response and TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) waiver related to COVID-19.

The recent agreement allows governments to authorize local manufacturers to produce vaccines or their ingredients, substances or elements and utilize processes which are covered by patents without the permission of the patent holders for five years.

South Africa and India first proposed the waiver to the WTO in October 2020, with support of other developing countries during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Africa "fought" for the agreement until it was concluded in the early hours on Friday morning, Patel told a media briefing at O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.

For a number of months after South Africa tabled the proposal, developed countries blocked any attempt to get that discussion to move into text-based negotiation, he added. 
CAMEROUN :: Quatre trafiquants d'ecailles de pangolin arretes dans la ville dAkonolinga :: CAMEROON

Quatre trafiquants ont ete arretes pour trafic d'ecailles de pangolin a Akonolinga.

Ils ont ete arretes le 19 avril lors d'une operation coup de poing menee par les agents de la Delegation Departementale des Forets et de la Faune du Nyong &Mfoumou en collaboration avec la Compagnie de Gendarmerie d'Akonolinga.

Deux des trafiquants ont ete arretes a quelques metres des services des Eaux et Forets et deux autres ont ete arretes a leur domicile. Ils ont ete surpris avec cinq sacs d'ecailles de pangolin pesant 90 kilogrammes. Ils appartiennent a un reseau de trafic d'animaux sauvages operant dans la region du centre.

Le reseau est compose de trafiquants, chacun ayant un role precis a jouer dans la commercialisation illegale des ecailles de pangolin. L'un d'eux collectait les ecailles de pangolins dans les villages autour d'Akonolinga. Il abattait parfois des pangolins et en achetait dautres a des petits trafiquants qu'il avait contactes dans ces villages. Les autres jouaient le role d'intermediaires, ils tuaient parfois eux-memes les pangolins, vendaient leur viande et stockaient les ecailles chez eux.

Une ONG dappui a l'application de la loi sur la faune sauvage, connue sous le nom de LAGA, a fourni une assistance technique lors de cette operation.

Les pangolins sont les animaux les plus trafiques au monde, on estime quentre 0,4 et 2,7 millions de pangolins sont abattus chaque annee dans les forets d'Afrique centrale. Le Cameroun abrite trois des quatre especes de pangolins africain : le pangolin a longue queue, le pangolin commun et le pangolin geant, qui figurent tous dans la categorie des especes integralementprotegees par la loi faunique de 1994.

English version below

Four traffickers arrested with 90kg of pangolin scales



Four traffickers were arrested for trafficking in pangolin scales in Akonolinga.

They were arrested on April 19 during a crackdown operation carried out by wildlife officials of the Nyong & Mfoumou Divisional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife in collaboration with the Gendarmerie Company of Akonolinga.

Two of the traffickers were arrested some few meters away from the wildlife office and two others later nabbed at their homes. They were found with five bags of pangolin scales weighing 90 kilograms. They belong to a wildlife trafficking ring operating in the Central region.

The ring is composed of traffickerswith each having a role to play in the illegal sale of thepangolin scales. One of them collected pangolins scales from villages around Akonoloinga. He sometimes poached the pangolins and bought some from small time traffickers he had activated in these villages. The others played the role of middleman, they sometimes killed the pangolin themselves,sellits meat and stored the pangolin scales at their homes.

A wildlife law enforcement support body known as LAGA provided technical assistance during the operation.

Pangolins are the most trafficked animals of the world, it is estimated that between 0.4 and 2.7 million pangolins are hunted every year in central African forests. Cameroon is a host of three of four African Pangolin species, the Black-bellied, the White-bellied and the Giant Pangolins, all of them listed in the class of totally protected species in the country.They are protected under the 1994 wildlife law.
At this point, were not entirely sure if this was supposed to be a secret, but thanks to a couple of sales agents, we finally have our firs...
After graduating, he lived for a period of time in New York City, where he established a career as a commercial illustrator, doing both editorial illustration for publications like The New Yorker, Time, Rolling Stone, and Playboy, as well as ad agency work for major brands like Honda and Nike. An LA Times piece from 1986 reported that Peck was earning more than $100,000 annually ($267,000 in todays dollars) from his work as an illustrator.

In the mid-1980s, after hed relocated to southern California, he began working regularly in animation in addition to continuing his career as an illustrator. He worked as a designer on commercials, with his first major industry role as character designer on the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. Below is the commercial The Adventures of Nic (A Teen) that Peck designed and which was animated by Kurtz & Friends in 1984:

In the early 1990s, Peck occasionally worked on projects for the L.A. animation studio Klasky Csupo, and contributed story and design work to series like Rugrats and spots for Sesame Street (below).

While at the studio, Peck pitched Gabor Csupo on an animated version of Duckman, based on a one-shot comic hed created for Dark Horse Comics a few years earlier about a private detective whos a duck. [Csupo] actually self financed twenty minutes of animation that we used to sell the project to Paramount, Peck said in a 2009 interview. He was a huge force in getting things going.

The project was picked up as an animated series by the USA Network and debuted in 1994. Klasky Csupo produced seventy episodes of the series over four seasons. In an era before the emergence of adults-only animation, the pioneering series was never a huge hit, but developed a cult following and was nominated for three Emmy Awards and won a CableACE award in 1996. Peck credited the low viewership with ensuring that they had a lot of freedom and little creative interference from the network.

Jason Alexander, who voiced the titular Duckman lead, tweeted about the loss of his former collaborator:

I have just sadly learned of the passing of Everett Peck, the genius animator and cartoonist who brought Duckman to life. It was an honor to voice his beloved creation and a joy to have known Everett. He was one of a glorious kind. My best to his family&friends#ripeverettpeck  jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) June 17, 2022

Peck contributed to numerous other animated series in the 1990s including The Critic (1994-1995), and worked as a design consultant at Columbia TriStars short-lived childrens division, where he helped design Jumanji (1996), Extreme Ghostbusters (1997), Men in Black: The Series (1998-2000), Godzilla: The Series (1998), and Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (1999), among other shows.

Peck sold a second series  Squirrel Boy  which ran for 26 episodes on Cartoon Network from 2006-2007.

In addition to his work in print and animation, Peck was also an educator. In the mid-1980s, he was head of the illustration department at Otis Parsons School of Design. More recently, Peck taught at his alma mater Cal State University Long Beach. Students who took his classes at both Otis and CSULB have praised Peck as an edcuator. Animation industry veteran Marcelo Vignali, who was the production designer of Hotel Transylvania, was taught by Peck in the 1980s and posted the following tribute publicly on Facebook:

What a punch to the stomach this news has been. As a student of Everett Peck we learned more than just about artbut also about human kindness, dignity, humor, sincerity and how to become a giving soul. Everett was the kind of teacher that understood the best way teach art was by rolling up his sleeves. He demystified art for me by giving us paint demos, thinking about concepts, drawing out roughs, and most of allteaching us how to have fun. Everetts work is fun. Everetts wealth of knowledge in art and insight made him one of our favorite teachers at Otis/Parson, he gave us all so willingly and didnt hold back, and for that we will be eternally grateful to have known him.

Chelsea Blecha, currently a visual development artist at Dreamworks Animation, took Pecks classes at CSULB and shared the following message on Twitter:

Everett was one of my favorite, most supportive, & kindest teachers at [Cal State University Long Beach]. He encouraged me to pursue vis dev & guided me at a time I had no experience or knowledge of it at all. He always kept in touch, even after graduation. Truly heartbreaking. He will be sorely missed

Aubry Mintz, who ran the art department at CSULB, also expressed his condolences on Facebook:

We hired Everett Peck to teach character design and visual development at CSULB about a decade ago. There was an immediate shift in the student work once he began teaching in our animation program. Not just the quality of their design but their love for the art form grew rapidly under Everetts guidance. He really knew how to motivate the best out of his class- an incredible inspiring artist (and a legend to his peers). Everett Peck made a massive impact and we will never forget him. Rest In Peace master Peck you will be sorely missed.

Peck is survived by his wife, Helen Vita Peck, children Emily and Spencer, stepdaughter Paloma, and granddaughter Sidley.
Photo: The Canadian Press Director of Chinatown BIA, Wen Wong, pictured in Chinatown in Edmonton, Alta., on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. The core area of the city's Chinatown has seen a rise in violent crime. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

The 97 Hot Pot restaurant in Edmonton's Chinatown used to be crowded on weekends, with some customers lining up and craving slow-cooked veggies, lamb and beef.

But that hasn't been the case lately.

Manager Vincent Lau says the killings of two workers from nearby shops last month and years of social disorder in the century-old downtown neighbourhood have scared away many regulars.

"Business has died down significantly in the last few weeks," said Lau, who lives a 15-minute walk from the restaurant.

"Chinatown has been here for a long time, so it's sad to see. Being able to have a safer area would welcome more guests and more citizens to this part of the city."

Wen Wong, executive director of the Chinatown and Area Business Association, said the district in the McCauley neighbourhood has been deteriorating over the last 20 years.

The decline worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the oldest bakery in the community was burned to the ground and multiple other cases of arson and vandalism followed.

Edmonton police said there has been an increasing trend of violence, disorder, and property crime in areas including Chinatown, the downtown, and the transit system.

Wong said years ago, many Chinatown businesses stayed open late into the night to serve a busy clientele. Many close now by 6 p.m. and, during the day, operate with their doors locked so customers have to knock to get in.

"We surveyed our members and close to 100 per cent said Chinatown is extremely dangerous, especially at nighttime," said Wong, adding he doesn't walk outside at night.

Lau said the killing of Ban Phuc Hoang and Hung Trang a few blocks away from his restaurant has made it difficult to attract customers. Hoang was working inside his electronics store when he was attacked. Trang was found dead outside the autobody shop where he worked.

Lau said some of his larger male workers have been regularly walking servers out to their cars after shifts "because we're scared of what might happen."

Wong said addiction and mental health issues have worsened and more people have been in the area to access nearby social service centres.

Volunteers have been collecting as many as 300 needles a month in the community, which is just a few blocks from Edmonton's safe drug consumption sites, he said.

"I don't understand why and how safe injection sites and these centres were all placed near Chinatown," Wong said.

"We have a lot of homeless who come in and they don't want to leave," Lau added.

"We have to call the police, which sometimes takes up to an hour. By that time, they have made a mess."

Wong said he counted 150 businesses operating at the start of the pandemic and today there are about 120.

Children of many of the business owners tell their parents they don't want to continue running their family shops because of how challenging it has become, he said.

"We are having less and less Chinese owners, because they are getting old. It's hard for the Chinese community."

Lau and Wong agree two solutions would help Chinatown become the colourful, tourist-friendly and vibrant neighbourhood it was once: more security and fewer social service centres in the area.

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi announced a plan last week to address crime. It includes $1 million to revitalize Chinatown, grants for businesses to upgrade their security, more public washrooms downtown and help for owners doing cleanup.

In the long term, the city plans to urge the province to stop releasing mental health patients and those released from provincial corrections facilities onto the streets. This, after questions have been raised about why the man charged with killing Hoang and Trang was dropped off in Edmonton by RCMP when a bail condition stated he could only be in the city for an addictions treatment program.

The city also wants to decentralize social services now concentrated near Chinatown over five years.

Edmonton police said it is also creating a strategy to increase community safety along with more officers in downtown areas.

Wong said 12 security officers in cars, on bikes and on foot have been patrolling the area from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week since the funding was released. It will cover their costs for up to six months.

He's not sure about what will happen after that.

"We hope we will see a big change for the better."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2022.

---

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Photo: The Canadian Press

More people have been asked to evacuate their homes due to the risk of a landslide in one of Saguenay's neighbourhoods, north of Quebec City.

The city and its fire department ordered last night an additional 53 families in La Baie, Que. to leave their houses before 7 a.m. today.

Officials had previously evacuated 21 households earlier this week following a landslide that swept an emptied house on Monday.

Saguenay Fire Department deputy director Steeve Julien says the ground underneath the sector is "very crumbly" and could cause a massive landslide similar to the Saint-Jean-Vianney disaster.

Hundreds of residents of Saint-Jean-Vianney, also in the Saguenay, were left without homes in May 1971, after a gigantic landslide swept through the community, killing 31 people.

Saguenay Mayor Julie Dufour says the 76 families that have been displaced could be out of their homes for months, but would receive the city's help with relocating.
Federal authorities are seeking the forfeiture of money from two different bank accounts, saying the money was part of the proceeds of a large amount stolen from a Chattanooga investor.

One account is $997.31 deposited to Truist Bank in the name of Randall Taylor/Randall Auto.

Another is $59,982.33 in the J.P. Morgan Chase Bank account of a Phillip Lucas.

Agents said the money should be forfeited because it was gained through a violation of federal law - wire fraud and money laundering.

An agent said last Nov. 3 he met with representatives of the Maclellan Foundation, who advised him they had been the victim of an email scam.

He said "unknown subjects" were able to compromise the email account of Tom Lowe, the chief investment officer for the Christian foundation.

After the fraud was discovered, Maclellan Foundation's IT manager brought in IT specialists who determined that Mr. Lowe's email account was compromised on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. The unidentified subjects created a sub-file in the Lowe email called "Able" under deleted email files in order to hide the emails which the unidentified subjects did not want Mr. Lowe to see.

The agent said, "Starting on Oct. 16, 2021, the unidentified subjects were able to read Lowe's emails, and they found an opportunity to commit fraud when they found the emails about Lowe's investment advice to his friend Margaret May, a resident of Chattanooga. The unidentified subjects used Lowe's Maclellan Foundation email address to send a fake email to May.

"Lowe had often advised May on making private equity investments, and he communicated with her using his Maclellan Foundation email address. May wanted to make an investment, and on Oct. 26, 2021, Lowe sent an email to May advising her that it was okay to sign the DocuSign documents. The DocuSign documents included a subscription agreement, wiring instructions and other documents for the investment.

"On Oct. 28, 2021, the unidentified subjects sent a false email to May from Lowe's Maclellan Foundation email address. Based upon the nature of this fraud, it appeared to May that the email was from Lowe, but in reality, Lowe did not send the email; and Lowe did not see the email because the unidentified subjects deleted it to the 'Able' sub-file before Lowe could see it.

"The false email gave May new wire transfer instructions. An attachment to the false email instructed May to wire $250,000 to the account of Randall Auto, 801 53rd Ave. W, Bradenton, Florida, at Truist Bank, account number xxxxxxxxx3333.

"Following these false instructions, May wired $250,000 on October 28, 2021 from her investment account to Truist Bank account number xxxxxxxxx3333. The $250,000 wire transfer from May's account was received into the account of Randall Taylor DBA Randall Auto on October 28, 2021.

"A majority of the funds were thereafter disbursed via cashier's checks payable to Phillip Lucas. One cashier's check is dated October 29, 2021, in the amount of $197,000. Another cashier's check is dated November 1,2021, in the amount of $30,900. I am informed by JPMorgan Chase that the $197,000 and $30,900 cashier's checks payable to 'Phillip Lucas' were deposited to the account of Philip Lucas DBA Lucas Auto Sales DBA Phileas Ltd, JP Morgan Chase Bank account number xxxxx2262.

"I have probable cause to believe that Maclellan Foundation and May are the victims of a Business Email Compromise."

The money from the two accounts is being held through an account belonging to the U.S. Marshal's Office.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers will commemorate 110 years of service to the electrical industry on June 20.

"This is truly a milestone in the Brotherhood. In todays business climate when many organizations are struggling to survive, IBEW Local 175 works daily to promote our successes," said Gary Watkins, business manager and financial secretary. "Our members are a prime example of working people enjoying good wages and benefits. Theyve been our story for 110 years. We work to provide the most skilled craftsmen in the industry.

"In 1912, the IBEW chartered Local 175 with 10 members. They believed that a union would help its members and their families have a better life. In our (IBEW) Constitution Article 1, Section 2, states, 'The objects of this Local Union shall be to promote by all proper means the material and intellectual welfare of its members.' I am blessed and honored to continue to lead the charge."

In its 110 years, IBEW Local 175 has partnered with utilities, power boards, coops and municipalities across the region, the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee and the National Electrical Contractors Association to provide craftsmanship in building many area landmarks, including projects that altered the course of history in the region. In addition, IBEW Local 175 remains one of the top 10 organizations in the city in charitable giving.

For over 80 years, IBEW Local 175 has delivered electrical technician training through is Joint Apprenticeship Training Center. This 5-year program provides a balance of classroom and hands-on experience. "We are providing students with full-time employment, with benefits, while they attend school free of charge, a program that stands out from the rest," said Local 175 President, Danny Painter.

IBEW Local 175 leaders see a bright future for the membership. Their focus is to continue to meet the needs of an ever-changing electrical industry, making sure that members remain leaders in the latest technology. They are also committed to maintaining the strong ties with partners, customers and vendors forged in over a century of working together.

IBEW Local 175 was chartered June 26, 1912 and represents over 3,600 electrical workers in Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama.